IN PICS: Mark Pope, Trent Noah, and more make an appearance at 2025 Kentucky Derby

Kentucky coach Mark Pope was at Churchill Downs for the second straight year, with freshman forward Trent Noah also present. Pope made a stop at the jockey room at the 151st Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Lyndsey Gough, a sports anchor for WKYT Sports, shared a picture of Pope visiting the locker room and meeting jockeys on X (formerly Twitter).

A few hours before the race, Kentucky men's basketball shared a picture of Pope and his coaching staff's picks for the Derby. Pope went with Render Judgement (20-1 odds, per USA Today).

Assistant coaches Mark Fox chose Sovereignty, Jason Hart went with Sandman, Cody Fueger picked Publisher and Mikhail McLean had Burnham Square as his choice.

This is the second time Pope has been at the Run for the Roses since becoming the Wildcats' coach last offseason.

Trent Noah, who joined Kentucky last season and returned for his sophomore year, was also spotted at Churchill Downs. KSR's Mario A Maitland shared a picture of Noah, accompanied by a young lady, at the Derby.

Other notable figures who made an appearance at the event include Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and comedian/actor Chris Tucker.

Mark Pope expects major growth from returning players next season, including Trent Noah

Four players from the Wildcats' last season's roster — Trent Noah, Collin Chandler, Otega Oweh and Brandon Garrison — are expected to return this upcoming season.

Mark Pope anticipates significant progress from these returning players, banking on the advantages of roster continuity and player development.

"I think (roster continuity) is a big key to success, and there's nothing like getting older with your own guys, right?" Pope said in an interview with Jon Rothstein last week, via On3. "The second thing is, my guys, traditionally my guys in their second year take a massive leap."

Pope also praised each player and emphasized their potential.

"(Collin) showed huge strides in the last month of the season, and he’s got limitless capacity to be really special," Pope said.

"And this Trent Noah, I’m telling you, he is a baller, okay? He is a big-time basketball player. He’s going to bring over the next seasons, he’s going to bring some incredible physicality and skill and toughness that’s going to make everybody here proud."

Mark Pope's first season in Lexington ended with a loss to Tennessee in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. They finished with a 24-12 record overall.