The weekend when harness racing is on everyone´s lips
On Friday 31 July, the stage will be set for one of the largest and most popular traditions in Finland – the Kuninkuusravit, aka Royal Races, when Finland's best draught horses compete in three strenuous races held over two days.
The Royal Races were first held in 1924, so this tradition is nearly a hundred years old. To find out more about its history, we talked to Lauri Hyvönen. Hyvönen was just 16 years old when he made his debut as commentator for the Royal Races – and this year will be his 16th time.
- It had originally been decided in early spring that the Royal Races would be cancelled this year. This decision drew a lot of opposition, and so fortunately it was reversed. This year the races will be held in Seinäjoki with just 1,000 spectators, and we hope that we can admit many more next year, says Hyvönen.
The Royal Races is a very popular event that kicks off the summer each year in Finland, drawing audiences of up to 30,000 each day.
- It is one of the largest festivals in Finland, and it is quite popular amongst both trotting fans and those who do not attend trotting events the rest of the year. It is the weekend where this sport is on everyone's lips and we are given extensive media coverage. The horses that compete have fans from their hometowns who come and cheer them on, says Hyvönen.
The winner of the Royal Races is named the best Finnish draught horse of that year. The horses run three races in two days – 2,100 metres on Saturday, 1,600 metres early on Sunday, and finish with 3,100 metres approximately three hours later that same day. The horse with the best total time overall is the winner.
- In the 1950s, a points system was introduced to determine the winner, but this was fortunately dropped after a short time. It is much more exciting when the total times determine the winner. The last race of 3,100 metres is always quite nerve wracking, because there the drivers must really use their heads. The excitement is great when the judges start adding up the times after the last race is over. Sometimes it ends up being a matter of a few tenths of a second, says Hyvönen.
He says that the Royal Races is naturally a real test of strength for the horses, and that you rarely see 5- or 6-year-olds competing. This is a competition for horses with maturity and experience.
- Training a horse to compete in the Royal Races takes many years of work. 5-year-olds are permitted to compete, but none have done so since the 1970s. We have had a couple of 6-year-old trotting kings, like Vitter in 2016, but before him no 6-year-olds had competed in the Royal Races since the 1990s. This event is for more experienced horses – it is a great test of strength to run three races in such a short time, so the horses must be extremely fit.
The Royal Races winner is showered with honour and glory as well as a nice sum of prize money.
- The horse that wins the Royal Races is awarded a great deal of esteem and will cover many mares in subsequent seasons, says Hyvönen.
In the past, mares competed as well. In fact, it was a mare named Tomu who beat all stallion competitors four times in a row in the 1930s. From 1948 onwards, the best mare in the competition was given the title of Trotting Queen, but then Suhina won in 1956, in theory being both Trotting King and Trotting Queen, and so changes were made.
- In 1957 the races were divided so that the mares competed amongst themselves, because people did not think that a mare should become Trotting King. The mares run the same distances as the stallions on the same weekend, says Hyvönen.
Hyvönen is 36 years old and has worked as a commentator, reporter and TV presenter for trotting since he was 16. He loves the sport and believes traditions like the Royal Races should be preserved.
- The Royal Races is a very important event for trotting enthusiasts in Finland. It was even held one year during the war, because it meant so much to the people. It has become an institution. It is bigger than us, and a legacy that we must take care of for the generations to come.
This year, the Royal Races will be held in Seinäjoki. Due to the coronavirus, it will also be held there next year, and hopefully be open for 30,000 trotting fans to attend the event and share in the excitement.
- The fact that the event is moved around to different locations in Finland is a big reason why it is so popular. I recommend that all horse enthusiasts experience this at least once in their lives, says Hyvönen.
This year Evartti and Hetviina are the favourites to win.
But there is always the possibility of surprises at the Royal Races. You never know what's going to happen, which is what makes it so fun. The excitement isn’t over until the tenths of seconds have been added up, says Hyvönen.
