Toby Keith’s love for horse racing went beyond ‘Beer for My Horses’

Dion Dimucci nailed it with the lyrics, “It seems the good they die young,” in his 1968 hit song “Abraham, Martin and

John.” “I just looked around and he’s gone,” Dion continued in a ballad that honored four great Americans.

Toby Keith’s legion of fans can relate. The country music sensation died young of stomach cancer at 62 last week. It seems they were attending his concerts not long ago, and now they look around and he’s gone.

His fans could probably recite the names of some of his top hits, including “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “How Do You Like Me Now?,” “Beer for My Horses,” and “As Good as I Once Was” at a moment’s notice. But they’re much less likely to recognize the names Cactus Ridge, Smack Smack and Three Chords.

The latter three were some of the top thoroughbred race horses Keith owned. Yes, singing and song writing were his first love, but he was an ardent fan of horse racing before his untimely death.

Trainer Bret Calhoun trained Grade III winner Cactus Ridge for Keith, who raced under the name Dream Walkin’ Farms, an Oklahoma-based breeding and racing operation. In 2021, he formed Country Bro Stables with Danny Caldwell.

As successful as Keith was in the recording studio, that’s how productive he was in the sport of kings. He called Remington Park in Oklahoma City his home track, but he raced at other venues regularly.

“He was a guy who loved horse racing, all facets of it,” Calhoun told me during an interview last week. “He loved the breeding part of it, the racing, and he was a big promoter of horse racing. Just an overall good guy. A patriotic guy. He was one of those guys that everyone wanted to be around and he kind of kept himself open to the public. He’d go to the races at Oaklawn, go across the street to the local bar and hang out with the people.”

Cactus Ridge began his career with four consecutive victories, including the Grade III Arlington-washington Futurity at Arlington Park, and was scheduled to run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2003 before he injured his knee a week before the race and never raced again.

“We had a lot of fun together, a lot of success,” said Calhoun, currently based at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. “He (Cactus Ridge) was gonna be a top three choice in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. It was a highlight for Toby. He loved that horse.”

He actually loved all of his horses, from the claimers to his stakes standouts. Calhoun said he was an easy owner to work with.

“He let you do your job,” Calhoun said. “He was a guy who just loved the action and the horses. He would never try to force you to do this or that. He let you do what you’re supposed to do. He was involved, but he just kind of watched it, listened to you, took your advice and let you do your job.”

Despite the mega-star status, Calhoun said Keith never let the fame go to his head.

“He was a big star, larger than life, but he was just a regular guy as well,” Calhoun said. “He was so approachable, so easy to talk with. You really enjoyed being around him, and he treated everybody the same. It didn’t matter who you were. He respected everybody.”

Caldwell told Horse Racing Nation that he found himself listening to Keith’s songs while driving home from the race track last week.

“Sitting here just remembering all the great memories we had together,” he said. “It’s tough, man. Tough entering these horses and knowing that he’ll never get to watch them. But he’ll watch from above. That’s all we can hope for.”

According to Equibase, Keith’s Dream Walkin’ Farms recorded 848 victories since 2001. Country Bro Stables had 39 victories from 264 starts, according to Equibase, and purse earnings of $993,245 before Keith’s death.

Caldwell remembered Keith as a hands-off co-owner.

“He would always tell me, ‘Do what you do, partner,’” Caldwell said. “That was his favorite saying to me. He let me run it pretty much. He trusted me. So he knew I was going to have our best interest. I couldn’t ask for a better partner. He was awesome. I’m going to miss him so much.”

So are his fans. They know full well now that the good do die young.