Render Judgment trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse
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Kentucky Derby 2025 contender Render Judgment at Churchill Downs
Derby contender Render Judgment is trained by Kenny McPeek and jockey Sheldon Russell is slated to ride during the 2025 Kentucky Derby.
Render Judgment will enter the Kentucky Derby off a fifth-place finish in the Blue Grass at Keeneland
Render Judgment is trained by Kenny McPeek, who won last year's Kentucky Derby with Mystik Dan
Render Judgment is one of 20 horses expected to run in the 2025 Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs.
Spots for the Run for the Roses are earned by gaining points through a series of Kentucky Derby prep races that began last September.
The post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby is set for Saturday, April 26. Post time for the Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.
Render Judgment will enter the Kentucky Derby off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland. He currently ranks 18th on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 39.
Color: Bay.
Bred in: Kentucky.
Sire: Blame.
Dam: Barbara Gordon, by Commissioner.
Price tag: $310,000 at 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale.
Owners: Baccari Racing Stable (Chris Baccari); Dream Walkin Farms (Tonni Covel); MJM Racing (Michael Mackin); Rocket Ship Racing (Brook T. Smith). First Derby for Baccari Racing Stable and Dream Walkin Farms. Mackin finished eighth with Smile Happy in 2022. Smith was a co-owner of Sierra Leone (second) in 2024.
Trainer: Kenny McPeek. He's 1 for 10 in the Derby, winning with Mystik Dan in 2024.
Jockey: Julien Leparoux. He's 0 for 14 in the Derby, best finishing coming with Classic Empire (fourth) in 2017.
Record: 1-2-1 in seven starts.
Career earnings: $250,672.
Road to the Kentucky Derby points: 39 (No. 18).
Last race: Fifth in Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland.
Running style: Stalker.
Notes: Trainer Kenny McPeek had planned to enter Render Judgment in an allowance race on Kentucky Derby Day but changed course after discussions with the horse's owners. … Render Judgment broke his maiden last October at Churchill Downs. He finished second — 7 ¾ lengths behind American Promise — in the Virginia Derby on March 15 at Colonial Downs. … The Kentucky Derby will mark Leparoux's first ride on Render Judgment.
What they're saying: 'He's a nice horse, but he hasn't run the numbers that justify that he can win the Derby,' McPeek said. 'He's going to have to find a whole other level. But it is a horse race, and a lot can happen.'
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
More horse racing: American Pharoah, 10 years after Triple Crown run, enjoying life in Kentucky as stallion
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