84-day race meet approved for Prairie Meadows

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission on Thursday voted to approve Prairie Meadows’s request for an 84-day 2021 race meet.

The season commences April 30 with 26 days of Thoroughbred racing followed by a 58-day mixed Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred session from June 15-Sept. 25.

Prairie Meadows, outside Des Moines, Iowa, plans to race four-day weeks, Friday through Monday, with a 6 p.m. first post on Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday and Monday. The Iowa Festival of Racing, which includes all the top Thoroughbred stakes during the meet, is scheduled for July 2 and July 3.

The barn area opens for horsemen on April 2, with training set to begin April 4.

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