March 22, 2025. Louisville, KY. – With the traditional spin of a wheel, Elizabeth King of Georgetown, KY, was named the 2025 Kentucky Derby Festival Queen tonight during the 67th annual Fillies Derby Ball Presented by Courtesy Cadillac at the Omni Louisville Hotel. Elizabeth is a senior Presidential Scholar at the University of Kentucky pursuing dual degrees in Finance and Flute Performance. She is a Gatton College of Business Ambassador, UK Homecoming Queen, Principal Flutist for the UK Wind Symphony, and Preliminary Talent Winner at Miss Kentucky. As Miss Danville, Elizabeth partners with Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass to promote the service initiative she founded, Mind Your Money – Investing in Financial Literacy, bringing financial education to Kentucky’s classrooms.
“I am feeling just in shock still. I don’t think it’s truly, truly set in,” King said after being crowned. “I am really grateful and excited for the Derby season ahead.”
This year’s Derby Festival Princesses excitedly waited for the wheel to be spun by Fillies President Joanne Hurst. The other members of the Court include: Lilly Deljoo {Dell-joo} of Louisville, a second-year medical student at the University of Louisville School of Medicine; Madeline (Maddie) Duff of Prestonsburg, KY, a senior at the University of Kentucky studying Neuroscience and Appalachian studies; Erica McPheeters {Mc-Feeters} of Louisville, a senior John Henry Scholar at Kentucky State University majoring in political science; and Hannah Rager {Ray-Gur} of Bremen, KY, a sophomore at the University of Louisville pursuing a double major in marketing and sports administration with a certificate in sales.
Chosen each year as ambassadors for the Kentucky Derby Festival, the Royal Court is made up of outstanding young women from around the state. Selected from a pool of nearly 100 applicants, the newly crowned Queen and the Court will reign through 2025 and attend nearly all events during this year’s Festival. They’ll help share the Derby Festival spirit, as well as the importance of academics, volunteerism and community involvement, as they represent the community at a variety of functions.
Criteria for selection included knowledge of the Derby Festival, poise, intelligence, personality and campus/community involvement. Each woman receives two $1,000 scholarships (one from the Fillies, Inc., and one from the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation). They also received an official wardrobe.
Past Derby Festival Queens include Martha Layne Collins – Kentucky’s first woman Governor, the late Gail Gorski – the first female pilot for United Airlines and a number of other community leaders. Many say their Derby Festival experience helped them prepare for their future careers.
The Fillies Derby Ball is Presented by Courtesy Cadillac. Official Sponsor: Total Wine & More. Contributing Sponsors: Capital Access Corporation – Kentucky and Hectare’s. Official Bourbon: Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. Official Vodka: Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Supporting Sponsors: Class Act Federal Credit Union and Davis Jewelers. Produced by The Fillies, Inc.
