Racehorse “Austrian Painter” renamed after Hitler-link complaints

A colt owned by Scott Herbertson, named “Austrian Painter”, won his first race at recent meetings in Indianapolis, Indiana. Soon after the victory, the owner had to rename the horse: the jockey club received complaints from people who saw the name as a reference to Hitler.

As a young man, Hitler dreamed of becoming an artist, but the art academy rejected him for lack of talent. Before his political career began, he made a living as a painter and draughtsman, selling watercolours and painted postcards, among other things.

According to The Sun, social media users often use the phrase “Austrian painter” to talk about Hitler and get around content moderation filters. One user joked that he loves American horse racing because you can tune in to any race and hear the commentator announce that “Hitler takes the lead on deep stretch!”

Herbertson rejected the criticism. He said the name was a tribute to his wife's favourite artist, the Austrian Gustav Klimt, one of the leading figures of Viennese Art Nouveau and Symbolism, Horse Racing Nation reported.

The owner also noted that the horse is grey, not brown, a colour associated with Nazism mainly because of the uniforms of the SA (Sturmabteilung), the paramilitary organisation of the Nazi party.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz