With Diggers and Dealers over for another year – and investors lamenting the fact that the customary bounce for those companies presenting at the forum has been somewhat muted –Strictly Boardroom has been looking further afield for speculative opportunities.

Sitting right next to the business pages of the weekend paper was the answer: thoroughbreds – and greyhounds too. Several horses – and dogs for that matter – have names that suggest a mining bent or inspiration on the part of their owners.

Here is a selection of names that currently grace the likes of Flemington, Grafton, Belmont Park and, quite naturally, Kalgoorlie.

As to the metal of choice for racegoers, not surprisingly, gold wins the day by a country mile with no sign (yet) of the likes of a “Molybdenum Flyer” or “Nimble Neodymium” at the starting gate, although there is a horse that goes by the name of Manganese.

No sign either for the likes of lead (a stayer surely, although it could be a slow one) or magnesium (a sprinter?) nor zinc or aluminium.

Gold and diamonds are the most common names for race horses and greyhounds, with a smattering of other metals and minerals also in the mix.

Here is a selection of racehorse names which are currently active for those readers tiring from losing money at the sharp end of the exploration sector – yet who might still be in the market for risk elsewhere!

No odds are offered so readers will need to study the form guide to spot the good from not-so-good amongst the lists below.

Bundle of Gold; Rancher’s Gold; Gold Sand; Harlequin’s Gold; Gold Arena; Golden Reward; Golden Archer; Gold Broker; Turbo Gold; Dalvey Gold; Gold Shears; Al’s Gold; Gold Fox; Welkom Gold; Midas Touch; Manganese; Pay Dirt; Outback Fortune; Hits Diamonds; Hot Diamond; Angel Diamond; Diamonds at Dusk; Diamonds at Noon; Dubai Me Diamonds; Silver Omen; Ironstein; Rock of Honour; Rock Prince; Rock Wizard; Rock Musician; Rockpecker; Bronze Admiral; and Freerocker.

Companies and mines (and even brokers) get a look-in too. That is, beyond rocks, minerals and metals, several horses have names that are not too far removed from ASX resources companies.

Here are some in that category (with suggested companies with aligned names in brackets):

African Cat (African Energy Resources, West African Resources); Fortescue Flyer (FMG); Tropicana Girl (Independence Group); Tiger Pete and Tiger’s View (Tiger Resources); Castle Reign and Castle Express (Castle Minerals); Nifty Rocket (Aditya Birla); Black Wolf (Wolf Minerals); Falcon’s Medley (Falcon Minerals); Anvil’s Big Punt (Anvil Mining); Mr Fox and Fox (Fox Resources); Kimberley Kid (Kimberley Rare Earths); Lady Phoenix, Tartary Phoenix (Phoenix Gold); Sweet Atomic (Atomic Resources); Gladiator (Gladiator Resources); Galaxy King (Galaxy Resources); Our Evolution (Evolution Mining); Radar (Radar Iron); Castlemagne King (Castlemaine Goldfields); Dragon Fly Dreams (Dragon Mining); Papillon (Papillon Resources); Eagle Rox (Eagle Nickel); Royal Zenith (Royal Resources, Zenith Minerals); Astro Damus (Astro Resources); Quintessential (Quintessential Resources); Venture on (Venture Minerals); Double Impact (Impact Minerals); Griffon (Gryphon Minerals); Sunrise Panorama (Anglogold Ashanti, Panoramic Resources); Cullen’s Kid (Cullen Resources); and Paterson (Patersons).

Finally along comes Bronzewing Lady (Navigator Resources) – and yes of course – there is actually a horse called Diggers and Dealers too.

Good Punting.

Allan Trench is a Professor of Mineral Economics at Curtin Graduate School of Business and Professor (Value & Risk) at the Centre for Exploration Targeting, University of Western Australia, a Non-Executive Director of several resource sector companies and the Perth representative for CRU Strategies, a division of independent metals & mining advisory CRU group (allan.trench@crugroup.com).

This article first appeared in ILN's sister publication MiningNews.net.