Despite cold temps, a sellout crowd of more than 7,100 were there, eager to wager on Iowa’s first horse races. The racehorses burst out of Prairie Meadows’ starting gate for the very first time on March 1, 1989. The Polk County Board of Supervisors voted to back the $40 million in bonds necessary to build the track.
A 240-acre site of pastureland, just east of Adventureland Amusement Park, was selected as the location for this new venture. In July 1984 the Iowa Racing Commission issued the state’s first pari-mutuel license that would allow for the construction of a horse track. Over the course of several years, these five men – with the help of hundreds of local supporters, volunteers, and civic leaders – promoted the business concept of Prairie Meadows Racetrack. Ken Grandquist, Jack Bishop, Ed Skinner, Jim Rasmussen, and Gary Palmer were local leaders and entrepreneurs who had spent their lives in central Iowa. That vision was Prairie Meadows Racetrack. In the early 1980s, several local businessmen had a vision that would help Iowa’s agricultural community, spur economic development and job growth in central Iowa, and create a dynamic entertainment venue that would attract visitors from all over the Midwest.
