Finlandia Ajo
| Group One International race | |
| Location |
Vermo Racetrack, Helsinki, Finland
|
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1980 |
| Race type | Harness race for standardbred trotters |
| Website | http://www.vermo.fi/finlandia/fi/finlandiayleista/index.php (in Finnish) |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1,609 meters (1 mile) |
| Track | Left-handed 1,000 meter track (0.62 mile) |
| Qualification | Age 4-14. Invitational |
| Purse | ≈US$247,000 (€190,000) |
Finlandia-Ajo (approximately: "The Finlandia Race") is an annual Group One harness event that takes place at Vermo Racetrack in Helsinki, Finland. 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 and the overall purse for the 2009 event was €190,000, equalling approximately US$247,000. The fastest winning time in the history of the race is 1:10.8, run by Opal Viking in 2007.
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.
French stallion Igor Font, trained by Fabrice Souloy and driven by Jean-Michel Bazire, was considered to be the favourite.
Turnaround took the lead initially, but handed it over to Copper Beech at an early stage. Favourite Igor Font followed in third and made his move down the back stretch when he followed Turnaround forward when Kolgjini moved out his Swedish stallion and attacked. Down the home stretch, Igor Font sprinted away and won the race easily. Lönshults Danne provided an inspired finish to end as runner-up and Camilla Highness came in third.
The winning time for the French 5-year-old after Andover Hall, was 1:55.3 (mile rate)/1:11.8 (km rate). The winner's share of the purse was €110,000 (US$145,000).
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