2025 Kentucky Derby Shocker: Top Contender Withdraws From Derby, Render Judgment Draws In
On Saturday morning, horse racing fans woke up to shocking news that a key 2025 Kentucky Derby contender, Tappan Street, had withdrawn from the prestigious first leg of the Triple Crown.
Trainer Brad Cox shared that the son of Into Mischief, who ranked sixth on the Derby points leaderboard, was forced to withdraw from the race after suffering a condylar fracture in his right foreleg during an early morning workout at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
Opting out has afforded Ken McPeek's colt, Render Judgment, to draw into the 151st Run for the Roses.
In this latest installment of my Respected Money betting profiles, we will take a look at a moonshot contender who has only won once in seven career starts.
Kentucky Derby Contenders: Render Judgment
POST NUMBER: TBD
JOCKEY: Julien Leparoux / TRAINER: Kenneth McPeek
RECORD: 7 starts: 1-2-1
TOP EQUIBASE SPEED FIGURE: 98
RUNNING STYLE: Closer
CAREER EARNINGS: $250,672
This son of Blame and Barbara Gordon is a colt whose pedigree suggests solid stamina, but appears to be overmatched on paper against this field, mainly due to his lack of Grade 1 stakes wins racing on dirt surfaces.
🚨Breaking News
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) April 26, 2025
Render Judgement is in. pic.twitter.com/Y0uoNytitp
Render Judgment Breeding
Sire: Blame enjoyed a sensational career, winning 9 of 13 career races, most notably the 2010 Breeders Cup Classic. The son of Arch displayed strong stamina, which could translate to Render Judgment’s chances of handling the 1 ¼ mile distance in the Kentucky Derby.
Dam: Barbara Gordon is the daughter of Commissioner, a talented colt who is best known for running second in the 2014 Belmont Stakes (G1).
Render Judgment Jockey / Owner Derby Achievements
Two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Julien Leparoux is 0-14 in the Kentucky Derby. He has yet to finish in the top 3, with his best finish coming in 4th aboard Classic Empire in 2017.
Ken McPeek, who has saddled 11 horses in the Kentucky Derby, will look to earn consecutive victories after sending out last year’s champion Mystik Dan.
Render Judgment Race History
Render Judgment has a career record of one win, two seconds, and one third-place finish in seven career starts.
After breaking his maiden at one mile and 1/16 on the dirt at Churchill Downs, he has failed to cross the wire first in five consecutive races.
In mid-March, he earned a runner-up finish behind Derby rival American Promise in the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs.
Render Judgment finished up his 2025 campaign with a fifth-place finish in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) behind Derby rivals Burnham Square and East Avenue.
Render Judgment on the outside of Hypnus @ChurchillDowns @KentuckyDerby pic.twitter.com/2c4JYlQW3w
— Kenny McPeek (@KennyMcPeek) April 26, 2025
Render Judgment Kentucky Derby Outlook
After drawing into the field a few hours prior to the Post-Position Draw, oddsmakers installed Render Judgment at moonshot odds of 69-1 in Derby Futures. On Saturday, Render Judgment posted a bullet five-furlong work in 59.03 seconds. Despite the solid work as well as a pedigree that suggests the demanding distance will not be an issue, Ken McPeek’s colt will likely be among the highest-priced horses on May 3.
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-1be8bb0e9ea1ab9f8bfbf612aa95e4bb.jpeg "Frank Taddeo")
Frank Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Besides contributing NFL fantasy analysis with a Vegas slant, Frank Taddeo primarily performs as On SI’s Senior Fantasy Analyst, providing his significant experience and resources in the sports world.