April 30, 2019. Louisville, KY. – The Battle of the Belles returns to the Ohio River this week. The Belle of Louisville, and her rival from up river, the Belle of Cincinnati, will compete in this year’s Kentucky Derby Festival Great Steamboat Race Presented by IBEW Local 369, set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1.
The 14-mile course on the Ohio River starts and finishes at the Clark Memorial Bridge. In a twist, 2 VIPs will be retrieved from the shoreline before the boats turn at Captains Quarters to race back to the finish line.
Each boat will be assigned two judges, in addition to an overall event judge from the Derby Festival. The majority decision of the judges will be final. The winner will be presented with the set of 12-point Silver Antlers at the post-race ceremony.
Boarding for the Great Steamboat Race will take place from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., with all the boats departing the shore at 5:45 for a 6 p.m. start. The Awards Ceremony will take place immediately following the race on the Music Stage at the Chow Wagon inside Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 369 is sponsoring this year’s race, along with Contributing Sponsors Four Roses, Kentucky Proud and PPL Therapeutic Services, PLLC. Official Bank is Limestone Bank. Media Sponsor is Q103.1.
