Great Steamboat Race

The Great Steamboat Race is an annual steamboat race, taking place the Wednesday before the first Saturday of May, three days before the Kentucky Derby, as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The race was first run in 1963 and it takes place on the Ohio River in the span that runs between Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. Until 2009, the race was traditionally between the Belle of Louisville and the Delta Queen, although other steamboats have participated. Since 2009, the Delta Queen has not participated due to ownership and legal issues, and the Belle of Cincinnati has taken its place in the competition. In 2012, the Belle of Louisville and Belle of Cincinnati were joined in the race by the American Queen.

Format
The race is scheduled annually as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The event pits at least two riverboats against each other in the span of the Ohio River that runs between Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. Spectators can watch the event from the shore or aboard a competing vessel.

Traditional
The race began underneath the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, which served as the start/finish line. Both steamboats raced to Six Mile Island, where they turned around to return to the bridge. The distance is 14 miles, with boats averaging a speed of 7 mph. The competitors were traditionally the Belle of Louisville and the Delta Queen, although other additional or substitutionary vessels occasionally competed. The annual winner received the Golden Antlers, which would remain with the winner until the next race.

Modern
2008 was the last year to feature the Delta Queen as a competitor prior to it being renovated into a dry-dock hotel; the Belle of Cincinnati has subsequently entered the races in the Queen's stead. In 2009, the event organizers changed the format prompting the Belle of Cincinnati's Capt. Kerry Snowden to note that "[t]here are no rules in riverboat racing, so whatever goes, goes". The new format features a series of tasks that the crews must perform for points prior to the race. Because the Cincinnati is a diesel ship with more power, it is required to travel further to Harrods Creek. The boat with the most points after the race is determined to be the winner and is presented with the Silver Antlers, which take the place of the Golden Antlers that were retired when the Queen stopped competing.

The 2012 race featured, for the first time since 2008, once again two steam-powered boats as competitors, as well as the diesel-powered Belle of Cincinnati. The American Queen, returned to overnight steamboat service in April 2012, competed in the three-way race on May 2, 2012, and finished as second.

History
The first Great Steamboat Race was held in 1963 between the Belle of Louisville and the Delta Queen, establishing the traditional rivalry until 2008 when the Queen was retired. The Queen won the first race. As of the Delta Queens last race in 2008, the Louisville won 22 races compared to the Queens 20 wins. The Louisvilles winning record compared to the Queens larger size and more powerful engines has helped fuel the unproven speculation that the race is predetermined.

Other competitors
Several other riverboats have participated in the race:
 * Julia Belle Swain competed in 1975 and 1976, the latter of which it won.
 * Natchez IX of the New Orleans Steamboat Company in 1982, which it won.
 * Spirit of Jefferson raced in 1999 in the Louisville's stead while the Louisville was recovering from sabotage. It is diesel-powered and has been used as an observation boat for the race.
 * Belle of Cincinnati was a contestant in 2002, and followed as an observation boat in latter years. Since 2009, it has replaced the Delta Queen as the annual competitor.  It is diesel-powered and has also been used as an observation boat for the race.
 * American Queen competed for the first time in 2012, in a 3-way race with the Louisville and Cincinnati, finishing 2nd.
 * American Duchess competed for the first time in 2018, in a 3-way race with the Cincinnati and Louisville, finishing 1st.

Popular viewing areas for the race are the old Water Tower in Louisville, and along Utica Pike in Jeffersonville, especially near Duffy's Landing.

Results








Competing steamboats

 * American Queen (archive)
 * Belle of Louisville
 * Belle of Cincinnati
 * Delta Queen
 * Natchez IX