Horse Race Track
Solvalla
Location	Bromma, Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Year opened	1927
Race type	Standardbred - Harness racing Harness racing 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, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
Driver champion	Björn Goop (109 wins at Solvalla in 2008)
Trainer champion	Stig H. Johansson Stig H. Johansson Stig Henry Johansson is a Swedish trotting trainer and former driver. He started his career as a professional trainer in 1969, and has during a large part of the career been a dominating force in Swedish trotting. He is, arguably, the greatest in Swedish trotting history. Internationally, he is... (SEK11,989,664 won at Solvalla in 2008)
Website	www.solvalla.se
Principal Races
Elitloppet Elitloppet Elitloppet or Solvallas Internationella Elitlopp is an annual, invitational Group One harness event that has taken place at Solvalla Racetrack in Stockholm, Sweden since 1952. The competition is regarded as one of the most prestigious international events in trotting...
Swedish Trotting Criterium Swedish Trotting Criterium The Swedish Trotting Criterium is an annual national Group One harness event for trotters that is held at Solvalla in Stockholm, Sweden...
Swedish Trotting Oaks Swedish Trotting Oaks The Swedish Trotting Oaks is an annual national Group One harness event for trotters that is held at Solvalla in Stockholm, Sweden...
Jubileumspokalen Jubileumspokalen Jubileumspokalen or Solvallas Jubileumspokal is an annual Group One harness event for trotters that is held at Solvalla in Stockholm, Sweden. Jubileumspokalen has taken place since 1977. In 2008, the purse of the event was approximately US$281,000 .-Origin:In 1977, Solvalla's 50th Anniversary was...

Solvalla is a horse racing track located in Bromma, Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. It was opened in 1927 and is the biggest harness racing

Harness racing

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, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...

 venue in the Nordic countries

Nordic countries

The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...

. The last Sunday in May, Solvalla annually hosts Elitloppet

Elitloppet

Elitloppet or Solvallas Internationella Elitlopp is an annual, invitational Group One harness event that has taken place at Solvalla Racetrack in Stockholm, Sweden since 1952. The competition is regarded as one of the most prestigious international events in trotting...

, one of trotting's most prestigious international events.

Elitloppet

• International Group I race.
• Setup: Sixteen invited horses are divided into two elimination heats. Four horses from each heat progress to the final, raced later the same day. All races are of 1,609 meters, i.e. one mile.
• Date: Is always raced on the last Sunday of May, which meant May 31 in 2009.
• Purse (2009, the final and the elimination heats included): ≈US$803,000 (SEK 6,100,000).
• Titleholder: Iceland (driven by Johnny Takter), winner in 2010.

Swedish Trotting Criterium

• National Group I stakes race for Swedish three-year-olds.
• Setup (2008): Six elimination races from which the first two horses progressed to the final eleven days later. All races 2,640 meters long.
• Date (2008, the final): October 5.
• Purse (2008, the final only): ≈US$458,000 (SEK 3,200,000).
• Titleholder: Raja Mirchi (driven by Lutfi Kolgjini), winner in 2010.

Swedish Trotting Oaks

• National Group I stakes race for Swedish three-year-old fillies.
• Setup (2008): Six elimination races from which the first two horses progressed to the final eleven days later. All races 2,140 meters long.
• Date (2008, the final): October 5.
• Purse (2008, the final only): ≈US$286,000 (SEK 2,000,000).
• Titleholder: Tamla Celeber (driven by Örjan Kihlström), winner in 2010.

Jubileumspokalen

• International Group I race.
• Setup (2008): 2,140 meters. Ten horses competed in the event. Some were invited, some qualified through qualification races.
• Date (2008): August 9.
• Purse (2008): ≈US$281,000 (SEK 1,750,000).
• Titleholder: Nu Pagadi (driven by Erik Adielsson), winner in 2010.

Driver champions

During the 83 years since the track's opening in 1927, there have been only 13 different driver champions at Solvalla. From 1934 until 1976, one of the three Nordin brothers won every year, with the exception of 1949 and 1975. Oldest brother Gösta won ten times, as did middle brother Gunnar. Youngest brother Sören Nordin

Sören Nordin

Ernst Sören Nordin was a Swedish harness racing driver and trainer who later started a stable in America. Nordin won 3,221 races in 10 different countries as a driver, he won the Swedish Trotting Derby 11 times – still a record. In 1950, Nordin won the Prix d'Amérique, and in 1953 the Elitloppet...

 was track champion 21 times. After the dominance of the Nordins, Stig H. Johansson

Stig H. Johansson

Stig Henry Johansson is a Swedish trotting trainer and former driver. He started his career as a professional trainer in 1969, and has during a large part of the career been a dominating force in Swedish trotting. He is, arguably, the greatest in Swedish trotting history. Internationally, he is...

 took over and claimed the champion title no less than 29 times between 1975 and 2005, his last year as a driver. 27 of these titles were consecutive, from 1979 to 2005. Örjan Kihlström is the reigning driver champion.

Driver champions ranked by number of titles

Rank	Driver	Number of titles	Years
1	Stig H. Johansson Stig H. Johansson Stig Henry Johansson is a Swedish trotting trainer and former driver. He started his career as a professional trainer in 1969, and has during a large part of the career been a dominating force in Swedish trotting. He is, arguably, the greatest in Swedish trotting history. Internationally, he is...	29	1975, 1977, 1979-2005
2	Sören Nordin Sören Nordin Ernst Sören Nordin was a Swedish harness racing driver and trainer who later started a stable in America. Nordin won 3,221 races in 10 different countries as a driver, he won the Swedish Trotting Derby 11 times – still a record. In 1950, Nordin won the Prix d'Amérique, and in 1953 the Elitloppet...	21	1942, 1944-1946, 1948, 1954, 1956-1959, 1961, 1963-1964, 1966, 1969-1974, 1976
T3	Gunnar Nordin	10	1947, 1950-1951, 1953, 1955, 1960, 1962, 1965, 1967-1968
T3	Gösta Nordin	10	1934-1941, 1943, 1952
T5	Sixten Lundgren	3	1931-1933
T5	Björn Goop	3	2007-2009
T7	Ernst J. Nordin	2	1928-1929
T8	Erik Adielsson	1	2006
T8	Alfred Johansson	1	1927
T8	Örjan Kihlström	1	2010
T8	Erik Larsson	1	1949
T8	Berndt Lindstedt	1	1978
T8	Carl A. Schoug	1	1930

External links

Official website

• Venue information