Prairie Meadows

Jockey Ramon Vazquez reached an Oaklawn Park milestone on last Friday's card when he captured the sixth race, becoming the 11th rider in the track's history to reach 500 local victories. Riding regularly at the venue since 2012, Vazquez steered Cur Non (Coal Front) in a $16,000 claiming sprint in what was his second win on the card and ninth in the last three racing days. He had first call on five winners the previous Monday to equal a local career high. "I had never been here before [having been...

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) approved a new three-year racing contract between Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, the Iowa Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (IA HBPA) and the Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association (IQHRA). The approved agreement establishes the framework for a 76-day mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse race meet at Prairie Meadows, continuing a collaborative partnership among all three organizations. Under the terms of the agreement, the annual racing season will begin on Kentucky Derby Day and conclude on the final weekend of September. The mixed-meet format...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Among this week's rulings, Dr. Larry Rickman Overly has been issued a 23-month suspension and a combined $40,000 fine (including arbitration costs) for the possession of testosterone and isoxsuprine, both banned substances, during a search of his truck at Los Alamitos on July 23 last year, according to the final decision by...

Magnitude did not disappoint the hopefuls as he took the Iowa Derby stylishly at Prairie Meadows on Saturday evening. Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack's story this week on the colt's return to the races post-surgery reported that trainer Steve Asmussen was "dreaming big" about the Winchell-owned runner's prospects. The reason had something to do with the stellar result from the GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in mid-February when the 3-year-old won by 9 3/4 lengths with a 108 Beyer to boot. Prior to that, Magnitude had broken...

'TDN Rising Star' Sassy C W (Yaupon) went gate to wire to take the Prairie Gold Lassie at Prairie Meadows on Friday. The filly already shot fireworks off when she debuted a winner at Churchill Downs in late April. Her 5 1/4-length win earned her that coveted 'Rising Star' badge and it marked her as the 45 cents on the dollar favorite coming into the Astoria Stakes at the Spa June 5. The 2-year-old did not disappoint her backers then either as she wired the field. Once again garnering the...

Forced to miss the Triple Crown series after exiting his sensational GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star S. victory with an ankle chip, Magnitude (Not This Time) makes his highly anticipated return in Saturday evening's $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows. He is the 9-5 morning-line favorite. The Winchell Thoroughbreds colorbearer was a 9 3/4-length, front-running winner of the Risen Star at odds of 43-1 Feb. 15, good for a 108 Beyer Speed Figure. His final time of 1:48.85 was the fastest Risen Star in seven runnings (including one year with split...

Officials at the Iowa Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (Iowa HBPA) have announced that they have retained the services of industry veterans Damon Thayer and Corey Johnsen for a consultancy focused on 'securing a vibrant future for horse racing and breeding' in the state of Iowa. Both Thayer and Johnsen will assist the Iowa HBPA in crafting a plan to sustain and grow the state's equine industry. The two are expected to engage in strategic meeting with key stakeholders such as Prairie Meadows, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission and...

Parx, which announced last week it was canceling racing Monday and Tuesday due to excessive heat, has now also abandoned its slate of live races Wednesday. Finger Lakes also wound up canceling their Tuesday card after initially trying to race, citing the excessive heat index in the area. With a heat wave gripping much of the country, Delaware Park has also been forced to cancel its Wednesday card. Earlier in the week, Finger Lakes and Prairie Meadows each canceled their live racing cards Monday due to weather.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--The idea was a simple one. Place a bell in the Larry Snyder Winner's Circle at Oaklawn and any winning owner, trainer or jockey who wants to make a $100 donation to the Arkansas Thoroughbred Retirement Program and Rehabilitation Foundation gets to ring it. The 'Ring the Bell' seed was planted at an Arkansas Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) meeting over four years ago when trainer and board member Ron Moquett posed the idea as he is prone to do. "Ron [Moquett] has about 10 ideas every...

Prairie Meadows has hired two new racing officials, Eric DeCoster and Kelly McReynolds, for the upcoming 2025 racing season, the track announced Monday. DeCoster, a recent graduate from the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program & Animal Sciences, has been hired as the Thoroughbred Racing Secretary and McReynolds, who joins the team with around 40-plus years of experience in horse racing, has been hired as the Starting Gate Starter. "Eric really impressed me with his knowledge, abilities to support his decisions, and to get the job done at a...

Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel's live horse racing dates for the 2025 season have been approved by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC). Prairie Meadows 2025 live racing season will begin on Friday, May 9, and conclude on Saturday, Sept. 27. A total of 80 racing days will be scheduled with both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing offered. The season begins with 20 days of Thoroughbred-only racing from May 9 - June 14, followed by 60 days of a mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse schedule starting Sunday, June...

The previous time that he had neared rock bottom, it turned out that Allen Poindexter still had a ways to fall. Fell pretty hard, all the same: kept drinking all the way down from Missouri, in fact he bought a bottle of Dom Perignon after reaching Florida and drank it on a park bench outside the treatment center. Then he went into the bathroom, tripped, hit his head on a lavatory. He'll show you a scar over his eye. In fairness, he lasted the 30 days inside, and afterwards actually...