Air Express

Air Express (26 April 1994 – 2000) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was highly tried as a juvenile in 1996, winning one minor race and being placed in the July Stakes, Solario Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes. In the spring of 1997 he embarked on a successful international campaign winning the Premio Parioli in Italy and the Mehl-Mülhens-Rennen in Germany. On his return to England he ran second in the St James's Palace Stakes and recorded his biggest victory when taking the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. He failed to win in two starts as a four-year-old and was retired to stud. He made a promising start to his career as a breeding stallion but died in 2000 at the age of six. Background Air Express was a bay horse bred in Ireland by Maktoum Al Maktoum's Gainsborough Stud. During his racing career he was owned by Mohamed Obaida, a Dubai-based property developer and trained by Clive Brittain Carlburg Stables in Newmarket, Suffolk. He was ridden in all but his last three races by Brett Doyle. He was sired by Salse who won the Prix de la Forêt in 1988, before becoming a successful breeding stallion. Although he showed his best form over seven furlongs, Salse was capable of producing horses who stayed much further, including Classic Cliche, Luso (Hong Kong Vase) and Timboroa (Turf Classic) as well as faster horses like Bianca Nera and Lemon Souffle. Air Express's dam Ibtisamm was an American-bred mare who won one minor race from eleven starts in Britain in 1983 and 1984. She was a female-line descendant of the American racemare Gallorette. Racing career