Prairie Meadows

Prairie Meadows is a horse racing track located ten miles east of Des Moines, Iowa. Prairie Meadows features seasonal live thoroughbred, quarter horse and harness racing typically from April to November. Prairie Meadows has had an eventful history that began with its first live horse race on March 1, 1989.

Prairie Meadows has 1,500 casino slot machines. Casino and simulcast facilities are open year-round.

Thoroughbred Stakes

  • Iowa Derby
  • Iowa Sprint Handicap
  • Iowa Oaks
  • Prairie Gold Juvenile
  • Prairie Meadows Breeders Cup Handicap
  • The Saylorville
  • The John Wayne
  • The Bob Bryant

Quarter Horse Stakes

  • North American Central Challenge Champions
  • Polk County Derby
  • The Future of Iowa
  • Valley Junction Futurity

Harness Racing Stakes

  • Heartlander Pace
  • Keith Hopkins Memorial Pace
  • Ledges Trot
  • The Brooklyn Jet Trot

Track Facts

Track Opened : March 1, 1989
Speed Rating : 2:01
Length of Homestretch : 990'
Width of Homestretch : 90'
Starters Behind the Gate : 10
Hubrail? : Yes
"Open" Stretch? : No
Grandstand Capacity : 2,300
Clubhouse Capacity : 2,600
Parking Capacity : 3,500

In addition to its one-mile racing oval, Prairie Meadows has a half-mile training track.

Record Business

Handle : $214,257      June 10, 1989
Attendance : 3,163           June 23, 1989

Prairie Meadows Records

Thoroughbreds

DIST HORSE AGE WGT TIME DATE
4 Furlongs Straight Fever 2 117 :46 -1/5 Jul. 16, 1993
4 1/2 Furlongs Southern Alert 2 122 :51.24 May 7, 2002
5 Furlongs Dayjob 5 114 :56.00 May 1, 1999
5 1/2 Furlongs Leaping Plum 6 122 1:02.50 Aug. 5, 1997
1 Mile Coach Jimi Lee 4 117 1:07.85 Jul. 4, 2004
1 Mile & 70 Yards Tartine 4 117 1:35.00 Aug. 11, 1998
1 Mile & 1/16 Northwest Hill 5 123 1:39.69 Jul. 4, 2003
1 Mile & 1/8 Excessivepleasure 3 122 1:40.82 Jul. 5, 2003
1 Mile & 1/4 Beboppin Baby 5 114 1:46.62 Jul. 4, 1998
One Mile Famous Event 5 119 2:02-3/5 Jun. 23, 1995
1 Mile & 1/2 Famous Event 5 123 2:32.00 Jul. 9, 1995
1 Mile & 5/8 Sir Star 9 118 2:44-3/5 May 12, 1989
2 Mile Gritti Marco 6 114 3:26.00 Jul. 28, 1995

American Quarter Horses

DIST HORSE AGE WGT TIME DATE
100 Yards Silver Concepts 4 124 :06.21 Sep. 14, 2002
220 Yards Duer Becky Chu 3 119 :12.10 Nov. 2, 1989
250 Yards Exclusive Memories 5 124 :13.24 Aug. 13, 2001
300 Yards Johnnys Will 5 121 :15.46 Aug. 13, 1999
330 Yards Callies Corona 3 117 :16.60 Jul. 13, 2004
350 Yards Ain't It Fun 6 124 :17.44 Oct. 1, 1999
400 Yards Past Performance 5 120 :19.63 Sep. 19, 1997
440 Yards Royalanon 4 122 :21.55 Aug. 7, 1999
870 Yards Bubba Episode 5 124 :44.83 Aug. 15, 1998
1000 Yards King Rick Rack 5 127 :52.28 Sep. 27, 2002

Standardbreds

DIST HORSE AGE WGT TIME DATE
1 Mile Race Park Place 7 N/A 1:52.00 Nov. 3, 2001
1 Mile Trot Homestead Dreamer 3 N/A 1:56 -2/5 Oct. 26, 2002
5 Furlongs Trot Wenceslaus 7 N/A 1:10 -3/5 Nov.6, 2001

Prairie Meadows History

1989

  • Prairie Meadows opened its doors to the public on March 1.

1995

  • Prairie Meadows expanded its operations to include slot machines.

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