There are some horse names that make you wonder what on earth the owner was thinking. Others are so unfortunate that you can practically hear the race commentator trying not to laugh. But one American racehorse has just discovered that choosing a name can have consequences far beyond a few raised eyebrows in the paddock.

The horse had already made her racing debut when officials decided that her name was a problem. Her owner has offered an explanation for where it came from, but racing authorities were not convinced it was suitable for the racecourse. And that is where things get rather awkward.

A name becomes a problem

The two year old filly was registered as ‘Austrian Painter’ and won her debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis on Monday. Shortly afterwards, however, the US Jockey Club received a formal complaint about the name and opened an investigation. The organisation ultimately decided that it was ineligible under its rules because it could reasonably be interpreted as an offensive reference to Mr Adolf H. There is an obvious reason for the association. Hitler was born in Austria and spent part of his early adult life pursuing a career as an artist in Vienna.

“Austrian painter” has also become an online euphemism for Hitler, particularly in places where users try to avoid content moderation. The horse’s owner and breeder, Scott Herbertson, however has said the name was intended to refer to Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, rather than the other. Klimt was the artist behind The Kiss and is one of Austria’s most famous painters compared to the other who is also famous but for all the wrong reasons. That explanation did not prevent the name being changed. Austrian Painter is now officially called Merrylegs. Such a downgrade, I know. she sounds more like a ‘My Little Pony’ than a racehorse.

And then there was another horse

Unfortunately for Herbertson, he had another naming headache waiting in the stable. Austrian Painter’s full sister was registered as New Order, and now things are looking suspicious. But not to worry, Herbertson hand a good reason for that name too, and said that name was a reference to the British electronic band New Order, rather than anything connected to Nazi Germany. The Jockey Club nevertheless, once again, ordered that horse also be renamed. The problem is that “New Order” also has a historical association with Nazi Germany’s plans for occupied Europe.

So Herbertson now has two horses requiring new identities, despite having explanations for both names. It is hardly the first time a racehorse name has caused a stir. In 2017, a South African racehorse called President Trump was ordered to change its name after racing authorities deemed it unsuitable. The horse was subsequently castrated and renamed Fake News, after an attempt to use “POTUS” was also rejected, some people have no sense of humour!

When horse names get very awkward

Over the years some names have caused controversy for a completely different reason: they are simply hilarious, rude or unfortunate when spoken aloud. Take Porn Star, for example. There really was a Dutch Warmblood show jumper with that name, born in 1997 and registered for FEI-level jumping competitions. Records show the horse competed in international events in Italy with riders including Filippo Linari and Marta Bottanelli.  

Then there was Brandy Love, a racehorse who attracted plenty of attention before the Cheltenham Festival because her name was almost identical to that of adult actress Brandi Love. Even jockey Paul Townend struggled to keep a straight face when was asked about riding her. And racing has produced names that are considerably harder for commentators to say with a straight face. Hoof Hearted became notorious because its name sounds rather different when shouted repeatedly at race-commentator speed. Racing Post even included it among the names that had somehow slipped through the naming rules. 

Sometimes the mistake is completely innocent

Not every memorable horse name was deliberately trying to cause trouble. One of Britain’s better-known jumpers was called Definitly Red, yes, without the second “e” in “Definitely”. The spelling was apparently the result of a mistake when the horse’s name was registered for point-to-point racing. That did not exactly hold him back. Definitly Red went on to win 15 of his 38 races, including the Charlie Hall Chase and Many Clouds Chase, and twice competed in the Grand National. 

So perhaps the lesson from Austrian Painter is that naming a horse is rather more complicated than finding something that sounds good on a race card. You can name one after an artist, a rock band, a celebrity or simply make a spelling mistake, but once thousands of people are reading the name, you don’t get to decide what they see in it.

A supermarket till is probably the last place most people would expect to find a €333,800 hole in the accounts. But in Cantabria, a cashier is accused of finding a remarkably simple way to make cash disappear, one small transaction at a time.

The alleged scheme went on for two years and involved 1,160 transactions, according to prosecutors. Now the supermarket wants the cashier to spend 10 years behind bars, while the Public Prosecutor’s Office is seeking a three-year sentence.

How the money disappeared

The supermarket’s tills used separate systems for recording purchases and processing payments. According to the prosecution, the cashier took advantage of this when customers paid less than €400 in cash. After processing the purchase, she allegedly disconnected the payment terminal from the electricity supply, preventing the payment from being recorded in the system.

The cash could then be kept without the corresponding payment appearing in the supermarket’s records.Prosecutors say this happened 1,160 times between 2023 and 2025, with the total amount allegedly taken reaching €333,800. The case is now heading to the Provincial Court of Cantabria, where the allegations will be examined.

The clue was hiding in the computer system

The supermarket eventually became suspicious after its applications manager noticed several tickets that had been left open. A review of the records found that similar transactions were repeatedly being made at the beginning and end of shifts and were being carried out using the same employee’s credentials.

The company then spent two days monitoring the cashier with security cameras, according to the prosecution’s account. She was dismissed the following day, and prosecutors allege that she was carrying €845 in cash when she was confronted. The company subsequently reported the matter to the authorities.

Supermarket wants 10 years in prison

The supermarket and the Public Prosecutor’s Office are seeking very different sentences. The prosecutor is asking for three years in prison, a €4,500 fine and compensation of €333,800 for the alleged loss. The supermarket, which is appearing as the private prosecution, is asking for 10 years in prison, along with a €288,000 fine and compensation of €331,750.

The difference in the compensation figures is linked to €2,000 allegedly returned by the cashier several days after she was dismissed, according to the prosecution. The case concerns a continuing aggravated offence of misappropriation. The cashier has not been convicted and the allegations have yet to be determined by the court.

Court hearing set for next week

The case is due before Section Three of the Provincial Court of Cantabria on Thursday, October 1, with the hearing scheduled to begin at 10:00am. The parties will first have the opportunity to reach an agreement. If no agreement is reached, the court will set a date for the trial. The prosecution will have to establish that the accused carried out the transactions and took the money as alleged.

Evidence is expected to include the supermarket’s computer records and security camera footage. For customers standing at a till, there is nothing particularly unusual about handing over a few notes and walking away with their shopping. In this case, prosecutors allege that those ordinary cash payments were being used to remove hundreds of thousands of euros from the business over time.

If your weekly supermarket bill seems to be creeping up faster than everything else, you might naturally blame inflation. But new figures show that shoppers at two major Spanish supermarket chains have faced price increases that went beyond the country’s overall inflation rate.

The difference is not enormous on a single shop, but over months of buying the same essentials, even a few percentage points can add up. The latest figures reveal which two chains moved above the inflation line while most of their competitors stayed below it.

Two chains stand out

Between April 2025 and May 2026, Spain’s general Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 3.2%. Over the same period, prices at BM Urban rose by 5.1%, while Ahorramás increased by 4.4%, according to the Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU).

That means BM Urban’s increase was 1.9 percentage points higher than inflation, while Ahorramás was 1.2 percentage points above it. OCU identified these as the only two major supermarket chains in its comparison where overall prices increased faster than general inflation during the period examined.

BM Urban’s cheaper basket rose even more

The figure for BM Urban becomes particularly notable when OCU looks at its economic basket, which is made up of lower-priced products. Prices in this basket increased by 6.5% at BM Urban during the period studied.

That was considerably higher than the chain’s 5.1% overall increase, showing that the rise was not limited to more expensive products. It also stands out because OCU’s economic basket is designed to reflect the lower-priced options available to consumers. A rise of this size means that even the cheaper end of the supermarket’s range experienced substantial price increases during the comparison period.

These figures are not today’s inflation

There is an important date to bear in mind when looking at the figures. OCU’s supermarket comparison covers April 2025 to May 2026. The 3.2% CPI figure therefore describes inflation during that particular period and should not be confused with Spain’s current inflation rate, since then, annual inflation has continued to rise.

According to Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE), it increased from 3.2% in June to 3.6% in July and 4.3% in August 2026. The August figure was therefore already higher than the 3.2% rate used in OCU’s supermarket comparison. That later increase was driven largely by higher energy and fuel prices, according to the INE, adding another source of inflationary pressure after the period covered by the supermarket study.

Most supermarkets stayed below inflation

Despite the increases recorded by BM Urban and Ahorramás, OCU found that the overall picture among the major supermarket chains was very different. Across the major chains included in its comparison, prices increased by an average of just 1% between April 2025 and May 2026.

That compares with the 3.2% increase in the CPI over the same period. OCU therefore found that only two of the major supermarket chains it examined had increased their overall prices faster than general inflation. The finding is significant because it shows that the inflation rate reported for the Spanish economy does not automatically translate into the same percentage increase at the supermarket checkout.

When supermarket prices outrun inflation

Inflation is a measure of how prices are changing across the economy as a whole. Supermarket prices form only one part of that picture, and individual chains can move above or below the national rate. For BM Urban and Ahorramás, OCU’s figures show that their overall price increases were already running faster than inflation during the period studied.

BM Urban’s 5.1% rise, and particularly its 6.5% increase for the economic basket, demonstrate how sharply prices can diverge from the headline inflation figure. And because the comparison ended in May, those figures cannot tell us what either chain is doing today. They do, however, provide a clear snapshot of how supermarket price increases were behaving as Spain moved through another period of rising inflation.