Important Prairie Meadows Dates and Deadlines for Horsemen

February 23, 2022 – Altoona, IA. Owners and trainers planning to compete this year at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona, IA should take note of a number of important dates and deadlines. The 2022 live racing season begins on May 13 with Thoroughbred-only racing. There will be 22 days of Thoroughbred-only racing through June 18, and two additional days on Thursday, September 29 and Sunday, October 2. The 60-day mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse schedule will take place June 19 – October 1.

Dates and deadlines to make note of:

  • Stall applications are due back to the racing office by Wednesday, April 6 for both breeds.
  • Prairie Meadows’ barn area will open on Friday, April 15 and on-track training begins Sunday, April 17.
  • Quarter Horse connections are reminded that futurity and derby payment schedules begin on March 1 for the Prairie Meadows Gold Futurity/Derby, Hawkeye Futurity, Cyclone Derby, and Iowa Stallion Futurity/Derby. Payment schedules start on April 1 for the Valley Junction Futurity, Altoona Derby, Jim Bader Futurity, and Polk County Derby.
  • Iowa Festival of Racing is scheduled for July 8 and 9 with a total of eight stakes races worth nearly $100,000 each. The highlight of Festival will be the Gr. III $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap. This race was won in 2021 by Knicks Go who was awarded 2021 Horse of the Year in Thoroughbred racing at the Eclipse Awards earlier this month.
  • Iowa Classic is scheduled for Saturday, October 1 with an all-Iowa bred race card filled with stakes races for both breeds that will exceed $1,000,000 in total purses offered.

Live racing will be offered Fridays - Mondays, with post times set for 6:00 p.m. CDT on Fridays and Saturdays, and 4:00 p.m. CDT on Sundays and Mondays. Post times may change for special race days, events, and holidays.

Condition Book #1, stall application, and training schedule with starting gate hours are currently available online in the Horsemen’s Information section of the Prairie Meadows website at https://www.prairiemeadows.com/racing. Book #1 features Thoroughbred race days from May 13 – June 4 along with a preview section beginning on page 66 for Quarter Horse race days from June 19 – July 4.

Purse structures for both breeds will see increases across the board for 2022. Thoroughbred overnight purses will see an average 5% increase along with additional monies added to the stakes program this year. Quarter Horse overnight purses will see a 20% to 25% increase with no changes to the stakes program for Quarter Horses this year. Thoroughbred overnight open purses will range from $10,500 to $37,500 with overnight allowance stakes offered at $50,000. Quarter Horse overnight open purses will range from $9,000 to $17,000. Iowa bred overnight purses for Thoroughbreds will range from $13,759 up to $49,140. Iowa bred overnight purses for Quarter Horses will range from $12,056 up to $22,772.

Nomination forms, which include payment schedules and general conditions for each race, can be downloaded and printed from the Prairie Meadows website at https://www.prairiemeadows.com/racing. Quarter Horse Futurity/Derby Nomination Forms & Lists can be found on the site in the Horsemen’s Information section.

For payment questions about the Prairie Meadows Gold Futurity/Derby, Valley Junction Futurity, or Altoona Derby contact Martha Harsch at 515-967-1205 or by email at martha.harsch@prairiemeadows.com. For payment questions about the Hawkeye Futurity, Cyclone Derby, Iowa Stallion QH Futurity/Derby, Jim Bader Futurity, or Polk County Derby contact Jim Harvey of the IQHRA at 515-499-0090 or by email at jharvey1347@gmail.com.

To continue receiving information about Prairie Meadows 2022 live horse racing season, visit https://www.prairiemeadows.com/signmeup 

About Prairie Meadows

Prairie Meadows began operations as a nonprofit organization in 1989 with the goal of promoting economic development, jobs, agriculture, and tourism in the state of Iowa. Through taxes, grants, and charitable donations, Prairie Meadows has given $2 billion to the state of Iowa. Prairie Meadows offers slot machines, table games, live and simulcast racing, sports wagering, hotel accommodations, entertainment, and more.

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