Horse Named After NYC Bridge is Top Contender in Kentucky Derby

A 3-year-old colt named Verrazano may just take home the top honors in this year’s 138th “Run for the Roses” at Churchill Downs. With 4-1 odds — and a name that appeals to many New Yorkers — the chestnut-colored horse is becoming very popular with horse racing enthusiasts.

Kevin Scatuorchio purchased Verrazano for $250,000 in 2011, but had trouble picking the perfect name. “One day, I was taking the Seastreak Ferry home from Manhattan [to New Jersey] and was leaning on the glass window as we went underneath the bridge,” he told the New York Daily News. “I love that bridge. It’s so impressive to see and I thought it would be a great name for a horse. The Verrazano is an imposing bridge and he’s an imposing colt.”

The massive suspension bridge is also sentimental for Scatuorchio’s fiancée, Meghan Ehmann. “She’s a runner and was coming from Chicago to run in the New York City Marathon,” he explained. “So on the ferry I took a picture of the bridge and sent it to her and said, ‘This is the bridge you start from.'”