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March 23, 2021 – Altoona, IA. With the start of the 2021 live racing season at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino fast approaching, horsemen planning to compete at the Altoona, IA facility this season are reminded that stall applications for both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses are due in the racing office on Wednesday, March 24. Applications can be found online in the Horsemen’s Information section of the Prairie Meadows website at www.prairiemeadows.com.
Horsemen should also take note of a revision to the “zero date” deadline for Quarter Horses that was previously announced. The new date will be Monday, June 7 for Quarter Horses to receive a “zero date” with original foal certificates and current negative coggins tests on file in the racing office. The Thoroughbred “zero date” deadline will remain Friday, April 23 by 4 PM CDT.
Prairie Meadows’ barn area will open on Friday, April 2 and on-track training begins Sunday, April 4. Training from April 4 – 10 will take place on the training track. Beginning Sunday, April 11, the one-mile main track will be open for training for the season. To view the training schedule and starting gate hours, visit the Horsemen’s Information section of the Prairie Meadows website.
The first day of entries for the 2021 season, will be Sunday, April 25. The season will open with 26 days of Thoroughbred-only racing on Friday, April 30. Races will take place on a Friday – Monday schedule, with post times set for 6 PM CDT on Fridays and Saturdays, and 4 PM CDT on Sundays and Mondays.
Updated safety guidelines/protocols for the 2021 live racing season are now posted on the Prairie Meadows website at www.prairiemeadows.com/safety under the link for “Racing Health and Safety Protocols.” These were updated as of March 2021. Additional updates or revisions including details regarding policies for jockey travel (ship-ins or riding elsewhere) once the live racing season commences will be updated and posted prior to opening day on Friday, April 30.
Prairie Meadows will offer a lucrative Thoroughbred stakes program in 2021 worth an estimated $2.77 million. The highlights of the Thoroughbred stakes calendar are the Iowa Festival of Racing on Friday, July 2 and Saturday, July 3 and the traditional Iowa Classic stakes races on Saturday, September 25.
In addition, the track will offer a very rewarding Quarter Horse stakes program in 2021 worth an estimated $1.6 million. The highlights are the Bank of America/Prairie Meadows Regional Challenge Finals on Saturday, August 14 and Sunday, August 15, Prairie Meadows Quarter Horse Championships on Friday, September 24, and Iowa Classic stakes races for Iowa-bred Quarter Horses on Saturday, September 25.
Quarter Horse connections are reminded that futurity and derby payment schedules began on March 1 for the Prairie Meadows Gold Futurity/Derby, the Hawkeye Futurity, the Cyclone Derby, and the Iowa Stallion Futurity/Derby.
Payment schedules start on April 1 for the Valley Junction Futurity, the Altoona Derby, the Jim Bader Futurity, and the Polk County Derby.
Nomination forms, which include payment schedules and general conditions for each race, and current nomination lists can be accessed on the Prairie Meadows web site, www.prairiemeadows.com. Click on the Horseman’s Information button under the RACING tab, there you will find all of the forms and lists under the Quarter Horse Futurity/Derby Nomination header.
Please contact the Racing Office if you have questions or requests for information regarding our 2021 live racing season at (515) 967-1205 or by email at martha.harsch@prairiemeadows.com
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 $1.9 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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