Country singer Toby Keith died in February 2024 at the age of 62 after a two-year battle with stomach cancer. But now, a year later, one of his lifelong dreams is coming true.
Keith's official Instagram account posted on Saturday, April 26, that Keith's horse, Render Judgement has qualified for the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
"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," the post reads.
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During his life, Keith owned a 300-acre property in Oklahoma called Dream Walkin' Farms. Over two decades, it saw nearly 900 horse racing wins from the horses it bred and raised there, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Keith later founded Bro Stables with partner Danny Caldwell.
One of Keith's horse trainers, Bret Calhoun, told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that Keith was a passionate horse racing fan and he loved to hang out with other fans despite being famous.
“He was a guy who loved horse racing, all facets of it. He loved the breeding part of it, the racing, and he was a big promoter of horse racing. Just an overall good guy," said Calhoun.
He added, "[Keith] was one of those guys that everyone wanted to be around, and he kind of kept himself open to the public. He’d go to the races at Oaklawn, go across the street to the local bar and hang out with the people…He was a big star, larger than life, but he was just a regular guy as well. He was so approachable, so easy to talk with. You really enjoyed being around him, and he treated everybody the same. It didn’t matter who you were. He respected everybody.”
Calhoun also said that while Keith was a passionate owner, he also knew enough to let the experts do their jobs.
"He let you do your job,” Calhoun said. “He was a guy who just loved the action and the horses. He would never try to force you to do this or that. He let you do what you’re supposed to do. He was involved, but he just kind of watched it, listened to you, took your advice, and let you do your job.”
For the 2025 derby, Render Judgement drew the 15th pole position. According to the Kentucky Derby's official site, that's a decent draw — it has a 9.5% winning percentage, which is the fifth-highest. In fact, in the last 12 years, post 15 has produced three winners. As of this writing, Render Judgement's betting odds at 30-1.
The 151st Run for the Roses will take place on Saturday, May 3, airing live on NBC beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT. The main event is scheduled to start at 6:57 p.m. ET/3:57 p.m. PT.
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