That’s right – it is the first Saturday in May and that means the Kentucky Derby. This Grade I stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbreds is known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports.” Of course, while the race only lasts two minutes, the celebration known as the Kentucky Derby Festival lasts two weeks long.
And, of course, where there is celebration, there is celebrities. They turned up in droves yesterday as the rest of the country waits today to see who wins the race. Hugh Hefner was among the celebrities at the Barnstable Brown Gala, which was held last night. Fans braved the rain, hoping to catch a glimpse of the celebrities on hand. Whom might they have seen? Those on the guest list included Chelsea Clinton, actor Edward Norton, news host Bill O’Reilly, and Dallas Cowboy Terrell Owens.
Model/actress Molly Sims also showed up. She said, “I come for the food. I come for the parties. I come to meet people from all over, from sports to politics to Hollywood,” then added, “the Derby is more than just a race.” Also attending were the Lachey brothers, Nick and Drew, Drew’s wife Lea, and their daughter Isabella.
Carson Daly came to the gala with…his mother? That is right; the host of “Last Call with Carson Daly” brought his mom as a gift to her. Anna Nicole Smith’s baby daddy Larry Birkhead, himself a Louisville native, was also at the party. It was at this party that he met Anna Nicole in 2004. Singers and musicians turned out for the gala too – Michael McDonald, Smokey Robinson, Mary Wilson (of The Supremes), Taylor Dayne, Eddie Money, Lee Ann Womack, Travis Tritt, and Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels were there.
Even the famed Doublemint Twins, Patricia, and Priscilla, showed up. Of course, their maiden name is Barnstable…hum, is there a connection? Yes, there is. Patricia, a former Miss Kentucky, hosts the event every year to benefit diabetes. Since the gala started 20 years ago, it has raised over 2 million for diabetes research at the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky. Patricia was moved to create the gala in honor of her late husband David was diabetic.