It's difficult to pinpoint a link between names and performance. But that still hasn't stopped horse names having an effect on punters' betting habits.

"I think it holds the most sway at something like the Grand National in Britain, where you've got a large proportion of inexpert betters," Khan said.

"You'll have lots of small bets on appealing names -- things that have a human element people can associate with or are cleverly constructed."

As for the horse's legacy, Khan puts it down to performance.

"I think the degree people feel attached to certain names is dependent on the performance of the horse -- not the other way around," he said.

So if Khan had a horse, what would he name it? "Worksop Bellyflop. It's a name that just jumped out at me when I gave a talk in Worksop, in the East Midlands, once."

It's no Camelot. But then, as Shakespeare's Juliet famously said: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."