While horse racing often pays or entices celebrities and influencers to say good things about it, there is no better brand ambassador for the sport than Jayson Werth.
The former Major League Baseball star has not only become an avid fan of the sport, but has also not been shy about expressing positive feelings about his new passion or making a serious financial investment in the game.
“I think it’s a great sport for everyone,” Werth said. “My days at the track are great. Everything about racing is great. People should come to the races, bring their families here and enjoy this great experience with great people. It’s the greatest sport out there.”
First introduced to the sport while watching some horse races in Florida during a round of golf with friend and horse owner Rich Averill, Werth bought his first horse in 2021.
“I knew nothing about horse racing when I got involved,” Werth said. “Now I love it.”
Werth currently owns around 25 horses with various partners and has an MVP candidate in the group.
The man who hit 229 MLB home runs from 2002 to 2017 hit a grand slam when he bought a 10% stake in a colt who turned out to be Dornoch The winner of the Belmont Stakes (G1) and Haskell Stakes (G1) is the morning line favorite in the big Aug. 24 showdown for 3-year-olds in the Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Track.
Werth, who races under the Two Eight Racing banner, owns a share good magic The colt is trained by Danny Gargan in association with West Paces Racing, Randy Hill’s RA Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding and Pine Racing Stables.
“Dornoch is an incredible athlete with incredible spirit and heart,” Werth said of the half-brother of the 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage . “He changed our lives. He was special; a great guy. He had the heart of a lion, the heart of a champion to fight the way he did. I can relate his story to how he was overlooked in the Belmont Stakes (at 17-1 odds) to the struggles and injuries I had in baseball and people wrote me off.
“If the gates opened on Saturday and he was just standing there, I would be the first one to run out onto the track and hug him,” he added. “I would lead him in and celebrate like we had won. He’s incredible and having him as my first foal is unbelievable. We all love him so much.”
Werth, 45, not only has great things to say about the sport, but he’s also trying to attract new owners through a new project, Icon Racing.
“I’m working on a bigger idea with the premise of bringing more owners into the sport and more former athletes and teammates that I think will love the sport for the same reasons that I do. It fills a void for the competitive emotions that we used to feel every day as athletes. It’s called Icon Racing and we’re building the website right now,” said Werth, who is planning to run at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. “I want to create a community that comes to the races, experiences the sport and has the ability to run and win big races.
“We need to develop this sport. I don’t think they’ve tapped into its full potential. It’s the oldest professional sport but it hasn’t had an industrial revolution. Now, with the technology and all the betting available, it’s the perfect time to try something like this.”
And speaking of perfection, there’s no doubt that horse racing and Jayson Werth really do make a perfect combination.
