The Thoroughbred was co-owned by Dream Walkin’ Farms, an Oklahoma-based breeding and racing operation founded by the late country singer in 2001
The 151st running of the Kentucky Derby had at least two direct connections to music: Render Judgment was co-owned by late country singer Toby Keith and Sandman was named by a pair of Metallica superfans, who welcomed “Enter Sandman” howler James Hetfield to Churchill Downs to meet the Thoroughbred on Friday.
So who won? Not the music horses. Sandman, who entered with 5-1 odds ahead of the Derby start, came in seventh, while Render Judgment (who entered with 19-1 odds) finished 17th. Sovereignty, at 9-1, ruled and won the 2025 Kentucky Derby, after running neck and neck with second-place winner Journalism, the favorite going into the race with 7-2 odds. Baeza placed third, with Final Gambit rounding out the top four.
Keith, known for his devout patriotism and gift for writing country classics like “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” was a racing enthusiast. In 2019, he gave a racetrack interview about the charge of the sport and the possibility of one day winning the Kentucky Derby — the first jewel in the sport’s Triple Crown, followed by the Preakness and Belmont stakes. “The Derby is the one you want to win. Yeah, that’s the one that everybody wants to hang on their wall, saying ‘I won the Kentucky Derby,’” Keith said. “But, God, it’s hard to get there … Horse racing business is [frustrating but] dream more. Everything’s rolling the dice. The next one is too. And it’s exciting. You gotta live on the edge a little bit.”
Render Judgment is co-owned by Dream Walkin’ Farms, an Oklahoma-based Thoroughbred breeding and racing operation Keith founded in 2001. The Bay Colt was bred in Kentucky, and his trainer is Kenny McPeek, who also trained last year’s Derby winner Mystik Dan. Jockey Julien Leparoux rode Render Judgment for the first time at the Derby this weekend. Keith, a Country Music Hall of Fame member, died in 2024 after a long battle with stomach cancer.
