Simone Biles, Livvy Dunne To Call ‘Riders Up' At Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 01: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Alternate crop) Gold medalist Simone Biles of Team United ... More States poses with the Olympic Rings and a goat charm on her necklace during the Artistic Gymnastics Women's All-Around Final medal ceremony on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 01, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by)
Put your mint juleps in the air because the greatest of all time in U.S. Women's Gymnastics will get the party started at the 151st Run for the Roses on May 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
11-time Olympic medalist and 30-time World Champion medalist Simone Biles is set to give the 'Riders Up' command for the field of 18 jockeys to mount their three-year-old thoroughbred horses at the 2025 Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the prestigious Triple Crown. LSU gymnast and social media star Livvy Dunne will give the command at the 2025 Kentucky Oaks on May 2.
3-time NFL Super Bowl Champion Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs is the last athlete to earn the honor at the 2023 Derby.
Biles is coming off a record-setting spree in 2024 after winning four Olympic medals at the Paris Games, bringing her total medal count to 11 with seven gold, two silver and two bronze. And she's also won 30 medals at World Championships, with 23 of those being gold.
The powerhouse athlete was recognized for her feats as the 2024 Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated, one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential for 2025, the 2025 Athlete of the Year and Moment of the Year by Houston Sports Awards and was also nominated for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award in 2025.
TOPSHOT - US' Simone Biles competes in the artistic gymnastics women's balance beam final during the ... More Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on August 5, 2024. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP) (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
The day before the Kentucky Derby on Friday, May 2, LSU gymnast and social media star Livvy Dunne will give the 'Riders Up' signal at the 2025 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. The race is also in its 151st running and is the premier race for three-year-old-fillies. Dunne is ranked 4th across all NCAA sports in NIL, name, image and likeness valuation, earning 4.1 million dollars to date.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - MARCH 1: Reigning celebrity grand marshal and Champion LSU University ... More Gymnast Livvy Dunne arrives at her parade float during the 2025 Krewe Of Endymion Parade on March 1, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Skip Bolen/WireImage)
Other celebrities who have called the Riders Up in past years include: John Calipari (2012), Charlie Strong (2013), Julius Irving (2014), Teddy Bridgewater (2015), Sean Peyton (2016), Jeff Bridges (2017), Laila Ali (2018), Baker Mayfield (2019), D. Wayne Lukas (2021) and Jack Harlow (2022), Patrick Mahomes (2023) and Martha Stewart (2024).
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