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Dannielynn Birkhead Is All Grown Up—See Anna Nicole Smith’s Daughter Through The Years At The Kentucky Derby

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 02:14 PST, May 4, 2019

The Kentucky Derby has become an annual tradition for Dannielynn Birkhead, the pre-teen daughter of late model and actress Anna Nicole Smith. On Friday night, Dannielynn appeared at the annual Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Gala with her dad, photographer Larry Birkhead, as previously shared by The Inquisitr. The 12-year-old had an uncanny resemblance to her famous mom as she posed in a yellow Junona dress ahead of her annual outing with her dad.

On the day of the annual horse race, Dannielynn posed with her dad in a pink tulle Junona dress with a hat that her mom wore at the Kentucky Derby in 2004.

Larry Birkhead moved Dannielynn to Kentucky — far away from the Hollywood spotlight — after the death of Anna Nicole. The iconic Guess model died in 2007 when her daughter was just five months old. Twelve years later, Larry follows tradition with a return to the Barnstable Brown Gala, the site where he first met Anna Nicole in 2003. Birkhead told E! News that life in Kentucky has been “really great and quiet by design,” but he is game for an annual pilgrimage to the Kentucky Derby with his daughter.

The main event and the pre-Derby Barnstable Brown Party for the two — it’s where Larry first connected with Anna Nicole Smith more than 15 years ago. It seems that bringing Dannielynn along to the Derby is a sure bet for Birkhead.

“She’s my good luck charm,” Larry Birkhead told E! News in 2015. “She picks all the winners.”

Larry Birkhead and his daughter Dannielynn have been red carpet fixtures at Barnstable Brown and the Kentucky Derby for the past five years.

In 2018, Larry made his annual appearance at Derby weekend with his then 11-year-old daughter. Birkhead posted a photo ahead of their arrival to the Barnstable Brown Gala, which showed off another Junona dress, Drybar curls, and Dannielynn’s new braces. Birkhead later posed with Dannielynn on the Churchill Downs red carpet, where they wore matching blue and white outfits.

In 2017, Larry Birkhead posted a photo of him and Dannielynn at the Barnstable Brown party, where his little girl wore a fancy black dress with a rhinestone collar. The 10-year-old wore a white and pink rose dress to the Kentucky Derby race the next day.

Dannielynn Birkhead at the Kentucky Derby with her father, Larry.

In 2016, Anna Nicole’s daughter wore a green dress covered with roses as she posed with her daddy on the Derby red carpet.

Dannielynn Birkhead and Larry Birkhead arrive at the 142nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 7, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky.

In 2015, both Larry and Dannielynn Birkhead were pretty in pink. The father-daughter duo coordinated perfectly as they posed for photographers in their matching pink outfits.

Dannielynn Birkhead (L) and Larry Birkhead attend the 141st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 2, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky.

In one of her earliest red carpet cameos, Dannielynn Birkhead looked like a fairy at the 2014 Kentucky Derby.

Dannielynn Birkhead (L) and Larry Birkhead toasts with Moet & Chandon at the 140th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 3, 2014 in Louisville, Kentucky.

These days, Dannielynn Birkhead lives the life of a typical 12-year-old, minus the high-profile, annual trek to the Kentucky Derby. The middle schooler has a pet lizard, practices the violin, and goes to Girl Scout meetings.

Larry Birkhead told Us Weekly that he sometimes feels like a bodyguard and chauffeur, as he raises Dannielynn as a single dad.

“It depends on what the day is,” Larry Birkhead said. “But my job is dad and I think I’ve done a pretty good job. She’s adjusted to it and she’s just a normal kid.”

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