Larry Birkhead Is a ‘Proud Papa’ in Photo With Daughter Dannielynn Ahead of Kentucky Derby

Anna Nicole Smith‘s daughter Dannielynn Birkhead made father Larry Birkhead a “proud papa” ahead of the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Saturday.

The night before the weekend race, Birkhead and Dannielynn attended the 31st annual Barnstable-Brown Derby Eve Gala. Birkhead shared a photo of the father-daughter duo outside their home, with Dannielynn wearing a bright yellow dress with a floral print by Junona.

“The start to an awesome weekend,” Birkhead wrote in the tweet, adding the hashtag “proud papa.”

The Barnstable-Brown Derby Eve Gala is an annual pre-derby event. This year’s party drew an all-star group of guests, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Backstreet Boys members Kevin Richardson and Howie Dorough, *NSYNC singer Joey Fatone and country music stars Travis Tritt and Eddie Montgomery, notes USA Today.

The charity event helped raise over $16 million for diabetes research at the University of Kentucky Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

Birkhead’s followers praised Dannielynn’s bright and colorful look for the gala.

“Dannielynn is a beautiful young lady! Hope you two have a great time,” one person wrote.

“Larry, you’re doing quite an amazing job with her! Shes (sic) so tall and beautiful! Traditions are a must, and wow! She looks so grown up,” added another.

“I love this family tradition you and Dannielynn have Traditions are so important She’s beautiful and you clean up very nicely too,” another fan wrote.

For this year’s derby on Saturday, Birkhead and Dannielynn weore matching pink outfits. Birkhead wore a pink suit, complete with a pink tie, while Dannielynn sported a pink sleeveless dress. Dannielynn, 12, also wore a hat Smith wore at the 2004 Kentucky Derby.

Dannielynn and Birkhead make annual appearances at the Kentucky Derby, since they call rural Kentucky their home. They started the tradition in 2010, since the Derby is where Birkhead met smith in 2003.

Smith died in February 2007 at age 39, when Dannielynn was just 5 months old. She was at the center of a paternity case, which ended with Birkhead being confirmed as her father in April 2007.

In 2016, Birkhead said Dannielynn is growing up to be “just a regular kid,” even though people tell him she could be a star.

“People call me all the time and say can she be in a movie, can she model?” Birkhead told the Today Show in 2016. “I didn’t care about it, so I’d say no she’s not interested. She’s just a regular kid. She’s into technology now and she’s into games and these YouTube videos.”

The Kentucky Derby kicks off at 6:50 p.m. ET on NBC.

Photo credit: Stephen J. Cohen/WireImage/Getty Images