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Prairie Meadows Inks Five-Year Quarter Horse Deal
Prairie Meadows is the host site for this year's Bank of America Challenge Championships.

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Prairie Meadows Inks Five-Year Quarter Horse Deal

Q-RACING JOURNAL—SEPTEMBER 18, 2014—Prairie Meadows and the Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association have inked a deal that will see American Quarter Horses running at the Altoona, Iowa, track for at least the next five years.

The agreement is similar to recent years, offering a 26-day American Quarter Horse meet that begins in mid-August and ends in mid-October.

The purse distribution remains the same as well, with approximately $3.1 million going to Quarter Horse purses.

In 2013, the track's average purses were $114,529 per day with an average of eight starters per race.

“We’re excited to get another five year contract and we’re ready to roll,” said IQHRA President Tom Lepic.

In October, Prairie Meadows will host the Bank of America Racing Challenge Championships and Racing Conference for the second time in three years. A major event in the American Quarter Horse industry, the Championships rotate venues each year. However, the track is only the third racetrack to host the prestigious event more than once. Los Alamitos is a 10-time host of the event, and Lone Star Park has hosted the event four times.

Other racetracks that have played host to the Challenge Championships once each are Evangeline Downs, Fair Grounds, Retama Park, Sam Houston Race Park, Sunland Park and Turf Paradise.

Prairie Meadows is a non-profit organization and first opened in 1989. It has since grown to include the racetrack, casino, hotel and event center.

AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHARacing on Twitter, watch the AQHA Racing Newscast and visit www.aqharacing.com.