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According to him, the right name is the initial step before they step onto the racetrack. Therefore, he chooses every horse's name deliberately, ensuring it carries meaning, reference, and purpose.

Opera O, for example, shares similarities with a horse name in Japan. Ilham considers his horse to have similar characteristics to Opera O. He also hopes his horse achieves the same accomplishments as the horse that inspired him.

"Who knows, perhaps the horse's achievements will be the same as TM Opera O," he expressed.

"Because the horse Mc Queen is red and has a small physique. That's why I gave it a similar name. My child also likes the character in the cartoon," he explained.

Before being known as Mc Queen, the horse, a result of a local Aceh sire and dam, was named Raja Muda. Ilham recounted that the horse, standing 127 cm tall, had an impressive track record on the Aceh racetrack, its place of origin.

"Mc Queen was undefeated when competing in Aceh. There, its name was Raja Muda," Ilham clarified.

Mc Queen's popularity in the national racing arena is not just due to its consistent performance in conquering the tracks. The name is also identical to one of the Japanese horses that is a character in Uma Musume, Mejiro Mc Queen. This similarity immediately drew the attention of the anime game fan community.

Uniquely, Ilham, as the horse owner, does not follow the anime game. The Japanese-themed horse naming was purely inspired by his interest in following horse racing in Japan.

Responding to the enthusiasm from the Uma Musume community, Ilham certainly feels proud and happy. This appreciation is proof that the name he chose can build a strong identity for his horse. Moreover, this achievement reaches wider public attention, even outside the racing world.

"Japanese-themed names are trending now. The moment was just right to introduce a horse with a Japanese element in its name," he enthusiastically revealed.

According to him, there is nothing wrong with following a developing trend. Besides gaining more public attention, it is also a way to introduce his horses with a stronger and more memorable identity.

"The enthusiasm is growing, so the horse's value will automatically increase. Public attention to horse racing also goes up. That’s why I’m becoming more interested in naming horses uniquely," he elaborated.

The rise in popularity of several of his horses' names, such as Mc Queen and Opera O, certainly carries great hope for Ilham. He admits to investing more in small horses that fall into Class F, Class G, and the classes below them.

For additional information, horses in Class F have a height of 138.1 cm - 142 cm. Meanwhile, horses in Class G generally have a height of 134.1 cm - 138 cm.

He believes that horses in these classes often receive less spotlight. Therefore, when one horse successfully steals attention, it becomes a breath of fresh air that can elevate the existence of this class in national horse racing championships.

"Actually, it's not just about raising the horse's value, but it can also attract interest from non-horse backgrounds. Starting from there, economically, it can also drive movement in various sectors of horse racing itself," Ilham stated.

Ilham also highlights the growing interest of spectators in horse racing, which also has a positive impact on the classes that previously received less attention.

"The hope is that if the interest increases, the competition classes for small horses will not die out and will continue to exist," he said hopefully.

Mc Queen and Opera O are two of his many horses with unique names. Besides referencing things related to Japan, Ilham also names some of his horses with other references.

One example is Dicaprio, inspired by the famous actor Leonardo DiCaprio. He also chose this name because the horse's father was named Leonardo Eclipse.

However, he will continue to develop Japanese-themed horse naming in the future, as he has a strong interest in that country.

He also often combines his horses' names with something opposite or contradictory. Besides causing laughter among spectators, he believes this method makes the horse's name easier to remember.

Most recently, he named his horse Uni Suzuka. The name was chosen because the horse originated from West Sumatra, where "Uni" is a term for an older sister in that region. Meanwhile, "Suzuka" is taken from the legendary Japanese horse named Silence Suzuka, who is also a character in the Uma Musume anime game.