Latest news with #Werth
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
'Rapid' Royal Ascot horse named after baseball's Jayson Werth impresses on debut
Werth set up Two Eight Racing as he wore number 28 during his playing days. He part-owns exciting new Wesley Ward-trained recruit Outfielder with Amo Racing, founded by football agent Kia Joorabchian A 'rapid' horse left his connections dreaming of Royal Ascot glory after a sparkling display on debut in America. Outfielder sprinted clear in a five-furlong maiden special weight event at Churchill Downs with champion rider John Velazquez steering. The six-and-a-quarter length romp on Friday evening saw bookmakers William Hill introduce the colt into the Norfolk Stakes betting at 7-1. His American trainer Wesley Ward has won the race twice, with No Nay Never setting the ball rolling in 2013 and Shang Shang Shang going in five years later. As well as impressing racing fans, the new recruit thrilled his part-owner and former baseball star Jayson Werth who he is named after. The sportsman played as an outfielder for many top teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals in a 15-year Major League Baseball career. Reacting to his thoroughbred's performance, Werth said on X: "That's how we do it. First time out by 7l!" During a three year spell with the Philadelphia Phillies, Werth played a big role in the team's defeat of the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 World Series. He called it a day in 2017 and got into racing when he watched the sport on TV after a round of golf. Werth has had runners in the Kentucky Derby including Flying Mohawk when it was last held on May 3. But now his team are setting their sights on Royal Ascot's five-day showpiece of the Flat season. In 2023, Amo Racing were responsible for one of the biggest shocks at the meeting in the race Outfielder could go for, when Valiant Force struck at 150-1. Founded by football agent Kia Joorabchian, who brokered the £142 million move of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona from Liverpool, Amo are one of the leading names in the flat game. And Ward has built a reputation for bringing fast horses over from his base in California, ever since Strike The Tiger landed the Windsor Castle Stakes at 33-1 in 2009. However last year he told the Racing Post that a lot of his owners were finding it costly to send their horses to the event, which runs from June 17-21. "It's very expensive to get them over there and I don't want to be bringing over horses I'm not confident are going to run well," he said. Ward might find it hard to resist a trip over with Outfielder, who was cut to 5-1 for the Norfolk Stakes by the Hills odds compilers on Saturday after strong support.
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Jayson Werth had the wildest outfit at the 2025 Kentucky Derby
Jayson Werth had the wildest outfit at the 2025 Kentucky Derby Former baseball player Jayson Werth is no stranger to the festivities at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. The 2008 World Series champ had a horse in last year's race and is co-owner of Flying Mohawk in 2025's Kentucky Derby. His horse has relatively long odds to win on Saturday evening -- Flying Mohawk currently sits at 28-1 odds -- but Werth is dressed for the affair. Werth went bold with his look, pairing a black suit with bright green trim with bright green accessories and a top hat. He, of course, tied it all together with his signature beard and long hair. The lime green matched Flying Mohawk's jockey, Joe Ramos -- the youngest jockey in the field at 25 years old -- who also donned the bright color for his jersey. People both loved and had jokes about Werth's flamboyant look. The Kentucky Derby gets underway at 7 p.m. ET.
New York Times
02-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Former MLBer Jayson Werth will run for the roses at Kentucky Derby 2025 with Flying Mohawk
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bored and with time on his hands between games against the Louisville Bats, Jayson Werth and a few of his Syracuse SkyChiefs teammates wandered over to Churchill Downs on a random day in May, 2002. A baseballer through and through, with genetic Major League lines tracing from his great-grandfather to his grandfather to his uncle to his stepfather, Werth knew two things about horse racing: They competed for something called the Triple Crown, and the Kentucky Derby was a big deal. Advertisement That May day, along with a trifecta, Werth hit the ninth race of the day when a horse by the name of U.S. Jets crossed first for the fifth win of what would eventually be a middling 12-win career. Werth left Churchill with $3,500 in winnings, a veritable king's ransom for a minor leaguer. Though he always remembered the horse's name, he promptly forgot about the sport for the next two decades as he roared into a 15-year career in the big leagues and won the 2008 World Series with the Phillies. Twenty-three years later, Werth stands outside Barn 21, recalling that happy May day, and hoping now for an even bigger win. On Saturday, Flying Mohawk, the resident of Barn 21, will be one of 20 horses to break from the gate for the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. Werth is his owner. The road from casual bettor to a man who on Wednesday afternoon was handing out MHRGA (Make Horse Racing Great Again) hats en route to a crawfish boil at his barn is indeed a pivot, but to the man steering the journey, not terribly surprising. 'Anybody who knows me wouldn't be surprised,'' Werth tells The Athletic by phone while tossing out hats. 'My mom always says I only know how to go all in. I played baseball from the time I was five until I was 39, all day every day, and when it was over, there wasn't much to replace it. Just this huge void. 'But this sport that I knew nothing about, it's fascinating, it's addicting. The people are incredible, and the animals are majestic. I love it. I love everything about it.'' Werth wasn't sure what he was looking for when horse racing found him. Post-retirement, Werth was like a lot of athletes, searching for something but not quite sure what it was. He dabbled in organic farming, buying a 300-acre plot of land in Illinois, but he itched for something competitive. While visiting Florida, Werth teed up for a round of golf with his friend, Rich Averill. Averill got started in horse racing the same year that Werth was cashing in on U.S. Jets, partnering on a gelding named Fun n' Gun that year. He now has 725 starts and more than $4 million in earnings. Advertisement After their round of golf, Averill took Werth over to Tampa Downs, where some of his horses were running. As Werth watched the horses come around the final turn, he felt a very familiar surge building inside him. 'It's like playing a big game and you're sitting in the dugout, bases loaded, down two in the bottom of the ninth,'' he explains. 'Your teammate hits one into the gap, and you're cheering and screaming because that's all you can do. You're helpless. You're not on the field, but you're invested in what's happening. Those horses came around the stretch, that's exactly how I felt.'' Immediately hooked, he partnered with baseball agent Jeff Berry and Florida real estate developer Shawn Kaleta to form Two Eight Racing, a nod to the jersey number, 28, he wore with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Phillies and Washington Nationals. In 2023, he bought some fillies and quite literally went off to the races. Blessed with a sweet dose of beginner's luck, Werth made his first Derby appearance last year, as 10 percent owner of Dornoch. The horse finished 10th in that race, but went on to capture the Belmont Stakes, a moment Werth compares to his World Series victory in terms of its immediate euphoria. That victory not only gave Werth a new jolt of competitive fire, it provided him with a dose of something he says he never felt before: nerves. 'I never experienced nerves before. Never got butterflies,'' he says. 'I've played with a guy who would throw up before every game, and I'd look at him like, 'What the hell is wrong with you?' And now here I am, fighting back puking before every race. It doesn't make any sense to me, but I have all these crazy emotions with this sport.'' Post Dornoch, he doubled down on both his investment in horses — he is the front and center owner for Flying Mohawk — and his commitment to the sport. Advertisement 'Horse racing does a terrible job marketing itself,'' he says, noting more than a few friends and former teammates who are skeptical about his new passion. 'People think it's scummy. The gambling, the drinking, and they hear the bad stories. They don't see that there is more good than bad, and most of these horses are not only treated well, they're professional athletes. Watch them and you know they want to go.'' He has created a few converts on his own, bringing buddies to the track or to the barn to let them see for themselves the majesty of its athletes and the draw of a race day. Filled with the blush of first love for his new passion, Werth also feels compelled to spread the joy, turning himself into a self-appointed horse racing pied piper. While conducting this interview, he also yelled to passers by, 'Here! Have a hat!' He loves almost everything about horse racing — 'I was like the bubble boy, so I'm fairly certain I'm allergic to everything in the barn,'' he says — and wants people to feel what he feels. He's also savvy enough to understand his own personal draw. With his long hair hanging out from his fedora, he is immediately recognizable, and his MLB fame brings a different kind of attention to his horse and horse racing by extension. He knows that bringing more people with some celebrity cache will only raise the industry's profile. Werth did not expect Flying Mohawk to be a Derby contender, with good reason. The horse's first five races were all on turf, and the Derby is run on dirt. But trainer Whit Beckman had a plan for the $72,000, 3-year-old. He moved Flying Mohawk to the synthetic surface at Turfway Park for the Jeff Ruby Steaks, one of the Derby prep races. When Flying Mohawk finished second there in March, he earned enough points to make it into the Derby field, setting off a celebration so boisterous that people with the actual winner, Final Gambit, wondered what Werth and his team were doing down by the winners' circle. Werth knows that with no real experience yet on dirt, Flying Mohawk will be a long shot (he opened with 30-1 odds), but he doesn't care. 'Owning a horse that runs in the Kentucky Derby is literally the highest level of sports,'' he says. 'It's like getting your name called on Opening Day to run out on the field for a storied franchise like the Phillies or the Yankees or somebody like that.' He pauses for comedic effect. 'Not the Mets. Never the Mets.'' Then he's asked to do the impossible: Where might a Derby victory line up on his personal list of accomplishments? Werth first ranks his past achievements. The World Series, he says, is number one, with the bonkers Philadelphia parade as 1A. He slides Dornoch's win into second. Then he ruminates for a few minutes on his own athletic foundation — the great-grandfather, John Schofield, a shortstop, whose pro career was cut short by injury; the grandfather, Dick 'Ducky' Schofield, who spent 18 years in the Majors and won a World Series with the Pirates in 1960; the uncle, Dick Schofield, who spent 14 years in the bigs and also won a World Series, in 1993, with the Blue Jays; the stepfather, Dennis Werth, a former first baseman for the Yankees and the Royals; and his mom, Kim, a track star who competed in the 1976 Olympic Trials. Then he answers. Advertisement 'But that's all the foundation, what we've done, where we've been in life. This is the future,'' he says. 'To win a Kentucky Derby at this point would take over them all. This would be the highlight of my life. 'My mom raised me to be a winner, and that's what we're focused on. We're not here to do anything but that. I know we'll be a long shot. I don't care. Once those gates open, you believe in your teammates. We're here for a reason and we're going for it.' (Photo by Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phillies playoff legend drags Mets fans: ‘I have no respect'
Phillies playoff legend drags Mets fans: 'I have no respect' originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia No punches were pulled. The rivalry is SO back. The Phillies/Mets rivalry is so back. It never really left, but was newly rejuvenated by the Mets' win over the Phillies in the NLDS last October. The Mets also swept a 3-game series from the Fightins at Citi Field last week. Advertisement But as Chase Utley can tell you, the hate never really goes away, even after playing careers end. Take former Phils playoff hero Jayson Werth. Werth was a guest on the 'BSBLR show' Podcast, and he shared some strong sentiment regarding New York baseball fans, and which team they should – and should NOT – root for. 'If you live in New York, you have a choice. You have an obvious choice,' Werth said. 'You can either be a fan of one of the most storied franchises, one of the greatest franchises in sports history… or the Mets.' 'I have no respect for people that pick the Mets.' While I appreciate his unvarnished candor, and I get the hate, there is a draw for rooting for the Yankees' little brother. Maybe you like to root for the perennial underdog, although the 2025 Mets have a payroll of $273 million, second-most in baseball to the Phillies ($274M). Advertisement The trophy cases are definitely different. The Mets have two World Series titles, which is dwarfed by the 27 titles won by the Yankees. Whatever the case, Werth has thrown another log – and maybe even some gasoline – on the Phillies/Mets rivalry debate.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New wellness center to support local first responders
BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) — Mahoning County is getting a new wellness center to support first responders. The Clarence R. Smith Mahoning Valley First Responder Wellness Center was announced at the Boardman Township Trustees meeting Monday. It will provide a centralized space to support the mental health of police, fire, EMS, and dispatch personnel. 'It's a very unique property that's kind of a stand-alone, very quiet,' said Boardman Police Chief Todd Werth. The new wellness center property sits tucked away on Raupp Avenue in Boardman and township trustees have dedicated $253,000 dollars to fixing the place up. It will eventually provide a centralized space for wellness training, education and mental health care. 'First responders are very hesitant to seek help themselves. Again, they're in the business of helping other people, so this is an opportunity to kind of proactively work with first responders ahead of time and try to address issues before they become issues,' Chief Werth said. The location will serve the 58 responder agencies in Mahoning County and eventually support agencies in Trumbull and Columbiana counties as well. Chief Werth hopes it will serve as a bridge between existing programs and first responders and their families. 'All the agencies in Mahoning County that already do a phenomenal job providing support, we're going to be able to leverage them by having them at the center,' Chief Werth said. Mahoning County commissioners also committed $464,000 of opioid settlement funds to complete phase one of the project and a nonprofit is being established to run the facility. 'We couldn't have done it without the Mahoning County Commissioners' help. They've donated a large portion to begin this project and we're just very excited to get started and provide a center,' said trustee Steve Yacovone. 'This is another arm that actually will benefit the citizens out in the street because our responders will be more rested, taken care of and being able to address the things they need to address,' said Mahoning County Administrator Audrey Tillis. The center is named after Clarence Smith, who donated the property to the township upon his death. 'I think it's just fitting- that was a house that he lived in, the property that he donated – that we named it after him for the wellness center,' Chief Werth said. Chief Werth said he hopes to have the center up and running by National First Responders Day on Oct. 24. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
