- Late country singer Toby Keith’s horse, Render Judgment, will run in the Kentucky Derby.
- Render Judgment was one of the last horses to make it into the race, taking the place of an injured horse.
- Render Judgment is the first horse from Keith's farm to make it to the race.
A horse co-owned by the late country singer Toby Keith will run in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, fulfilling a dream the musician held for over 30 years.
Render Judgment is partially owned by Keith’s Dream Walkin’ Farms, per Today. It’s the first horse from the Oklahoma-based farm to make it to the iconic race in Kentucky.
Keith, who died of cancer in February 2024, was a longtime horse racing enthusiast.
“He really loved running horses,” the singer’s daughter Krystal Keith said, per USA Today. “He loved learning about the breeding and the blood lines. He really could’ve had a Ph.D. in it.”
“It was Toby‘s dream….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,” a post on Keith’s official Instagram said.
Krystal Keith also posted on Instagram, paying tribute to her dad after Render Judgment made it into the race.
“My dad dreamed of having his horses in the Kentucky Derby for over 30 years,” she wrote on Instagram. “Here he is still making his dreams come true from his castle in the sky. Our horse Render Judgment made it yesterday just hours before the post position drawing.”
In an interview in 2019, Keith spoke about the challenges of making it to the Kentucky Derby and the allure of making it to the race.
“The Derby is the one you want to win. Yeah, that’s the one that everybody wants to hang on their wall, saying ‘I won the Kentucky Derby,’” Keith said, per Rolling Stone. “But, ... it’s hard to get there.”
The singer founded Dream Walkin’ Farms in 2001, and since then, it has produced horses with over $19 million in career winnings, but never held a spot in the Derby until now, per USA Today.
“The fact that he had a horse make it to the derby is a huge win for our family in itself,” Krystal Keith said, according to USA Today. “And if he happens to win the derby, that would just be the cherry on top.”
Render Judgment
Render Judgment’s trainer, Kenny McPeek, also trained last year‘s Kentucky Derby winner, Mystik Dan. The thoroughbred bay colt was bred in Kentucky.
Jockey Julien Leparoux will ride Render Judgment for the first time at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, per Rolling Stone.
On April 26, McPeek announced on X that Render Judgment would be running in the race, just hours before the post positions for the entrant were announced. The horse was one of the last ones to enter the field for the 251st Kentucky Derby.
Render Judgment will be starting out of Gate 15, which last produced a winner in 2020. The horse was not supposed to appear in the Derby this year after being 21st on the Kentucky Derby eligibility list, per Rolling Stone.
Render Judgment took the place of Florida Derby winner Tappan Street, who suffered a right foreleg injury.
Keith’s horse is considered a long shot in the race; the betting site DraftKings had Render Judgment listed as a 30-1 underdog, according to Today.