Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap

Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap
Grade III race
LocationPrairie Meadows
Altoona, Iowa, United States
Inaugurated1966
Race typeThoroughbredFlat racing
Websitewww.prairiemeadows.com
Race information
Distance1+18 miles (9 furlongs)
SurfaceDirt
Trackleft-handed
QualificationThree-year-olds and up
WeightHandicap
Purse$300,000

The Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap is an American Grade III thoroughbred horse race held annually at the end of June at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa. The race is open to horses age three years and older and currently offers a purse of $300,000. Raced at a distance of 118 miles on dirt, from 1966 through 1973 it was run at 1116 miles.[1]

Inaugurated in 1966, the Cornhusker Handicap was originally run at the Ak-Sar-Ben Racetrack in Omaha, Nebraska 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.

Julie Krone 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 along with the Iowa Derby and Iowa Oaks purses.[2]

  1. ^ "Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap". Equibase. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Purse Cuts for Festival of Racing at Prairie Meadows". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 2020-07-06.