What would be the one word that describes Thoroughbred racing? It is a sport with a storied history that stretches back centuries, featuring majestic creatures, legend-provoking stories, and allows people from all walks of life to unite in one loud roar that echoes throughout sacred grandstands as a backdrop to the thundering of hooves.
For Jayson Werth, that one word is: iconic.
“The sport is iconic,” said the retired Major League Baseball outfielder. “You’ve got iconic people, the horses are the most iconic—they’re like mythological creatures. You’ve got the jockeys, the trainers, the people, the tracks. Everywhere you look—Keeneland, Churchill, Saratoga, Del Mar, Gulfstream—they’re iconic places.”
That is why Werth determined that Icon Racing would be the perfect name for his new racing venture, a traditional syndicate that is uniting his friends, family, and colleagues—some of which may be icons themselves—in a sport that Werth has fallen in love with.
“It’s a traditional partnership, traditional syndicate, but with iconic people and iconic animals in an iconic sport trying to create lasting memories and iconic experiences,” Werth said.
As Two Eight Racing, Werth has experienced some of the biggest highs in racing this season as a part-owner of Belmont (G1) and Haskell (G1) stakes winner Dornoch . Those moments of “real and raw emotions” have been well documented by America’s Best Racing, and Werth’s colleagues have noticed and contacted the former MLB all-star about getting involved.
“If Dornoch didn’t have the success he had, nobody would really care. We are riding the coattails of Dornoch in this whole thing,” Werth said.
Jayson Werth hoists the Belmont Stakes trophy following Dornoch’s victory at Saratoga Race Course
The barrier of entry that plagues the sport in attracting new owners is a mission Werth determined as an important next step in his racing career. After all, he did not follow horse racing until he learned that a few golf buddies owned racehorses. He took an interest and, thanks to owners like Rich Averill helping introduce him to the sport’s intricacies, has fallen in love with racing.
“Regardless of what you’ve done in your life—whether you’re a businessman, athlete, celebrity, or whatever—everyone is faced with the same challenge of entry into the sport,” Werth said. “The idea (for Icon) was to help that along.”
Now, Werth hopes to be that helpful hand for his new partners involved with Icon as the new syndicate is hard at work picking up horses at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
“You got to put yourself in the best position you can and I think that starts right here at Keeneland,” Werth said.
Icon has teamed with Legion Bloodstock at the sale. Legion’s Travis Durr, Kristian Villante, and Kyle Zorn met Werth on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail this year as they campaigned Honor Marie for Ribble Farms, Michael Eiserman, Earl Silver and Kenneth and Dave Fishbein.
COLLINS: Zorn, Legion Looking for More Success at Saratoga Sale
“I’ll be the first to tell you, I’m not the one you want making decisions in horse racing,” Werth said. “I’m just here for the good times with good people. I’m putting some people in leadership and management positions (of Icon Racing) that I trust and I think that we can win with.
“(Legion) are young guys, they’re hungry, they’ve had success early on. We’re giving them an opportunity to stretch their legs a little bit and build on the success that they’ve had.”
“He’s the dream client,” said Zorn. “His excitement is equal to what we’re trying to do. Our passion behind this whole thing is the racing side of it, and that’s Jayson’s as well. We’re lucky and blessed to be part of his team, his vision, and what he’s trying to grow this into.”
Through the first four books of the sale, the auctioneer has dropped the hammer in favor of Icon six times totaling $1.41 million. Two of their purchases have been in partnership with Hoolie Racing including Hip 1856, a $350,000 son of Charlatan .
“He’s got (Werth) Derby dreaming,” Zorn said of the colt. “He’s a specimen. He’s one of the ones that caught your eye the minute you went back there. He was one that we felt like we had to try and get for his group.”
Jayson Werth and his son Jackson with Hip 1856, a son of Charlatan consigned by Paramount Sales that they purchased as Icon Racing in partnership with Hoolie Racing for $350,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Icon also had an iconic buy Sept. 17 with the session topper on the final day of Book 4, going to $375,000 for a daughter of Nyquist from the successful family of Personal Ensign.
“Kristian called her the queen of that book,” Zorn said of the filly. “(Werth and his son, Jackson) instantly fell in love. We knew we were going to have to stretch a little bit to get her, but Jayson and his partners really wanted her. I’m glad we did because she was our gold star.”
“We’ve got a couple of nice horses so far,” Werth said of the sale. “When you get into something like this, you have to be careful not to overstretch yourself. It’s easy to do here, especially when you’re chasing pedigrees. You have to have a real tight vision and tight margin into what you’re looking for and stick to your numbers.”
Werth expressed that one of the problems he has found in partnerships and syndicates is that you don’t always know the other partners. With Icon, Werth is targeting like-minded people with similar experiences in life.
“You have to really enjoy the people you’re with,” Werth said. “It’s as much about the people that you’re partnered with and the people that you surround yourself with as it is the horses you get.”
That is why one of Werth’s targeted audiences is retired athletes. As a former World Series champion with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008, Werth knows that void left in the soul of a competitor upon hanging up the cleats.
“Horse racing gives you the opportunity to compete again, to get the thrills of victory and agony of defeat,” Werth said. “For retired athletes, it’s tough to replicate those feelings you had throughout your career.”
“We all share the same thoughts that this is one of the things that horse racing needs right now,” Zorn said. “His new venture could be a catalyst for kick-starting a brand new group of people coming into the game.”
The Icon Racing team with Hip 2469, a son of Raging Bull they purchased at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Werth is not the only athlete to find joy in horse racing. Other major leaguers like Walker Buehler (who owned a piece of 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic through MyRacehorse), Alex Bregman, and Edwin Diaz are all involved in ownership. Recently, the National Football League’s Travis Kelce bought a share in a 3-year-old gelding named Swift Delivery . Werth sees this involvement as a booming part of racing’s future.
“It seems like the sport is growing rapidly. All of a sudden, here we all are doing it,” Werth said. “Once you get a taste, it’s hard not to acknowledge how much fun the sport is.”
Something racing provides Werth that baseball never did is being able to share those initial moments of triumph and defeat with the people you care about most.
“You win with your teammates and your coaches. That’s great, you get to celebrate that moment,” Werth said. “You wave to your friends and your family in the stands, but there’s a time aspect that goes on that, by the time you get to see your people, that moment has deteriorated.
“It’s still great and it’s still cool, but you don’t get the in-the-moment emotions, you don’t get to do it with them necessarily. Horse racing gives you the opportunity to experience those moments together with—whether it’s your family or friends—the people you choose to be around.”
That shared experience is something Werth hopes more athletes will come to appreciate, but also something he can now experience directly with his son, Jackson, who has accompanied him for yearling inspections throughout the week.
“I feel like he’s surpassed my knowledge already,” Werth said. “He does have a knack for it and he’s falling in love with the sport as well. He spent a lot of time with me at the big league clubhouses and he always followed me around. To move into the next chapter of life and have him around and be passionate about it has been really cool.”
