After retiring from baseball, Jayson Werth found success in another field: horse racing.
The former MLB All-Star, who won the 2008 World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies, achieved his latest victory Saturday — this one at the track — when three-year-old colt Dornoch won the Haskell Stakes for a berth to the Breeders’ Cup in November. Werth, who is part of Dornoch’s ownership group, appeared overwhelmed by the win.
“He’s an incredible guy, incredible horse. … He’s a cool dude. We love this guy. He’s like a family member,” Werth said on the NBC broadcast. “These races are so stressful, they’re so amazing and then you run and there’s so much at stake, and then he wins, and you freak out, you go crazy. It’s an unbelievable game.”
The victory comes 42 days after Dornoch and Werth won the Belmont Stakes in a shocking upset after entering the event with 17-1 odds to win. Like at the Belmont Stakes, Mindframe finished second behind Dornoch on Saturday at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, N.J.
Dornoch, and jockey Luis Saez, won by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:50.31, according to the Associated Press, to clinch the $1 million Haskell — a “win and you’re in” challenge stakes for the Breeders’ Cup.
Congratulations to the connections of G1 #WAYI Haskell winner, Dornoch!
We’ll see you @DelMarRacing. #BC24 pic.twitter.com/Y3Pum5pxpU
— Breeders’ Cup (@BreedersCup) July 20, 2024
“First year in horse racing we went to the Breeders’ Cup in Keeneland and we saw Flightline run and win at the Breeders’ Cup (in 2022) and I told everybody at the time it was the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Werth said ahead of Saturday’s race. “It was like watching Muhammad Ali box in his prime or something. … Hopefully we can get the invite at the end of the year, but can’t look past the Haskell.”
Dornoch also ran in the Kentucky Derby in May, finishing 10th. It picked up a victory at the Fountain of Youth Stakes in March and finished fourth at the Blue Grass Stakes in April.
Werth, 45, retired from baseball in 2018 after a 15-year major-league career that also saw him play for the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals. The former outfielder finished with a career .267 batting average and 229 home runs in the regular season.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic, with its $7 million gross purse, takes place on Nov. 2 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, Calif.
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(Photo of Jayson Werth after winning the Belmont Stakes: Sarah Stier / Getty)
