Iowa Stakes 2011 at Prairie Meadows draws heavy competition, Awesome Gem and Astrology head to derby
Prairie Meadows has come a long ways since 1 March, 1987 when it conducted its first race after getting a green signal from the Iowa Racing and Gaming commission to organize horse racing events.
The change came about because mutual betting was legalized in the state. Then the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission decided the general public needed a horse racing facility for organized racing in Iowa State.
Prairie Meadows has noticeably evolved in that regard and now holds an event of six races i.e. six stakes accumulating a sum of $1million.
The event will commence on 24 June, with a total of three stakes races on the first day with a combined purse of $325,000. The second and last day of the racing festival will consist of three stakes races, which also includes the highlight of the festival
the Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap, which has the largest purse money of $300,000.
The Cornhusker Handicap will consist of a field of eleven horses and it has a distance of 1 1/8 mile. The race will feature the son of Awesome Again, Awesome Gem, the Grade 1 winner, and, the eight year old chestnut gelding is coming fresh out of a victory
in the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap.
Awesome Gem has gained a major reputation after winning stakes on the main tracks of Southern California. The slimmer horse now will take on 10 other horses in the Cornhusker Handicap for $300,000, which will add, to his already massive earnings of $2.5
million.
Despite Awesome Gem’s awesome credentials, he will be facing off with the best of the runners on the circuit and it will not be a stroll in the park for the eight year old gelding. The field will also draw Astrology, who is trained by Steven Asmussen, in
his entire career Astrology has always finished in the first three.
It was a massive boost for the owners of Stonestreet Stables and George Bolton when Astrology made an impressive run in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes but the three year old bay colt is looking for his first win in 2011 and his last came in the Grade 3 Iroquois.
The Cornhusker Handicap will also be featuring horses, who have stakes wins under their belt, and, Headache is one of them. Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s five-year old gelding will prove to be a handful since he bagged the Claiming Clown Jewel last year.
It Happened Again and Stachys will go out too, to match their skills, with the best horses around. Awesome Gem will no doubt be the one to see and look out for but the field has drawn many competitive horses in the field of eleven and it will be a tough
competition.
The Iowa Stakes will provide some mouth watering races and surely The Cornhusker Handicap will surely provide thrilling racing over the weekend.
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