While the vast majority of 17-year-olds are still working hard at school, Tuukka Varis is rapidly building a career as a trotting instructor.
At the age of 17, Tuukka Varis, who is rising rapidly in the instructor market, has won more than anyone in decades. Juho Hämäläinen / Finnish Hippos
At the beginning of the last decade, Finland’s trotting tracks saw a rapid generational change, when several trainers born in the early 1990s made their breakthrough in the riding market. There are currently four instructors born in the 1990s in the top five of this year’s drivers’ league.
Santtu Raitala, Hannu Torvinen, Olli Koivunen and Jukka Torvinen however, they already look like old men to what is now on the rise in the rider market Tuukka to Varis compared to. Varis is still not worried about the top of the statistics, as he is in the shared 36th place in this year’s driver statistics with his 19 wins, but the pace is fierce for the 17-year-old.
Something about Varis’ winning pace, born in January 2005, can be seen by comparing it to today’s top drivers. Hannu Torvinen, born in February 1992, achieved two victories in 2009, Santtu Raitala, born in November 1991, also achieved two victories in 2009. Tuukka Varis’ winning pace is not the highest of all time for a 17-year-old, but harder numbers must be sought from the 1970s.
– I must be really happy that I have gotten off to such a good start. I have tried to invest in guiding, and the investment seems to be paying off. There have been more horses to ride all the time, Tuukka Varis sums up his situation.
Varis was already successful as a pony driver, but his rise to the reins of horses has been quick and successful. On Saturday in Lappeenranta, Tuukka Varis will reach one milestone, when he steers for the first time in the final of a major competition. The competition is the Wild Man’s Mare Competition with a first prize of 42,000 euros, where Varis guides the Mikkeli Jouni Hillbomin trained by Grove’s Pansy Poof.
– The horse was extremely great in the qualifying and was definitely second, even though it was a 133-fold surprise. After the race, we had joyful moments with the coach, describes Varis.
Race around Finland
Tuukka Varis, who lives in Hämeenkyrö, is thirsty for more wins, as he greedily travels around Finland racing. On Thursday night he raced in Lahti with one horse, on Friday Kaustinen has four horses, on Saturday two horses in Lappeenranta, on Sunday two horses in Kajaani and on Monday one horse in Oulu. Tuesday is a break from racing, but on Wednesday in Vermo, Varis races again with one horse.
Varis, who got his driver’s license with an exception at the age of 17, accumulates quite a few kilometers on the odometer during these times.
– There are a lot of trips that don’t make financial sense, but at this point in my career I’ve tried not to think too much about that. Every beginner driver has to make financially unprofitable trips, and I consider them more of an investment in the future, describes Varis.
In addition to racing, Varis works as a trotting coach on an apprenticeship contract Riina Rekilä Hämeenkyrö. Varis is from Äänekoski.
– Riina has given good keys to a career, which means you can always go racing, and the trips last as long as they last. I try to work at the stables at least in the mornings, but common sense says that not every raver can drive home all night. On longer trips, it’s a big help that both my parents live in Central Finland, and it’s good to stay at their place.
According to Varis, pursuing a career in horse racing was an easy, but not an obvious decision.
– I wondered if I wanted to study something else, and I was interested in some other fields, but the horse industry interested me even more, Varis describes.
– I think that you have to follow your own dreams. Steering has an addictive feel. At best, you get a euphoric feeling from the pace and working with the horse.
The story was fixed at 10:11: Title changed.