Prairie Meadows

I hope there's no like competing advertisers.

You go to Prairie Meadows with me right now.

Yeah.

Yes.

He came back.

He was second best over and off track at Prairie Meadows.

Just since then, his next two haven't been great.

I could totally draw a line, though, through the August effort.

on a three-race win streak coming into the trials.

That first one was a maiden victory at Prairie Meadows.

Ended up winning a trial by a neck for the Northlands Futurity, and I believe set the fastest time and came back to win the finals by a length.

Pretty tough final that was, too, in that Northlands Futurity.

Earner of $41,000 so far.

Why So Political was also a finalist in the Prairie Meadows Gold Juvenile earlier this year.

Definitely one to keep an eye on.

And then for third, I'll go to the four, dressed in black at 10-1.

And an article written by Zoe Seiler of The Business Record.

The Business Record has named Gina Vittarito, Vice President of Human Resources at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, the 2026 Denton's Human Resources Professional of the Year.

The award, which was launched by the Business Record in 2020, is designed to highlight an outstanding HR professional from Central Iowa for their professional accomplishments in community engagement.

Julie Stewart, Prairie Meadows Chief Operating Officer, in her nomination of Vita Rito said, Gina has elevated human resources into a true strategic partner, aligning talent initiatives with organizational goals while fostering an engaged, high-performing workplace.

Her expertise in labor relations, employee development, compliance, wellness, and organizational management strengthens Prairie Metals, earning the trust of employees, leaderships, and union partners.

Vittorito has more than 32 years of experience in human resources in which she has focused on creating workplaces worldwide.

She was recognized as a business record 40 under 40 in 2009.

Vittarito also served this year as president-elect of the Altoona Chamber of Commerce.

You can find our latest coverage of this story from senior staff writer Michael Crum online now at businessrecord.com.

The Polk County Board of Supervisors this week approved a new 15-year lease agreement with Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino.

The agreement runs through 2041 and could be extended for up to an additional 10 years.

The structure of the new lease is shifting to resemble a traditional landlord-tenant arrangement with Prairie Meadows responsible for property taxes, maintenance, operating costs, and identified capital costs.

The nonprofit casino previously received a credit for a portion of the property taxes.

The county will retain ownership of the facility and expects to receive about $500 million in lease revenue over the term of the agreement.

The new structure also allows Prairie Meadows to pursue an estimated $200 million to $300 million in property improvements, which are currently in the planning stages.

The Des Moines City Council and city staff last week discussed initial budget recommendations as the city works to address an anticipated $17 million budget gap over the next two fiscal years.

The list ranks Iowa second best for opportunity, ninth best for fiscal stability, twelfth best overall.

The Polk County Board of Supervisors approved a new lease through 2041 for Prairie Meadows.

During a special meeting of the board Monday, Supervisor Frank Marasco says the lease will benefit the racetrack, casino, as well as taxpayers.

The lease lists the annual rent at $24 million and is subject to final approval by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

Since opening in 89, Prairie Meadows has generated $2.5 billion in funding for projects in central Iowa.

Relief is coming for Des Moines area homeowners whose houses were damaged by severe weather earlier this summer.

Through a grant from the National Association of Realtors, Iowa Realtors will provide up to $1,000 to help with mortgage or rent payments or the cost of hotels for residents who had to evacuate.

It's, it's been their thing for a long time, and they still do it really well.

We went out to the, uh, races at Prairie Meadows on Saturday, and I was thinking, the Preakness moving back a week and a day, uh, to hopefully entice Derby winners to participate, the next time a horse wins the Triple Crown, Andy, should it have an asterisk?

I d- I don't think so.

Um, I think if you've got a full field...

Bullard is, uh, basically confirmed now for, uh, trainer Michael McCarthy.

He was the grade three Bob Hope winner as a two-year-old back in 2024, and then he's coming off of a runner-up performance to Navajo Warrior in the Cornhusker out of Prairie Meadows.

Uh, he's a horse that seems like he, uh, he's by Gun Runner, so might still have some more, uh, improvement left in him.

And I think he could be a horse that's kind of on the upswing a little bit.