Prairie Meadows' First 2019 Quarter Horse Condition Book Now Available
2019 Quarter Horse Season Opens August 17, Ends October 12; Stall Applications Available, Due July 10 May 15, 2019 – Altoona, IA
Opening day of the 2019 Quarter Horse season at Prairie Meadows is marked on the racing calendar for Saturday, August 17. Eventhough that date is 13 weeks away, the racetrack has already released the first condition book for the 2019 meet. This year’s Quarter Horse season features 26 days of racing over nine weeks from August 17 to October 12. The first condition book covers the initial 14 days of the meet. It is available at prairiemeadows.com and will be sent to owners and trainers by mail over the next several days. Stall applications, which are due Wednesday, July 10, are also available online and will be distributed by mail. Stall applications must be returned to Prairie Meadows racing office by the deadline date.
Horsemen should note that the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) will implement hair testing during the 2019 Quarter Horse season, including out of competition testing (OOCT) and pre-stakes race testing on six stakes finals which will be determined by the IRGC. Detailed information on the hair testing policies is available in the horsemen’s section of the Prairie Meadows web site or from the IRGC State Veterinarian’s office at (515) 967-1213. The 2019 Quarter Horse meet overnight purse structure has increased from the 2018 meet. Changes include increases from $200 to $500 in most categories for 2019. Trial purses for open races will increase from $6,000 to $7,000.
Prairie Meadows will offer 17 Quarter Horse stakes races in 2019, two more than last season. This year, Prairie Meadows returns to hosting four Regional Challenge finals for the Bank of America Challenge Championships. Those races, the Prairie Meadows Regional Adequan Derby Challenge, the Prairie Meadows Regional ARC Distaff Challenge (GIII), the Prairie Meadows Regional John Deere Juvenile Challenge, and the Prairie Meadows Regional Bank of America Championship Challenge (GII), are slated for Saturday September 14.
The final day of the Quarter Horse season – Saturday, October 12 – will feature the eight traditional end-of-season stakes races at this track. They are the Grade III Covered Bridges, the Future Of Iowa (IA), the Grade III Two Rivers, the Terrace Hill (IA), the Altoona Derby, the Jim Bader Futurity (IA), the Grade III Valley Junction Futurity, and the Polk County Derby (IA). Horsemen should also take note that there will be a short overlap of the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse schedules this year. After opening day of the Quarter Horse meet on Saturday August 17, Thoroughbreds will race exclusively on Mondays and Tuesdays for four consecutive weeks starting August 19 and ending on September 10. Quarter Horses will race exclusively on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from August 17 through October 12.
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 more than $1.8 billion to the state of Iowa. Prairie Meadows offers nearly 1,700 slot machines, table games, live and simulcast racing, hotel accommodations, entertainment, and more.
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