The Loop

The latest sign that Jordan Spieth has made it? He has a race horse named after him in New Zealand

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Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery. Having something named after you, however, has to be a close second. Which is why Jordan Spieth should be awfully flattered upon learning that 1) there’s a race horse in New Zealand named after him and 2) the horse has been a money maker.

Spieth, a four-year-old chestnut stallion, has won five of 11 races, earning $534,640 and becoming a “top-class sprinter” in the region, according to Racing.com. Given that the horse cost his owners $200,000 at auction, Spieth had proven wise investment.

Unlike this golf namesake, Spieth the horse is a late bloomer. According to Racing.com, he was supposed to race as a two-year-old, but suffered minor setbacks so his debut was delayed until he was three. It’s been within the last 12 months that Spieth has hit his stride.

Timing, more than anything, explains how the horse acquired its name, as Spieth’s trainer, Bryce Heys, noted.

"We were throwing around ideas and [Jordan] Spieth had just won the U.S. Masters,” Heys said. “I thought it sounded like a good name and threw it in the hat and the boys liked it, that is it.”