Tom Pedulla is interviewing prominent owners, trainers and jockeys as they travel the Road to the 150th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve May 4 at Churchill Downs.

This installment features former major league outfielder Jayson Werth, an All-Star performer who played a key role when the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in five games to win the 2008 World Series. Werth batted .444 (8 for 18) with three doubles, one home run, three RBI and six walks as the Phillies captured their second world championship.

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Werth, a native of Springfield, Il., was a first-round draft choice in 1997. He batted .267 with 229 home runs and 799 RBI in a major league career that stretched from 2002-2017. He made his last stop with the Washington Nationals and is a member of that franchise’s Ring of Honor.

Werth, 44, is looking to make a mark now in horse racing. He competes under the banner of Two Eight Racing LLC – saluting his uniform number – and has taken a financial stake in a number of horses. He joined West Paces Racing, R.A. Hill Stables, Belmar Racing and Breeding and Pine Racing Stables in taking a 10 percent interest in top Derby prospect Dornoch.

Werth discussed his fascination with horses, his major league career and the thrill of being part of the ride with Dornoch during a question-and-answer session conducted on behalf of America’s Best Racing. Dornoch, trained by Danny Gargan, boasts 66 Derby qualifying points after beginning his 3-year-old season with an easy victory in the Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes on March 2 at Gulfstream Park, virtually ensuring a place among an expected 20 horses in the Derby starting gate. Four races prior to the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream, R Calli Kim, a Revolutionary mare co-owned by Werth and Rich Averill, tallied her ninth career win in 15 starts by taking The Very One Stakes on turf.

PEDULLA: How did you get interested in racing?

WERTH: When I was a kid, I worked on a horse farm near my house in Springfield, Il. I made friends with the owner and he would let me hang out there. I was fascinated by these mythological creatures from a young age.

PEDULLA: Did horses and racing continue to interest you once your baseball career began?

WERTH: I had no contact with horses but I always followed the sport from afar. I watched the Derby. A couple of times when I was in the minor leagues and we were in Louisville we’d go to the track in the morning on the day of games. But, as you can imagine, when you’re a professional baseball player, that’s a 24-7 job. There really is no time for anything else.

Dornoch and jockey Luis Saez. (Eclipse Sportswire)

PEDULLA: Once you retired, how did you get into owning Thoroughbreds?

WERTH: I live in the Tampa Bay area now and I was playing golf. I would come in after golf and they would turn the horse races on. Guys would watch and make bets. I was like, ‘What do you guys have going on here? I’m really interested.’ I started playing golf with (Thoroughbred owner) Rich Averill and got to know him a little bit and he got me going in horse racing. If it wasn’t for him, I might still not have found a way in.

PEDULLA: I understand you have a special attachment to R Calli Kim, a Grade 3 winner you co-own with Averill Racing. May I ask you to tell me about that?

WERTH: Going to Churchill Downs on any day is like going to the Super Bowl. She wins (an allowance race on May 26, 2022) and it was one of the best days of racing I’ve had. We moved her over to (trainer) Brendan Walsh because he had her sister and had success with her. We sent her to the farm and the recommendation was that, ‘She’s done.’ I was devastated. This is like my favorite creature on the planet. She got surgery and the trainer she was with (in Ocala) said, ‘Let’s just give her time.’ He put her out in the field and let her be a horse and let her recover.

PEDULLA: I know she made it all the way back. That must have meant a lot to you.

WERTH: She started training a little bit just to see how she’d react. On July 23, 2023 we put her in a claiming race at Saratoga. This is all Averill. She wins at Saratoga and Saratoga is not an easy place to win. We put her in at Kentucky Downs and she (started) like dead last. I’m like, ‘Oh man, this is such a mistake. We never should have brought her here.’ She comes steaming from behind and wins like she always does, in dramatic fashion. She steals your heart at the barn and then she rips your heart out of your chest in the race.

R Calli Kim (Angelo Lieto/Coglianese Photo)

PEDULLA: Gargan said you are quite a horse lover. Where does that come from?

WERTH: It’s hard to understand if you’re not around them. There is a connection that is unmistakable. There is something mystical about them that is unlike any other creature. Owning and racing them is the best game in town. I didn’t know it until I got into it. But it is so much fun.

PEDULLA: How did you get involved with Dornoch?

WERTH: I was standing at the bar (at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale) and these guys are talking about this horse they just bought by Good Magic. (Trainer) Danny Gargan said, ‘It would be nice to have you in on a horse like this. We need a celebrity in on this horse.’ It was the first colt I ever bought because Averill does fillies.

PEDULLA: Did you think you were buying into a horse that could reach the Derby?

WERTH: What are the chances? You’re going to buy 10 percent of one horse at the Keeneland Sale in September. How many books are there? How many days are there? How many horses go through? It was one of those things (that was) right place, right time.

PEDULLA: How many horses do you own?

WERTH: We’ve had some horses claimed and I didn’t buy any 2-year-olds this year. We’re going to let this play out. I think at one time I had parts of 30-some horses, anywhere from 25 to 50 percent. Averill and I own R Harper Rose. She’s a real nice horse. It’s incredible to have this kind of luck and success in a short period of time. If I do this every year for the next 20 years, I don’t know if I’d ever be in this situation again. I’m just kind of enjoying the ride.

PEDULLA: What does it feel like to have so much success so fast?

WERTH: It’s an amazing game. I was at the highest level of professional sports for 15 years. I can tell you there is nothing more exciting than owning a horse and running in a big race. It’s amazing how awesome this sport is. It is so underrated. People have no idea.

PEDULLA: When you retired from the major leagues, did you feel a void? If so, does racing help fill that void?

WERTH: I tell people you can’t replicate that feeling of playing. I would say horse racing has filled a huge void in my life.

PEDULLA: Is it hard to go from having control of the outcome in baseball to having no control in racing?

WERTH: Totally. These horses are so special and so amazing and anything can happen. It’s nerve-wracking but exhilarating and totally awesome at the same time. I told the guys the best high is owning a horse on race day.

PEDULLA: How do you view Dornoch’s Derby prospects?

WERTH: If you watch his races, you see he’s special. Then you go see him in the barn and you get to know his personality and he’s a superstar. He’s got a great personality. He loves to race. Obviously, all of these races are going to be tough for him for the rest of his career. To be in the situation where he’s at, you can’t pay for it. You’ve got to love it and you’ve got to roll with it.