Finlandia-Ajo ("Finlandia Race") is an annual

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

harness event that takes place at

Vermo Racetrack Vermo is the main harness racing track of Finland, opened in 1977. It is located in the Leppävaara district of Espoo, but is officially regarded as the racecourse of the neighbouring Helsinki. Length of the track is 1000 metres and width 24–26 ...

Espoo Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. The competition, which was inaugurated in 1980, is regarded as Finland's biggest trotting event. It is raced over the mile, 1,609 meters. Finlandia-Ajo is part of the

European Grand Circuit European Grand Circuit (french: Grand Circuit européen) was a harness racing series arranged by European Trotting Union. It was held from 1956 to 2011. The competition was replaced by UET Masters Series in 2012. The circuit consisted of the ma ...

and the overall purse for the 2009 event was €190,000, equalling approximately US$247,000.

Racing conditions

Finlandia-Ajo is decided through a one-mile race. The first eight years (1980-1987), the race was over a slightly shorter distance (1,600 meters, 0.99 mile), but since 1988, the distance has been one mile. The race has always been started by the use of auto start.

Past winners

Horses with most wins

* 2 - Giesolo de Lou (1999, 2000) * 2 - Napoletano (1988, 1989)

Drivers with most wins

* 4 -

Jean-Michel Bazire Jean-Michel Bazire (born April 16, 1971) is a French harness racing driver. In 1999, he won the Prix d'Amérique driving Moni Maker Moni Maker (February 23, 1993 – May 2, 2014) was an American Standardbred racemare who was one of the most ...

(2005, 2008, 2009, 2011) * 3 -

Stig H. Johansson Stig Henry Johansson (born 26 July 1945 in Forsa, Hälsingland, Forsa, Hälsingland, Sweden) is a Swedish trotting trainer and former driver. He started his career as a professional trainer in 1969, and has during a large part of the career been a ...

(1988, 1989, 2004) * 3 -

Jorma Kontio Erkki Jorma Kontio (born August 7, 1953 in Oulu, Finland) is a Finnish Harness racing driver. With more than 11,000 wins, he is the most victorious harness driver in Scandinavia. Kontio started his career in the late 1960s. Since 2000 he has live ...

(1985, 1986, 2007) * 2 -

Olle Goop Per Olov "Olle" Goop (13 August 1943 – 20 April 2022) was a Swedish trotting driver and trainer who specialised in harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They ...

(1983, 1987) * 2 -

Joseph Verbeeck Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

(1998, 2003) * 2 -

Björn Goop Björn Olov Goop (born 13 October 1976 in Mölndal), is a Swedish trotting trainer and driver. Together with his father, Olle Goop (until his death in 2022), he runs one of Sweden's most successful training camps for trotting horses, Goop Stable, ...

(2010, 2012)

Trainers with most wins

* 4 - Fabrice Souloy (2003, 2008, 2009, 2011) * 3 - Olle Goop (1983, 1987, 2010) * 2 - Jean-Etienne Dubois (1999, 2000) * 2 - Stig Engberg (1988, 1989)

Sires with most winning offsprings

* 2 - Biesolo (Giesolo de Lou, Oiseau de Feux) * 2 - Quick Pay (Atas Fighter L., Born Quick) * 2 - Texas (Grades Singing, Copiad) * 2 - Super Bowl (Davidia Hanover, Napoletano)

Racing conditions

Past winners

Horses with most wins

Drivers with most wins

Trainers with most wins

Sires with most winning offsprings

Countries, number of wins

All winners of Finlandia-Ajo

See also

References