Altoona, IA – Prairie Meadows and the Iowa Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) worked jointly to develop a Starter Bonus Incentive for the beginning of the 2018 meet. The incentive, which covers the first 12 days of the season, offers a purse increase of $3,500 for overnight races leaving the paddock with eight or more runners.
“We encourage our Thoroughbred horsemen to take advantage of this opportunity to race for additional purse money,” said Chad Keller, Thoroughbred Assistant Racing Secretary at Prairie Meadows. “In return, we can offer our wagering guests bigger field sizes, which should increase the overall handle and help promote the racing industry in Iowa.”
The first 12 days of Condition Book 1 will reflect the $3,500 purse increase. If an overnight race is carded or leaves the paddock with less than eight horses, the purse will revert to the base purse for the meet.
“We’ve also increased the overnight purses by $500 per race across the board for the 2018 Thoroughbred season,” added Keller. “Our Purse Participation Incentive for horses finishing sixth through last place in overnight races, will be increased from $125 to $200.”
Prairie Meadows is also set to begin the installation of a new pari-mutuel totalizator system on March 7 as part of a multi-year agreement with United Tote. With United Tote, Prairie Meadows will have the latest technology in wagering, including wireless tablet wagering.
“We are proud to partner with Prairie Meadows in bringing the racing industry’s most up-to-date wagering technology to Iowa,” said Nate Simon, United Tote President. “United Tote believes that this new relationship will offer Prairie Meadows patrons a first-class wagering experience. We’re excited to be working with a company that is willing to invest in the equipment necessary to be a leader in customer service.”
Prairie Meadows will also launch mobile wagering through United Tote in mid-April, in anticipation of the start of their live racing season on April 26.
Finally, the Prairie Meadows Racing Club is heading into its second season and sign ups are ongoing. The Club is limited to 200 members. A one-time membership fee of $300 is required to join the Club. The membership fee is used to purchase the horse and cover training costs and expenses associated with the care of the horse. Prairie Meadows is still accepting new members. To join the Club, visit prairiemeadows.com/racing/live-racing/prairie-meadows-racing-club.
