Intradco Global arranges flight for racing champions Almanzor and Qemah
Intradco Global was proud to be involved in the air transport of horses to the Longines Irish Champions Weekend.
This meeting is a spectacular two-day card featuring ten races run across two legendary Irish racecourses. Intradco Global arranged the charter and coordinated all of the equipment and handling requirements.
Two horses and four grooms travelled on the morning of the 8th September from Deauville Airport on the coast of Normandy to Dublin, Ireland. The aircraft was positioned into Deauville the previous day, the team of professional flying grooms readied for departure as Intradco Global’s specialist air stalls were set up and assembled on the aircraft.
Upon arrival in Dublin, the horses were lead to the horseboxes which had been previously arranged to allow for a safe and smooth exit from the airport and on wards to the racecourse. Once the team and horses had left the aircraft was cleaned, refuelled and secured where it remained parked in the airport over the weekend, ready for the horses to fly back on the Sunday to Deauville.
The weekend was a huge success – the highlight being a French win in the Irish Champions Stakes (Group 1 – €1,250,000 prize). French raider Almanzor (Jean Claude Rouget) beat off top class rivals including Breeders Cup Winner, Found (Aiden O’Brien) to close the race by three quarters of a length and bridge a 25 year gap. Almanzor, becoming the first French-trained winner of this race in a quarter of a century.
Sara Havers who managed the flight said:
“Arranging the aircraft and flight operations for such high profile racehorses is always a challenge, every aspect of the shipment was taken care of with great attention to detail. Intradco Global started the project early in 2016 working with a leading Equine Shipping Agent in Ireland to secure the four year contract with Horse Racing Ireland to provide air charter transport for French-trained horses to travel to this highly acclaimed weekend of top class racing.”
