A Pennsylvania link to the Kentucky Derby? A former Phillies slugger backs this horse

The 150th running of the Kentucky Derby is this weekend, and one horse might offer a unique appeal for some Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., sports fans.

Dornoch received 20-1 morning-line odds to win the derby and will break from post No. 1 when the derby begins Saturday, May 4. The Paris, Kentucky-born horse is backed by a handful of owners, including former baseball star Jayson Werth, whose horses run under the name Two Eight Racing.

Here’s what you need to know about Dornoch, Werth’s involvement in horse racing and the 150th Kentucky Derby.

Everything we know about Dornoch

Foaled April 22, 2021, Dornoch sold for $325,000 in 2022 at Keeneland’s September yearling sale and trained by Danny Gargan, whose best horse, Tax, placed fourth at the 2019 Belmont Stakes.

Notably, Dornoch is the brother of Mage, the 2023 Kentucky Derby winner. Their sire, Good Magic, placed second in the 2018 Kentucky Derby. Dornoch and Mage also share the same dam in Puca, making them full brothers.

A first-place finish at the Run for the Roses would make Dornoch the first-ever sibling of a Kentucky Derby-winning horse to claim the ultimate prize, according to TwinSpires, the central wagering platform owned and operated by Churchill Downs. Since World War II, only five derby winners have had a sibling subsequently compete.

Dornoch received 20-1 morning-line odds to win the Kentucky Derby, tying it with seven other horses in the field as of Tuesday afternoon. The horse will break for this year’s Derby from post No. 1, which has produced eight Kentucky Derby winners over the years, but none since 1986. Mage won the Derby after breaking from post No. 8, which has nine wins to date and trails only post No. 5 with 10 wins.

Dornoch earned a first-place finish at the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes in March and at the Remsen Stakes back in December. The horse finished fourth at the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland April 6.

How did Jayson Werth get into horse racing?

Coming off of a 15-year Major League Baseball career, Werth longed for a new interest to replace the thrill of chasing pennants and World Series rings. Unexpectedly, horse racing scratched that itch.

Werth grew up near a horse farm in Illinois and learned to clean stalls and feed the animals as a youngster. In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Werth said he first took a real interest in horse racing while watching a televised race at a Florida country club, where a fellow golfer said he had a horse in the running.

With his interest piqued, Werth eventually purchased some horses, saw them compete in a few low-stakes races and wound up investing a 10% stake in Dornoch when the horse sold in 2022. Werth’s horses run under the name Two Eight Racing, referencing No. 28, the number he wore on his jersey throughout his MLB career.

This year’s Kentucky Derby is shaping up as the biggest race in Werth’s short career as a racehorse owner. In his interview with the Inquirer, the retired slugger says horse racing presents a unique thrill — even for a former star athlete.

“Win or lose, it’s like the biggest dopamine dump,” Werth told the Inquirer. “It’s just an emotional roller coaster. You’re totally wiped out and need a nap. It’s wild. I had no idea that this is what I was getting into. I thought it would just be something fun. This is the most underrated sport there is. People who know, know. The fun factor is off the charts.”

Werth retired from his big-league career in 2018 following lengthy stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals, plus early-career stops with the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.

He grew into an everyday outfielder with the Phillies and starred for them between 2007 and 2010, during which the team won the 2008 World Series — their first championship since 1980. He batted .444 against the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 World Series and clobbered a two-run home run in the pivotal fourth game.

Werth earned his only career All-Star honor with the Phillies in 2009 and again helped the club reach the World Series that year. By the time the 2010 postseason ended, Werth had amassed 11 postseason home runs for the Phillies — a record that, through 2023, still ties him atop the club leaderboard alongside Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

He signed a blockbuster seven-year, $126 million contract with the Phillies’ rival Washington Nationals following the 2010 season. He batted .300 and .318, respectively, in the 2012 and 2013 seasons with the Nationals, but never returned to the World Series with his new club. The Nationals inducted Werth into their Ring of Honor in September 2018 shortly after he retired.

Here’s who owns every 2024 Kentucky Derby horse and how they amassed their fortunes.

Do any other sports figures have a stake in the derby?

Werth is perhaps the biggest sports figure outside of horse racing with a true connection to one of this year’s horses, but there are a few more notable names.

Billionaire Seth Klarman, owner of Domestic Product through Klaravich Staples, is a minority owner of the Boston Red Sox. Meanwhile, former University of Arkansas at Monticello wide receiver and NAIA Division I All-American Lance Gasaway is part-owner of Mystik Dan.

How can I follow the 150th Kentucky Derby?

NBC will broadcast the Kentucky Derby. Post time is 6:57 p.m. (EDT) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, but coverage on the network runs from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. You can also stream the race through NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app or on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.

Here’s a look at the Derby field, plus its starting positions and morning-line odds as of May 1:

1. Dornoch (20-1)
   
   

2. Sierra Leone (3-1)

3. Mystik Dan (20-1)

4. Catching Freedom (8-1)

5. Catalytic (30-1)

6. Just Steel (20-1)

7. Honor Marie (20-1)

8. Just A Touch (10-1)

9. Encino (scratched)

10. T O Password (30-1), leaving from post position 9

11. Forever Young (10-1), leaving from post position 10

12. Track Phantom (20-1), leaving from post position 11

13. West Saratoga (50-1), leaving from post position 12

14. Endlessly (30-1), leaving from post position 13

15. Domestic Product (30-1), leaving from post position 14

16. Grand Mo The First (50-1), leaving from post position 15

17. Fierceness (5-2), leaving from post position 16

18. Stronghold (20-1), leaving from post position 17

19. Resilience (20-1), leaving from post position 18

20. Society Man (50-1), leaving from post position 19

The Derby received its first scratch of the season Tuesday in Encino, which had received 20-1 morning-line odds and was set to break from post position No. 9. Epic Ride now takes the horse’s place in the field.