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Prairie Meadows Sets Live Racing Calendar And Schedule For 2016
The 27th season of racing at Prairie Meadows opens April 28th for Thoroughbreds and August 20th for Quarter Horses.

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Prairie Meadows Sets Live Racing Calendar And Schedule For 2016

ALTOONA, IA—FEBRUARY 8, 2016—With opening day of the 2016 Thoroughbred season less than three months away, Prairie Meadows Race Track and Casino has set the calendar and schedule for the 27th season of live horse racing at this Altoona, IA facility.

The 67-day Thoroughbred season will open on Thursday April 28 and end with Iowa Classic Day on Saturday August 13.

The 26-day Quarter Horse meet will start on Saturday August 20 and conclude with Championship Day on Saturday October 15.

Fans and horsemen alike will notice several changes in both the calendar and the day-to-day schedule, including new post times on weekdays and weekends.

On Thursdays and Fridays, racing will begin at 5:30 PM CT. On the weekends, Saturday and Sunday racing will begin at 1:00 PM CT.

The popular Iowa Festival of Racing, which has historically attracted some of the top horses in the nation to Prairie Meadows, will become a three-day event covering Thursday June 30, Friday July 1, and Saturday July 2, with two stakes races on each of the three days.

The $100,000 Saylorville (L) and the $200,000 Iowa Oaks (Grade III) are scheduled for Thursday June 30, the $100,000 Iowa Distaff (L) and the $250,000 Iowa Derby (Grade III) are set for Friday July 1, and the $100,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap (L) and $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (Grade III) are slated for Saturday July 2.

Thoroughbred racing will be held typically on a Thursday through Sunday schedule. The four exceptions to the regular schedule are afternoon cards on Memorial Day, Monday May 30, and Independence Day, Monday July 4, and also Wednesday evening programs on June 15 and August 10.

Quarter Horse racing will be offered typically on a Friday through Sunday schedule. The exceptions are opening weekend with racing on Saturday and Sunday and then there will be a Thursday evening card on October 13.

Highlights on the Quarter Horse calendar include the Prairie Meadows Regional Challenge Finals on September 17, topped by the $65,000-added Prairie Meadows Regional Championship Challenge (GII), and Championship Day on October 15, which will feature 4 open stakes races and 4 Iowa-bred stakes races with combined purses of an estimated $850,000.

The complete 2016 racing calendar, including regular and special post times, can be found online by CLICKING HERE.