Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, is anticipating opening for live racing on June 19, several days after re-opening the casino on the property, the executive director of the state’s racing and gambling commission said on Wednesday. Prairie Meadows and the state’s horsemen’s group have informed the commission that the track is shooting for the June 19 opening date, according to Brian Ohorilko, the administrator of the commission. Last week, the board of Prairie Meadows approved a plan to open the track’s stable area on June 1 in anticipation of hosting live race dates. :: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Horsemen in the Midwest have been eagerly anticipating news of the track’s opening for live racing, initially scheduled for May 1 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two weeks ago, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds authorized the state’s two tracks to re-open as soon as May 15, provided the tracks ran spectator-free and adhered to protocols designed to mitigate the spread of the virus, but the board of Prairie Meadows declined the offer, citing concerns over the potential spread of the virus on its backside. On Tuesday, Reynolds gave the state’s 19 casinos the go-ahead to open as of June 1, in an order that runs through June 17. Prairie Meadows, which runs the highest-grossing casino in the state, has told the gambling commission that it plans to open the casino on June 15, Ohorilko said. “We were told that they need some time to call their employees back and get some of their other operational plans in order,” Ohorilko said. The Prairie Meadows casino provides significant subsidies for the track’s racing operations and purses.