Prairie Meadows Racing

Prairie Meadows is a horseracing 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 at Prairie Meadows

• 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 at Prairie Meadows

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

Harness Racing Stakes at Prairie Meadows

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

Prairie Meadows Facts

• Track Opened: March 1, 1989
• Speed Rating: 2:01
• Length of Homestretch: 990 feet
• Width of Homestretch: 90 feet
• Starters Behind the Gate: 10
• Hubrail: Yes
• "Open" Stretch: No
• Grandstand Capacity: 2,300
• Clubhouse Capacity: 2,600
• Parking Capacity: 3,500
• Record Handle: $214,257 June 10, 1989
• Record Attendance: 3,163 June 23, 1989

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

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.

1996 – Driven by immediate success, the facility achieved financial independence by entirely clearing its initial development debt ahead of schedule.

2001 – To accommodate a rapidly growing visitor base, a multi-million dollar expansion project was completed to maximize the casino floor layout.

2004 – The entertainment lineup expanded significantly with the introduction of live, Las Vegas-style table games, including blackjack and poker.

2006 – A massive property-wide renovation debuted, completely redesigning the casino floor and laying the groundwork for a new entertainment complex.

2007 – The venue grand-opened the state-of-the-art Meadows Events Center, alongside premier casual and fine-dining restaurants.

2012 – Prairie Meadows transitioned into a full-scale stay-and-play destination resort with the grand opening of its luxury onsite hotel.

2019 – The property enhanced its gaming portfolio once again by launching a premier, state-of-the-art sports wagering lounge.

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