A Champion’s Second Act: Werth Chases Another Milestone in Toronto with Runaway Bride

Former World Series Champion and Major League Baseball All-Star Jayson Werth is no stranger to milestone moments in Toronto.

On Saturday, Werth, who made his Big League debut with the Blue Jays on September 1, 2002, returns to the city where his first career began, eager to add another highlight to his second.

“We’re fired up,” said the 15-year MLB veteran. “Got a few people coming in. First time I’ll be at Woodbine, and I’m going to go see my buddy Max (Toronto Blue Jays pitcher, Scherzer) pitch Friday night, and then check out Woodbine on Saturday.”

Representing Icon Racing Stable, the Thoroughbred racing syndicate he founded alongside good friend Ken Kuykendall, Werth is part of the ownership group that will send out Runaway Bride in the $500,000 Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes (G1T).

A 2-year-old daughter of Charlatan, out of the Bayern mare American Model, Runaway Bride commanded a $150,000 price tag at this year’s OBS April Sale.

Both the yearling and the figure aligned with Icon’s gameplan.

“We had about that much money left in the kitty for the OBS sales, and she was our last purchase for our second fund, which was named Big Brown after [champion racehorse] Big Brown,” said Werth.

“We had a few horses that we were looking at, and she fit the bill and fell into that window for us to buy. We had a pretty high grade – we use Legion Bloodstock as our bloodstock agent – and they liked her too.”

After finalizing the purchase, Runaway Bride was sent to Travis Durr Training Center in St. Matthews, South Carolina, owned and operated by Legion Bloodstock co-founder Travis Durr.

While the chestnut responded well to her training, Werth and Co. were still trying to get a beat on their new acquisition.

“A lot of times they can train great, they can look great, but until you get on the track you really don’t know what they are,” said Werth.

When it came time to show her connections what she was capable of, Runaway Bride didn’t balk at the opportunity.

The filly, trained by D. Whitworth Beckman, exuded grit and tenacity to break through in her professional debut, a 5 ½ furlong turf sprint on July 24 at Saratoga.

“We didn’t have a real great sense of who and what she was until she ran that race,” said Werth. “When she turned for home and got out in the middle, [Tyler] Gaffalione was on her, she found some traffic and then had to re-rally. That’s when you got to see her talent, her strides and her closing speed.”

The dynamic display in her first career start proved to the Icon team that Runaway Bride is built to handle the big stage – and a stretch out to one mile in the Natalma.

“We’re going to try her a little bit longer. This is a one-turn mile, which I think fits her well,” said Werth. “We’ll find out if she wants to go a little bit longer or not, but the way she’s been training, the way she acts around the barn, she’s really turned into a star in a short period of time.”

Werth has been associated with success at Woodbine before.

A horse he owned, Triple Trea, named in honour of Werth’s friend and former Washington Nationals teammate Trea Turner, broke his maiden on June 4, 2023 at Woodbine.

Although the Bolt d’Oro dark bay didn’t pan out like his three-time All-Star namesake, Triple Trea played a valuable part in bridging Werth’s past and present professions.

“He was on the trail for a little while, and early on, he was telling you everything that he was going to be big time. That’s why I named him after a guy like Trea Turner. We coined the name ‘Triple Trea’ when Turner got to the big leagues since he hit a lot of triples.

“He was super fast, so we named the horse after a guy I think a lot about. Little bit of a different route for these two horses but we’re super excited about Runaway Bride.”

Whether on the diamond or at the racetrack, hoisting trophies has become a habit for Werth.

He’s done so as an integral member of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies and as part of the ownership group behind 2024 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Dornoch.

One piece of hardware the Springfield, Illinois, native has yet to raise above his head, however, is a Breeders’ Cup trophy.

The Natalma, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) on Oct. 30 at Keeneland, provides the perfect opportunity to change that, not just for himself but for the entire Icon unit.

“It would mean a lot,” said Werth. “This would be the first Breeders’ Cup horse for Icon Racing. Our second fund, having a horse like this, and running in a race like this, is super exciting for the partners.”

Testing their mettle against the best has been the pursuit from day one.

“When we started, the whole point of Icon Racing was to give people the opportunity to run at the highest level of the biggest races and be part of the sport – essentially, become an icon in this sport of horse racing, which is, in my opinion, the most iconic sport in the world,” Werth continued.

“The horses are incredibly iconic, some of the craziest, most iconic people in the world play this game and we give people the opportunity to not only come in and be owners but get a taste of what it’s like to run and play in the big leagues with some of the biggest people, events, moments and races in the sport.”

Now batting, Runaway Bride.

“We like her, she fits, she looks good, we have high expectations. Getting there would mean a lot to our syndicate, our partnership, and to all the partners.”

Matthew Lomon, for Woodbine