Anna Nicole SmithDaughter of Dannielynn Birkhead, and her father, Larry Birkheadthey are keeping their daughter's tradition alive at the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
Larry, 53, and Dannielynn, 19, were out at Churchill Downs in Louisville on Saturday, May 2, for the annual horse race.
“And Off we go… to the 152nd @kentuckyderby with Dannielynn after a great Barnstable-Brown party last night!” Larry took to Instagram on Saturday, sharing pictures of the father-daughter pair together in black and white outfits.
Dannielynn wore a strapless Mac Duggal dress with fascinators from The Hat Haven that matched her freshly dyed gray hair.
“I'm still a vampire,” he laughed during the meeting Reach out to Hollywood interview about his self-proclaimed “cool” style. “But, I don't look like much now.”
Larry and Dannnielynn have a longstanding tradition of attending the Derby and the Barnstable Brown Gala, held the night before the iconic race.
“Another @kentuckyderby came and went. We had a great time,” Larry he wrote on Instagram in May 2025. “An incredible full circle moment to see Dannielynn shine at The Barnstable-Brown Derby Eve Gala wearing her Mom's replica dress from the same event.”
He added, “Hearing Dannielynn share her thoughts when asked what that meant was an emotional yet proud Dad moment. To end the weekend, a day off at @churchilldowns seeing old friends we met before.”
Dannielynn wore a stunning off-the-shoulder MacDuggal gown to the Kentucky Derby last year after opting for a demure look at the Barnstable-Brown Gala.
“I don't know my mother, sadly, and this is one of the reasons and ways I don't know,” said the young man. Reach out to Hollywoodrevealing that he chose to dress Smith's iconic black dress for the time being. “This is the closest I'll ever get to a hug, so I've been crying all day.”
Larry, a photographer, met Smith at the Barnstable Brown Gala in 2003. The model died in 2007, just five months after giving birth to Dannielynn. He was 39 years old.
As Larry raises Dannielynn as a single parent, he always wants to keep Smith's memory alive.
“She has traits of her mother's personality, and she's funny, but I think she's a mix of both of us,” Larry. you are only told Us Weekly in 2020. “A lot of people come up to her and say, you know, 'I was a big fan of your mom,' and, 'I loved your mom,' or, 'She encouraged me to lose weight or be a model or just be a single parent.' And so, you know, a lot of people helped me with that. … He's a really good kid.”
Larry made sure to celebrate Dannilynn's 19th birthday late last year with a bang.
“After this dad left the emergency room with a kidney attack and torn muscles, Dannilynn's 19th birthday celebration began,” she wrote over the weekend. Instagram in September 2025. “First: a trip to @universalorlando Hollywood Horror nights. Afterwards, Dannielynn ran into old school friends and had a great time. Nineteen years passed in the blink of an eye!”
