Kentucky
Anna Nicole Smith's daughter and her dad make their annual Kentucky Derby trip: See their outfits through the years
For the late Anna Nicole Smith’s 18-year-old daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead, the Kentucky Derby is a family tradition.
Dannielynn gets all dressed up to attend the fashion-forward horse race with her father, Larry Birkhead. The tradition started in 2010 when she was just 3 years old, and posts of the day have become fan favorites.
This year, Dannielynn and her dad kicked off Derby weekend in style. In an Instagram post on Friday, May 2, Larry Birkhead shared a series of photos of him and his daughter together at 2025 Barnstable Brown Gala.
In caption of his post, Larry revealed that his daughter was wearing the same evening gown that her mother, Anna Nicole Smith, wore 21 years ago when she attended the same gala.
“Life full circle,” he captioned the post. “She said she chose the dress because it was her Mom’s and ‘super cool.’”
In a 2022 interview with the Courier Journal, Larry Birkhead explained why it means so much for him and his daughter to go to the Kentucky Derby together.
“It’s our ‘one day a year’ outing that we do publicly,” he said. “And I think you guys probably can take pictures and watch her grow from just this event … there’s a lot of people that are interested in things because of her mother, and I don’t let her fall into that. I just say, ‘Hey, let’s do one thing a year (and) let people see how you are.’”
Dannielynn was only five months old when Smith died in February 2007 after accidentally overdosing on prescription drugs. Five different men claimed to be Dannielynn’s father, but after a DNA test, Larry was legally designated as her father.
Dannielynn spent a relatively private childhood with Larry in their Kentucky home. But the father-daughter duo step into the spotlight on this one special day.
Let’s look back on Dannielynn and her dad at the Kentucky Derby through the years.
2010
Larry Birkead brought his daughter to the Kentucky Derby when she was 3 years old.
Dressed all in pink, Dannielynn looked thrilled by the cameras … and reassured by having her father nearby.
2011
Dannielynn sipped her kid’s drink like a lady when she attended the festivities in 2011, wearing a fun animal-print dress.
2012
Dressed in sunshine yellow at the 138th Kentucky Derby, Dannielynn sweetly gave her dad a giant smooch. Of course, her cute cow puppet is along for the ride.
2013
Is there anything sweeter than Larry and Dannielynn dressed up as Bert and Mary Poppins for the Kentucky Derby? After all, both feature a horse race!
2014
The family tradition continued to bloom when Dannielynn was 7. The floral bodice, tulle skirt and butterfly shoes signal her creativity. Larry sweetly echoes his daughter’s color choices in his striped tie.
2015
From bright colors to pastels, Dannielynn sports a slightly more grown-up look in 2015. Doing a complete 180 from last year, she wore a very demure pale pink dress and carried a sequin purse with flowers on it.
2016
An updo seems perfectly fitting for this elegant young lady who is wearing a light grey dress with pink flowers. With a grey suit, pink shirt and jaunty tie, Larry matches her exactly.
2017
Stunning as ever at the age of 10, Dannielynn looks like a perfect English rose in a pink dress with matching fascinator.
2018
Dannielynn and Larry change up their color palette by switching to blues in 2018. Just as she did last year, Dannielynn wore a fit-and-flare dress with a 1950s silhouette. Larry looks like the perfect parental escort in plaid.
2019
The pair switched back to bubble gum pink in 2019. Dannielynn looked right at home on the red carpet.
2020
The Triple Crown event was postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19. It was ultimately held in September without any spectators, so Dannielynn and Larry had to sit this one out.
2021
In their return to the race in 2021, Dannielynn wore a rhinestone face mask that perfectly coordinated with her JOVANI suit.
“She cleaned out the chocolate brownies, ice cream and nachos while at the same time critiquing my outfit,” Larry wrote on Instagram of his then 14-year-old daughter.
2022
Dannielynn was all color and joy in 2022, while Larry’s neutrals really let her grab the spotlight.
Along with two photos posing with his daughter, Larry posted an old snap of Smith giving her best pout for the camera on Instagram.
“Saw this pic of Anna and thought Dannielynn looked like her twin!” he added in the caption.
2023
The 2023 Kentucky Derby marked a special year for Larry, as it was his 20th anniversary of meeting Smith.
At the Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala, Dannielynn paid tribute to her mom by wearing a long-sleeved black and white top printed with a pattern of photos of Smith from her famous Guess campaign. Larry’s tie included the same print of Smith from his daughter’s shirt.
At the Derby itself, Dannielynn’s fashion sense was in full bloom with her flower-themed gown. Dad Larry Birkhead, as always, matched his look to hers.
2024
Last year, Larry detailed his Kentucky Derby weekend on social media. Dannielynn wore a bright red dress with puffy sleeves and a matching feathered headpiece. Larry shared that the ensemble was “inspired by her favorite character Hino Eiji, Kamen Rider OOO TaJaDor combo.”
He added, “Hey whatever works, just trying to spend a little quality time as this weekend of traditions come to a close…”
2025
This year, Dannielynn decided to pay tribute to her mother when she attended the annual Barnstable Brown Gala on the eve of the Kentucky Derby with her dad.
For the gala, she wore the same dress that her mother wore 21 years ago when she attended the same event.
“Life full circle,” Larry Birkhead captioned the post. “She said she chose the dress because it was her Mom’s and ‘super cool.’”
GRAYSON, Ky. (WSAZ) – New information has been released in the search for a missing woman at Grayson Lake.
According to game wardens with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Marly Kinney, 19, of Ashland, was last seen at Grayson Lake on Wednesday afternoon.
They say search efforts are focused on the water at this time and include Kentucky State Police aerial support, drones, boats, and K9 assistance.
Crews suspend search for missing teen for the night
The search is now into its third day, with officials saying on and off rain has hindered their search and that a group of 50 volunteers are walking the banks of the lake to help in the search.
Search and rescue boats have been seen at the lake as well.
Officials say there are still many questions, including if Kinney is still alive and where exactly she went missing.
They also say they’ve been using a variety of equipment, including sonar and thermal detectors, as well as helicopters and underwater drones.
WSAZ received a statement from Kinney’s family Friday afternoon:
“We are very appreciative of the absolute surplus of support from law enforcement, search and rescue, 1st responders, and all of the community and its volunteers that are here with us and for us searching for Marly. We do not even know how to express our absolute gratitude to you all. We continue to have faith she will be found and brought back to us. We know we have the very best people doing all they can to bring her home.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
We are still working to get more information.
Previous coverage can be found here.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, June 25, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
02-08-24-32, Cash Ball: 09
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 6-3-0
Midday: 9-6-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 5-7-6-0
Midday: 5-2-6-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
03-13-14-34-45, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
On Thursday, Kentucky’s home and away SEC opponents for the 2026-27 season were revealed and on top of learning the three opponents who they will play twice, there are some very intriguing matchups. In conference play, Kentucky will face six teams who are among the top 25 in many preseason rankings.
In SEC play, Kentucky will play Tennessee, Vandy and Ole Miss all both home and away. The home matchups include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vandy. As for the road tilts, the Wildcats will face Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and Vandy. Let’s take a look at some interesting developments from the schedule release.
John Calipari returns to Rupp Arena (again)
In Calipari’s first year with Arkansas, he got the best of Kentucky when he came into Rupp Arena and left with a 10-point victory, a game where you could really feel the tension all game long in the building from Kentucky fans, which translated onto the court with the players. Last season, it was Kentucky who shocked everyone when they stole one on the road against a top 20 Arkansas team after a rough up-and-down season up to that point. Now, the two will face off again as Kentucky will look to get the win in Rupp and make sure Calipari doesn’t get two in a row in the building. It’ll be another highly-anticipated showdown.
Kentucky hits the road at Texas
This is shaping up to be a major challenge for Kentucky next season and may even end up being one of the biggest games of the season. Texas is seen by many as a clear top 10 team, with some even having them within the top five and when you combine that with the fact that the game is on the road, the Wildcats will have their hands full. The Wildcats fell to the longhorns in the 2024-25 season, and it’ll be a much stiffer challenge this time.
Which game could be a trap?
We don’t have the game-by-game dates yet, so it’s hard to say with a lot of confidence, but opponent-wise, Georgia could really give Kentucky fits. In Pope’s first year, his team struggled handling the physicality of the Bulldogs and now, they’ve retained one of their best guards for another year and have added physicality through the portal. Mike White’s teams love to make opponents uncomfortable and they could do that once again down in Athens. Another sneaky team to watch is Oklahoma, who will have very good guard play. Kentucky will face both teams on the road.
Overall, it’s a pretty fair SEC schedule for a Kentucky team who has the capability of a return to being atop the conference once again. Mark Pope has such a system-fit squad and he can do some damage in the SEC.
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