Celebrating an annual tradition, Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter Dannielynn Birkhead has attended the 2023 Kentucky Derby alongside her father, Larry Birkhead.
The duo attend the event each year, with their sweet father-daughter appearances offering a rare glimpse into the life of Dannielynn following the loss of her famous mother in 2008.
Dannielynn wore a Leo Lin sunflower print dress for the occasion, with her hair pushed back in glamorous curls similar to her mother’s iconic blonde locks. She accessorised the look with a crystal necklace and bracelet that once belonged to Anna Nicole.
“To be honest, the dress was so big I had to drive it from Florida, because it was too big to go on the plane and check it in. So this was a full-on production,” her father told PEOPLE.
Dannielynn attended the 2023 Kentucky Derby alongside her father, Larry.
(Credit: Getty Images)Larry also shared a handful of photos on Instagram, including snaps from the night before when the pair attended the Kentucky Derby Barnstable Brown Gala.
At the Gala, both Dannielynn and Larry paid tribute to Anna Nicole with their matching ensembles. She wore a shirt with her mother’s iconic Guess photos, while he opted for a matching tie.
“Tonight is the 20th anniversary where I met Dannielynn’s Mom at the same event,” Larry wrote on Instagram, hinting at why the pair make the derby an annual celebration.
“Can’t believe Dannielynn is almost 17. Time for a great Derby weekend,” he captioned a second photo from the night.
The adorable father-daughter duo paid tribute to Anna Nicole.
(Credit: Getty Images)In his interview with PEOPLE, Larry joked that they consider this weekend their own “Met Gala” of sorts.
“The stakes are always high on these outfits. People come to me and ask, ‘What is Dannielynn wearing? Are you going to match?’ The problem is the dresses keep getting more expensive!” he said.
Larry added that he has saved every outfit that his daughter has ever worn to the Derby.
“There’s a whole storage bin devoted to all of her Derby dresses from when she was a baby,” he says.
“And everything she has of her mom’s is cataloged in storage, with photos of the event where she wore it. So someday, she can give them to her kids if she wants to.”
Dannielynn at the derby when she was 10.
(Credit: Getty Images)
Danni wore an extravagant headpiece at the 2022 derby.
(Credit: Getty Images)Danni was just five months old when her mother passed away from a drug overdose in 2007, at the age of 39.
Larry, who is raising his daughter as a single father, revealed in 2017 how important Danni’s mother is to her.
During a chat on Good Morning America, the proud dad shared that his 10-year-old wrote a letter about how colouring in helps her connect to Anna.
“Ever since my mother’s death, a friend of hers said she would send me pretty butterflies,” Dannielynn had written.
“So, butterflies chase me everywhere and I let the butterfly come out of my pencil and fly on my paper with its wings of love.”
Dannielyn is so much like her famous mum.
Larry sees so much of his former partner in his daughter.
“She reminds me so much of her mum and as she gets older, and her features are changing, it’s just like having a little miniature Anna Nicole running around in so many ways,” he mused during an interview with ET.
Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter Dannielynn and her father Larry.
(Credit: Instagram)Larry shared this pic of him and Dannielynn on his birthday after she took him out for a meal.
Fans were quick to notice the size of her glasses nd how they make her nearly unrecognisable.
“She’s beautiful! However, those glasses are way too big for her precious face!” the fan wrote but Larry was quick to respond.
He believes whatever she likes is fine by him and replied that “the glasses place said they were fine” and once again reiterated “Those are the ones she likes”.
