New Zealand Citation Has Name Change

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Racing purists will be spared the horror of watching another Citation run around in New Zealand this year.

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, the governing body for racing in New Zealand, allowed a filly by Groom Dancer to be registered as Citation despite the fact that the name of racing's first million-dollar earner has international protection.

But following reports in New Zealand and in The Blood-Horse, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing told the filly's owner, James Cork, who had never heard of the U.S. Citation, that the name would need to be changed.

"I was contacted by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing who were rather embarrassed having to inform me that I would need to find another name," Cork told the New Zealand Thoroughbred News website.

According to the Thoroughbred News report, North American authorities made it known to its New Zealand counterparts that Citation's name was registered, though New Zealand is not a full signatory to the list of internationally protected names.

The filly's name is now similar but should not cause too many difficulties: she is now called Excitation. She was unplaced in her debut on Oct. 13.

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