Toby Keith’s thoroughbred farm broke through last year, getting a horse into the Kentucky Derby field a little more than a year after the country singer’s death.
It had been a long-time dream for Keith to get a horse in the Kentucky Derby field, and his family celebrated the moment after Render Judgment earned a late entry into the race. The farm is still producing at a high level, but fans hoping to see Keith’s family get a second chance at the biggest race of the year will have to wait for at least another year.
Toby Keith’s Farm Not in This Year’s Field
Keith’s farm does not have a horse in the field of the 2026 Kentucky Derby, but still competes at a high level. The thoroughbred farm, which breeds and trains horses, has earned some big winners and Keith himself gained a reputation as a dedicated owner.
As Thoroughbred Daily News reported, Keith was even memorialized by Remington Park, where Dream Walkin’ Farms’ thoroughbreds had competed.
“This fall, the lone name change on the upcoming Remington Park stakes schedule is the former Trapeze Stakes will now be called the Toby Keith Stakes, in honor of the late Oklahoma country singer/songwriter and horseman, the track said in a Thursday release,” the report noted.
“Keith, a horse owner and breeder who raced primarily under his stable name of Dream Walkin Farms, earned more than $18 million on the racetrack, according to Equibase statistics. The star passed away in February at the age of 62 after a battle with stomach cancer.”
Dream Walkin’ Farms has earned some other big winners, though Keith acknowledged during his life that he wanted a Kentucky Derby title.
“The Derby is the one you want to win,” Keith told Kentucky Derby’s Connections in 2019. “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.”
Toby Keith’s Family Celebrated Kentucky Derby Entry
The entry for Keith’s horse in the 2025 Kentucky Derby field garnered significant attention, with the country singer’s family saying it had been his dream to see a horse compete at Churchill Downs.
“My dad dreamed of having his horses in the Kentucky Derby for over 30 years,” his daughter, Krystal Keith, wrote on Instagram before the Kentucky Derby last year. “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.”
Render Judgment was a long shot, entering the field with initial 50-to-1 odds, and finished 17th out of 19 horses in the field. Krystal Keith said it was exciting just to see Dream Walkin’ Farms compete at the highest level.
“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 wrote. “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!”
Does Toby Keith Have a Horse in the 2026 Kentucky Derby? Update on Dream Walkin’ Farms