I am here for celebrities getting into horse racing.
Earlier this year, the nation was filled with hope after Toby Keith’s family announced he would have a horse running in the Kentucky Derby. While fans were cheering and hoping for Keith’s horse, Render Judgement, to win the roses, the competition was too harsh, and he did not win. But more importantly, Render Judgement running for the roses
“It was Toby’s dream….Render Judgment is going to the Kentucky Derby. He worked so hard to finally have one there! Toby will have the best seat in the house to watch.”
Toby was more than a horse owner, entering his young thoroughbreds into races. He was a very hands-on owner and breeder, once saying that “The horse racing business has always thrilled me that much.”
Keith established Dream Walkin’ Farms, a 300-acre Thoroughbred breeding and racing operation based in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, in 2001. Over the course of more than two decades, the farm achieved significant success, amassing 848 victories and over $18 million in earnings from 6,587 starts. Keith was deeply involved in the operations, often attending sales like those at Keeneland, and actively participating in breeding decisions.
However, Toby Keith is not the only celebrity with a passion for raising and training horses. Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić shares the same passion as Keith for horse racing, owning race horses of his own. In fact, the Joker seems to be WAY more passionate about horse racing than he is basketball.
Unlike Keith, who races Thoroughbred horses, Jokić races harness horses. The gaited horse breeds, usually consisting of Standardbred horses in the United States or Orlov Trotters or French Trotters, are bred for racing elsewhere in the world. These races look a lot different than the Thoroughbred racing we are used to seeing, as the jockey is being pulled behind the horse on a cart called a sulky. The horses, since they are gaited, race at a trot or a pace.
Over the weekend, Nikola Jokić had a big win during a harness racing event in Serbia. The usually stoic Jokić broke into an ear-to-ear grin when his horse, Demon Dell’Est, moved into the winning position down the final stretch at the annual Dužijanac event in Subotica, Serbia.
After the horse crossed the finish line, Jokić put his head in his hands, taking in the victory, and it appears that he began to shed a few tears. He then hops the fence and runs onto the track to hug his jockey and horse, becoming more emotional as they walk to the winner’s circle.
Once in the winner’s circle, the NBA center celebrates big by spraying champagne everywhere and on his jockey. What a way to celebrate a win.
Jokić has grown up around racing and shares a passion for racing with his father. His father, Branislav, runs a local harness racing club on the outskirts of Sombor, Serbia.
In 2023, after the Denver Nuggets won the NBA Championship, in an interview with the Associated Press, Branislav Jokić touched on how his son always wanted to be a horseman. Instead, he encouraged Niokla to focus on his basketball talents first, as that career is more time-sensitive than being a horse owner and breeder.
“He started growing, both in height and in size, and he started to become aware that he could be a basketball player, but he had a great desire in those days. He would say, ‘Dad, I want to become a horseman.’
And I used to tell him: ‘Son, become a basketball player first, and you’ll become a great horseman later.’”
Now, Jokić is living the dream in both ways, being an NBA powerhouse and a champion horse owner- talk about having it all.
