MARY M. MILLER TAGGED IN FOR 62ND RIVER RIVALRY
April 29, 2025. Louisville, KY. – The field is changing for tomorrow’s Shepherd Insurance Great Steamboat Race. Hometown favorite, the Belle of Louisville, has scratched. Unfortunately, a leak in an internal bulkhead seam on the Belle of Louisville was found during final inspections for the event today. Due to the location of the leak, the Belle is not able to carry enough fuel to cruise for the race. The Belle’s sister vessel, the Mary M. Miller, will take her place in the annual river rivalry.
“The Shepherd Insurance Great Steamboat Race is a Derby week tradition, and the race will go on!” said Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival President & CEO. “We’re going to miss seeing the Belle of Louisville cruising down the river, but we know her crew has shared all the winning strategies with the Mary M. Miller to reclaim the silver antlers for the city.”
“The Mary M. Miller may look small but she’s got a lot of horsepower,” said Krista Snider, Chief Executive Officer for Belle of Louisville Riverboats. “If this was a horse race, I’d bet on the Mary.”
The Mary M. Miller is a diesel-powered, twin engine, 570 horsepower riverboat. The Mary was built in 1985, just upriver from Louisville, in Utica, Indiana. She was named for Mary Millicent Miller who was born in Louisville. She became the first licensed female steamboat captain in America. The boat was purchased by Louisville Metro in 2017.
The Mary M. Miller and Belle of Cincinnati will race the 14-mile course on the Ohio River, that starts and finishes at the Clark Memorial Bridge. The winner will be presented with the set of 12-point Silver Antlers at the post-race ceremony.
As for the Belle – the party is still on! The U.S. Coast Guard has approved hosting passengers onboard the Belle of Louisville for a dockside event instead. Belle ticket holders will be treated to a dockside celebration on the Belle at the 4th Street Wharf with live entertainment, refreshments and more during the race. (Ticket holders will be contacted via email with more information.)
In the 62 years of the Festival’s Great Steamboat Race, six other boats have competed and won the race: Delta Queen, Belle of Louisville, Julia Belle Swain, Natchez, Spirit of Jefferson and Belle of Cincinnati. The Spirit of Jefferson filled in for the Belle of Louisville for the 1999 race after a pinhole was discovered in the Belle’s boiler system.
Boarding for the Great Steamboat Race will take place from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., with the Mary M. Miller and Belle of Cincinnati departing the shore at 5:45 for a 6 p.m. start. The Awards Ceremony will take place immediately following on the Belle of Louisville.
Media Contact for Belle of Louisville: Krista Snider – Krista.Snider@louisvilleky.gov or 502.396.5901
Shepherd Insurance is the Title Sponsor of this year’s race. Official Patient Care Provider: PPL Therapeutic Services, PLLC. Official Bourbon: Brough Brothers Distillery. Official Tequila: Casamigos Tequila. Supporting Sponsors: Belle of Louisville and Belle of Cincinnati. Media Sponsor: Q103.1.
