by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — Iowa horsemen have reportedly reached an agreement with Prairie Meadows to conduct a 10-day meet this year at the Altoona, Iowa racetrack. Racing will begin on Oct. 1.

The Des Moines Register reports that Prairie Meadows will subsidize Iowa county fair racing to the tune of $1 million and that this year’s pari-mutuel meet at Altoona will be conducted over the Thoroughbred racing surface, packed down to accommodate Standardbred racing.

The latter point represents a compromise: The track operators said it would cost $250,000 to scrape and prepare the surface for Standardbred racing when they sought permission from state regulators to drop harness racing altogether. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, however, denied that request.

In negotiations for this year’s meet, horsemen were given the option of racing at Prairie Meadows but having the subsidy for county fair races lowered by $250,000 — or having the track packed down and maintain the original $1 million county fair purse subsidy paid by the track.

“There were mixed thoughts,” Royal Roland, president of the Iowa Harness Horsemen’s Association and a U.S. Trotting Association director, told the Register. “It was higher earnings for your horse or racing at Prairie Meadows under less-than-ideal conditions. The members of our association were split about it. It was a hard choice and we don’t know what’s going to be the right answer until it’s over with, and the right answer will be different to different folks.”

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission must approve the agreement at its Aug. 26 meeting.