Derby Festival Announces 2026 Royal Court
It’s official! The Kentucky Derby Festival has selected its 2026 Royal Court for this year’s derby season, calling it a crowing a moment!
This year’s princesses are:
Mallory Brown of Bardstown, KY – Mallory, 22-years-old, is a senior Presidential Scholar at the University of Kentucky pursuing a degree in Biology and will begin medical school in the fall. She is a member of the Rising Leaders Cohort within the Honors College and served as President of the Beta Psi Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, where she was responsible for overseeing all programming, operations and experiences for the 300+ members. Mallory is also involved with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass, consistently participating in fundraising, outreach and volunteer efforts to help them accomplish their mission of supporting families with hospitalized children.
Vy Pham, of Louisville KY – Vy, 21-years-old, is a senior at the University of Louisville pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering. She serves on the Speed School Student Council, which she formerly led as President, and currently mentors as the Undergraduate Advisor. She is also the Vice President of Conferences for the National Association of Engineering Student Councils, as well as a Co-founder and Director of the Cardinal Crescent Lion Dance Association, and a campus REACH tutor. Vy completed a Mechanical Engineering Co-op for Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, Ga., and is a Youth Leader for the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement.
Sydney Shouse of Louisville, KY – Sydney, 22-years-old, is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, where she majored in Communications and minored in Military Leadership, and is pursuing an MBA at Eastern Kentucky University. She has been selected for Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT), a competitive pilot training pipeline for top U.S. Air Force officers training to fly high-performance jet aircraft alongside the United States’ NATO allies. She will commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force in the spring. She is a member of the Air Force ROTC at the University of Kentucky and UK’s Equestrian Team. Sydney also attended Airmanship 490 at the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds both a Basic Parachutist qualification and a Private Pilot License.
Tania Vergara-Gongora of Louisville KY – Tania, 20-years-old, is a junior at Bellarmine University pursuing a degree in Marketing with minors in Marketing Communications and Broadcasting, Production & Performance. She is a Bellarmine Global Ambassador and Development Office intern. She’s also a Founding Member of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry’s (NFCYM) National Youth Advisory, as well as a Catholic youth public speaker and artist. Since receiving a message of Joy from Pope Francis in 2022, Tania has made it her life mission to spread joy through digital media, bilingual storytelling, and performing arts to bridge communities and empower young people to embrace their inner light and authentic identity.
Brianna Williams of Louisville, KY – Brianna, 24-years-old, is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Louisville, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Diversity and Inequality. She is a second-year PhD student pursuing a degree in Educational Psychology, Measurement, and Evaluation. During her undergraduate career, she was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award, was initiated into the Xi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she served as President, and founded the Junior Miss Black and Old Gold Pageant, an initiative serving young ladies in our local school district. She works as a Graduate Assistant of Leadership Development at UofL and is a substitute teacher at Jefferson County Public Schools.
Alternates include:
Jillian Sarver of Glendale, KY, a junior at the University of Louisville
Kayla Lancaster of Lebanon, KY, a senior at the University of Louisville
Princesses were selected by a panel of 3 out-of-state judges. They maintain a minimum 3.0 grade-point average and they were selected based on knowledge of the Derby Festival, poise, intelligence, personality, and campus and community involvement.
One of the five princesses will be crowned the Derby Festival Queen by a spin-of-the wheel at the Fillies Derby Ball on Saturday, March 28 at the Omni Louisville Hotel.