Vermo (in Finnish: ''Vermon ravirata'') is the largest

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...

track in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. The track was opened in 1977. It is located in the

Leppävaara Leppävaara () is a district of Espoo, a city in Finland. The Rantarata rail line and the Ring Road I, the busiest road in Finland, cross in Leppävaara, thus making it a major traffic hub in the Greater Helsinki region. The Sello Shopping Cent ...

district of

Espoo Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...

, but is officially regarded as the racecourse of the neighbouring

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

. Length of the track is 1000 metres and width 24–26 metres. Notable race is

Finlandia-Ajo Finlandia-Ajo ("Finlandia Race") is an annual Group One harness event that takes place at Vermo Racetrack in Espoo, Finland. The competition, which was inaugurated in 1980, is regarded as Finland's biggest trotting event. It is raced over the mi ...

. In 2023, it was disclosed that the racetrack received over 6 million euros in Finnish government subsidies the previous year. From 2020 to 2022, the track was subsidized by 18 million in public subsidies. In 2024, the city of Helsinki proposed plans to turn the racetrack into a dense residential area.

References

External links

The official homepage of Vermo
Buildings and structures in Espoo Sport in Espoo Leppävaara Harness racing in Finland Horse racing in Finland Horse racing venues Sports venues in Helsinki {{coord, 60, 12, 59, N, 24, 50, 23, E, display=title