ROCHESTER, MN – In order to try and provide information in one convenient location, there has been some strides in Iowa to reopen the backside (tentatively June 1) and start racing (tentatively June 16).  Canterbury Park has already reopened the backside and have announced a stakes schedule, produced a condition book and requested race days (52; June 10 – September 16).

Just a heads up, there will be more links than usual in this post to provide you with as much information as we can..

Canterbury will be looking to take advantage of an early week racing schedule (Monday – Thursday) that has produced extraordinary handle for Fonner Park and Will Rogers Downs.  There will be more competition for that space in the next month however, so it will be interesting to see how that experiment works.

There was also a bill passed in the state legislature in Minnesota to help out Running Aces and Canterbury Park but the most fan-friendly portion of the bill, betting for in-state residents on in-state races was stripped.

This link is the HF 4597 Summary as passed by the legislature.

Weather permitting the main track at Canterbury will open for works on May 27.

Here is the first condition book.

The Quarter Horse Stakes Schedule.

The Thoroughbred Stakes Schedule.

While Prairie Meadows has not come as far as Canterbury yet, both the Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association and the Iowa HBPA have been very active in trying to update their members during an everchanging situation.

This is the statement put out by the Iowa HBPA on 5/22:

Dear IA HBPA Members,

Things are moving along swiftly right now and we’re trying to keep you apprised as quickly as possible.

With that, as many of you may have been aware, Prairie Meadows Board of Directors held a board meeting today.

The result of which grants authority to the Executive Management of PMRC to open the racetrack to begin allowing for horses to come onto the backside beginning June 1st!

This is huge step forward.

This motion passed based on the guidance from the National HBPA, our specific input here from the Iowa HBPA, and additional procedures from Prairie Meadows. There will be of course some concessions horsemen will be asked to do in order to open up the backside as quickly as possible. All of which will be outlined more thoroughly in the days to come but are not much different than what horsemen have seen all across the rest of the country regarding dealing with the pandemic.

The IA HBPA Board will also meet here within the next hour to discuss next steps, which consist of  approaching the IRGC with our position on days and purses so that we can keep the opening of the backside and return to racing process moving as quickly as possible.

Again, thank you members for your patience as we keep moving forward on this as quickly as possible.

The IQHRA went so far as to indicate potential racing dates in their statement.

Iowa horsemen will still need to receive formal approval for the dates and backside opening but the horsemen and executive management have agreed upon the protocols to be used, clearing a major hurdle in that approval process.

Canterbury is waiting on approval from the Minnesota Racing Commission on their date request which can only come as early as June 6 given a provision in MN law requiring at least 25 days before the MRC can give the track approval on a request, though all indications have Canterbury right on track to begin racing on June 10.  As of today, post times are to be determined.