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."
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."
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.
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