HISTORY

1817	The first trotting race on the ice of the river Aura in Turku.
1865	Horse races supported by the state get started and become regular.
1884	The first racetrack is built in Helsinki.
1907	The studbook for Finnhorses is founded. Horse breeding is organized by creating regional breeding associations.
1919	Suomen Ravirengas, the Finnish Trotting Association, is established as a central organization for private trotting associations.
1924	Kuninkuusravit, the Finnhorse Trotting Championship, is established in Lahti. The magazine Hevoslehti, the antecesor of the magazine Hevosurheilu (”Horse Sports”), is founded.
1928	Totalizator is introduced in horse races.
1957	The first standardbred horses are brought into the country.
1959	The standardbreds get the right to compete in Finland. Import of standardbreds begins.
1965	Betting Statute is amended more favourable for betters, totalizator turnover starts to rise strikingly. Trotting sport becomes more and more modern.
1973	The central organizations for trotting and breeding unite into Suomen Hippos.
1977	Charme Asserdal sets a new European record 1.13,9. The race track Vermo in Helsinki is completed.
1979	The trotting king Vieteri reaches the amount of 1 million Finnish marks in prize money as the first horse in Finland. The standardbred stallion Einarsin does the same in 1986.
1980	The Finnish born stallion Rocky wins the European Championship for 5-year-olds. Pekka Korpi wins the European Championship for drivers and repeats it in the two following years.
1982	The right to organize the national pool V5 is moved to the company Oy Veikkaus Ab. Pari-mutuel totalizator wagering continues to be carried out by Suomen Hippos.
1985	Jorma Kontio wins the European Championship for drivers. He repeats it in 1998.
1993	The stallion Smooth Blend, brought from the USA, sets up the world record 1.10,9a for 1000-meter-tracks in Mikkeli.
1995	Houston Laukko wins the Grand Circuit, as the first horse of Finnish breeding. Totalizator in OTB-shops is started by Suomen Hippos.
1999	BWT Magic wins the European Championship for 3-year-olds in Tampere, Finland.
2000	Viesker wins the Trotting King title and the Nordic Championship for the fifth time in succession.
2001	Hippos establishes a company for totalizator wagering activities. Fintoto Oy begins operations on 1. January 2001. Finland hosts the World Trotting Conference in July 2001. The World Championship for Drivers takes place in the same week, organized by Sweden and Finland through joint efforts. The new World Champion is Jody Jamieson of Canada.

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