A “dream” held for over 30 years by late country music star Toby Keith will come true at the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
A horse named Render Judgment, partially owned by Keith’s Dream Walkin’ Farms, will run in this year’s field at the iconic race on May 3 in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s the first horse from the Oklahoma-based Dream Walkin’ Farms to reach the prestigious race.
“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 message on Keith’s official Instagram said.
In February, Keith’s family marked one year since his death at 62 after years of being treated for stomach cancer.
Krystal Keith, the daughter of the “Beer for My Horses” singer, paid tribute to her dad after Render Judgment reached the field at the last minute.
“My dad dreamed of having his horses in the Kentucky Derby for over 30 years,” she wrote on Instagram on April 27. “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.
“Out of 20,000+ race horses born in the same year to be eligible for this years race, only 20 will race in the 2025 Kentucky Derby,” 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. Give ‘em hell RJ!”
Render Judgment is trained by Kenny McPeek, who also trained last year’s Kentucky Derby winner, Mystik Dan.
The horse was one of the last ones to enter the field for the 151st Kentucky Derby. McPeek announced on X on April 26 that Render Judgment would be running, just hours before the post positions were announced for the entrants. Render Judgment will start out of Gate 15, which last produced a winner with Authentic in 2020.
Render Judgment took the place of Florida Derby winner Tappan Street, who suffered an injury to his right foreleg, according to the Kentucky Derby website.
The horse is considered a longshot in this year’s race, with betting site DraftKings listing Render Judgment as a 30-1 underdog on April 29.
Just being part of the field is a dream Keith had long hoped for. Dream Walkin’ Farms has produced horses with more than $19 million in career winnings, according to Equibase, but never a spot in the Derby until now.
“The Derby is the one you want to win,” Keith said in a 2019 interview with Kentucky Derby‘s Connections. “That’s the one that everybody wants to hang on their wall and say, ‘I won the Kentucky Derby.’ But God, it’s hard to get there.”
“I guess that’s the most frustrating part about this business, is that you work so hard to get that one horse,” he added.
