Is THAT how there’s all these QHs that have Cartel in the name??? I just thought some breeder somewhere had a warped sense of humor/personality and named a successful horse Cartel something and it caught on with that horse’s many offspring. I didnt know there was a literal drug cartel involved in that.
I think your less exciting explanation is the correct one in most cases. There is a well known QH racing/speed event sire named Corona Cartel (although to be fair, I don’t know how he got his name…)
That’s what I always assumed, saw a lot that were either by Corona Cartel or some other Cartel named horse from that or whatever other lines had Cartel in the name. It just always seemed like an odd name, too. Well the “Cartel” part anyway.
I was just surprised there was potentially an actual cartel involved anywhere.
Though I don’t think any actual criminals (at least that were successful for a long time) would be QUITE that stupid with naming their racehorses. I mean, that would be like a big neon sign saying, “WE’RE RIGHT HERE COME GET US” 
Journalist here - I’ve always thought, well, at least since NewspaperofRecord was racing, that it’d be fun to do a ton of journalism themed names. Just that I can think of (none of these were actual horses just things I’d name them if I could do a ton of journalism names)
Press Pass
Byline
Breaking News
Editor In Chief (or Executive Editor)
Copyeditor
A.P. Style
Off The Record (I believe it’s eventer Will Coleman who has an upper level horse called Off The Record, actually)
On The Record
Deep Background
On Background
Editor’s Note
Quoted (not necessarily journalism related, strictly but close enough)
Above The Fold
Not sure if this would work as I tend to dislike names mashed together as a single word but:
Whowhatwhenwherehowwhy
Or alternately
Five Ws
Going on with the list of ideas into the not-as-great-sounding names
Cutline (the caption below the photo)
Masthead
Deadline
Front Page
Oooh just thought of a couple new good journalism-adjacent ones:
Cartoonist
Funny Pages
EDIT: Also just had the thought that First Amendment would be a pretty good horse name.
Yes, they really were that arrogant! Apparently they would use secret cartel hand signs in the winners enclosure too. Probably hubris was the only reason they were caught - because who would imagine a Mexican drug cartel running a top class QH stable in the USA?
There is a book “Bones” by Joe Tone and you can look up 2013/2014 articles in NYT, CNBC, BBC etc.
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My trainers horse, Better Hurry, which I think is a great name for a tb, ran against a horse called Freud’s Fetish. 
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I may have to read that book.
My young, unraced super lazy chestnut TB mare’s registered name is Manhunt. Barn name is Amber or “the hoar” as her milkshake brings all the boys to the yard…
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I recently saw a post going around of an AQHA horse named Let’s Go Brandon 
Also just saw a random post online about a racehorse named “Life in Shambles” LOLLLL so relatable
I remember a STB racehorse from twenty-some years ago named “Clinton’s Cigar,” lol
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My favorite pony name I’ve seen, on a hairy little black & white paint pony, just slightly bigger than a shetland: Jam Sandwich.
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I saw a pony on BigEq a few weeks ago - adorable little buckskin with the name “Cookie Butter”.
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I liked the mashed names. From the same era as Boobsplasher I liked Bigloadtocarry and thesunshinesbright.
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It works well with the right kind of name but it doesn’t work across the board.
I’m maybe odd but if I ever had a racing stable where I bred and named the horses I’d probably have a lot of simpler, crisp and classic looking one or two-word, three words tops names. I don’t know. The mashed-up names just look bleh and a bit tacky to me unless it’s that rare name where it works.
I always thought song titles and the like could make great horse names too:
Day Tripper
Ticket To Ride
Paint It Black
Revolution
Revolver
Penny Lane
Ruby Tuesday
And so on. But that’s me!
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Ah, my dear. Education is needed here.
The cartel was here in QH racing & breeding … maybe still are in a smaller way.
More education needed.
My friend, they DID NOT CARE WHO KNEW. They flaunted it. On the one hand, there were no warrants for them on the U.S. side of the border. On the other hand … what happens if you tell on them?
This is well documented.
The cartel connection owned hundreds of racing and/or breeding QH’s in the states. As money laundering and as entertainment, as they have a reputation as horse racing breeders, owners and fans.
I think one or more of these is an audiobook as well.
It is bone-chilling to read just what we know of the story – and that is far, far short of everything they were doing north of the border. Where they did not think they would be arrested. It took some dedicated balls-to-the-wall law enforcement investigation to break up the cartel QH racing schemes.
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I’m not arguing otherwise I just didn’t think that was going to be the actual origin of the names as it sounds like a crazy rumor at first and the first person to mention it on the thread didn’t link to actual books or anything, at least not initially.
I don’t know if Corona Cartel’s breeder had connections with drug cartels, for all I know they did, but I’d guess that the majority of his offspring with “Cartel” in their name were bred and owned by boring, garden variety Americans.
That’d be my bet, too. 
I think my favorites are Mywifedoesn’tknow and Thewifeknowseverything The call on that race is hilarious!
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My favorite JC name/favorite horse name: Bizmo Funyuns.
Second favorite: No More Strippers.
I want to know the story behind both names.
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