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Forbes
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Kentucky Derby: A Horse Owned By Toby Keith Heads To The Race
Toby Keith performs onstage during the 2021 iHeartCountry Festival at The Frank Erwin Center on ... More October 30, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo byfor iHeartMedia) Render Judgment – a thoroughbred race horse partially-owned by Toby Keith – heads to the Kentucky Derby this weekend as one of 20 qualifiers. The horse comes from Walkin' Dreams Farms, a 330-acre Oklahoma racing operation founded by Keith and now spearheaded by his family; Keith died in 2024, nearly two years after sharing a stomach cancer diagnosis with the public. 'My dad dreamed of having his horses in the Kentucky Derby for over 30 years,' his daughter Krystal Keith wrote on Instagram earlier this week. 'Here he is still making his dreams come true from his castle in the sky." She continued, 'My dad could never decide which passion was greater, music or horse racing. He could have had a PhD in horse pedigrees. What an incredible journey we've been on to get here. Win or lose, he made it to the Derby and that for me is everything. Render Judgement holds the 15th post position in the prestigious race, according to CBS Sports. At publication time, odds for the horse to win the Kentucky Derby stand at 30-1. This year, winner 0f the Derby gets $3.1 million of the $5 million purse. Render Judgment scored a spot in the Derby after Tappan Street, a three-year-old race horse, was scratched from participation following a workout injury. It's the first horse owned by Keith to make the Derby. Horse jockey Julien Leparoux will ride Render Judgement at Saturday's race; the horse is trained by Kenny McPeek, who trained 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. "It was Toby's dream," read a post on the singer's Facebook page. 'Toby will have the best seat in the house to watch.' Render Judgment, a race horse co-owned by Toby Keith's Dream Walkin' Farms, is set to run in the ... More Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2025. Keith may best be known as a singer-songwriter who cut rowdy anthems such as 'Beer For My Horses,' 'Red Solo Cup' and 'How Do You Like Me Now?!.' As a singer-songwriter, he sold more than 40 million albums, earning election into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015 and Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024. But off stage, Keith held horse racing close to his heart. He named his racing operation Dream Walkin' in nod to his 1997 album of the same name. Dream Walkin' – the thoroughbred operation – has earned $19,385,573 since opening its doors, according to horse racing trade group Eqibase. The 151st Kentucky Derby takes place Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Viewers can tune into the race on NBC or Peacock. Network coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. EST; post time for the premier race, often called the 'Run for the Roses,' is set for 6:57 p.m. EST, according to the Kentucky Derby website.
USA Today
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Toby Keith's Kentucky Derby 'dream' comes true with 2025 horse Render Judgment
Toby Keith's Kentucky Derby 'dream' comes true with 2025 horse Render Judgment Show Caption Hide Caption Kentucky Derby 2025: Baffert's return, and Journalism is the horse to watch Previewing the 151st Kentucky Derby, focusing on Journalism's chances and Bob Baffert's return. The horse starting out of Gate 15 during the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby has long odds to win the first Triple Crown race of 2025. But it might be the pick with the most sentimental value in the field Saturday at Churchill Downs. Render Judgment is owned, in part, by Dream Walkin' Farms, which was run by the late country music superstar Toby Keith. The singer with No. 1 hits that included "Beer For My Horses" and "Should've Been a Cowboy," died in February 2024 at the age of 62 less than two years after announcing he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. This will be the first Kentucky Derby entrant for the Oklahoma-based thoroughbred and racing operation Keith started in 2001. "It was Toby's dream," began the caption to a post on Keith's official Instagram account announcing Render Judgment's inclusion as one of the 20 horses in the 2025 Kentucky Derby lineup. "Render Judgment is going to the @kentuckyderby. He worked so hard to finally have one there! Toby will have the best seat in the house to watch." KENTUCKY DERBY 2025: Field boasts sons of two Triple Crown winners. Has it happened before? Toby Keith's Kentucky Derby horse: What to know Render Judgment was a late entrant into the 2025 Kentucky Derby after initial reports suggested it would not race in Saturday's main event at Churchill Downs, despite being first on the "also-eligible" list based on qualifying points. Trainer Kenny McPeek then announced on Saturday, April 26 that Render Judgment had been entered in the 2025 Kentucky Derby after Tappan Street was removed from the race following an injury suffered in a workout. Keith raced and bred horses under the name Dream Walkin', which took its name from a song (and an album of the same name) released in 1997, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. Since its founding in 2001, Dream Walkin' Farms has earned more than $19 million. Dream Walkin' Farms' most successful racehorse, as sole owner, was Smack Smack, a graded-stakes winning thoroughbred. In 2016, Smack Smack placed first in the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Iowa. Render Judgment is also owned by Baccari Racing Stable, MJM Racing and Rocket Ship Racing. The colt is trained by McPeek, who won his first Kentucky Derby in 10 tries last year with longshot Mystik Dan. Jockey Julien Leparoux is slated to ride Render Judgment in a race for the first time on Saturday. McPeek told FanDuel Racing he initially did not recommend Render Judgment be entered into the Kentucky Derby based on recent results, although the horse broke its maiden at Churchill Downs in October 2024. Render Judgment had 30-1 odds once the post positions for the 2025 Kentucky Derby were announced, and McPeek admitted the horse "needs to a find a whole level than we've seen from him as far as speed of the race." It most recently finished fifth in the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland. But ownership, including Keith's family, wanted this for Keith as much as anything. "The group, they pow-wowed without me, which is fine, and they decided they wanted to run and ... if that's what they want to do, I'm all for it. Matter of fact, I'm hoping I'm really happy they convinced me to Saturday night," McPeek said. "I understand the dream and ... it's Toby Keith's family and Toby passed away this past year and I think there's some sentiment there, which, look, I believe in higher powers and I hope a higher power comes through." When is the 2025 Kentucky Derby? The 151st Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs is set for Saturday, May 3, 2025. The Kentucky Derby will be broadcast on NBC and USA Network. Streaming options will be available on Fubo (which offers a free trial) and Peacock. Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025 Saturday, May 3, 2025 Time: 6:45 p.m. ET 6:45 p.m. ET TV: NBC, USA Network NBC, USA Network Stream: Fubo, Peacock Fubo, Peacock Location: Churchill Downs (Louisville, Kentucky) Watch the Kentucky Derby with Fubo
