What makes Prairie Meadows different
Most racinos in the United States belong to casino companies. This one belongs to Polk County, which bought the bankrupt track in 1993, and it is run by a 13-member non-profit board. That structure explains why it publishes an annual report, why community grants appear in its marketing, and why the county negotiates a lease with its own operator.
The building combines a one-mile dirt oval with a Quarter Horse chute, a grandstand, a casino of roughly 82,000 square feet, a hotel and an event center. A general explanation of how tracks and casinos share one license is in the what is a racino guide, and the Iowa overview puts the venue in its state context.
Prairie Meadows horse racing schedule for 2026
The 2026 horse racing schedule had 76 live days from May 2 to September 26. Thoroughbreds raced alone for the first 18 days before Quarter Horses joined on June 8 for 56 mixed cards. Most programs ran Friday to Monday, with a 6:00 p.m. first post on Fridays and Saturdays and 4:00 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays.
| Date (2026) | Event | Feature races |
|---|---|---|
| May 2 | Opening day | Kentucky Derby simulcast plus live Thoroughbreds |
| June 8 | Quarter Horses join the card | Mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse programs |
| July 10–11 | Iowa Festival of Racing | Cornhusker Handicap, Iowa Derby, Iowa Oaks |
| September 26 | Iowa Classic, closing day | All Iowa-bred stakes for both breeds |
Outside the live meet, the racebook takes simulcast wagers on tracks across North America. Races are also streamed on the track’s YouTube channel. A national view of when other tracks run is on the horse racing schedule page, and the mechanics of win, place and exotic pools are covered in the pari-mutuel betting guide.
Stakes races and the Iowa Festival of Racing
The meet’s richest weekend is the Iowa Festival of Racing in July. In 2026 the Saturday card carried the Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap at a mile and an eighth for $300,000, the $250,000 Iowa Derby for three-year-olds and the $225,000 Iowa Oaks for fillies, both at a mile and a sixteenth. The Derby regularly draws runners from nationally known stables.
Quarter Horse stakes fill much of the calendar. The track announced 23 Quarter Horse stakes worth about $2.1 million for 2026, led by the Grade 3 Valley Junction Futurity at $300,000 and the Prairie Meadows Gold Futurity at $225,000. Closing day, the Iowa Classic, is reserved for Iowa-bred horses of both breeds, with more than $1.25 million in stakes purses.
The casino floor and poker room
The September 2026 report from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission listed 1,253 slot machines and 40 table games at Prairie Meadows, along with 169,048 admissions for the month. Adjusted gross revenue that month was about $19.5 million, ahead of every other casino in the state, including Horseshoe Council Bluffs at roughly $11.9 million.
The casino deals blackjack, roulette and craps, and the slot mix runs from traditional reels to recent video titles. The poker room moved to a renovated space on Level 4 and stays open into the early morning at weekends. A Caesars Sportsbook handles sports wagers, and the Prairie Gold Rewards program covers slots, tables, the hotel and concert presales.
Hotel and places to eat
The on-site hotel, branded Prairie Meadows Casino and Hotel, offers room types from double queen and standard king rooms up to junior, executive, luxury and presidential suites. Amenities listed by the operator include a saltwater pool, a fitness center, a lounge and EV charging. Check-in starts at 4 p.m., and guests must be 21 to book a room.
Restaurants cover most budgets, from a steakhouse with its own private dining room to counters selling coffee and quick snacks between races. Hours differ by outlet and by day of the week, and some rooms serve dinner only on certain nights, so checking the operator’s dining page before a late arrival helps. The main options are:
- AJ’s Steakhouse, the fine-dining room, with a private dining space
- The Paddock Grill, for casual meals
- Café at the Meadows, the all-day option
- Champions, on Level 4, which opens to families an hour before live racing
- Prairie Coffee Company and Quick Bites for snacks
Concerts and The Meadows Event Center
The Meadows Event Center, part of a $60 million expansion completed in February 2007, hosts concerts, banquets, weddings and corporate events. In summer the apron has been used for free outdoor concerts by national acts. Race-day corporate outings can be booked with catering, and the catering team publishes a holiday menu each year for office parties and group dinners.
Getting to Altoona and parking
Prairie Meadows is next to Interstate 80 at exit 142, east of Des Moines, so most visitors arrive by car and park in the surface lots around the building. The hotel, casino and racing areas are all reachable from the main entrance. The property is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and is fully ADA accessible.
Prairie Meadows history and the 2026 lease
The track opened on March 1, 1989, lost money early and filed for bankruptcy in November 1991, missing the 1992 season. Polk County bought it, voters approved slots in May 1994, and the casino opened on April 1, 1995. Machine revenue retired the county’s bonds by the end of 1996, a result often cited in the history of racinos.
In August 2026 county supervisors approved a 15-year lease, with two optional five-year renewals, replacing a percentage-rent model with fixed annual rent. The operator has said it plans between $200 million and $300 million of improvements to gaming, hotel, entertainment and dining areas during the term. Visitors who plan a budget before a race night keep the evening simple.
Racetrack casinos within driving distance
No other Iowa venue offers live racing now, so the nearest alternatives are across state lines. WarHorse Omaha at Horsemen’s Park sits about two hours west along Interstate 80, and Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, runs Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses from May to September, a long drive north on Interstate 35.