Former Washington Nationals Star Owns Another Kentucky Derby Contender

Jayson Werth caught the horse racing bug when he played a minor league baseball game in Louisville, Ky. Now he has a horse in the Kentucky Derby.

Flying Mohawk, owned by the former Washington Nationals star, is entered in the 151st Kentucky Derby, set for Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Post time is set for 7 p.m. eastern.

Werth’s horse, Dornoch, won the Belmont Stakes last year, one of the three triple crown events in horse racing. Dornoch ran in the Kentucky Derby last year but finished well behind the winner, Mystik Dan. Seize the Grey won the second leg of the triple crown, the Preakness Stakes, a race that Dornoch did not compete in.

Werth is trying to win his first Kentucky Derby as a horse owner. But last year’s victory in the Belmont was filled with firsts.

That was his first Triple Crown winner as a horse owner. The same went for Dornoch’s trainer, Danny Gargan. The race also wasn’t held at Belmont, which is in Elmont, N.Y. The track at Belmont is undergoing an extensive renovation. That race was at Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on a 1.25-mile oval, shorter than Belmont’s 1.5-mile oval.

If Flying Mohawk wins on Saturday, he’ll have two legs of the triple crown under his belt as an owner.

Werth spent the final seven seasons of his 15-year career with the Nationals, as he slashed .263/.355/.433 with 109 home runs and 393 RBI. In two of those seasons, he finished in the Top 20 in National League MVP voting.

Werth also played four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he helped them win the 2008 World Series title. For his career he batted .267 with 229 home runs and 799 RBI.