Erkki Jorma Kontio (born August 7, 1953 in Oulu, Finland) is a Finnish Harness racing driver. With more than 11,000 wins, [1] he is the most victorious harness driver in Scandinavia.
Kontio started his career in the late 1960s. Since 2000 he has lived in Sweden. Kontio's daughter Anna-Julia Kontio is a successful Finnish equestrian in Show jumping.
Finnish Trotting Derby: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2009, 2011 Finnish Trotting Criterium: 1975, 1992, 1993, 2008, 2010 The Finlandia Race: 1985, 1986, 2007 Kuninkuusravit: 2015 [2] 
Swedish Trotting Derby: 2008, 2016 Swedish Trotting Criterium: 2009, 2012, 2015, 2017 Hugo Åbergs Memorial: 1995 Åby Stora Pris: 1993, 2001, 2013
European Trotting Derby: 1992, 2016 3-year-old European Championship : 2014 5-year-old European Championship: 1994, 2017
Grand critérium de vitesse de la Côte d'Azur: 1995, 2008 Grand Prix du Sud-Ouest: 1996, 2000 Critérium Continental: 2004
Gran Premio Tino Triossi: 2001, 2005 Gran Premio Orsi Mangelli: 2003 Gran Premio delle Nazioni: 2008, 2009 Premio Costa Azurra: 1995, 1999
Grote Prijs der Giganten: 1985, 1986, 1993
Graf Kalman Hunyady Memorial: 1998, 2000
Copenhagen Cup: 1992
Grosser Preis von Bild Hamburg: 1986, 1995
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait. They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia and New Zealand, races with jockeys riding directly on saddled trotters are also conducted.
Michael J. Kinane is an Irish former flat racing jockey. He had a 34-year career, retiring on 8 December 2009.
Olivier Peslier is a French thoroughbred horse racing jockey.
Patrick James John Eddery was an Irish flat racing jockey and trainer. He rode three winners of the Derby and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a figure exceeded only by Sir Gordon Richards.
André Fabre is a French thoroughbred horse racing trainer.
Varenne is a dark bay racing trotter by Waikiki Beach out of Ialmaz by Zebu.
Peter Chapple-Hyam is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He trained Dr Devious to win The Derby in 1992 and repeated the feat with Authorized in 2007. He managed two Group One wins in his first season as a trainer in 1991. Away from racing he is a keen supporter of West Bromwich Albion F.C.
John Leeper Dunlop was an English race horse trainer based in Arundel, Sussex. He trained the winners of 74 Group One races, including 10 British Classics, with over 3000 winners in total. He was the British flat racing Champion Trainer in 1995.
Victory Tilly is a Swedish former racing trotter by Quick Pay out of Icora Tilly by Fakir du Vivier.
Copiad was a Swedish breeding stallion and former racing trotter by Texas out of Bibbi Girl by Big Lama.
Ina Scot was a Swedish racing trotter by Allen Hanover out of Lovina Grefgård by Mad Scot.
Åby Stora Pris is an annual Group One harness event for trotters that is held at Åby Racetrack in Mölndal, 10 km south of Gothenburg, Sweden. Åby Stora Pris has taken place since 1936, the same year Åby Racetrack was opened. In 2008, the purse of the event was approximately US$359,000 (SEK2,400,000). Åby Stora Pris is part of the European Grand Circuit.
Olympiatravet is an annual Group One harness event for trotters that is held at Åby Racetrack in Mölndal, 10 km south of Gothenburg, Sweden. The event was carried through for the first time in 1979. In 2009, the purse of the final was approximately US$326,000 (SEK2,750,000).
Digger Crown was a Swedish breeding stallion and racing trotter by Lindy's Crown out of O'Chita by Linus T.
Passionate Kemp is a Finnish former Standardbred trotter by Lindy Lane out of Sonata Lobell by Mystic Park.
Gran Premio Lotteria, or Gran Premio della Lotteria, or in short, Lotteria, is an annual Group One harness event that takes place at Agnano Racetrack in Naples, Italy. The competition, which was inaugurated in 1951, is regarded as one of the most prestigious international events in trotting. The winner is decided through three qualifying heats and a subsequent final later the same day. Both the eliminations and the final are raced over 1,600 meters. Gran Premio Lotteria is part of the European Grand Circuit and the overall purse for the 2009 event was €600,600, equalling approximately US$795,000. The fastest winning time in the history of the race is 1:10.5, run by Timone Ek in 2017.
The European Trotting Derby, also called UET Grand Prix and Grand Prix de l'UET, is an annual Group One harness event that is arranged by the European Trotting Union, UET. The final takes place on a racetrack in one of the member countries of UET. The event is open for 4-year-old European-born trotters and was first raced in 1985. The 2009 final will be hosted by Tampere Racetrack, Finland, and has a purse of approximately US$607,000, or €460,000.
Finlandia-Ajo 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 mile, 1,609 meters. Finlandia-Ajo is part of the European Grand Circuit and the overall purse for the 2009 event was €190,000, equalling approximately US$247,000.
Anthony Grant Herlihy is a New Zealand driver and trainer of standardbred racehorses. He was associated with many champions and has been a leading driver of harness horses in New Zealand. In 2014, he was inducted into the New Zealand Trotting Hall of Fame, and he has also been inducted into the Inter Dominion Hall of Fame.
The Breeders Crown Open Mare Trot is a harness racing event for three-year-old and older Standardbred mare trotters. It is one part of the Breeders Crown annual series of twelve races for both Standardbred trotters and pacers. First run in 1986, it is contested over a distance of one mile. Race organizers have awarded the event to various racetracks across North America.