Country music superstar Toby Keith has joined the Race for Education by nominating two of his race horses to the organization's Race Horse Nomination Program. By nominating TK's Whiskey Girl and an unnamed filly by Behrens, Keith agreed to donate a percentage of their future earnings to the national non-profit.In the past decade he's been in country music, Keith has sold 30 million albums. His most recent achievements are earning 2005 Billboard Music Award's Top Country Artist and Top Country Album.Keith got his start in horse racing 10 years ago with his late father, who was a racetrack patron. One of Keith's first winners, Big Hubie, who captured the 2002 Louisiana Downs Handicap, was named after his father. After some early success at the track, Keith constructed a 160-acre training and breeding facility in his native Oklahoma. In 2003, Keith became part-owner of Blue Ribbon Downs, an Oklahoma-based Quarter Horse racetrack. He races under the stable name Dream Walkin' Farms.Keith's most noted Thoroughbred runner is Cactus Ridge. The homebred undefeated colt by Hennessy was being aimed at the 2003 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) until an injury ended his racing career. Cactus Ridge, who won three graded stakes and had lifetime earnings of $187,850, now stands at Walmac Farm near Lexington. The Race Horse Nomination Program is one of the main sources of funding for The Race for Education' scholarships. In the four years since the organization's inception, more than 400 horses have been nominated to the program, including all of Team Valor and WinStar Farm's runners.
The Race for Education's current roster also includes Darley's Preakness (gr. I) and Jim Dandy (gr. II) winner Bernardini, WinStar Farm's Haskell (gr. I) winner Bluegrass Cat, and Paul Saylor's Fleet Indian, winner of the Personal Ensign Stakes (gr. I).
