|
Prairie Meadows awarded 2012 AQHA
Challenge Championships
Altoona, IA - Dec. 2, 2011 - The American Quarter Horse Association has awarded
the national finals of its 2012 Challenge Championships to Prairie Meadows.
The event, pending approval by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, will take
place on Saturday, Oct. 27, closing night of Prairie Meadows' 2012 quarter horse
meet.
"This will be the biggest horse racing event ever to come to Iowa," said Tom
Lepic, president of the Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association. "This gives
Prairie Meadows nationwide recognition that we need.
“We'llhave a lot of horses here at Prairie Meadows for the quarter horse meet
trying to qualify for the finals. It will be a first-rate event and bring a lot
of people to Iowa."
The Challenge is quarter horse racing's version of thoroughbred racing's
Breeders' Cup. It consists of six races worth more than $1 million combined.
Horses qualify for the finals by winning regional challenge races in the United
States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.
The biggest race is the $350,000 Bank of America Championship Challenge at 440
yards, which has been won by World Champions Down With Debt, SLM Big Daddy,
Tailor Fit, and Streakin Sin Tacha.
Darrell Hare, the Challenge's director of racing, said Prairie Meadows was
chosen because of its facilities, which will include its incoming 168-room
hotel, and the prominence of its quarter horse program.
"They've become a major influence in the country," Hare said. "They have a
strong desire to get a national presence and this will bring top
championship-type horses to them.
"They have a lot going for them. It's an excellent facility. They do an
excellent job in marketing. They have a lot of enthusiasm and they've done a
good job of growing their quarter horse program."
Prairie Meadows and Lepic spent nearly a year working on the proposal. Along
with the Challenge Championships, the AQHA will hold its four-day convention at
Prairie Meadows. And Prairie Meadows will precede the Challenge with its Iowa
Champions Night, consisting of stakes races for Iowa-breds, on Friday, Oct. 26.
"Hands down, this is a very significant event," said Derron Heldt, Prairie
Meadows' director of racing. "We get a chance to showcase our facilities here
and our racing."
|
