The winner of Finlandia-Ajo to Elitloppet again this year. There will also be two pony races and Finland's biggest monté race. There will also be three STL divisions at Vermo.
Finland's and Sweden's capital city racecourses, Vermo and Solvalla, continue their excellent cooperation in connection with Finlandia-Ajo and Elitloppet. Finland's biggest sprint race Finlandia-Ajo will be held on Sunday, May 10 at Vermo Areena in Helsinki with a first prize of 110,000 euros. For the fifth year in a row, the winner of the race will be directly qualified for Elitloppet. The winners of the A and B pony races and the Prix Monté Finlandia will also be directly qualified for the Elitlopp weekend's Monté elite. Both the Mini and Lilla Elitloppet pony races and the Monté elite will be run on Elitlopp Sunday.
- I think we have a great collaboration with Vermo and to expand this feels stimulating when the Finlandia-Ajo day always holds high sporting class. Solvalla has a lot of traveling Finns during the elite race weekend and we hope this can further increase that interest", says Solvalla's Sports Manager Anders Malmrot.
On Finlandia Sunday, three STL divisions will also be run.
- This year we are running three STL trials at Vermo. In previous years we have had Class I and the Bronze Division at Vermo, but we are now also expanding with the Silver Division. It is good for the STL finals at Solvalla on May 30 with three trials at Vermo, it means that we get more international STL finals at Solvalla during the Elitlopp weekend", says Mattias Stenby at Svensk Travsport.
Elitloppet is the main attraction during the Elitlopp weekend, which will be held at Solvalla in Stockholm on May 29-31, 2020. Elitloppet is an invitational race where 16 horses compete in two different trials with eight horses in each. The top four in each trial meet in a final where the winner receives three million SEK.
Finlandia-Ajo is Finland's most important international race, which has been running since 1980. Readly Express won last year's Finlandia-Ajo. This year the event will be even bigger.
On Saturday, May 9, the Finnish 75-lap race will be run with the Finnish Derby as a highlight. Sunday, May 10, will be a high-class and international trotting day with Finlandia-Ajo and STL divisions, among others.
- There are many races that Nordic trainers aim for. Racing during the Elitlopp weekend is a dream for many Finnish trainers and owners. There is a three-week gap between Finlandia-Ajo and Elitloppet, which is probably optimal. We have a good cooperation with Solvalla and ST", says Miika Lähdeniemi, Vermo's Sports Director.
For more information:
Solvalla's Sports Director Anders Malmrot +46 70 636 00 58
Vermo's Head of Sport Miika Lähdeniemi +358 45 788 16738
Press release from Vermo racecourse January 10, 2020.
Photo: TR Bild.
