Iowa Festival of Racing, Iowa Classic cards anchor 76-day Prairie Meadows meet
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The $1.25 million Iowa Festival of Racing in July and the $1.25 million Iowa Classic card in September will again anchor the Prairie Meadows meet that opens on Saturday. There will be 76 days of racing through Sept. 26.
The Iowa Festival of Racing features eight stakes over two days, with the $225,000 Iowa Oaks leading four stakes for fillies or mares on July 10, and the Grade 3, $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap and $250,000 Iowa Derby the focus of four stakes on July 11.
“The Iowa Derby winner last year was Magnitude, and he’s gone on to do good things,” Derron Heldt, vice president of racing for Prairie Meadows, said of the eventual winner of the Dubai World Cup.
The Iowa Festival of Racing dates have been adjusted slightly for this meet.
“We just moved it a week later,” Heldt said. “With the Fourth of July falling on the Saturday, we felt it was just best to move off the Fourth of July weekend. We have a lot of fireworks in the area and thought we should get away from that weekend.”
Prairie Meadows features racing for both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses.
“The first 18 days is straight Thoroughbreds, then the Quarter Horses join in June,” Heldt said.
Purses for the Thoroughbred cards are projected to average $237,930 a program, according to Heldt. Pat Pope has been brought on as Thoroughbred racing ecretary, while Chad Keller remains Quarter Horse racing secretary. Pope also continues to serve as the racing secretary at Oaklawn Park.
“Pat Pope is coming back as our Thoroughbred racing secretary, and his strength at bringing stables and writing the right conditions certainly will help our racing this summer,” said Heldt.
For most weeks, there will be a 4 p.m. Central first post on Sundays and Mondays and a 6 p.m. post time on Fridays and Saturdays. The Triple Crown race dates will have a special local post of 5 p.m.
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