One of the longest traditions leading up to the Derby is the Great Steamboat Race.

The Battle of Louisville won the race last year.

As our Christy Daughton reports, the steamboat story dates back more than 100 years before.

The fastest 2 minutes in sports is a two hour long riverboat rivalry that's become as much of a Louisville tradition as the belle of Louisville herself.

The first Great Steamboat Race was held in 1963, but the history of the belt begins long before that.

The steamboat was originally launched in 1914 with the name Idlewild, and she was originally a packet boat and fairy, so a packet boat would have been transporting cargo.

So she's had all kinds of things on board.

Anything you can put on a steamboat pretty much been on board.

Eventually, travelers loaded the Idlewild for Leisure and Excursion Cruises in 1947.

The riverboat was sold and renamed the Avalon.

During the Avalon years.

The passenger cruiser went on to cover many river miles.

So she's very well traveled and is probably for the ride out and for the passengers in more towns and more cities and small villages and hamlets along the way than any other boat in Western ever history.

But the Avalon ended up in troubled waters in 1962.

The steamer was on the auction block in Cincinnati.

Jefferson County Judge executive Marlo Cook purchased the steamboat for the county for $34,000 and renamed it the Belle of Louisville.

At the time, the purchase wasn't the most popular decision that a lot of people were upset.

From what I understand that, you know what?

We spend taxpayer money to go out and buy an old bow.

Cook needed to find a way to change public opinion about the belt and raise more money to make repairs and restore the steamboat.

So the idea of the Great Steamboat Race was born.

However, it was tricky to pull off and they couldn't quite get her fully up to postcard standards for her license.

So they ended up getting cleared for just one cruise.

And that was the first great Steamboat race in 1963.

The bell was so laden down, getting up the river with passengers in there and just getting their operational that she was good to go.

But at that time, the bell was making her turn at the operator in the Six Mile Island.

The Delta Queen was crossing the finish line.

So the bell comes back, finally crosses the finish line.

There's a huge crowd out here.

She barely made it through the.

She made it, but barely.

They say that at that time, a lot of people were sort of wondering about this old boat.

And she did the county of going out and bought the boat with taxpayers money.

What are we going to do with Mary?

So in operation?

And then when they played the great Mary in which she used to be, they say that that captured the hearts of the people, that, hey, this was something special.

So special that the belle of Louisville is now a national historic landmark and the oldest river steamboat in operation.

Worth far more than $34,000.

It's priceless.

My goodness.

It's just priceless.

She's one of a kind.

The Bell of Louisville has lived many lives in her 110 years and has much more life ahead of her to keep her rolling on down the river.