Prairie Meadows

It was little more than another high gallop for Tyler's Tribe (Sharp Azteca) at Prairie Meadows Saturday evening, as the 'Hammering Hawkeye' took his record to five towering wins from as many appearances against five overmatched foes in the Iowa Cradle S. The dark bay hit the ground running from his outside berth and had a bit of early pace pressure, but cleared away from that rival, and with Kylee Jordan a mere passenger into the lane, ran out an easy winner. Tyler's Tribe was then asked to gallop out...

Can an Iowa-bred who sold for just $34,000 as a yearling, one who has never raced outside Prairie Meadows or in a graded stakes race, an Iowa-bred that is ridden by a female apprentice jockey and named for an 8-year-old who has been battling leukemia win a Breeders' Cup race? We are about to find out. Tyler's Tribe (Sharp Azteca) may not be the best 2-year-old in training, but no juvenile anywhere this year has thrashed his competition to the extent that this gelding has. After winning last Saturday's Prairie...

Tyler's Tribe became the first black-type winner for his freshman sire (by Freud) with a daylight score in the Prairie Gold Juvenile S. Saturday at Prairie Meadows. Just like in his debut June 20 over this surface at a furlong shorter, the 2-year-old dark bay opened a clear lead early and stayed there. After capturing his unveiling by 16 3/4 lengths, he took Saturday's stakes event by 8 1/2 lengths. Tyler's Tribe broke from the rail Saturday, blazed to the front, set :22.07 and :45.16 fractions, and barreled home a...

Well-supported at 39-10, Butterbean (Klimt) completed a most productive Saturday for the Ken McPeek barn, accelerating sharply three furlongs out before cruising home to a handy success in Saturday's GIII Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows. A convincing 5 3/4-length winner of the local Oaks prep in the June 11 Panthers S. over a mile, the chestnut was dragged back to last and dropped down onto the fence to caboose the field through an opening couple of furlongs in a solid :23.50. Content to bide her time in the rear, Butterbean...

Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino will induct two horsemen into its Racing Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 9 including Quarter Horse jockey Stormy Smith and prominent Thoroughbred owner and breeder, H. Allen Poindexter. His maroon and grey silks have been carried by multiple stakes-winning horses at Prairie Meadows and other tracks across America, such as GIII Fantasy S. runner-up Chanel's Legacy (Dominus) and GIII Iowa Oaks victress Flat Out Speed (Flat Out). Both will be inducted in a ceremony on the second day of the 2022 Iowa Festival of...

Bob Blackburn has been named the new track superintendent at Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack and Hotel. His previous stints include 15 years at Remington Park, 10 years overseeing track maintenance at an Ocala, Florida Thoroughbred Farm and track superintendent at Bandera Downs and Manor Downs in Texas. "I am blessed and excited for this new opportunity in Iowa working at Prairie Meadows," Blackburn said. "Working at racetracks has always been a love of mine, which started in Texas growing up around my dad's Quarter Horses to my experiences either at...

Prairie Meadows Racetrack has tabbed Stuart Slagle as racing secretary for the upcoming 2022 meet, which will comprise 84 live race days beginning May 13. Slagle had previously served as a racing official at the Iowa track in 2006, but was most recently the racing secretary and Director of Thoroughbred Race Planning and Analysis at Woodbine in Canada. "What Stuart has accomplished and excelled at in his prior endeavors within the racing industry really stood out and convinced me that he'll be a fine asset to our team in the...

Iowa's Prairie Meadows, which is set to begin its 2022 live racing season Friday, May 13, will see an average 5% increase in purses across the board. The 84 Thoroughbred racing days will be interspersed with Quarter Horse racing, which will see that breed's purses raised by up to 25%. The Thoroughbred purse structure includes a total of 26 stakes worth an estimated $2 million, highlighted by the Iowa Festival of Racing July 8-9. Last year's edition of the $300,000 GIII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. during the Festival was won...

Prairie Meadows 2022 live racing season will begin Friday, May 13 and conclude Sunday, Oct. 2, the track announced Monday. A total of 84 racing days will be scheduled with both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing offered. The dates have been approved by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC). The season begins with 22 days of Thoroughbred-only racing from May 13-June 18 and continues with a mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse schedule of 60 race days along with two additional days of Thoroughbred-only racing to be held Thursday, Sept....

After making good on a threat to "have it out" with a state veterinarian whom she accused of "picking on" her horses by scratching them from races because of soundness issues, Iowa-based trainer Lynn Chleborad was fined $500 by Prairie Meadows stewards for "disrespectful and intimidating" behavior. It was not immediately clear if Chleborad--who has been training for 34 years and shows no other rulings against her in The Jockey Club's online database--would be appealing the July 14 fine. According to the stewards' ruling, both Chleborad and state veterinarian Dr....

With his horse's year having been rejuvenated with a powerful performance in the GIII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H., trainer Brad Cox is ready to tackle bigger and better things with stable star Knicks Go (Paynter). Cox said Wednesday that Knicks Go will race next Aug. 7 in Saratoga's GI Whitney S., a 'Win and You're In' to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. "We always thought that the Whitney was the race we were going to point for this summer," Cox said. "We felt it was necessary to get a run...

Tom Lepic and Deb Leech, two long-time leaders in Iowa's horse racing industry, will be inducted into the Prairie Meadows  Hall of Fame at a ceremony at the track July 2. Lepic has been involved in the racing industry for nearly 50 years and is currently President of the Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association. Leech served as a board member for the Iowa Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association from 2009 to 2016 and was president of the association from 2011 to 2016. Also being inducted into the track's hall of...