80-day meet runs May 9 – September 27; Stakes Schedules Worth Est. $3.3 million for TB’s & Est. $1.9 million for QH’s on tap for 2025 racing season in Iowa.
February 19, 2025 – Altoona, IA. Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel is pleased to announce the release of the first condition book, stall application and stakes schedules for both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses for the upcoming 2025 live racing season in Iowa.
Prairie Meadows 2025 live racing season will begin on Friday, May 9 and will conclude on Saturday, September 27. A total of 80 racing days will be scheduled with both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing. The season begins with 20 days of Thoroughbred-only racing from May 9 – June 14 and continues with a mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse schedule of 60 race days from June 15 – September 27.
Live racing will be offered on a Friday – Monday schedule with the following exceptions: Opening week of racing which will feature racing on Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10 with no racing on Sunday, May 11, or Monday May 12, and also no racing on Monday, July 7. Standard post times for Friday and Saturday programs will be 6pm while post times for Sunday and Monday programs will begin at 4pm. Special post times are scheduled for Saturday, May 17 (Preakness) and Saturday, June 7 (Belmont) at 6:30pm, the Independence Day holiday week will feature a special Thursday racing performance on July 3 highlighted by central Iowa’s favorite fireworks display taking place after the races and then the Iowa Festival of Racing on Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5. Post Times for the holiday week of July 3 through July 6 will be 4pm each day. Our closing weekend of the season will be action packed with Quarter Horse Championship Night on Friday, September 26 with a post time of 6pm, then ending the season on Saturday, September 27 with the Iowa Classic celebrating the best Iowa bred runners for both breeds with a post time of 4pm.
Prairie Meadows Condition Book #1 is now available and features the first 14 days of racing for Thoroughbreds only from May 9 – June 2 along with a preview section starting on page 70 for Quarter Horses with the first 10 days of racing from June 15 – June 30. “The overnight purse structures for both breeds will continue to be very lucrative for the upcoming 2025 season,” says Quarter Horse Racing Secretary Chad Keller. “Allowance conditions from maiden up to open non-conditioned races for Thoroughbreds will range from $34,500 ($45,209 Iowa-bred) to $40,000 ($52,416 Iowa-bred) while Quarter Horses will range from $14,000 ($19,432 Iowa-bred) to $17,500 ($24,290 Iowa-bred), “Keller noted. The 2025 Thoroughbred stakes schedule worth an estimated $3.3 million is once again highlighted by the Iowa Festival of Racing on July 4 and July 5 with the Grade 3 $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap for ages 3 and up going one and one eighth miles along with the $250,000 Iowa Derby (3-year-olds going one and one sixteenth miles) and $225,000 Iowa Oaks (3-year-old fillies going one and one sixteenth miles) anchoring the Festival. The top Iowa bred runners will take center stage during the Iowa Classic closing night card on September 27 featuring all Iowa bred races for both breeds with estimated total purses for all stakes offered of over $1.2 million!
The 2025 Quarter Horse stakes schedule will feature 22 stakes worth an estimated $1.9 million, highlighted with the following Futurities and Derbies estimated to reach or surpass $100,000 in value:
Hawkeye Futurity (IA) $115,000 est.
Prairie Meadows Gold Futurity $200,000 est.
Prairie Meadows Gold Derby $100,000 est.
Iowa Stallion QH Futurity (IA) $100,000 est.
Grade 3 - Valley Junction Futurity $250,000 est.
Altoona Derby $125,000 est.
Jim Bader Futurity (IA) $175,000 est.
Polk County Derby (IA) $125,000 est.
Open and Iowa bred aged Quarter Horse runners will be featured throughout the season highlighted with the Grade 3 $50,000g Keokuk Stakes, $40,000g Cy-Hawk Stakes (IA), Grade 3 $30,000a PRM Distaff Challenge, Grade 2 $45,000a PRM Championship Challenge, Grade 3 $45,000a Covered Bridges, $30,000g Prairie Dash, Grade 3 $50,000g Two Rivers, $70,000g Future of Iowa (IA) and $70,000g Terrace Hill (IA).
For Quarter Horse owners and trainers, please be advised that any finalist for a stake race that has nomination, sustaining and/or late supplemental payments in order to be eligible to participate must be stabled on grounds from the scheduled date of time trials until the final has run regardless if time trials were held or not. Details on Quarter Horse finalists stabling on grounds can be found in the 2025 Iowa Quarter Horse Hair Testing Protocols, page 27 in condition books (also page 71 in Book #1 with QH preview section) and in the General Conditions for all PRM / IQHRA Futurity & Derby nomination forms. This provision will apply to AQHA Racing Challenge races here at Prairie Meadows as well.
Additional information released by Prairie Meadows Racing Department:
Barn Area Opens for Horses on Friday, April 11, 2025 at 8am.
Training begins on Sunday, April 13, 2025 (weather permitting)
Stall applications for both breeds are due to the Racing Office by Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Quarter Horse Futurity & Derby nomination forms are available online at Prairie Meadows website https://www.prairiemeadows.com/racing/horsemens-info/quarter-horse-racing and payment schedules start March 1 for some races.
Horse health requirements for both breeds and ponies are available online, on the stall application form, or on page 6 in the condition book.
Visit the Racing section for the latest 2025 information at https://www.prairiemeadows.com/racing as it becomes available. If you can’t make it to the track please check out and subscribe to our Live Stream on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@PRMracing and never miss a second of the action here at Prairie Meadows!
To continue receiving information about the 2025 live horse racing season, visit https://www.prairiemeadows.com/signmeup
Commentaires