LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The 2024 Royal Court for the Kentucky Derby Festival was announced on Monday.

Five women were selected at a ceremony at Mall St. Matthews. The court includes five women from around Kentucky:

  • Paighton Brooks of Alexandria is a senior at the University of Louisville with a double major in political science and criminal justice
  • Sarah Downs of Springfield is a second-year medical student at the University of Louisville School of Medicine
  • Ankita Nair of Louisville is a third-year medical student at the University of Louisville School of Medicine
  • Emma Rhodes of Louisville is in the second year of her master's program at Bellarmine University focusing on elementary education and a third grade teacher at Saint Agnes School
  • Laurel Riggs of Bardstown is a senior at University of Kentucky with a dual degree in political science and writing, rhetoric and digital studies

"My mom was a princess in 1990," Rhodes said. "She went to Spalding for nursing. My younger sister Sarah was a princess in 2022. She's a nurse now. It is a very special bond. My family is extremely happy for me."

The court will reign over the upcoming Derby Festival and attend nearly every official KDF event.

Each royal court member will receive $2,000 in scholarship money. One $1,000 scholarship comes from The Fillies, Inc. while another $1,000 scholarship comes from Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation.

"The Royal Court Program has been a tradition for more than 60 years, and seeing the Derby Festival Princesses out in the community is one of the first signs that the Derby Festival season is around the corner," Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival president and CEO, said in a news release. "These young women are academic scholars, leaders in their communities and have resumes packed with awards and achievements. We’re honored to have them as our ambassadors."

The first Kentucky Derby Festival Princess was crowned in 1957. One of the princesses will be crowned Derby Festival Queen by a spin of a wheel at the annual Fillies Derby Ball on April 13 at The Galt House.

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