Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival is pleased to announce some exciting NEW changes to the format of the Great Steamboat Race, which will be held this year on Wednesday, April 29. As was previously announced, the Belle of Cincinnati will replace the Delta Queen in this year’s Great Steamboat Race as the opponent for the hometown Belle of Louisville. (The Delta Queen is temporarily operating as a floating hotel on the Tennessee River at Chattanooga.) Instead of the event winner being determined by the first boat to cross the finish line at the Clark Memorial Bridge, the winner will be the vessel which accumulates the most points from performing a series of five tasks assigned to each competitor throughout the day and during the race. One of the tasks will be a Calliope Contest between the two Belles; other tasks will be performed by the boat crews on-board, as well as onshore. “We believe the new format for determining the winner of the Great Steamboat Race will add a new level of excitement and anticipation to one of the Derby Festival’s oldest events,” said Mike Berry, President and CEO of the Kentucky Derby Festival. “We’re still finalizing the details of the tasks the boats and their crews will be asked to perform, but it should make the race more interesting for both passengers and spectators watching from the shorelines. The captains and crews of both boats are looking forward to ushering in a new era of riverboat racing on the Ohio River. We hope to attract a new generation of boat race enthusiasts by offering reduced-price passenger tickets for the Belle of Cincinnati.” The Derby Festival Great Steamboat Race will start an hour later than it has in previous years – boarding will take place from 4:45 to 5:40 p.m., with the boats departing the shore at 5:45 for a 6 p.m. start. Each boat will be assigned two judges, in addition to an overall event judge from the Derby Festival. The winner of the event will be awarded a NEW set of silver-plated antlers to replace the traditional gilded antlers that were presented to the winner in the past. The Awards Ceremony will take place immediately following the race at the Chow Wagon in Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront. Tickets for the Belle of Louisville (while still available) cost $126; Belle of Cincinnati tickets cost $75. Passenger tickets for both boats may be purchased by calling (502) 584-FEST. The Belle of Cincinnati will be competing in the Derby Festival’s Great Steamboat Race for the fifth time – she had previously participated in four consecutive years, beginning in 2002.The Great Steamboat Race was first held in 1963, with the Delta Queen capturing the inaugural contest on the Ohio River. The race series between the two historic vessels ended last year with the hometown Belle of Louisville finishing with an overall record of 23 wins versus the Delta Queen’s 19 victories. The race was cancelled once in 1967 and rescheduled in 1983 due to high water. Three other boats have won the event – the Julia Belle Swain in 1976, the Natchez in 1982 and the Spirit of Jefferson in 1999. The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 420 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
