Dannielynn Birkhead and Larry Birkhead are spending some quality time at the Kentucky Derby! 

On Friday, May 3, the father-daughter duo stepped out in grand style to attend events ahead of Saturday’s big race. 

“On our way to Barnstable-Brown Gala for the kick-off of the @kentuckyderby weekend,” Larry, 51, captioned an Instagram carousel featuring photos of himself and Dannielynn, 17. 

In the first image, the two sat beside each other sharing a seat while smiling for the camera. The photographer wore a gray suit set with a black tie as his daughter opted for an all-black look previously worn by Janet Jackson.

“Dannielynn is wearing her second @janetjackson outfit to the party that I got from Janet’s @juliens_auctions -charity auction,” he wrote of her attire. 

According to Julien’s, the garment is a “Gianfranco Ferre black dress that’s knee-length in the front and floor-length in the back and features zippers all around.”

Birkhead concluded, “Looking forward to a fun Derby weekend with the newly graduated high school student!”

The daughter of the late Anna Nicole Smith lives a relatively private life year-round. However, each May, Dannielynn and Birkhead make it their mission to attend the Kentucky Derby together — a tradition they’ve had since Dannielynn was 3 years old. 

“Ahh The derby where you met her mama!!! I love that you’ve made it a tradition. She’s beautiful! You both look great. Congrats Danni! 🥹💞,” one person wrote in the Instagram comment section. 

For the 2023 Kentucky Derby, the teen wore a sunflower print dress designed by Leo Lin while posing for photos with her father — who coordinated with similar colors.

Other than their annual father-daughter outings, the pair are also known to be supportive of one another via social media. 

For Birkhead’s birthday in January, he joked about how his daughter snapped “really bad pictures” of him.

“#1-3) A friend took us to dinner for my birthday and Dannielynn continued her journey to take really bad pictures of me,” he began in his Instagram caption, alongside photos of himself and his daughter laughing over a meal. 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

And for Dannielynn’s birthday in September, Birkhead praised his daughter.

“Happy 17th Birthday Dannielynn! I am so proud of you in each and every way. Wishing you the best day ever!” he wrote. “You are funny, crazy smart, pretty and just about everything I could ever imagine. Your Mom would be so proud of you, I sure am.”

Before ending his post, Birkhead added, “Happy Birthday! Love Dad ❤️ By the way, when you asked me if you could live in my basement forever. I said yes, but I didn’t have the heart to tell you there aren’t any basements in Florida 😂 ❤️ #HappyBirthday 🎂.”

The majority of the 2024-25 Kentucky Basketball is finished, but there are still four open scholarship spots. For that reason, we’re going to see Kentucky kicking the tires on just about every available option that emerges over the next month to fill those final spots.

We’ve got a new one to monitor in the form of UCLA Bruins forward Berke Buyuktuncel, who entered the transfer portal on Tuesday.

Per Jon Rothstein, Kentucky is among a host of schools that’ve contacted Berke, including Virginia, Ohio State, Louisville, Washington, and Iowa.

A class of 2023 signee out of Turkey, Berke was ranked 36th overall and seventh among power forwards in his class, according to 247 Sports. He’s represented his home country in international basketball competitions, including the summer of 2023 when he helped Turkey finish in third place at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.

The 6-foot-9, 245-pounder played in 26 games (eight starts) last season, averaging 4.5 points on 38.5% shooting (29.7% from 3-point range) and 2.5 rebounds per game. He attempted 37 3s on the season, connecting on 11, so he’s capable of stretching the floor, something Mark Pope has put a strong emphasis on with frontcourt transfers he’s contacted.

Kentucky’s frontcourt is going to rely heavily on Amari Williams, Andrew Carr, and Brandon Garrison to hold down the fort next season, so Berke could be a nice option as a fourth big man who would be competing for an 8th/9th man-type of role.

Whether Berke is open to that type of role or wants heavy playing minutes at a smaller program remains to be seen, but we know Kentucky has some level of interest in his services.

Check out some highlights of Berke in action!

A Sea of Blue comes loaded with the best Kentucky Wildcats links, news, analysis, and other fun stuff, so be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Go CATS!

Cousin Sal is joined by Kenny Mayne to talk wiffle ball and the Kentucky Derby, then the D3 hops on to discuss their best bets for Friday’s NBA games, the Conn Smythe Trophy, and the Kentucky Derby winner.

Host: Cousin Sal
Guests: Darren Szokoli, Brian Szokoli, Harry Gagnon, and Kenny Mayne
Producers: Michael Szokoli, Joel Solomon, Jack Wilson, Chris Wohlers, and Jonathan Frias

Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher / RSS