The race is scheduled annually as part of the
Kentucky Derby Festival. The event pits at least two riverboats against each other in the span of the
Ohio River that runs between
Louisville, Kentucky and
Jeffersonville, Indiana. Spectators can watch the event from the shore or aboard a competing vessel.
Traditional The race began underneath the
George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, which served as the start/finish line. Both steamboats raced to
Six Mile Island, where they turned around to return to the bridge. The distance is 14 miles, with boats averaging a speed of . The competitors were traditionally the
Belle of Louisville and the
Delta Queen, although other additional or substitutionary vessels occasionally competed. The annual winner received the Golden Antlers, which would remain with the winner until the next race.
Modern 2008 was the last year to feature the
Delta Queen as a competitor prior to it being renovated into a dry-dock hotel; the
Belle of Cincinnati has subsequently entered the races in the
Queens stead. In 2009, the event organizers changed the format prompting the
Belle of Cincinnatis Capt. Kerry Snowden to note that "[t]here are no rules in riverboat racing, so whatever goes, goes". The new format features a series of tasks that the crews must perform for points prior to the race. Because the
Cincinnati is a diesel ship with more power, it is required to travel further to
Harrods Creek. The boat with the most points after the race is determined to be the winner and is presented with the Silver Antlers, which take the place of the Golden Antlers that were retired when the
Queen stopped competing. was one of only five major riverboats in the United States that are powered by steam. The 2012 race featured, for the first time since 2008, once again two steam-powered boats as competitors, as well as the diesel-powered
Belle of Cincinnati. The
American Queen, returned to overnight steamboat service in April 2012, competed in the three-way race on May 2, 2012, and finished as second. == History ==