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,…
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