ALTOONA, IA – Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino will induct two horsemen into its Racing Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Jockey Stormy Smith, arguably the most successful Quarter Horse rider in the 33-year history of racing at Prairie Meadows, and H. Allen Poindexter, the prominent owner and breeder of multiple stakes-winning horses at Prairie Meadows and other tracks across America.
“I’m honored, Prairie Meadows has been my home away from home for over 20 years now. I’ve won a lot of races here, been leading rider more than a few times, and experienced both the highs and lows of horse racing at Prairie Meadows,” said jockey Stormy Smith.
When asked to name the best Quarter Horse he’s ridden at Prairie Meadows, Smith selected AJs High, the champion gelding owned by Mike Teel and trained by Charlton Hunt who won 15 races in 33 starts and claimed a Bank of America Challenge Championship Stakes victory at Los Alamitos in California six years ago.
“He was always a handful from the time he left his stall to the moment he got back to the barn,” noted Smith. “But he always ran well for me! That night in California he was on top of his game. We beat some pretty good horses in that big race!”
H. Allen Poindexter has been breeding and racing stakes winners at Prairie Meadows for more than two decades. “I am thrilled and privileged to be inducted into the Prairie Meadows Hall of Fame,” said Poindexter. “Even though I knew my name was in the mix, I still got goose bumps when I received word that I would be part of the Class of 2022.”
His contributions to the Iowa-bred racing program at Prairie Meadows are immeasurable. In addition to his wholly owned winners, Poindexter runners have been successful both in partnership and from the sales ring.
“Even though I don’t live in Iowa, I decided long ago to focus my efforts on breeding Iowa-breds to compete at Prairie Meadows and outside of Iowa at some of the biggest tracks in the country,” Poindexter added. “Chanel’s Legacy is a perfect example. She’s an Iowa-bred who ran well in graded stakes races at tracks like Oaklawn Park and Saratoga. She could have been a champion had injuries not cut her career short.”
The pair will be inducted in a ceremony on the second day of the 2022 Iowa Festival of Racing. Prairie Meadows will host its Annual Hall of Fame induction on Saturday, July 9, 2022 beginning at 4:00 p.m.
