ALTOONA, IA – Nominations for the Iowa Festival of Racing closed with 218 potential entries for the eight stakes races, including a pair of graded stakes, to be run July 5 and 6.
First post for both evenings is 6 PM Central Time. The first four races of this year’s festival on Friday evening include the $300,000 Grade III Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap, the $200,000 Grade III Iowa Oaks, the $250,000 Iowa Derby, and the $100,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap.
The 2018 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker winner Remembering Rita, who scored a 19-1 upset over Dalmore and McCraken is back to defend his title. Remembering Rita, a five-year-old horse owned by Jeral Keith Adams and trained by Doug Anderson, won three races in six weeks at Prairie Meadows last season.
Currently stabled at Prairie Meadows, Remembering Rita began his 2019 campaign with one victory from four starts at Oaklawn Park. In his most recent outing, he finished second by a neck to Chris And Dave, also nominated for the 2019 Cornhusker, in the Jim Rasmussen Memorial Stakes here on May 27.
This year’s Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap nomination list also includes the last two winners of the Grade I Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs in Seeking The Soul (2019) and Pavel (2018).
The son of Spring At Last-Deep South (Unbridled’s Song) broke his maiden over the Prairie Meadows surface on May 25, returned to beat allowance/optional claiming foes on June 13, and came back less than a month later to defeat seven rivals in the Cornhusker on July 6 under regular rider Alex Birzer.
The 2018 Iowa Sprint Handicap winner Done Deal, who defeated Apprehender and Wilbo at odds of 5-1, is back to defend his title as well.
Done Deal, the now six-year-old son of Macho Uno-Missbelle O’s Tale, capped a four-race winning streak with his 2018 Iowa Sprint Handicap victory. The gelding trained by Ian Wilkes did not finish on the board in any of his three starts after leaving Iowa and, if entered, will be making his seasonal debut in the Sprint.
On July 6, the featured stakes will be the $100,000 Iowa Distaff and the $100,000 Saylorville, the $65,000 Hawkeyes and the $65,000 Cyclones for Iowa-breds.
The Iowa Derby nominations list features 2019 Triple Crown series competitors such as Alwaysmining, Everfast, and Laughing Fox as well as 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Knicks Go.
The Iowa Oaks nominations include 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Jaywalk, 2019 Black Eyed Susan runner-up Ulele and 2019 Kentucky Oaks third-place finisher Lady Apple.
Post positions for The Iowa Sprint Handicap, The Iowa Oaks, The Iowa Derby, and The Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap will be drawn the morning of Friday June 28 with the July 5th races drawn on June 29.
