LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville businessman Junior Bridgeman wants you to know he really knows how to throw a party.
IMAGES | Celebrities and the 2019 Trifecta Gala!
The retired NBA player hosted the Trifecta Gala at the KFC Yum! Center -- and a WDRB crew was there to capture the action.
Celebrities were very open about their techniques for picking their Derby horses.
"I haven’t picked a horse yet," said TV personality Steve Harvey. "The favorite is out, so that opens it up. I'm betting on longshots. I'm gonna quadruple – 10 times – my money."
"I don't know," said NFL player Preston Brown. "We heard a lot from the mall -- guys telling us which to pick, who to pick, flip a coin. We're not really sure yet, but we'll find a way to pick one."
"I actually went out to the track yesterday, and won on my first time around," said celebrity chef Gerron Hurt. "I won a couple of hundred dollars and didn't bet again because I wanted to keep that win."
"My daddy would say, 'Think with your head, and pick with your heart, because it's all good fun,'" said TV personality Star Jones. "And I never put that much money down, that it's gonna really matter."
"I'm waiting to see them out on the track so I can kind of get a feel – and then I look at their mane and how well it's trimmed," said Monte Durham. "And then I look at the gloss on the sun."
Singer Usher headlined the guest list, and will perform at the gala. Others on the list include:
- Bozoma St. John - Businesswoman and marketing exec
- Bryson Tiller - Rising R & B singer from Louisville
- Cynthia Bailey - Supermodel
- Damaris Phillips - Louisville Chef and winner of the "Next Food Network Star"
- Edrice Bam Adebayo - NBA player for the Miami Heat
- Elijah Wilkinson - NFL player for the Denver Broncos
- Fred McGriff - retired MLB player
- Frostee Rucker - NFL player
- Gerron Hurt - Chef from Louisville who won MasterChef season 9
- Kevin Knox - NBA player for the New York Knicks
- Michelle Williams - Destiny's Child
- Mike Hill - Sportscaster, Fox Sports
- Nene Leaks - Real Housewives of Atlanta
- Phaedra Parks - Real Housewives of Atlanta
- Preston Brown - NFL player for the Cincinnati Bengals
- Ray J. - Singer, rapper, songwriter and TV personality
- Shelvin Mack - NBA player for the Charlotte Hornets
- Star Jones - TV personality
- Steve Harvey - Comedian and host of "Family Feud"
- Steven A. Smith - Sportscaster
- Usher - Singer, songwriter
- Deion Branch - Retired NFL player
- Natalie Zea - Actress best known for "Justified" and "The Detour"
- Travis Schudlt - Actor best known for "Scrubs" and "Passions"
- Erica Moore - 2019 Miss Kentucky
- Vivica A. Fox - Actress
- Xavier Rhodes - NFL player for the Minnesota Vikings
- ZAPP Band - Funk band best known for "More Bounce to the Ounce" and "Doo Wa Ditty"
The Trifecta Gala is a charity event on Derby Eve that supports the Louisville West End School and the University of Louisville Autism Center.Â
You can follow the Trifecta Gala on Facebook and Instagram.
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