About Prairie Meadows

As well as being a thoroughbred track, Prairie Meadows also boasts quarter horse racing as well as a casino on its site in Altoona, Iowa. The track is situated only 10 miles from Des Moines and just over 300 miles from downtown Chicago.

The track has traditionally run an April to October season with many recognisable races run there; these include the Cornhusker Handicap, the Iowa Oaks and the Iowa Derby (details below).

As well as thoroughbreds and quarter horses, many other animals including ostriches have been known to compete at what is a racing mad venue!

Aside from looking after race goers, the site caters for those with an interest in gaming. The on-site casino has 1,900 slot machines as well as tables for blackjack, poker and roulette. Music concerts are also hosted at Prairie Meadows from time to time.

Prairie Meadows History

Pari-mutuel betting was legalized by the state of Iowa in 1983 and the following year Prairie Meadows gained a license from the Iowa Gaming Commission with ground eventually being broken on the project in 1987.

Once fully built, Prairie Meadows could host its first racing day and did so on March 1, 1989 however the track went on to lose money in its early years of operation and even filed for bankruptcy at the end of 1991.

Because of this, racing was suspended in 1992 but wasn’t away for long and returned the following season with some of the track’s problems having been ironed out.

Like many North American tracks, live racing alone wasn’t seen as viable at Prairie Meadows and in a landmark vote on May 17, 1994, Polk County approved the installation of slot machines at the venue which saw it open as a racino on April 1, 1995.

The track flourished after that and by 2004 Prairie Meadows added casino gaming tables, the resulting financial success leading to the venue expanding the facility in January 2005 at a cost of $60million.

Part of Prairie Meadows’ success is that it is owned by Polk County and operated by a board of directors who run on a non-profit basis. The cash amounts generated on site are given to various local projects around the Des Moines area and this initiative is something the Iowa Events Center owes itself to, among other things.

By mid-2008, Prairie Meadows was pulling in close to $200million per year in basic revenues which has helped racing flourish there.

Prairie Meadows Track Details

This venue has a one mile dirt track which also has a chute for quarter horse races. There is no turf course at Prairie Meadows.

Biggest Races

Cornhusker Handicap (Grade 3) – one and 1/8 miles, three-year-olds and older (July).
Iowa Oaks (Grade 3) – one and 1/16 miles, three-year-old fillies (July).
Iowa Derby (Grade 3) – one and 1/16 miles, three-year-old colts (July).

Place Your Prairie Meadows Bets With TVG!

Now you know all about the track, don’t forget you can wager on races there with TVG. Head to our schedules page to check out the latest race times then bet and watch live!

Address

1 Prairie Meadows Dr, Altoona, IA 50009, USA

Contact

Eric Halstrom (eric.halstrom@prairiemeadows.com)