From fast horses and large crowds to high fashion and big name stars, the 2026 Kentucky Derby had it all.
A Pussycat Doll with Kentucky roots, who has also won a prestigious Tony award, kicked off the Kentucky Oaks. Nicole Scherzinger performed the national anthem moments before the premiere race on May 1 and from that point on, celebrities filled the Churchill Downs Racetrack.
“My entire family flew in for this weekend,” Scherzinger said on the red carpet on May 2. “On our way to the track, we drove by my old high school, duPont Manual. To be here in Louisville and playing a part in Derby weekend feels very, very special.”
Nate Burleson, Rob Gronkowski, Phillip Phillips, Lance Bass, Howie Dorough, Joey Fatone, Patti LaBelle, Gina Torres, Richie Sambora and dozens of other famous faces spent the weekend at celebratory parties, local restaurants and of course, the racetrack.
Actress Melissa Joan Hart was at the track for her sixth Kentucky Derby, planning to wager on Renegade.
Twenty four years ago, while visiting Louisville for a Kentucky Derby party, she met her future husband.
“So I got lucky in Kentucky, and I plan to do it again today,” she said, quickly clarifying with a smile. “I mean, not find a husband. Pick a horse that wins.”
Dressed in sophisticated black and white coordinated outfits, Dannielynn Birkhead rolled her eyes as her dad, Larry, described his impromptu duet with Grammy Award winner Patti LaBelle the evening before at the Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala.
“He was really embarrassing,” she joked as she described his onstage dance moves. “He looks great today, but last night, not so much.”
Actor and recording artist Anthony Ramos was trying to soak in everything he could about the Saturday spectacle, his first Derby.
“Everyone comes here and they’re excited to be here … I was just excited to come and watch my friends race and learn, get to know people here,” he said. “To watch the races up close, you can feel that energy, that was really special.”
The actor was shooting a film in Kentucky earlier this year and was glad to return so soon for the Run for the Roses.
A different feature film, this one from the Hallmark Channel, centers around the 152nd Kentucky Derby and was set to premiere at the conclusion of the iconic horse race. The stars of “Kentucky Roses,” Odette Annable and Andrew Walker, spent their Derby weekend talking in the film’s premiere and marveling at the spectacle of the real-life bucket-list event.
“I’ve been FaceTiming with my dad back home so he can get a sense of the splendor of the horses on the track and the atmosphere here at Churchill Downs,” Walker told The Courier Journal. “And just sitting and people watching here at the track is unlike anything we have ever experienced.”
A dual sport Olympian in bobsled and track and field, Lolo Jones traded her workout clothes for a glamourous fascinator and sundress for Derby Day. Her focus was seriously honed in on enjoying the celebratory spirit of event, but she did weigh in on the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“I am in my 40s, so making the team might be a little tough, but 40 is the new 20s, right?” she said. “I think the U.S. team is already pretty locked in at this point, but never say never.”
Last but certainly not least, former NFL player turned broadcast analyst and co host of CBS Mornings, Nate Burleson, was visibly startled when this reporter mistakenly asked him if he was prepared to command “Riders Up” to the jockeys to mount their Kentucky Derby horses.
“What? I am supposed to be doing that?,” Burleson gasped on red carpet.
Actually, it was jockey Pat Day on tap to call “Riders Up,” but Burleson was game to practice it for the camera and he performed it perfectly.
“Make sure Churchill Downs sees this video,” he said. “I’ll come back next year, that seems fun.”
Previous Kentucky Derby attendees have included the late Queen Elizabeth II, Richard Nixon, and Louisville’s own Muhammad Ali. More recently, Simone Biles, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Lyndsey Vonn.
“I think it’s legendary,” Burleson said. “I’ve heard about the Kentucky Derby for so long. It’s up there with F1 and the Indy 500. It’s the World Series of horse racing. It’s the Super Bowl of this sport.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.courier-journal.com ’
