At least six roses bred by Frank Riethmuller were named after racehorses. In the case of 'Gay Vista' we have Riethmuller's own word for it (Your Garden, January 1959, p. 21). The horse Helios was born in Britain in 1937 but brought to stud in Australia, where he was the "leading sire in 1949." Riethmuller's rose 'Helios' was named in The Australian Rose Annual for 1960. There seems to be an 11-year gap between naming the rose and its mention in public.