Dornoch, Kentucky Derby hopeful, owned by former MLB outfielder. What to know about horse
Jayson Werth won the World Series once during his 15-year MLB career, experiencing the innumerable highs and lows that come with being a professional baseball player.
Werth reached the sport's pinnacle with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. A comparable feeling? Watching a horse that he owns win a race.
“Winning a World Series is a total dopamine dump. You sleep for three days afterward, and it’s the craziest thing because you’ve climbed the highest peak,” said Werth, who was inducted into the Washington Nationals’ Ring of Honor in 2018. “But that chemical reaction in your brain when that goes on, that’s a very similar, same type of stuff going on up there when you win a horse race. You can’t reproduce it."
Werth will look for another “dopamine dump” when Dornoch, the horse he co-owns, competes in the 150th Kentucky Derby on May 4. Dornoch is full brothers with 2023 Derby winner Mage. Their sire is Good Magic, who placed second in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, and dam is Puca, by 2008 Derby winner Big Brown.
Here’s what to know about Werth’s transition from the baseball diamond to the racetrack:
When did Jayson Werth retire from baseball?
Werth hung up his cleats in June 2018. He was 39 and recovering from a hamstring injury with the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.
What is Jayson Werth’s background with horses?
Growing up in Illinois, Werth worked on a horse farm, cleaning stalls and feeding the animals. His family eventually moved, and Werth developed a passion for baseball.
How did Jayson Werth get into horse racing?
He calls it dumb luck. After a game of golf on a Tuesday afternoon, Werth caught a glimpse of horse racing on television. Each week after that, he noticed horse racing would be on after his round of golf.
That prompted Werth to ask Rich Averill, owner of Averill Racing, questions about the sport. Once Werth was sold on horse racing, Averill agreed to help Werth purchase his first horses.
Who was one of first horses that Jayson Werth purchased?
In 2018, Werth was part of the Averill Racing group that purchased R Calli Kim, who retired last month because of a tendon injury after a successful career.
When did Jayson Werth purchase Dornoch?
In 2022, Werth and Oracle Bloodstock purchased Dornoch from the Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale for $325,000.
What is Dornoch’s racing record?
Dornoch is 3-2-0 in six starts, earning $552,275. This year, the bay horse won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes in March and finished fourth in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes on April 6.
Has Jayson Werth been to the Kentucky Derby before?
Werth was in the winner’s circle last year after Mage’s victory and hopes to celebrate another one of Good Magic’s offspring this year. Should it happen, it would be the first time in Derby history that half- or full-sibling horses have won the Run for the Roses.
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby 2024 hopeful Dornoch owned by ex-MLB OF Jayson Werth
