Bernsteins’ Belle of Cincinnati wins Golden Antlers as victor in Derby’s Great American Steamboat Race


Alan Bernstein, owner of BB Riverboats, has brought home the Golden Antlers — a treasured prize for the winner of the Great American Steamboat race, one of the oldest Kentucky Derby Festival events that took place this week.

The race pits the Belle of Louisville and the Belle of Cincinnati in a head-to-head, 14-mile race course on the Ohio River at Louisville. It takes about two hours.

Alan Bernstein celebrating the win. Capt. Terri Bernstein looks on. (NKyTribune screencapture)

The Belle of Cincinnati defeated last year’s winner to claim the Golden Antlers, a Derby tradition since 1963.

It was the Belle of Cincinnati’s first win since 2017. The last time the Belle of Louisville lost was in 2018 when it was a three-way race with the Belle of Cincinnati and American Duchess, which won that year.

For this year, the Bernsteins own the bragging rights. Capt. Alan and his daughter, Capt. Terri Bernstein, accepted the Golden Antlers at the end of the race.

The Belle of Cincinnati is an American sternwheel steamboat, built in 1991 and originally named Emerald Lady. She was used as a floating casino in Burlington, Iowa.

The flagship of BB Riverboats, the Belle of Cincinnati is a majestic and ornate beauty and the company’s largest vessel. You can take both sightseeing and dinner cruises aboard it from its dock in Newport.

The Belle of Cincinnati (File photo)

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