Viesker, who died on Monday, was not only the best Finnish horse ever. It was also an important piece of national self-esteem for the followers of Finnish equestrian sports, writes nutrition journalist Ville Toivonen.
Viesker left an indelible mark on his Finnish trotting people. JARKKO TAPOLA / IL ARCHIVE
At the same time as the puck lions winning Olympic gold celebrated their victory at a folk festival whipped by a snowstorm, significant news rushed from the world of trotting. The best Finnish horse of all time Viesker is gone.
The news wasn’t surprising – Viesker was 32, which is a remarkably high age for a horse – but for many trotters, the information was still stopping. Viesker was one of the most famous and beloved trotting horses of all time, a true folk favorite that has hardly been seen in the sport.
For many, it can be hard to even imagine time without Viesker. The stallion made its real breakthrough in its six-year season in 1995, when it won 14 times and sealed its breakthrough to the top of the breed by winning the Nordic Championship.
Viesker’s glorious six-year season began exactly a week after the Finnish national hockey team had won its historic World Cup gold in Stockholm. If the Lions’ first world championship has been considered significant for the self-esteem of Finland, which has struggled with the whole recession, the years of Viesker’s glory coincided at least with the count’s time.
After the recession, trotting had plunged into a wild spiral after the recession. Apart from the situation in the world economy, horse racing was also punished by the Long Draw launched by Veikkaus in 1993, which revolutionized the betting market in Finland.
The racetracks were on the verge of bankruptcy, the prizes were sadly small and The future of all professional equestrian sports in Finland is at stake.
In the midst of all the misery ravikansa longed for heroes, and as such Viesker soared. It was the first horse to win the trotting kingdom five times in a row and also washed the Swedish and Norwegian cold-blooded ones from time to time.
Viesker also won the Elitloppet cold-blooded match at the Elitlampet weekend five times, despite a bad start twice.
Especially in 1997 Elitkampen’s victory is remembered in the circles as the fall and victory of Lasse Virén At the Munich Olympics 10,000 meters in 1972.
After such stages, these races are simply not won.
Viesker was a popular astronomer, which has been needed in Finland since the great Charme Asserdal in the late 1970s.
Apart from Charme and Viesker, there have been no similar superstars in the whole nation in Finland. BWT Magic and Brad de Veluwe seemed to rise as such, but their careers were cut short by injuries.
From 1996 to 2000, Viesker was arguably the best cold-blooded bloodcaster in the world. In those years, it ran a total of 101 starts, of which the stallion won 94 – all the time competing against the best cold-blooded people in the world. In his early career, Viesker was uncertain, but in his glorious years it was a clinical winning machine that didn’t give its opponents a chance at the beginning or end of the race.
The actual reign ended with the 2000 Royal Championship, after which Viesker broke his leg and competed only three times in the next 20 months. After injuries, Viesker returned to the top and won another 18 times with 29 tries, but it was no longer the same completely superior superstar.
Pictured in the Viesker Joensuu Royal Trench in 2000. Ride Kaarlo Ahokas. MIKA LINDQVIST
Viesker’s career ended with two starts in the 15-year 2004 season. The stallion won both, but its backing forces found that the harness no longer had the same old Viesker, and it retired from the racetracks.
The breeding career continued, and with more than 1,500 offspring, Viesker has left the most offspring of Finnish horses ever. The star was also a star in breedingand Viesker has left his eternal mark on the Finnish horse breed through his foals.
You can’t talk about a visitor without Kaarlo and Kari Ahoka. The brothers, who owned half of Viesker, were important figures in stallion life.
Kaarlo drove most of Viesker’s starts, while Kari was already the most important working couple in her daily life during Viesker’s racing career. When Kaarlo Ahokas died in the spring of 2016, Kari Ahokka’s role as the court servant of old Viesker was further emphasized.
Earned a total of more than three million euros from breeds and breeding Viesker revolutionized the life of the Ahokka brothers, both financially and mentally, and they also knew how to give the Finnish horse of all time the value it deserves.
Viesker was able to end his racing career victoriously, and a few years ago he also retired from breeding.
Viesker’s last public appearance was last summer, and even then the stallion was still in great shape and his eyes bright. Now that the champion’s miles were full, its owners also knew how to make the right decision and put Viesker’s grave to rest.
A good life ended in a good death.