April 30, 2025
Local Race Horse Render Judgement Ready for Kentucky Derby with Toby Keith Connection
By Kyle Coppola
Local Race Horse Render Judgement Ready for Kentucky Derby with Toby Keith Connection
Summerfield, FL – Many local horses are preparing for the Kentucky Derby, but perhaps no horse has a bigger local connection to the community than Render Judgement. Render Judgement began training in Summerfield at Kenny McPeek’s Training Center right outside The Villages.
(Silverleaf Training Center can be seen right off U.S. 301 in Summerfield, Florida. Photo Credit – Silverleaf Training Center.)
Render Judgement needed help to get into the Kentucky Derby, but the 3-year-old horse is in the field of 20 for the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. This year trainer Kenny McPeek will look to go back-to-back after winning the Kentucky Oaks last year with Thorpedo Anna and won the 150th Kentucky Derby in 2024 with Mystik Dan who was the winner last year. McPeek is trying to become the first trainer to go back-to-back in the Derby since Bob Baffert did it in 1997 and 1998.
(Render Judgement – Photo Credit – BloodHorse.)
“He’s a nice horse, but he hasn’t run the numbers that justify that he can win the Derby,” McPeek said. “He’s going to have to find a whole other level. But it is a horse race, and a lot can happen.”says McPeek in a recent interview ith FanDuel Racing.
Kenny McPeek bought Silverleaf Hills Training Center in Summerfield back in 2019. The Center was formerly known as Fadua Farm Training Center and includes a six furlong training track, four 24-stall barns, four paddocks, 20 stall/turnout paddocks, six covered round pens, and a five stall quarentine barn. It can be seen right off of Count
Render Judgment began his training right here and now will be one of the longshots to run for the 151st Kentucky Derby. Be sure to tune in and see if he can pull it off.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
