What have one of the greats of the NBA of all time and a promising renor in common? It sounds like a foolish anecdote, but the answer is just a name: Ewing.
Patrick Ewing played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association after winning the Naismith Award as player of the year of Men’s College Basketball in 1984-’85 for the Georgetown Hoyas. The resident of Kingston, Jamaica was the NBA Rookie of the year in 1985-86 after being selected by the New York Knicks no. 1 in the NBA design.
A 7-foot center, Ewing on average 21 points and 9.8 rebounds about his Hall of Fame career with 11 All-Star performances and seven times in the All-NBA team. Multiple points of sale have all time produced top 100 player lists for the NBA and the name of Ewing appears on all.
On July 5, 2025, on the Saratoga Race Course in Upstate New York, a 2-year-old racehorse called Ewing made his career debut and dominated by 12 lengths in a 5 ½ Furlong dirt sprint. The father of the Gray or Roan Colt (father) is Knicks Go, the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and Ewing is of his first harvest of runners.
Just like his namesake, Ewing showed potential as a prospect and sold for $ 585,000 with a 2-year-old in training auction in April to the collaboration of DJ Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and Kenneth Freirich. The first two are co-owners of the popular 1-winning 3-year-old Sandman and Ewing shares the same trainer as Sandman, Mark Casse.
“He came out great,” Casse said. “He just does everything effortlessly.”
Ewing has a morning lines of 8-5 for his deployment debut in the $ 200,000 Saratoga Special Stakes on Saturday.
You would imagine that Ewing may not be the last current or retired Knickerbocker to have a racing horse named after him. Perhaps there is a Knicks Go Colt with owners who consider names such as Clyde, Frazier, Starks, Oakley or Brunson. Heck, Thibs would be suitable for a Knicks Go Colt.
When Nyquist, named after the National Hockey League -star Gustav Nyquist, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2015 and in 2016 in Kentucky Derby was in 2016 that he went on to a career as a stallion. The suspect that he could cause a crowd of hockey names proved to be accurate – see Bagarde, Brodeur, Gretzky the Great, Lemieux, Sean Avery and the Great below – but running horses have over the years named after many stars in other sports.
Below is a selection of some of my favorites based in the US, today with 1924 and 1925 Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Sarazen. Feel free to withdraw on social media with some of your own favorites.
Bedard – The Nyquist-Colt named after Chicago Blackhawks Rising Star Center Connor Bedard (not former Orioles left-handed picker Erik Bedard) placed in a Canadian classic in 2024.
Boitano – Graduated bets on the circuit, the talented gelding by Nyquist is named after an athlete from another discipline on the ice, Olympic figure skating shearer Brian Boitano.
Brooks Robinson – This Maryland bred by Not For Love is named after the best field player ever to man the hot corner, the legendary Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame Third Baseeman. The Renpaard won five of 26 Starts.
Brodeur – This feels like a fall, especially for a long-suffering Philadelphia Flyers fan. Broodeur, placed by Nyquist, is named after the New Jersey Devils star Goalie Martin Brodeur, a triple Stanley Cup winner and four-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the best network of the NHL.
Chris Evert – A Hall of Fame -Rating horse whose namesake was a Hall of Fame tennis player known as America’s tennis. The Champion 3-year-old Merrieveeulen from 1974 won 10 of 15 Starts, including three races of grade 1.
Fold – The named Renpaard is for electric but injury-sensitive major League baseball world Jacob Degrom, a two-time Cy Young Award winner. Folder won 10 from 41 starts from 2016 to 2020.
It seemed – Named after Seton Hall Men’s Basketball star Terry Dehere, the Big East Player of the Year in 1992-93 who played six seasons in the NBA, the Dehere Racehorse was appointed champion 2-year-old man in 1993.
Slimming – Dimaggio, by Bold Hitter, a graded stakes winner in the 1970s, was named after the legendary outfielder of New York Yankees who formed an incredible 56 game Streak during his Hall of Fame career.
Ewing – The promising foal of Knicks Go has cut out his work for him as he hopes to reach as much as his namesake, the Hall of Fame NBA Center.
Garoppolo – He won two of the eight starts from 2020 to 2022 and made a few bets, while his namesake, NFL QB Jimmy Garoppolo, did better against Elite competition with a 4-2 mark in the play-offs to match a strong regular season record as a starter for 11 seasons.
Gosger – The 2025 preakness and Nyra Bets Haskell Stakes Runner-Up is named after MLB travelman Jim Gosger, who played professional baseball with six different clubs in the sixties and 70s.
Gretzky the Great – A grade 1 winner of Nyquist, named after the greatest hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretzky.
GRONKOWSKI – The second place of Belmont Stakes 2018 for Triple Crown winner Justify Justify, the namesake of Gronkowski is four-time all-pro and four-time super bowl champion Rob Gronkowski.
Halladay – Halladay, through War Front, won the degree 1 Fourstardave Handicap in 2020 under three Stakes victories. Namesake Roy Halladay was the more accomplished athlete with two CY Young Awards in a Hall of Fame career as a tenacious pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Joe Frazier – “Smokin” Joe “Frazier is one of Boxing’s True Legends, an Olympic gold medal winner and heavyweight champion best known for its epic battles with Muhammad Ali. Joe Frazier The Renpaard was an active gelding who won seven of 29 Starts but never came close to the success of his namesake.
Kobe’s back – Five-time deployment winner Kobe’s Back started his career about two months after the NBA Hall of Famer and De Grote Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles-tendon all time. Bryant returned to play two more seasons; He then died in a tragic helicopter crash January 26, 2020.
Lemieux – Lemieux, a bet by Florida, bred by Nyquist, is named after Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame Center Mario Lemieux, the number one choice in the NHL version of 1984 that led the pens to back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in 1991 and ’92.
Marciano – The Tesio Stakes winner of 2001 also ran in the preakness stakes of that year. He was named after the undefeated legendary boxer Rocky Marciano, the non -reversing knock -out specialist who was the heavyweight champion from 1952 until his retirement in 1956 at the age of 32 -. Marciano, the Renpaard, was conceived by the Stallion Two Punch.
Nadal – In 2020, Nadal won all four of his starts, including a victory in the 1 Arkansas derby (in two divisions that year), before an injury hit him from the Kentucky Derby Trail. He is now a stallion in Japan. Nadal is named after one of the most respected players in tennis history, Rafael Nadal, who has won a record of 14 French opening under 22 Carrires Grand Slam victories and in 2011 the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award won.
Nyquist – The 2015 champion 2-year-old man became the first unbeaten Kentucky Derby winner since Smarty Jones. He was named after NHL star Gustav Nyquist by owner and pious hockey fan J. Paul Reddam and his success conceived dozens of Racehems names with hockey theme.
Sarazen – Named after one of the greatest golfers of all time, Gene Sarazen, who won the US Open and PGA championship in 1922, the first two of his seven Majors. Sarazen, the Renpaard, debuted in 1923 and was Horse of the Year in 1924 and 1925.
Sean Avery – A grade 1-winning racing horse that finished first in half of his 14 career-star, the namesake of Sean Avery was a pro-hockey player who played left wing for several teams and built up a reputation as an agitator who was not afraid of combining things with the opponent, who leads the NHL twice in Penalty minute.
Syndergaard –A flame-throwing right-handed pitcher, nicknamed ‘Thor’, Noah Syndercergaard became familiar with the New York Mets, dazzling in his Rookie season and that falls in the World Series 2015. He made the All-Star team the following year, but increasing injuries later. His namesake also started hot, won a deduction in his second start as a 2-year-old, and remained competitive at that level during his 6-year season in 2020.
The big –Grade 2 placed De Grote is another Renaard of Nyquist, named in honor of Wayne Gretzky, whose nickname ‘the Great’ is. Gretzky is the leader of all time in the NHL history and has more career assists (1,963) than every other player has total points (goals and assists).
Tikkanen – 1994 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Tikkanen is named after one of the teammates of Wayne Gretzky with the Edmonton Oilers. Pesky winger ESA Tikkanen has carved a reputation as one of the best defensive attackers in the sport while won five Stanley Cup championships.
Tyson – Heavyweight boxer “Iron” Mike Tyson’s battles in the late 1980s and early 1990s were must-see events while he cuts by opponents and achieved a reputation as one of the great knockout artists of all time. Winner of several Graded Stakes Tyson, by Tapit, was appointed by co-owner and Co-Breeder John Sikura in honor of the boxer.
Utley – Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Second Honkman and 2008 World Series Chase Utley was loved in “The City of Brotherly Love” because of his intoxicating and ruthless playing style. His namesake on the circuit was a winner of Grade 2 of Smart Strike who won six of the 25 career start.
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