NZ Bloodstock competes with IRT

The following letter from Mike Tanev of Toronto, Canada deals with the fact that there have been no equine transport flights from Down Under to the USA since February 4. International Racehorse Transport (IRT), which had dominated the market for international horse transportation, came to a screeching halt in flights to the USA. Then coming to the rescue is Mr. Tanev, who was introduced to NZ Bloodstock and this past week six horses arrived in the USA, three from New Zealand and three from Australia. Here is what Mr. Tanev had to say….

Owning Standardbred Racehorses has been a dream of mine from when I was in High School. Going to old Greenwood Racetrack where I lived not too far from was a highlight of my mine any time I could get away from the hockey arena or baseball diamond.

Not owning a piece or all of a racehorse since the early 80’s , I ventured into a world that I really knew nothing about. In early 2020, I began searching for a person of interest in New Zealand that could help me try to negotiate a sale of horses from Down Under. I had always admired the ability of NZ and Australian horses, because of their ability to race longer than a standard mile.

I called a gentleman from JC International named John Curtin. He stated that he was involved in Harness for over 40 years. Once I talked with him , I knew he was my man. Having the ability to negotiate for myself, I needed that person down under to handle all my logistics. Boy , did he do a fantastic job. Not only did he start me off with talking to trainers, and owners, but he helped me become one of the foremost owners of New Zealand or Australian horses into Canada where I race under MT STABLES.

If I decided to purchase a horse , John would set up everything for me logistically. That meant from the previous owners farm, to Auckland, where they would be shipped to Canada via Chicago. This is where my dream turned into a nightmare.

Having bought and paid for many horses, they were just sitting waiting for a flight to be confirmed that would bring mine and many other owners horses up to North America. Unfortunately, one month, two months, three months, four months went by and still no confirmation from the airline and company who handled the shipping and delivery.

Finally, I decided to take the initiative and make some calls on my own. I asked John who I could talk to re shipping of horses to Canada. He put me in touch with a fine person, who I had never talked to before name Greg Northcott. He works for one of the worlds leading transporters of horses all around the world ( New Zealand Bloodstock). Giving him my situation, I asked if he could help?

Help, did he ever! He took the bull by the horns and ran with it. Within days he came back to me with a couple of scenarios. Unfortunately, they all ran through JFK airport in New York. Why should that be a problem you should ask? There is a 7 day quarantine period at JFK for horses that transit through mainland China. This was a situation that I didn’t expect as my previous horses only had to quarantine for 3 days in Chicago, and then I got a call from a woman named Scarlette Gotwals.

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Had no idea who she was, but after talking with her , not only did I find out that she is a DVM, she also handles the horse transport for Brook Ledge Horse Transportation. Brook Ledge is the largest horse ground transport co not only in the US, but the world. Her husbands family owns and operates the business as a third generation family. Moving some 40,000 horses yearly , they provide a totally safe environment for the equine animal.

Hearing all of this from her put me at ease re the 7 day quarantine, because she said communication would be provided every step of the way from when they loaded in Auckland, and landed at JFK , and at that point I decided to create with help from them obviously, a flight that committed to shipping 6 horses to the US. I can tell you that she didn’t disappoint. Between her and Greg at NZB, lines of communications were always open. I knew where they were going before they even did. That’s how professional both Scarlette and Greg were.

It took 33 hours from the horses first flight until they reached JKF in New York. Believe it or not, these horses traveled from Auckland, NZ to Sydney, AU to Shanghai to Korea to Alaska and finally to New York.

And these were not just plain horses. They are the top four-year-old mare Watch Me Now, the Art Major two-year-old colt, Let’s Fly Together, the good trotter Ridgemont Son and Belmont Major.

Once the horses landed, they were shipped to a quarantine facility, where they were fed and given nutrients to build back some of the weight they lost on the plane ride. The amount of phone calls, text messages, and pics I got from Scarlette was incredible. This lady really knows her shit, and was there any time I needed her.

Communication and logistics were so great that we have all decided to continue this venture going forward to help owners get their horses out of NZ and AUS with another 6 horse flight that will leave July 17, 2021 from Sydney, AU. This and future flights will be booked on a 1st come 1st serve basis. In other words, no horse is committed to the flight until NZB has funds in hand.

We will share final pricing with anyone interested in the next few days, but believe me, you will be happy, just like I was shipping up 3 on the last load. We are going to either book 6 or 12 horses, nothing in between for following flights, so I suggest if anyone has any interest in an amazing experience for their horse, please call myself at 14168717949 if you are from North America, or call Greg at New Zealand Bloodstock if you are from Australasia.

Thank you Scarlette and Greg, you were total saviors for my situation, and it was a pleasure doing business with your companies, and look forward to continuing our commitment shipping horses up here to race!

By Mike Tanev, Toronto, Canada