It is the first time in four years that a British horse has competed in the race in Moscow, which offers a 7 million rouble prize to the winner. Bronze Cannon travelled to Russia after winning the Hardwicke Stakes at the UK’s Royal Ascot race meeting.

The horse was loaded onto one of AirBridgeCargo Airlines’ Boeing 747 scheduled cargo flights from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for the journey to Moscow. The race, for 12 four-year-old racehorses, attracts competitors from across the CIS, including Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Moldova.

This latest bloodstock flight follows a series of five services between the Netherlands and Russia by ABC carrying 105 elite racehorses that are being studied for a special breeding program in Moscow.