LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby Festival introduced the five women selected for its 2024 Royal Court. The five princesses that make up the Royal Court will serve as ambassadors for the Derby Festival, the city of Louisville and the entire state, as they attend events throughout the year.

“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,” said Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival president and CEO. “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 2024 Royal Court was selected from dozens of applicants for the program, representing over 15 colleges and universities from around Kentucky and throughout the region. All the applicants went through preliminary judging in November. Five princesses and two alternates were chosen from among 31 finalist candidates who attended the final judging over the weekend.

The members of the 2024 Court are:

Paighton Brooks of Alexandria is a 21-year-old senior at the University of Louisville who is studying political science and criminal justice. She is a McConnell Scholar who serves as the diversity, equity and inclusion chair for the program. She is also a Woodford R. Porter Scholar and serves as president of the Porter Scholars. Brooks is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She was selected as the 2023 University of Louisville Homecoming Queen and volunteers with The Hope Buss.

Sarah Downs of Springfield is a 23-year-old, second-year medical student at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She is a member of the Distinction in Business & Leadership Track and the social chair of her class. Downs is also public relations chair for Project Heal. She is an avid pianist and has her own Kentucky Proud-certified bakery.

Ankita Nair of Louisville is a 25-year-old, third-year medical student at the UofL School of Medicine. She graduated summa cum laude in three years from UCLA with a degree in human biology and society. Nair is the reigning Miss University of Louisville and was “Quality of Life” finalist at Miss Kentucky. She also founded her own preventative health initiative, “Let’s Live Kentucky” to improve state health care outcomes and also leads her school’s medical Spanish program.

Emma Rhodes of Louisville is a 24-year-old, second year master’s student at Bellarmine University, studying elementary education. She is a third-grade teacher at Saint Agnes School in Louisville. Rhodes was a member of the Bellarmine University dance team who served on the executive board of the Phi Mu Fraternity. She has also taught English in Italy and Austria, is a three-time national ballroom dancing champion, and a conservationist.

Laurel Riggs of Bardstown is a 22-year-old senior at the University of Kentucky, getting a dual degree in political science and writing, rhetoric and digital studies. She will be attend UK’s Rosenberg College of Law in the fall. Riggs is a Lunsford Scholar and a Lewis Honors College student. She also serves on the executive board for the UK Panhellenic and is the director of programs at the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership of Kentucky.

Abigail Willhoite of Frankfort, a senior at Western Kentucky University, was chosen as the first alternate, and Anneli White of Shelbyville, a junior at the University of Kentucky, was chosen as the second alternate. They will become princesses if one of the other women cannot serve.

One of the five Princesses will be crowned the Derby Festival Queen at the annual Fillies Derby Ball on Saturday, April 13 at The Galt House Hotel.

Candidates for the Princess Program must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average and are selected by a panel of three out-of-state judges. Criteria for selection include knowledge of the Derby Festival, poise, intelligence, personality and campus and community involvement.

The first Derby Festival Princess was crowned in 1957, which was the second year of the Kentucky Derby Festival. Previous princesses include former Kentucky Gov. Martha Layne Collins and the late Gail Gorksi, the first female pilot ever hired by United Airlines.

The Kentucky Derby Festival is the official prelude to the annual running of the Kentucky Derby. The two-week festival has grown since its inception in 1956 to include over 70 events ranging from the mini-marathon to the Pegasus Parade.

Thunder Over Louisville, the opening ceremonies for the Kentucky Derby Festival, will be on April 20, kicking off the festivities for the 150th Kentucky Derby on May 4.