Prairie Meadows Taking Stall Applications

Prairie Meadows' 27-day meet opens August 18.

May 2, 2012

Prairie Meadows

Prairie Meadows is now taking stall applications for its Quarter Horse meet that runs from August 18 to October 27.

The 27-day meet will be highlighted by the national finals of the Bank of America Challenge Championships on closing night. Prairie Meadows will also have a regional Challenge night on Sept. 15 with qualifying stakes for all six of the Challenge races, headed by the $70,000 Bank of America Prairie Meadows Championship Challenge (G2).

In addition, October 13 will be Champions Night with three Grade 3 stakes. The biggest stakes are the Valley Junction Futurity with an estimated $225,000 purse and the Altoona Derby with a $100,000 estimated purse.  The third stakes is the $45,000-added Two Rivers Stakes for older horses at 440 yards.

"We’re excited about having the Challenge Championships here this year,” racing secretary Chad Keller said. “A lot of people put in a lot of hard work to make that happen. Prairie Meadows and the Iowa horsemen are working very hard to make it one of the best Challenges they’ve ever had. Our facilities are top-notch and our purses are good.”

Including the Challenge Championships, the meet will average more than a stakes race per day, with 33 stakes worth more than $2.5 million combined. Excluding the Challenge Championships, purses will average $122,000 per day.

Eighteen stakes will be on closing weekend, with Iowa Champions Night for Iowa-breds being on Friday, Oct. 26, and the $1,175,000 Challenge Championships on Saturday, Oct. 27.

Prairie Meadows’ new hotel is now open and offers a special horsemen’s rate for licensed personnel.

The deadline for applying for stalls is July 6. The stall application, stakes schedule, and first condition book can be viewed online at http://www.prairiemeadows.com/racing_horsemen.cfm

For further information, call or write Chad Keller at (515) 957-3027 or chad.keller@prairiemeadows.com.