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"You don't get many horses like this, so [we're] definitely going to make the most of the situation," he says. "is horse has given us an opportunity to experience parts of life and parts of the sport that you don't typically get. I mean, horse racing is great at any level. e races are exciting, exhilarating. But to have a horse like this is almost once in a lifetime for owners like us. I don't think that we'll ever have another horse like this, to be honest. I think this is our chance." Don't mistake Werth's newfound passion for a desire to get in the saddle himself, however. "I like watching the horses. I don't do dangerous things anymore," he says with a chuckle. "I mean, I think they're incredible animals. I'd love to spend more time with them. I'd love to ride them. But, you know, with no experience, I think this is a better place for me to be." "When I go see him at the barn, I've got to be careful, because he'll bite me, no problem, any day, anytime. He's a mean dude, you know; he's a crazy professional athlete," he says with a laugh. "I haven't hung out with too many horses in my life, but I've hung out with a ton of professional athletes. And although he comes across as this ultra serious, intense competitor — they talk about how he's hard to train, he's hard to ride, he's a no-nonsense guy — then you get him back there to the barn, and you get around him, and he's just a goofball. He's just a big puppy, an overgrown baby. So we nicknamed him Big Puppy, and the name kind of stuck. Now everybody knows him as Big Puppy. It's funny. I love it." Dornoch's win at the Belmont Stakes combined with Werth's visibility trackside has created a steady interest and momentum toward next month's Breeders' Cup. No stranger to big sports stages, Werth is taking their success and any outside expectations in stride. Werth and the Dornoch team, including trainer Danny Gargan (second from left) and jockey Luis Saez, surround the esteemed August Belmont Trophy at the 2024 Belmont Stakes After his retirement from playing professional baseball, horse racing, says Werth, "filled the void I almost didn't know I had" "I don't think that we'll ever have another horse like this, to be honest," says Werth @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2024 119