LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby Festival has declared the Belle of Louisville the winner of the Great Steamboat Race. This is the boat's 30th win.
One of the favorites of the Kentucky Derby Festival returned for another great year of fun.
The Great Steamboat Race returned May 4 at 6 p.m. on the Ohio River.
The Belle of Louisville faced her upriver rival the Belle of Cincinnati along with the American Countess for the coveted Silver Antlers. The 14-mile course started and finished at the Clark Memorial Bridge.
“It wouldn’t be Derby week without the Great Steamboat Race,” Matt Gibson, KDF President & CEO, said.
The Belle won the race in 2021 and has won a total of 29 times since the river rivalry began in 1963.
There will also be a special partnership this year. Louisville’s Brough Brothers Distillery, the first African American distillery in Kentucky, will serve as the official bourbon of the race and will be served on the Belle.
An awards ceremony will follow the race at the Chow Wagon Stage at Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront.
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