LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The Trifecta Derby Eve Gala returned Friday after a four-year hiatus for one final bash.
Grammy-winning pop star Bruno Mars headlined the event, which was held in a series of tents erected in a parking lot near Louisville Slugger Field downtown.
Emmitt Smith at the Trifecta Derby Eve Gala on May 3, 2024. (WDRB photo)
Hosted by Eden Bridgeman Sklenar, the daughter of former NBA player and Louisville businessman Junior Bridgeman, the gala started in 2003 and has raised money for various charities. The 2024 beneficiary is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana.
Eden Bridgeman Sklenar said she and her brothers Ryan and Justin decided the event had run its course.
"We want to impact the city year round so we said, 'we want to sunset this to allow something else to be born,'" she said on the red carpet.
Here's a look at some of those on this year's guest list:
- Emmitt Smith, former NFL player
- Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs player
- Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs player
- Nate Burleson, CBS Mornings co-host
- Atoya Burleson, podcast host
- Vernon Davis, former NFL player
- Kenny Burns, master of ceremonies
- Jessica Burns, author
- Alex Cooper, host of Call Her Daddy podcast
- Matt Kaplan, film producer
- Alix Earle, social media influencer
- Pia Muehlenbeck, social media influencer
- Sarah Malas, social media influencer
- Alex English, former NBA player
- Artis Stevens, President of Big Brothers Big Sisters America
- Sidney Moncrief, former NBA player
- Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Inc.
- Angel McCoughtry, WNBA player and former UofL star
- Penny Hardaway, Memphis men's basketball coach
- Chris Tucker, actor and comedian
- Drew Evans, fashion designer
- Ma$e, rapper
- Cam'ron, rapper
- Sutton Stracke, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
- Garcelle Beauvais, actress
- Macy Gray, Grammy winning musician
- Festus Ezeli, former NBA player
- Josh Heird, UofL Athletic Director
- Danny Winner, founder of Danny Wimmer Presents
- Tina Knowles, mother of Beyonce
- Holly Robinson Peete, actress
- Sheryl Lee Ralph, Emmy-winning actress
- Lisa Leslie, former WNBA player
- Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs tight end (attendance unconfirmed)
- Jason Kelce, former NFL player (attendance unconfirmed)
The gala seeks to highlight “the invaluable contributions of African Americans to the Kentucky Derby history,” organizers said in a press release.
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