Toby Keith’s Family Makes Emotional Appearance at Kentucky Derby — Late Singer’s Horse, Render Judgment, Draws Tears and Cheers from Fans

Toby Keith’s daughter, Shelley, wife, Tricia, and son, Stelen, attended the Kentucky Derby to cheer on his horse, Render Judgment. (Photo Credits: Jeff Schear / Getty Images for Churchill Downs & Toby Keith / Facebook)

Toby Keith Always Dreamed Of Having A Horse In The Kentucky Derby

Toby Keith always wanted to see one of his horses race in the Kentucky Derby. Sadly, he passed away before he ever got the chance. But this year (2025), one of his horses finally made his dream come true as he earned a spot in the prestigious “Run for the Roses.”

Before the Kentucky Derby, one of the Top 20 horses was injured and had to withdraw from the race. Render Judgment, a Bay Colt co-owned by Toby’s Dream Walkin’ Farms, took the injured horse’s place.

Toby’s family celebrated Render Judgment’s involvement in the Kentucky Derby, with his daughter, Krystal, saying:

“My dad dreamed of having his horses in the Kentucky Derby for over 30 years. 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. 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. 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!”

Toby spoke about his Kentucky Derby dreams himself during a 2019 interview with the Kentucky Derby’s Connections. The “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” singer said:

“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.’ 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.”

The Covel Family Attends Kentucky Derby In Support Of Render Judgment

While Toby sadly couldn’t be here to cheer on Render Judgment at the Kentucky Derby, his family proudly represented him. His wife, Tricia Covel, and two of their children (daughter Shelley and son Stelen) appeared on the red carpet before the race.

Tricia added a special touch to her red carpet attire. She wore a shirt under her blazer that featured a black-and-white image of Toby.

Toby’s team shared a photo of the Covel family (Covel was Toby’s true last name), including the caption:

“Tricia, Stelen, and Shelley have arrived at the @kentuckyderby and are ready to cheer on their horse, Render Judgment!”

Fans celebrated with the Covels in the comments, making it clear that Render Judgment had many people rooting for him to win the Derby! See the picture of Toby’s wife and kids at the race below.

Render Judgment ultimately came in 17th place during the Kentucky Derby. Sovereignty won the race, followed by Journalism and Baeza in second and third place.