What’s In A Name? Scarlet Macaw

When Scarlet Macaw emerged from the pack to chase home Fatal Flaw in the R1.25-million World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas Gr 1, at least a hundred syndicate members – many of which were shouting from the stands at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth – dared to believe.

Could this 40-1 outsider produce a stunning upset and deliver Gr 1 success to her excited owners, and those who had punted her at long odds? The answer is that she came within two lengths of the Tote favourite. In finishing second, Scarlet Macaw kept her record of not finishing unplaced in all eight starts intact, and showed she deserves to sit at the top table of three-year-old fillies this season.

When one hears the name Scarlet Macaw, some might think it is the name of a Hollywood actress. That would be wrong. Obviously, the right answer is that of a three-foot long-tailed parrot, most found in South and Central America but also with a presence in South Africa. They typically live for up to 50 years in the wild, but up to 75 years in captivity.

This equine Scarlet Macaw is a filly by the sire Horizon, out of Baby Be Mine and was foaled at David Hepburn-Brown’s Hemel ’N Aarde Stud. She was bought for Bass Racing’s Centenary Syndicate by racing and marketing manager Mark Bass, to be trained by Candice Bass-Robinson.

In landing on the name, Mark was taken by the suggestion of his 15-year-old daughter Sienna, a Grade 9 pupil at Elkhana House High School. “I thought she was studying about parrots and that’s how she arrived at the name,” he says. That wasn’t entirely the case.

Sienna takes up the story. “I’ve always wanted to name a horse. Racing has been part of my family my entire life. My dad has named a lot of horses. I asked him if I could have the chance to name one. He said he’d see what I came up with.

“I had been watching the animated movie Rio and it’s about a parrot who was taken to Rio in Brazil to find a partner. The colours of the parrot were amazing and when I saw a scarlet macaw, I thought it would be a good name for a horse. 

“The colours of the scarlet macaw are very bright and I thought that the name would work well with the hundred people in the syndicate. They are a variety of people so the colours would also represent their personalities. She is a very strong filly and the name is a strong name.”

There’s little doubt she will be called upon to name another horse in the near future. Sienna Bass’s first attempt has produced a Gr 1 runner-up. Not too many people can say they’ve bettered that.