ALTOONA, IA—MARCH 8, 2017— The start of the live Quarter Horse racing season at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa is more than five months away, but important deadlines are fast approaching.

Horsemen planning to compete at Prairie Meadows at the season’s start on Saturday, August 19 should be aware of these important upcoming dates regarding the 2017 season.

Quarter Horse owners and trainers should note that payments for Prairie Meadows and Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association Futurity and Derby nominations begin April 1, 2017.

The April 1 deadline for initial payment applies to the Iowa Double Gold Futurity, Iowa Double Gold Derby, Iowa Stallion Futurity (Iowa-bred), Iowa Stallion Derby, Jim Bader Futurity (Iowa-bred), Polk County Derby (Iowa-bred), Valley Junction Futurity, and Altoona Derby.

Nomination forms, which include payment schedules and general conditions for each race, can be found by CLICKING HERE.

Prairie Meadows Racing Office plans to have Quarter Horse stall application forms available by April 15 while their release of Quarter Horse Condition Book #1 is expected in early May.

The 26-day Quarter Horse season concludes on Saturday, October 14 with Bank of America Challenge Championships. This will be the third time since 2012 that Prairie Meadows has hosted the event, which draws the top regional winners for one of the biggest nights of racing in the sport.

"It’s always an honor to host the Bank of America Challenge Championships, and we’re really looking forward to the event this year," said Quarter Horse Racing Secretary, Chad Keller. "Having such a prestigious event enhances our racing program and brings in even more top level horses, dedicated owners, well-respected trainers, and world class jockeys from all across the Quarter Horse racing world."

The Bank of America Challenge Championships hosted by Prairie Meadows will feature the five Challenge Championship stakes races along with the top two-year-old and three-year old stakes races for locally based open and Iowa-bred horses. Keller estimates that total purses for the championship night card will be nearly $1.5 million.

All Quarter Horse owners and trainers planning to compete at Prairie Meadows during the 2017 season are reminded to thoroughly review the Equine Health and Testing requirements that will be in effect as of March 31, 2017.

These requirements can be found HERE and are subject to change as we draw closer to the Quarter Horse live racing season.

Horsemen can contact Prairie Meadows Racing Office at 515.967.1205 or the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission State Veterinarian at 515.240.8731 with questions related to the Equine Health and Testing policies.