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Breeders’ Cup Arranges FedEx Charter Flights To San Diego; Tex Sutton Staff To Assist

The Breeders' Cup announced on Wednesday that arrangements have been made with FedEx to charter two equine flights that will transport horses to California to compete in the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships on Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar.

Both FedEx charters will be making direct trips to San Diego International Airport. The first charter flight will leave Newark International Airport in New Jersey on Sunday, Oct. 31. The second charter will leave from Indianapolis International Airport in Indiana on Monday, Nov. 1. Each flight will carry up to a maximum of 33 horses.

Breeders' Cup will pay the round-trip cost for all horses competing in the World Championships whose connections use FedEx to ship their runners, whether on the charter planes or on a separately scheduled FedEx flight in lieu of the owner's standard shipping allowance of $10,000. Horsemen shipping Championship runners into California through other shipping companies will still receive the standard stipend.

Tex Sutton Equine Transportation will manage the bookings of these flights, along with the loading and unloading procedures. Horsemen's stable grooms will not be allowed on the flights with these horses, but there will be three Tex Sutton professional grooms attending to the horses on board. Each trainer starting horses in the Breeders' Cup will need to make separate arrangements for their stable workers to fly to California via commercial aircraft.

Tex Sutton has also reserved regularly scheduled FedEx aircraft that fly from both locations to Los Angeles International Airport.

The horses arriving on the charters will join horses already stabled at Del Mar, and those arriving from overseas, for the World Championships.

“Due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the availability of equine charters this year, our Board of Directors unanimously approved covering the cost of the FedEx flights for the horses competing in the World Championships,” said Dora Delgado, Breeders' Cup Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Officer. “We are very pleased to work closely with the management and staff of Mersant International, FedEx and Tex Sutton to ensure a safe, smooth and efficient transportation program for the horses transported to Del Mar.”

Mersant International, the Breeders' Cup official international shipping company, was instrumental in securing the domestic FedEx charters for the World Championships. Breeders' Cup will again be utilizing Mersant International to coordinate and manage the transportation of European-based horses competing this year.

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Tex Sutton Unlikely To Have Plane In Time For Breeders’ Cup; FedEx Charter Possible Alternative

Tex Sutton, the dominant equine air-transport company in the U.S., has not had a dedicated aircraft since it's lease on “Air Horse One” expired on May 8, 2021. According to bloodhorse.com, it does not appear as if the company will have an aircraft in place in time for the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar on Nov. 5-6.

Tex Sutton has been acting as an authorized agent and chartering flights for horses via FedEx, but the horses are often required to be shipped alongside other cargo, and the barn's grooms are not allowed on the flights with the horses. For these reasons, and the large number of horses expected to need to be shipped from the East Coast, the Breeders' Cup is considering alternatives.

“We are definitely looking at developing a Plan B at this point, getting a little nervous,” Dora Delgado, Breeders' Cup executive vice president and chief racing officer, told bloodhorse.com. “I did have information that we could charter a complete Fed Ex flight, put about 30 horses on it. But if we do that, it is the added inconvenience of all of the horses having to get to either Tennessee or Indianapolis, as that is both of their hubs.

“We're keeping our options open. We're using Mersant International to handle all of our international shipping. They're very familiar with flights and loads and finding aircraft. So if our last resort is creating a charter of our own to bring the New York horses out to California, then that's what we'll do.”

Tex Sutton Remains ‘Weeks Or Even A Couple Months’ Away From Resuming Full Operations

Equine air transport company Tex Sutton has not yet secured a new lease on a cargo plane, reports bloodhorse.com. President Rob Clark said Tex Sutton is still “weeks or even a couple months away” from a full resumption of operations.

Tex Sutton's lease on “Air Horse One” expired on May 8, and negotiations for a new lease have begun but are not yet complete. Other temporary alternatives include seeking a lease on a slightly smaller aircraft, or chartering flights for a full load of horses.

In the meantime, Tex Sutton is acting as an authorized agent for FedEx's equine air transport services, which will carry Belmont Stakes weekend contenders from the West Coast to New York on May 29 and June 2, according to the company's website.

Derby Winner Will Van To Pimlico Due To Tex Sutton Service Disruption

Trainer Bob Baffert told media Sunday morning that his Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, would have to be vanned from Churchill Downs to Pimlico next week for the Preakness Stakes. The usual flight will not be an option due to a service disruption with Tex Sutton, the dominant equine air-transport company in the U.S.

According to the Daily Racing Form, Tex Sutton's lease on “Air Horse One,” its current aircraft, expires on May 8, and negotiations for a new lease have begun but are not yet complete.

“We are in the process of putting a new contract together with another cargo airline,” read a statement from Tex Sutton. “Because of the regulatory process required to get them up and running, we anticipate a short-term gap in our normal service.”

Most of the horses competing in the Preakness are already located on the East Coast, and the one probable entrant still in California, Rombauer, was scheduled to fly to New Jersey on May 5.