The Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap is an American Grade III thoroughbred horse race held annually at the end of June at

Prairie Meadows Prairie Meadows is a Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racetrack casino located in Altoona, Iowa, United States. History and information In 1984, Prairie Meadows received a license from the Iowa Racing and Gaming commission to operate a horse racing ...

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

. 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 largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

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), born in Colver, Pennsylvania, was a Hall of Fame jockey. Colver is in the northwestern part of Cambria Township, 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Ebensburg, the county seat. ...

. 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

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 describe ...

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

Jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or 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 to describe the individual ...

: * 4 – Larry J. Durousseau (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970) Most wins by a Trainer: * 3 –

Brad H. Cox Brad H. Cox (born March 3, 1980) is a Thoroughbred racehorse horse trainer, trainer whose most notable horses include multiple Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl, Knicks Go, Covfefe (horse), Covfefe, Mandaloun (horse), Mandaloun, and Essential Qua ...

(2014, 2020, 2021) * 3 – Albert Vizcaya (1968, 1969, 1970) * 3 –

Jack Van Berg John Charles "Jack" Van Berg (June 7, 1936 in Columbus, Nebraska – 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 ...

(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 Recurring sporting events established in 1966 1966 establishments in Nebraska