On Tuesday, November 6th2018, Cross Counter, a three year old horse hailing from the stables of Godolphin, created history by winning the 158th edition of the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s biggest horse racing event – commonly referred to as the race that stops a nation.

Following the race victory, Emirates SkyCargo transported the champion horse from Melbourne to Dubai on its dedicated Boeing 777 freighter aircraft on November 11th. Cross Counter flew in from Melbourne along with seven other horses from the Godolphin stables – Folkswood, Benbatl, Blair House, Emotionless, Comicas, Best Solution and Prize Money.

Watch a video of Cross Counter’s journey from Melbourne to Dubai.

Emirates SkyCargo is no stranger to transporting equine athletes on its freighter aircraft and regularly flies premium horses from leading stables around the world, including Godolphin, for racing competitions and other equestrian events.  Earlier this year, the carrier undertook the largest air horse charter for the FEI World Equestrian Games™, flying 500 horses on 19 flights between Liege, Belgium and Greenville-Spartanburg, USA.  Emirates SkyCargo has previously also transported horses for the Longines Global Champions Tour and the Dubai World Cup.

“We would like to congratulate His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Godolphin on their historic victory at one of the world’s most prestigious horse racing events,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Vice President, Cargo.  “Emirates SkyCargo is proud to have flown Cross Counter to Dubai. We give the highest level attention to detail for the welfare of the horses and strive to create a peaceful and comfortable ambience on our flights allowing the equine champions to hit the ground running,” he added.

“Cross Counter is now back home in Dubai, following a smooth journey from Australia, where he’ll enjoy a well-deserved rest. Thank you to all of the team at Emirates SkyCargo for their care and attention in transporting our equine stars around the world” Said Charlie Appleby, Godolphin’s trainer.

Emirates SkyCargo has developed Emirates Equine, a specialised air transportation solution for horses which ensures that four legged champions can travel in an environment designed to maximise comfort and safety. Emirates Equine complies with all requirements set by international and national authorities for transport of horses including IATA’s Live Animals Regulations (LAR).

To maximise the care and attention given to horses during the flight, all of Emirates SkyCargo’s Boeing 777 freighter aircraft have provision for qualified horse grooms and vets to travel with the horses. This allows them to regularly check on the welfare of the horses in the aircraft.

Emirates SkyCargo has also invested in creating dedicated facilities on the ground, including a horse lounge and ramp at Dubai World Central (DWC) to minimise any chances of stress and injury to the animal during the loading process.  The carrier also has expert loadmasters to oversee the loading of horses into the freighter aircraft and works with reputed horse transportation companies such as Janah Management to offer end to end services.

Emirates SkyCargo is at the forefront of the global air cargo industry offering cargo capacity on over 255 passenger aircraft and 14 freighter aircraft. The air cargo carrier combines a modern fleet, state of the art infrastructure including two hubs in Dubai and experienced staff to achieve the highest standards of service delivery and customer satisfaction.