This World Series Champion has become an Unlikely Kentucky Derby Owner

Horsemen can spend a lifetime in the industry looking for the right thoroughbred that will take them to the starting gates of the world’s most famous race. The stars must align to catch the right breaks to end up in the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby. In Jayson Werth’s case, it’s better to be lucky than good.

Werth spent 15 years in Major League Baseball. In his sixth season, he helped the Philadelphia Phillies win the World Series, and the following year, he was an All-Star. He found a Derby horse in almost the same amount of time.

Last year, Werth was a part of Dornoch’s ownership group. The frontrunner won a couple of races to punch its Kentucky Derby ticket. It hit its stride over the summer, winning the Belmont Stakes and the Haskell Stakes. Even though one of the first horses he went all-in on had a ton of success, it did not come easily.

“I jumped in with two feet. I maybe got in over my head,” he told In the Money Media’s Pete Fornatale, a friend of the program.

“At one point, we were like, ‘Oh my God. These horses, the bills, we’re learning at a crazy rate. You go from not knowing anything to learning things the hard way sometimes. At one point, it was like, no more horses until these horses figure it out.”

Dornoch had the breeding pedigree to win big. The horse is a half-brother to Mage, winner of the 2023 Kentucky Derby. That was not the expectation when Werth bought a stake in Flying Mohawk.

“Here we are with Flying Mohawk, a $70,000 turf horse that we had aspirations of going to Kentucky Downs (a lucrative, all-turf meet), going to hang out in Nashville, and going to the races there,” Werth said.

Those aspirations changed thanks to a big risk that paid off.

Werth Takes a Wild Shot at the Kentucky Derby

New to the game, why not take another shot at the Derby? Flying Mohawk is a turf horse who nearly qualified for the Breeders’ Cup. He ended his two-year-old season by winning his first race on the Churchill Downs turf by six lengths. Following a win in January, trainer Whit Beckman had a proposition for Flying Mohawk’s owners. “Let’s take a shot.”

That shot was at Turfway Park, a polytrack. The synthetic surface is similar to dirt. It is often used as a bridge for turf horses to see if they will potentially take to the dirt. They could save Flying Mohawk for competitive stakes races on the turf at Keeneland or on the Derby Day undercard. Or they could roll the dice and see if Flying Mohawk could win the Jeff Ruby Steaks.

“Why not run a $70,000 turf horse in a Derby prep? I’m all about it… If we run one or two in the Jeff Ruby, we’re in the Derby. Let’s go!”

It ran second. Even though the 10-1 horse lost by 3.5 lengths, it felt like a win. The owners made their own winner’s circle next to the official winner’s circle and celebrated with Jeff Ruby. “Ricky Bobby said if you ain’t first your last, but in this instance, second-place is pretty good,” Werth said.

Flying Mohawk’s Kentucky Derby Chances

Just getting to the Kentucky Derby was a long shot for Flying Mohawk. It will certainly be a long shot when it races on the dirt for the first time, but there are reasons to believe it can blow up the Churchill Downs tote board.

Horses from the Jeff Ruby Steaks have recently raced well in the Kentucky Derby. Rich Strike was an 80-1 winner in 2022 and Two Phil’s finished second in the 2023 Kentucky Derby. If rain is in the forecast for the first Saturday in May, trainer Whit Beckman believes Flying Mohawk has a shot.

“I don’t know what our chances are, what our odds will be, but like Michael Jordan said, ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,'” said Werth.

Comparing Baseball to Horse Racing

Werth clearly has a good sense of self-awareness. He will be the only recognizable owner for the common Kentucky Derby viewer. He is using his platform to spread the Gospel of horse racing.

He seemingly takes any and all interview requests, whether he’s in the paddock at Keeneland or speaking with MLB Network. Werth will be featured in the upcoming Netflix documentary Race for the Crown, which premieres on April 22. He’s also created a podcast with his Icon Racing partners. Off the Rail will have a live show in the SI Club on Derby Day.

To make the sport more palatable for the common fan, he often draws parallels to his experience in baseball, which secured him a spot in the Washington Nationals Ring of Honor.

“In baseball, it doesn’t matter where you’re drafted. It doesn’t matter how much money they paid you to become a pro. Once you’re on the field, all things are equal. It doesn’t matter how you get there or how you started,” he said.

“Once you get in the race, once you get on the field, once you get in the game, everyone’s competing for the same amount. It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-rounder or a 50th-rounder. It doesn’t matter if you’re a $70,000 turf horse or a million-dollar Bob Baffert horse, once those gates open, all bets are off and anything can happen.”

Jayson Werth is proof that with enough money and a little bit of luck, anything can happen in horse racing.