'Rapid' Royal Ascot horse named after baseball's Jayson Werth impresses on debut
A 'rapid' horse left his connections dreaming of Royal Ascot glory after a sparkling display on debut in America. Outfielder sprinted clear in a five-furlong maiden special weight event at Churchill Downs with champion rider John Velazquez steering.
The six-and-a-quarter length romp on Friday evening saw bookmakers William Hill introduce the colt into the Norfolk Stakes betting at 7-1. His American trainer Wesley Ward has won the race twice, with No Nay Never setting the ball rolling in 2013 and Shang Shang Shang going in five years later.
As well as impressing racing fans, the new recruit thrilled his part-owner and former baseball star Jayson Werth who he is named after.
The sportsman played as an outfielder for many top teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals in a 15-year Major League Baseball career.
Reacting to his thoroughbred's performance, Werth said on X: "That's how we do it. First time out by 7l!"
During a three year spell with the Philadelphia Phillies, Werth played a big role in the team's defeat of the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 World Series. He called it a day in 2017 and got into racing when he watched the sport on TV after a round of golf.
Werth has had runners in the Kentucky Derby including Flying Mohawk when it was last held on May 3. But now his team are setting their sights on Royal Ascot's five-day showpiece of the Flat season.
In 2023, Amo Racing were responsible for one of the biggest shocks at the meeting in the race Outfielder could go for, when Valiant Force struck at 150-1.
Founded by football agent Kia Joorabchian, who brokered the £142 million move of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona from Liverpool, Amo are one of the leading names in the flat game.
And Ward has built a reputation for bringing fast horses over from his base in California, ever since Strike The Tiger landed the Windsor Castle Stakes at 33-1 in 2009.
However last year he told the Racing Post that a lot of his owners were finding it costly to send their horses to the event, which runs from June 17-21.
"It's very expensive to get them over there and I don't want to be bringing over horses I'm not confident are going to run well," he said.
Ward might find it hard to resist a trip over with Outfielder, who was cut to 5-1 for the Norfolk Stakes by the Hills odds compilers on Saturday after strong support.
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