Chart-topper Toby Keith bred and owned racehorses up to his death, one of which Render Judgment will run in the £4 million Kentucky Derby on Saturday
A country music legend’s dream to have a runner in the Kentucky Derby is to be fulfilled a year after his death. Toby Keith died aged 62 in February last year from stomach cancer, which had been diagnosed in 2022.
The seven-time Grammy nominee sold more than 40 million records, had 20 country number ones and topped the US album chart four times. He had performed for presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Keith was also an avid horse racing fan and had established Dream Walkin’ Farms in Oklahoma in 2001 from where he bred and raced multiple winners on the racetrack.
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Dream Walkin, the title of a Keith song, won 848 races and earned over £13.5 million, the best of which were graded winners Cactus Ridge and Smack Smack. Keith was also an ambassador for the Breeders’ Cup.
Dream Walkin has continued since Keith’s death and the farm is a partner in Render Judgment, a challenger in the 151st running Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
The colt, from the stable of last year’s winning trainer Kenny McPeek, has won one of his seven starts and has earnings of £180,000.
Render Judgment had been listed only as a possible to run in the historic race as he was outside the top 20 qualifying positions. However he secured a place in the field after injury ruled out one of the intended runners.
McPeek said: “Yesterday the group, they pow-wowed without me, which is fine, and they decided they wanted to run. It that’s what they want to do, I’m all for it.”
The news was confirmed to Keith’s 1.4m followers of his Instragram account. “It was Toby’s dream….Render Judgement 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.”
