Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
“It’s super nice here in Australia, and I hope to be back soon,” said Anna Hiltunen after driving unplaced runner Del Bocavista Bay in a race for novice drivers at Gloucester Park on Tuesday night.
The 25-year-old from Helsinki, the charming seaside capital city of Finland, will return home on Saturday week when her work visa expires after she has spent the past 12 months working as a stablehand for Busselton trainer Barry Howlett.
“I love horses and surfing and I’m hoping to be able to get another visa to come back to WA,” she said.
Hiltunen has had 29 drives in WA for five placings and dearly loves to be able to get back here to notch a few wins. She has driven eight winners and 11 placegetters from 89 drives on seven different tracks in Finland. She has also had the experience of riding trotters in monte evens in France.
She also had 29 rides as a jockey for four seconds and one third placing.
Apart from the major track, Vermo, in Helsinki, there are 18 provincial tracks in the country. Trotting is extremely popular, and it is the second most watched sport in Finland, after ice hockey.