Horse racing community seeks to stop bettor’s abusive messages

Horse racing drivers and trainers across Finland have received threatening and insulting messages from the same number, with at least a dozen criminal reports filed, Yle reports.

The messages have reportedly continued for years. Recipients believe they were sent by a man from southwestern Finland whose failed betting games may have motivated the abuse.

Ville Ranta, a harness racing enthusiast from Tervola, received one of the messages after competing at the Kaukosen harness racing event in Kittilä several weeks ago. He won the second race with the mare Enchantress, while veteran gelding Noble Boy S finished sixth in the seventh race.

After the second race, Ranta checked his phone and found a message from someone he did not know.

“It is quite harsh when someone tells you to try a rope around your neck,” Ranta said.

Yle has seen the message, which was extensively insulting and abusive.

Ranta had not previously encountered anything similar. He asked in a discussion group commonly used by people involved in harness racing whether others had received comparable messages.

“Within a few minutes, several people replied that they had received similar messages,” Ranta said.

At least a dozen reports filed

Finland’s central organisation for harness racing, Suomen Hippos, is aware of the messages. Its chief executive, Tomi Himanka, said the organisation had offered assistance to people targeted by threats and insults and urged victims to file criminal reports.

Southwestern Finland Police told Yle that three reports matching the description had been filed in its area. Investigations into all three have been suspended because the threshold for a criminal offence had not been met.

However, victims appear to live in different parts of Finland. According to Ranta, about a dozen criminal reports had been filed in the space of two weeks with help from Hippos. Himanka confirmed that the estimate was broadly correct.

Ranta has not filed a report himself.

“For now, it is enough for me that I heard the matter was progressing through the reports filed by others. In my case, the message did not keep me awake at night,” he said.

Ranta said the most troubling aspect was that young and beginner horse racing enthusiasts had also received abusive messages.

“Experienced professionals have probably developed a thick skin for this. For young people, taking part in the sport may end when messages like these start arriving,” Ranta said.