The Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap is an American Grade III

thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

held annually at the end of June at

Prairie Meadows Prairie Meadows is a Racino located in Altoona, Iowa, United States, it runs both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses at its meet from May to September. History and information In 1984, Prairie Meadows received a license from the Iowa Racing and G ...

Altoona, Iowa Altoona is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States, and part of the Des Moines metropolitan area. The population was 19,565 at the 2020 census. It is home to the Adventureland amusement park and Prairie Meadows horse racing track and cas ...

. The race is open to horses age three years and older and currently offers a purse of $300,000. Raced at a distance of 1 miles on dirt, from 1966 through 1973 it was run at 1 miles. Inaugurated in 1966, the Cornhusker Handicap was originally run at the Ak-Sar-Ben Racetrack in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

which closed in 1995. The first edition was won by Royal Gunner who was ridden by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee

Bill Hartack William John Hartack Jr. (December 9, 1932 – November 26, 2007) was an American jockey. Early life and career Referred to by the media as both "Bill" and "Willie" (Hartack detested being called "Willie") during his racing career, Hartack gr ...

Julie Krone Julieann Louise Krone (born July 24, 1963) is a retired American jockey. In 1993, she became the first (and as of June 8, 2024 only) female jockey to win a Triple Crown race when she captured the Belmont Stakes aboard Colonial Affair. In 2000, ...

was the first female jockey to compete in the Cornhusker Handicap and the first female jockey to win it when she captured the 1988 edition aboard Palace March. The Cornhusker Handicap purse was reduced to $100,00 in 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

along with the

Iowa Derby The Iowa Derby is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run over a distance of miles (8.5 furlongs) on the dirt annually at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Iowa. The purse of the event is US$250,000. Race History The ...

and Iowa Oaks purses.

Records

Time record: (at current distance of miles) * 1:46.62 – Beboppin Baby (1998) Most wins: * 2 –

Vale of Tears "Vale of tears" () is a Christian phrase referring to the tribulations of life that Christian doctrine says are left behind only when one leaves the world and enters Heaven. The phrase appears in some translations of Psalm 84:6, which describes ...

(1968, 1969) and Joey Bob (1972, 1973) Most wins by a

Jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

: * 4 – Larry J. Durousseau (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970) Most wins by a Trainer: * 3 – Brad H. Cox (2014, 2020, 2021) * 3 – Albert Vizcaya (1968, 1969, 1970) * 3 –

Jack Van Berg John Charles Van Berg (June 7, 1936 – December 27, 2017) was an American Hall of Fame horse trainer. Born into a horse racing family, his father was the Hall of Fame trainer, Marion Van Berg. Both father and son have been inducted into the Natio ...

(1972, 1973, 1985) Most wins by an Owner: * 3 – Mrs. Raymond Bauer (1968, 1969, 1970)

Winners

References

{{Reflist Graded stakes races in the United States Open mile category horse races Horse races in the United States Horse races established in 1966 1966 establishments in Nebraska