This year’s Ravigaala was held at the Barona Areena in Espoo. This celebration for the best of the year is a big event for all of horse people involved in harness racing. Touching moments were seen and happy tears shed.

Saran Salama greeted his audience for the last time on Barona Areena, and was nominated to Star’s Stable, the Hall of Fame of horses. Photo: Ilkka Lukka

The most touching words of the evening came from Saran Salama’s owner Sara-Juulia Perttunen: “Saran Salama has been my whole life. I was only eight years old when he was born. The horse has so great meaning to me, a young girl, so I can not even imagine what he means to my father (breeder-trainer-driver Tapio Perttunen) or Erkki (Suhonen, Tapio’s trusted helper for years), who have worked with race horses for their whole lives.”

Ravigaala’s award winners are chosen each year by Suomen Ravitoimittajat, (Finnish racing journalists) association. There have been also votings on the internet, but this year the three most significant category winnings were based purely on open vote. There were four nominees in each category: The driver, the trainer and the horse of the year. About 3000 votes were given.

Horse of the year, the three-year-old international sensation Brad de Veluwe gathered 56% of the votes and sparkled in many categories. His breeder Lars Ingman Oy Ab was the breeder of the year, and groom Marie Karlsson was awarded for her hard work on the horse. The owner group thanked her as a true treasure. Tuomas Korvenoja gained the trainer of the year nomination with 47% of the votes. He summed up this year as the best of his career both in success and great feelings.

Trotter Queen and the finnhorse of the year nomination was given to I.P. Vipotiina (28% of the votes). Driver award was given to Ari Moilanen, who turned 50 years old 2011, reached the Trotter King win with Villihotti for the first time in his life (though there have been multiple Trotter Queen wins) and has been an audience favourite for years. He gathered 47% of the votes and won also Fintoto’s Kultakypärä (golden helmet) driver competition with most race wins in a month.

4-year-old finnhorse: Elmoori
5-year-old finnhorse: Sörkän Sälli
3-year-old warmblood: Brad de Veluwe
4-year-old warmblood: Seabiscuit
Youth action: Rovaniemi (Mäntyvaaran ravinuoret)
Monté-rider: Jenni Kaija
Summer race track: Vieremä
Golden helmet-competition: Ari Moilanen

Elite Mare: Celebration Ride (Finnish race horse breeders’ nomination)

Race track: Pori
Older warmblood stallion: Le Cannibale
Older finnhorse stallion: Tuokkolan Touho
Older warmblood mare: Target Hoss
Older finnhorse mare/Finnhorse of the year: I.P. Vipotiina
Comet: Orlando Croft
Most wins: Xanthis Seastar
Woman athlete award: Kati Lindsberg
Act of the year: EL Mistress Eeva’s charity project (over 20 000 euro for a children’s hospital)

Groom of the year: Marie Karlsson
Horse owner of the year: Ravitalli Suuronen Oy
Breeder of the year: Oy Lars Ingman Ab
Driver of the year: Ari Moilanen (open voting)
Trainer of the year: Tuomas Korvenoja (open voting)
Horse of the year: Brad de Veluwe (open voting)
nomination to Star’s Stable: Saran Salama

Special distinction: Finnhorses’ success in Paris coldblood race

Special distinction: Golda Apache

Special distinction: Jarno Kauhanen – on Womanizer’s success