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News from Iowa:

TVG, PRAIRIE MEADOWS & IOWA HBPA STRIKE INNOVATIVE LONG-TERM ADW AND MARKETING PARTNERSHIP - LOS ANGELES and ALTOONA, IOWA - Feb. 3, 2012 –TVG announced today that it has reached agreement to operate a co-branded Advanced Deposit Wagering (ADW) system on behalf of Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino and the Iowa Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association (IA HBPA). TVG and Prairie Meadows will extensively market each other’s products and services, including ADW and live racing conducted by Prairie Meadows.
 
TOP STALLIONS Still available for minimum bid in the Iowa Stallion Service Auction - Feb. 1, 2012
 
Fred Hutton named Thoroughbred racing secretary at Prairie Meadows - Altoona, IA - Jan. 24, 2012 - Fred Hutton has been hired as the new Thoroughbred racing secretary at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Iowa, replacing Dan Doocy, who stepped down last fall.
 
Challenge Championships highlight Prairie Meadows’ richest Quarter Horse stakes schedule - Altoona, IA – Jan. 21, 2012 - Prairie Meadows' fall quarter horse meet will have its richest stakes schedule ever, capped by the $1 million Bank of America Challenge Championships on Oct. 27. The 27-day meet will average more than a stakes race per day from Aug. 18 to Oct. 27, offering 33 stakes worth more than $2.5 million combined.
 
Spit Curl Diva retires after winning third quarter horse title - Jan, 21, 2012 - Spit Curl Diva, co-owned by Tom Lepic of Iowa City, is leaving the racetrack as a champion. The mare on Wednesday evening was named the American Quarter Horse Association's champion aged mare for the second straight year. And Lepic said Thursday that Spit Curl Diva will be retired from racing after a career in which she won 19-of-35 races and was a champion at ages 3, 4, and 5.
 
Prairie Meadows gets approval to hold Challenge Championships - Altoona, IA - Jan. 13, 2012 - The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has approved an extended Prairie Meadows quarter horse meet that will be capped by one of the sports biggest events, the Bank of America Challenge Championships on Oct. 27.
 
Prairie Meadows 2012 TB meet worth 2.9M - Altoona, IA - Jan. 7, 2012 - Prairie Meadows will run a 67-day thoroughbred meet in 2012, April 20 to Aug. 11 and will feature 33 stakes worth a combined $2.9 million.
 
IQHRA Stallion Service Auction Saturday January 7 - Service By Top National Stallions Available - Des Moines, IA - Jan. 4, 2012 – The Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association will conduct its annual Stallion Service Auction on Saturday January 7, 2012 beginning at 10:00 AM Central Time
 
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.
 
Prairie Meadows, IA HBPA Partner to Build Iowa’s First-Ever Online Wagering Platform - ALTOONA, Iowa- Nov. 29, 2011 - Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino and the Iowa Horsemen Benevolent and Protective Association (IA HBPA) announced that they are collaborating on the development of the state’s first-ever legal online wagering platform. The move is being undertaken to spur expansion of the customer base for Iowa horse racing and to take advantage of continuing growth in the popularity of advanced deposit wagering (ADW).
 
Rock the Rock to Iowa State University - Nov. 21, 2011 - Rock the Rock, a winning son of Rock of Gibraltar, will stand at Iowa State University near Ames. His fee is private.
 
Prairie Meadows to start online betting - Officials expected to approve rules Thursday - Altoona, IA - Nov. 9, 2011 - Playing the ponies at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino should soon be possible on the Internet. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is expected to approve new regulations on Thursday allowing so-called advance deposit wagering. This will let Iowa gamblers bet on horse races either online or by making a telephone call after money is placed into an account.
 
Iowa-led horse is soaring to top Breeders' Cup win would put Dullahan in Derby spotlight - Nov. 2, 2011 - Dullahan has drawn attention as one of the nation’s premier up-and-coming horses. A win Saturday could propel him into an even bigger spotlight.
 
Native Ruler to Abraham's Equine - Oct. 14, 2011 - Maggi Moss has retired multiple stakes winner Native Ruler from racing for stallion duty in 2012 at Abraham’s Equine Clinic near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Seven-year-old Native Ruler will stand for $2,000.
 
Special Legend Dies - G1-placed runner and sire Special Legend died September 17 - Grade 1-placed runner and sire Special Legend, 23, died September 17 of an apparent heart attack.
 
55 years and going strong Horse racing has been a Wessels family affair - By Dan Johnson - Regina Wessels has gotten the last laugh on her third grade class. One day the students had to tell their classmates what they wanted to do as adults.

"The whole class stood up and said what you were going to be when you grew up," Wessels said. "I said I was going to be a horse trainer and everybody laughed at me: 'What do you mean?"
 
Woke Up Dreamin to Madison County in Iowa - Sept. 27, 2011 - Grade II winner Woke Up Dreamin , who has sired a champion and six stakes horses from his first two crops, will stand in 2012 at Merrill and Connie Schutz’ Madison County Thoroughbred Farm near Macksburg, Iowa. His fee is $2,000. The Schutz’ daughter, Pam, and Mike Connelly purchased the 11-year-old son of Holy Bull .
 
Keeping training all in the family - By Dan Johnson - Sept. 6, 2011 - Training has always been a family affair for William Harris. Only he has gone from a father-and-son stable to a husband-and-wife team. Harris grew up working at the track for his father, trainer John Harris. He has been training on his own for 20 years, only now he shares the stable duties with his wife, Lori.
 
KENNY CHAPMAN DIES - CYPRESS, CA. Sept. 1, 2011 - Kenneth L. "Kenny" Chapman, one of the nation’s top Quarter Horse jockeys in late 1950s and early 1960s, passed away on Monday, August 29. He was 80. Born on January 11, 1931 in Charles City, Iowa, Chapman won 263 Quarter Horse races in his career at Los Alamitos.
 
Leggett channeling his drive into a new direction - Sept. 1, 2011 - Former jockey Tad Leggett is making baby steps as he recovers from a broken neck that not only ended his riding career, but threatened to take his life. Right now, those baby steps largely come with assistance. He uses a walker with assistance and he can ride his horse when his sons help him get in the saddle.
 
The return of the champion mare Spit Curl Diva will highlight the opening weekend of Prairie Meadows' Quarter Horse meet - August 18,2011 - The 26-day meet begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday and runs through Oct. 1. There will be two stakes races Friday and two more on Saturday, with Spit Curl Diva trying to win the Keokuk Stakes for the second straight year. She set a track record of 19.45 seconds for 400 yards while winning the 2010 Keokuk.
 
Iowa-bred named claiming horse of the year - August 2, 2011 - Kate’s Main Man, an Iowa-bred thoroughbred, has been named the nation’s top claiming horse of 2010 by the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.
 
Heat Wave Cancels Horse Races - ALTOONA, Iowa - July 20, 2011 - KCCI TV 8 reported that Prairie Meadows officials canceled racing on Tuesday because of the extreme heat.
 
Prairie Meadows to host Paddy O'Prado Day - Altoona, IA - July 19,2011 - Paddy O'Prado's racing days are over, but he will be back on the track one final time on Aug. 5 at Prairie Meadows.
 
Jack Coady among Prairie Meadows Hall of Fame Inductees - Altoona, IA - July 14, 2011 - Retired jockey Tim Doocy and track photographer Jack Coady have been named to the Prairie Meadows Hall of Fame by the track’s selection committee.
 
Prairie Meadows American Quarter Horse Meet Stall Applications Due July 1 - Altoona, IA— June 27, 2011 - Prairie Meadows Quarter Horse Racing Secretary Chad Keller would like to remind horsemen that stall applications for the 2011 Prairie Meadows American Quarter Horse meet—Friday, August 19 through Saturday, October 1—are due on Friday, July 1.
 

Headache Rallies In Cornhusker ‘Cap - Altoona, IA – June 25, 2011 - Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s Headache made a five-wide rally down the middle of the Prairie Meadows track to win the Grade 3, $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap to conclude the two-night Iowa Festival of Racing on Saturday.
 
Eight-year Prairie Meadows lease approved - Altoona, IA - June 16, 2011 - Polk County supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve a new, eight-year lease with Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino that will supply the county with millions of dollars in revenue each year.
 
Prairie Meadows trainer disputes horse's positive drug test - Altoona, IA - June 13, 2011 - Gene Jacquot, a trainer at Prairie Meadows, is contesting a positive drug test for one of his horses, saying the level was so minute that it must have been from accidental contamination.
 
Iowa Trainer's License Revoked by Stewards - Altoona, IA - June 8, 2011 - Stewards at Prairie Meadows have revoked the license of Joseph Louis Nealon, saying the action is necessary to “protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare and to protect the public from a person who should not hold a trainer’s license.”
 
New legislation solidifies Iowa racing’s future - June 3, 2011 - What is your opinion of the state of the Thoroughbred industry in Iowa?
 
Ankle injury sends Paddy O'Prado to retirement - May 24, 2011 - Paddy O’Prado’s record run as “Iowa’s horse” is over. The most accomplished thoroughbred ever owned by Iowans has been retired from racing because of a fracture to his right front ankle suffered while winning Saturday’s Dixie Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
 
Charges dropped against Iowa gaming execs - DES MOINES, Iowa - May 14, 2011 - Charges were dismissed Friday against executives with an Iowa gaming company who were accused of violating the state's campaign disclosure laws.
 
Prairie Meadows GM fan of new gambling bill - Altoona, IA - May 8, 2011 - Prairie Meadows general manager Gary Palmer says that the gambling bill that was passed by the Iowa House on Tuesday will be good for more than just Prairie Meadows.
 
Iowa House passes gaming bill - DES MOINES, IA - May 4, 2011 - The Iowa House passed a wide-reaching gambling bill Tuesday that includes a measure to allow people to vote on horse races over the phone or via a computer.
 
Paddy O'Prado owners reflect on 'awesome' year - May 1, 2011 - Two minutes can be life-changing. Just ask Judi Smith of West Des Moines. Smith and husband Ray are among the 11 families who share ownership in Paddy O’Prado. One year ago Sunday, the gray colt ran third in the 136th Kentucky Derby, becoming just the second horse owned by Iowans to take part.
 
Prairie Meadows, county talks hit impasse - April 29, 2011 - Four months after its previous lease expired, Prairie Meadows and Polk County are officially at an impasse over a new lease.
 
Iowa House panel approves bundle of gaming provisions - DES MOINES, IA - April 28, 2011 - Legislation that would allow gamblers to bet on horse races over the phone or via computer made it through a House committee Wednesday.
 
Prairie Meadows Quarter Horse Condition Books Available, Daily Purses Average $120,000 - PRAIRIE MEADOWS, Altoona, IA—The first condition book for the 2011 American Quarter Horse meet at Prairie Meadows is now available for the season that starts Friday, August 19, and runs through Saturday, October 1.
 
Prairie Meadows Opens Today - After 21 seasons, which horse race was the most memorable? Altoona, IA - April 22, 2011 - After seeing nearly 18,000 horse races in 21 seasons at Prairie Meadows, Ed Holland of Norwalk had a tough question to answer.
 
Prairie Meadows will add a classic connection when its thoroughbred meet opens on April 22 - Altoona, IA - April 8, 2011 - Trainer Chip Woolley Jr., who won the 2009 Kentucky Derby with Mine That Bird, said he will race a 13-horse stable at the Altoona track.
 
Birth of regally-bred thoroughbred in Iowa due any day - March 29, 2011 - Whisperifyoudare is one of Iowa’s top breeding mares, having produced Iowa-bred champions Maya’s Storm and Jumpifyoudare. Now, she is in foal to Curlin, the 2007 and 2008 horse of the year, and the foal is due in the first week of April.
 
Branstad taps Lamberti, Heinrich for Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission - Feb. 28, 2011 - Gov. Terry Branstad today appointed former Iowa Senate President Jeff Lamberti of Ankeny and former Iowa Western Community College President Carl Heinrich of Council Bluffs to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.
 
Proposed Legislature could settle Horsemen Dispute - Feb. 24, 2011 - A controversial gambling bill before the Iowa Legislature would make sweeping changes — It would also settle a long-running dispute between the state's horse breeders and the Altoona racetrack over how purse money should be divvied up.
 
Prairie Meadows nears lease deal with county - Altoona, IA - Feb. 19, 2011 - Prairie Meadows and Polk County officials are discussing a lease proposal that would pay the county $25.6 million per year through 2013, and more after that if Prairie Meadows' revenues rise.
 
Breaking News: Crews Battle Fire At Prairie Meadows - ALTOONA, Iowa - Feb. 17, 2011 - Fire crews were called a fire at Prairie Meadows in Altoona Thursday morning. Crews on the scene said a storage shed that houses tractors and other equipment for the racetrack and the casino grounds caught fire early Thursday morning. There were no injuries in the blaze. There is no word on what may have caused the fire. KCCI.com  for updates on this developing story.
 
Iowa Casino Tax Increase To Impact Many Charities - ALTOONA, Iowa - Feb. 15, 2011 - Prairie Meadows Race Track and Casino officials recognized 205 community projects at a luncheon on Tuesday and warned that the grants they hand out every year to may soon end.
 
Governor Branstad of Iowa, wants 50% TAX increase - Jan. 27, 2011 - Iowa's casino taxes would increase at least 50 percent to give tax cuts to corporations with annual profits exceeding $25 million under Gov. Terry Branstad's proposed budget.
 
Prairie Meadows Releases 2011 Quarter Horse Stakes Schedule - ALTOONA, IA - JANUARY 24, 2011 - Prairie Meadows released it's 2011 American Quarter Horse Race schedule today for it's 26-day meet set to kick-off August 19th and run through October 1st.
 
Gambling picks up as economy perks up - Jan. 17, 2011 - Iowa's gambling industry is beginning to creep back from the recession, which saw statewide casino revenues drop for the first time since 1993.
 
Prairie Meadows says Polk County's lease proposal is not feasible - Altoona, IA - Jan. 9, 2011 - "The way the county proposal was structured, it's not viable for us," said Brian Wessels, Prairie Meadows' chief financial officer.
 
2 top Iowa Democrats open to Internet gambling - Jan. 8 , 2011 - Gambling lobbyists are pressing for a law that would allow Iowans to legally gamble on the Internet, and two Democratic leaders said Friday they're not opposed to the idea.
 
Paddy O'Prado nominated for top 3-year-old male horse - Jan. 6, 2011 - Paddy O’Prado, the most successful thoroughbred racehorse ever owned by Iowans, is one of three finalists for the Eclipse Award for best 3-year-old colt or gelding.
 
Polk leaders propose new lease with Prairie Meadows - Altoona, IA - Dec. 28, 2010 - A proposal for a new, eight-year lease with Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino was endorsed unanimously today by the Polk County Board of Supervisors.
 
Prairie Meadows still negotiating lease - Dec. 15, 2010 - Prairie Meadows and Polk County may start 2011 with a month-to-month lease if the two sides cannot finalize a new eight-year agreement by Dec. 31.
 
Iowa Politico Joins Racing Lobby Board - December 9, 2010 - NEW YORK, (NTRA) – The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) today announced the appointment of Jerry Crawford to the Board of Directors for the NTRA’s federal Political Action Committee, Horse PAC.
 
Spit Curl Diva could become world champion for Iowan - Dec. 2, 2010 - Three decades after his last race as a jockey, Tom Lepic of Iowa City is getting the ride of his life, courtesy of Spit Curl Diva. The 4-year-old mare will make a run at becoming quarter horse racing’s world champion — the sport’s name for its horse of the year — in the Dec.11 Champion of Champions Stakes at Los Alamitos in California.
 
Discord arises about Prairie Meadows board selection process - Dec. 1, 2010 - The appointment of two people to the Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino Board of Directors sparked heated disagreement at Tuesday's Polk County Board of Supervisors meeting.
 
Bold Six Chick, an Iowa icon, dies at 18 - Nov. 29, 2010 - Bold Six Chick, the winningest horse all-time at Prairie Meadows, has died at age 18. Bold Six Chick raced from 1994-2001 and won 21 races at Prairie Meadows, one more than the thoroughbred Sure Shot Biscuit. He was 10-for-10 at Prairie Meadows at ages 2 and 3, set a track record for 400 yards in 1995.
 
Prairie Meadows working on new lease - November 15, 2010 - Prairie Meadows officials hope to have a new eight-year lease with Polk County ironed out by the end of the month. Prairie Meadows is owned by Polk County, but the racetrack-casino is run by a nonprofit board. The two sides will try to finalize the key details when they meet next week.
 
Paddy O'Prado aims for historic upset of Zenyatta - Paddy O’Prado, whose 11 owners include 10 current or former Iowans, has also made history of his own. He is the most accomplished racehorse ever owned by Iowans, having won the Grade I Secretariat Stakes, the $600,000 Virginia Derby, the $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup and finishing third in the Kentucky Derby.
 
Paddy O'Prado draws number 2 post for Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic - November 2, 2010 - Iowa owned Paddy O’Prado will have the inside advantage on Saturday’s $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
 
Prairie Meadows OKs hotel loan plan - Oct. 28, 2010 - The racetrack-casino's board approved a conceptual plan to borrow $24 million through Bankers Trust to construct a hotel.
 
 
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