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Purses Increased Across The Board For 2022 Meet At Prairie Meadows

With a record-breaking year for casino play in 2021, purses for both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses will see increases across the board for the upcoming 2022 live racing season at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Ia.

The 2022 84-day live racing season begins with 22 days of Thoroughbred-only racing May 13 – June 18 with an additional two days of Thoroughbred-only racing on Thursday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Oct. 2. The 60-day mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse schedule will take place June 19 – Oct. 1.

Live racing will be offered Fridays – Mondays, with post times set for 6:00 p.m. CDT on Fridays and Saturdays, and 4:00 p.m. CDT on Sundays and Mondays. Post times may change for special race days, events, and holidays.

The Thoroughbred purse structure will see an increase of nearly 5 percent across the board. The bottom level purse will be at $10,500 for maiden claiming $5,000 or beaten claiming $3,500 runners. The top-level purses will range from $32,000 for maiden special weights to $37,500 for no conditioned allowance races.

The Thoroughbred stakes schedule will feature a total of 26 stakes worth an estimated $2,000,000 and will be highlighted by the Iowa Festival of Racing scheduled for Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9, and includes the Iowa Classic on Saturday, Oct. 1. Eight overnight allowance stakes worth $50,000 each will be scheduled early in the season mainly as local prep races for the Festival in early July. The Festival will be enhanced this season with two additional stakes added for 2-year-old boys and girls at $100,000 each, The Prairie Gold Lassie and The Prairie Gold Juvenile going 5 ½ furlongs. The main event of the Festival remains the $300,000 Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap which was won last year by the gray superstar Knicks Go. Two new stakes will be added for late August for 2-year-old boys and girls at $100,000 each, The Prairie Meadows Debutante and The Prairie Meadows Freshman going 6 furlongs. The Iowa Classic for Iowa bred runners will now feature all seven stakes worth $100,000 each.

The Quarter Horse purse structure will also see significant increases across the board with a 20 to 25 percent jump in overnight purses for 2022. The bottom level purse at $9,000 for maiden $7,500 to $5,000 races and the top-level purses ranging from $13,500 for maiden special weight to $17,000 for no conditioned allowance races. The Quarter Horse stakes schedule will offer 23 races worth an estimated $1.6 million and continue to feature a strong Futurity and Derby schedule for both open and Iowa bred runners, the Bank of America/Prairie Meadows Regional Challenge qualifiers in August, and finishing the season with Quarter Horse Championship Night on Friday, September 30 with the finals of the Valley Junction Futurity (G3) and Altoona Derby along with the Two Rivers (G3) for older 440-yard campaigners and Iowa Classic on Saturday, Oct. 1 featuring an all Iowa bred stakes card highlighted by the Jim Bader Futurity and Polk County Derby.

Horsemen should note that Condition Book 1 and stall application for the 2022 season has been posted online in the Horseman's Information area of Prairie Meadows' website at www.prairiemeadows.com/racing/horsemens-info and will be available in hardcopy form via mail or at Prairie Meadows Racing Office within the next few days.

Condition Book 1 will feature the first 14 days of the 2022 season (Thoroughbred-only racing) plus a preview section for Quarter Horse racing starting on page 66 of the condition book. This previews the first 10 days of Quarter Horse races offered from June 19 – July 4. Stall applications will be due in the Prairie Meadows Racing Office by Wednesday, April 6 for both breeds.

The barn area is scheduled to open for horses on Friday, April 15 and training is set to begin on Sunday, April 17, weather permitting.

Quarter Horse connections are reminded that Futurity and Derby nomination forms are available online, by mail, or by request through the Prairie Meadows Racing Office. Payment schedules begin March 1 for the Prairie Meadows Gold Futurity and Derby, Hawkeye Futurity, Cyclone Derby, and Iowa Quarter Horse Stallion Futurity and Derby. Payment schedules begin April 1 for the Valley Junction Futurity, Altoona Derby, Jim Bader Futurity, and Polk County Derby.

To continue receiving information about our 2022 live horse racing season, visit https://www.prairiemeadows.com/signmeup

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Knicks Go Returns In Prairie Meadows’ Cornhusker Handicap

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go will headline this Friday's Grade 3, $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Ia. The somewhat unusual spot for a two-time Grade 1 winner could be seen as a confidence-booster after a pair of lackluster efforts, as Knicks Go faded to fourth in both the Saudi Cup and in his stateside return earlier this month in the G1 Met Mile.

Despite his off-form record, Knicks Go has been made the even-money morning-line favorite in a field of seven expected for the 1 1/8-mile Cornhusker. Trained by Brad Cox, the 5-year-old son of Paynter will be ridden by Joel Rosario.

The second choice on the morning line at 4-1 is Last Judgement, the last-out winner of the G3 Pimlico Special for trainer Mike Maker. He won that race with a strong front-running effort, and could challenge Knicks Go for the early lead.

Should those two engage in a tiring speed duel, Bill Mott trainee Modernist may be perfectly poised to pick up the pieces. He won the G3 Excelsior at Aqueduct in April, then finished second to Last Judgement in the Pimlico Special in his most recent start.

Other classy older horses in with a chance include Rated R Superstar and Tenfold, trained by Federico Villafranco and Steve Asmussen, respectively.

The full field is as follows:

Drifting West – Joe Offolter – Walter De La Cruz
Dinar – Heath Lawrence – Alonso Quinonez
Tenfold – Asmussen – Ricardo Santana, Jr.
Last Judgement – Maker – Jose Ortiz
Knicks Go – Cox – Rosario
Rated R Superstar – Villafranco – David Cabrera
Modernist – Mott – Junior Alvarado

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Flat Out Speed, Night Ops Take Graded Stakes At Prairie Meadows

The two graded stakes presented on Sunday during the Prairie Meadows Festival of Racing in Altoona, Iowa, featured Iowa-bred filly Flat Out Speed registering a 9-1 upset in the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks and solid favorite Night Ops proving too good for the competition in the Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap.

Alex Canchari made his move aboard Flat Out Speed in the run down the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile Oaks, taking command from the early pacesetter, Lagoon Falls, then having enough left in the tank to hold off a late run from Aurelia Garland and jockey David Cohen. Ocean Breeze, the 6-5 favorite ridden by Martin Garcia, finished third.

A 3-year-old daughter of Flat Out trained by Lynn Chleborad, Flat Out Speed covered the distance on a fast track in 1:42.79 after fractions of :23.92, :47.48, 1:11.57 and 1:36.39.

The win was the fifth in six starts for Flat Out Speed, racing for Poindexter Thoroughbreds LLC. Out of the Street Sense mare, Blue Gallina, Flat Out Speed was bred in Iowa by H. Allen Poindexter and Wynnstay LLC.

Flat Out Speed's only defeat came in an allowance race at Oaklawn in April, her first start of the year after an unbeaten campaign of three races as a juvenile at Prairie Meadows. Flat Out Speed was coming out of a 5 1/2-length win as a prohibitive favorite against Iowa-breds in the Bob Bryant Stakes on June 27.

Martin Garcia didn't leave Prairie Meadows empty handed, taking the Cornhusker aboard 7-5 favorite Night Ops for trainer Brad Cox and owner Steve Landers Racing LLC.

Third early behind pacesetter My Sixth Sense and Dunph most of the way, Night Ops made his move on the final turn and easily drew off, covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.30. My Sixth Sense held second, with veteran Rated R Superstar rallying for third.

A 4-year-old by Warrior's Reward out of Bear All, by Kitalpha, Night Ops was winning for the sixth time in 18 career starts. A winner of the $350,000 Essex Handicap earlier this year at Oaklawn, Night Ops was coming off a ninth-place finish behind By My Standards in the May 2 Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap.

Night Ops carried co-highweight 118 pounds under the handicap conditions of the race.

The Festival of Racing offered more than $450,000 in purses in eight stakes races on the Saturday and Sunday programs.

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