LOUISVILLE, Ky. — This year's Great Steamboat Race packed quite a punch.
The Belle of Louisville took on the Belle of Cincinnati and the American Countess Wednesday for the coveted silver antlers.
The 60th race started at 6 p.m. and they raced along a 14-mile course on the Ohio River, starting and finishing at the Clark Memorial Bridge.
The Belle of Louisville looked to win for the fourth time in a row, the first to do so since the Delta Queen dashed away from the competition in 1986.
It seemed the Belle of Louisville accomplished that, but not without argument from the Belle of Cincinnati's captain.
“They told me the race started at 6 and that’s when I started,” Belle of Cincinnati Captain Alan Bernstein said. “It’s an honor for us to come down and participate in this great race. And we’ll be back next year no matter what happens.”
The boat captains, the judges, Derby Festival Officials and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg all deliberated on which boat was the fastest, finally reaching a conclusion.
The Belle of Louisville was deemed the first steamboat to cross the finish line, beating out her up-river rival the Belle of Cincinnati and southern rival, the American Countess.
This was Greenberg's first Great Steamboat Race as Mayor of Louisville. He shared a video with the crowd showing the Belle of Cincinnati starting early in an attempt to cheat.
Greenberg said that it was “as clear as daylight that the Belle of Louisville crossed the finished line first.”
“We had no tricks up our sleeve,” Belle of Louisville Captain Mark Doty said. “It was a great day. I hope everyone had fun!”
The American Countess placed third this year. “We’d like to thank you for inviting us,” American Countess Captain Scott Dunham said. “We had a good time. All of our passengers love it. It was a good race. It was a fast race.”
The Belle of Louisville was given the 12-point silver antlers at the post-race award ceremony. The Belle also won the last race in 2022 and has won a total of 31 times since the rivalry began in 1963.
"In Louisville, we play by the rules, we win fair and square, just as the Belle of Louisville did tonight,” Greenberg said.
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