Day 8 of the 2024 Mongol Derby, and she’s done it. The exceptional Missy Morgan (MMO) has crossed the finish line in superb form, having ridden alone all the way from HS12 where she last saw another Derby rider on Day 4. And she’s managed it with zero vet penalties, and only a few late riding penalties marring her Vet Card. Let’s be very clear here: this was a bloody good ride. About as good as it can possibly get, in fact. Massive congratulations, MMO. You’ve been a pleasure to follow for those back home, and for all our crew, hosts, horses and riders who have met you out on the steppe. A very deserving champion is born.

Enormous kudos must also go to Sam Jones (SJO), thundering to the finish having closed like a freight train on MMO the last couple of days. She’s now the most successful Derby rider of all time: some have come back twice and made it round, but nobody’s ever finished first and then second. That’s quite the CV. Well done, SJO: what an effort.

MMO may have clung on to seal the deal, but it was a close enough finish to keep us glued to our dots all day. The two leading ladies had navigated differently last night, to take totally contrasting routes from HS25 to HS26. It was unclear if one was much faster than the other. The steppe is, after all, vast and generally wide open. There’s all manner of creative ways to navigate from one station to the next, but for Derby purposes all riders are looking for the same way: the fastest. It was hard to say who’d chosen better this morning. Both riders made it into HS26 in good time, with MMO perhaps just holding her advantage.

Both vetted through professionally to fly out in search of HS27, eyes now locked very much on the prize. The crew at HS27 waited on tenterhooks, scanning the horizon for any sign of an incoming rider. It was MMO who snuck in first, delighted with the spectacular scenery she had enjoyed between HS26 and HS27 navigating high over the mountains. As ever, she vetted through swiftly and picked her next horse, mounted up and leaving the station just 12 minutes after her arrival. She may have been in the lead, but she knew SJO was hot on her hocks, and closing fast. There was no time to waste. Off she went, on what the herders had modestly described as a “slow and steady” sort. Would he be able to travel fast enough to hold her lead until HS28?

MMO had good cause to be in a hurry. SJO strode into HS27 fairly close behind her, bearing some gruesome new warpaint. Turns out, she’d had a disagreement with her horse at HS26, and had been sent flying with some force. SJO’s face and helmet had come out of her brawl with the Mongolian steppe looking somewhat worse for wear. Make no mistake folks, she is one tough cookie.

Undaunted and soldiering on despite some obvious discomfort, she again flew through the vet check and picked her next mount off the line. He looked a little more athletic than MMO’s. Was there still time to catch up on her quarry, with just 1.5 stations to go before the finish line?

With SJO flying up the course behind her, MMO held on with her reliable if a little unhurried steed, soon within sight of HS28. On presenting her horse to the vets, she had a nasty shock: her horse’s first heart rate reading was 80bpm. It’s not impossible that a horse could come down to 56bpm in order to pass the vet check within the permitted 30 minutes of arriving, but it’s certainly not guaranteed. We’ve seen it go both ways plenty of times. The tension was palpable. All eyes were on MMO and her horse, as she did her best to keep him (and herself) calm and cool. With the 30 minutes almost up, vet Katie moved in again. A vet penalty here would spell disaster. 2 hours would be more than enough time for SJO to fly past her and snatch the win just one horse station from the line. Relief: Katie announced he was down, just in the nick of time. MMO could breathe again.

But not for long. Hustling hard, she hopped on her next horse at lightning speed, and leapt up to gun for the finish. Promisingly, she drew a handsome lean chestnut with a wall eye, considered a lucky charm on a Mongolian horse (not to jinx it or anything). Off she went, on her final ride of the Derby. Would Mr Blue Eyes prove a lucky charm? Barely was she out of the station before SJO arrived, smoothly changing horses to give it all she had on the final chase. The two were loose at the same time on the last leg of the Derby, a scant 10km between them.

The crew at finish camp were assembled, nervously scanning and rescanning the horizon. Was that a rider, or a herder going about his daily business? At long last, a rider appeared within sight. It was MMO, walking into finish camp, grinning from ear to ear. She crossed the line joyously, her marathon journey finally over. With the final vet check to clear, Head Vet Fred did the honours, and happily proclaimed her the 2024 Mongol Derby champion at 16:32 local time. She celebrated with the customary congratulatory airag (plus cold beer), and was awarded a traditional Mongolian blue racing sash of honour. That lucky blue eye had come good after all.

SJO also appeared on the horizon barely an hour after MMO, and fought on all the way through the flags to reach the line and successfully clear the vet check at 17:29. After 8 days racing and 29 horse stations, just 1 hour between them was a very close call. What a finish. Our two Day 8 finishers now relax and kick back in the comforts of finish camp tonight, reunited with beds, hot showers and a fully stocked bar. Heaven.

But never fear, all you avid Derby fans. It’s not over yet. While the Queen of the steppe may have been crowned, there’s still plenty of racing to come over the next couple of days as the rest of our extraordinary riders push on to join the party at finish camp. Currently vying for third place and stationed at HS28 for the evening are Josh Edwards (JED), Josh Dales (JDA) and Grace Neuhaus (GNE), who’ve covered a very strong four horse stations today to (more or less – touch wood) guarantee a Day 9 finish. With just one, shorter than average leg between themselves and the cold beer tantalisingly close at finish camp, they can practically hear the celebrations tonight as they bed down for their final night out on the steppe. Will it be knives out as they each attempt to sprint to the line for the bronze medal position, or will it be a team effort to share the spoils?

Next closest to home are Augustus Read (ARE), Lola Day (LRD), Gianna Aycock (GAK) and Margaret Holloway (MGO), just one leg behind the others at HS27. They were all rolling out in fine fettle from HS23 this morning, although heartbreakingly they had to leave a man behind. Colby Coltrain (CCO) is safe and well, but was feeling a little under the weather this morning. He nobly insisted fiancé GAK continue on without him to ride her own race, while he took a little time out for some R&R before riding on himself. He spends the night at HS25, having managed two legs today despite feeling worse for wear. What a trooper.

Next out in the field is Almira Zakiyeva (AZA), spending the night in the comforts of HS29. She was one of the few riders who took MMO’s route from HS25 rather than SJO’s but her tracks suggest she overshot the turn off through the mountains slightly. The local expertise she was given at HS25 may not have proved so easy to follow. Nevertheless, she’s still covering excellent ground to progress round the course. Could she eat up the 2.5 stations tomorrow to make it to finish camp, too?

Happy campers Charles Read (CRE), Bert Read (BRE) and Grey Godsal (GGO) may not yet have crossed the line, but they have other happy developments to celebrate. CRE has put in a heroic effort to catch up with his brother for the tail end of the Derby. Can they stick together for the last few stations to cross the line hand in hand? After covering a 3.5 horse station day today, the finish line could also be just within their grasp tomorrow if they keep riding as positively as usual. They’ve also followed in AZA and MMO’s hoofprints to take the left hand route round the mountains into HS26. Will they hit the same pass as MMO, or take the slightly more scenic route like AZA? The final few navigational headaches could prove influential.

Opting for the more popular route amongst those already further up the course, Sophie de Rouet (SDR) and Gideon Kotkowski (GKO) have ridden like the clappers today to fly up the field. They’re camped out roughly where SJO was last night. GKO has earned himself the nickname ‘El Rayo Rojo’ (‘Red Lightning’) amongst the crew. Can he and SDR bolt up the field tomorrow to make it home on Day 9? Pull it off, and they could be in with a top 10 finish.

Behind the happy campers out in the wilds between HS25 and HS26, the bulk of the field are parked up at HS24 and HS25. Spirits are still high, as riders drink in the incredible scenery out on the steppe en route to finish camp. Finishing the Derby is a funny old thing. You spend so many days, hours and minutes counting down the kilometres until the next waypoint, leg, and eventually finish camp. But then you get there, and the only thing you want to do is get straight back on your horse and ride the whole way back again (for some, it may take weeks or months for this feeling to catch up with you, but catch up with you it always will). The steppe and all its landscapes, people and horses will steal your heart, and never let it go. Take vet Don, for instance. He’s spent far too many days at HS21, and has decided he’d actually much rather stick around as a herder than head back to reality. The steppe looks good on you Don, but please do come home.

Alyssa Cederstrand (ACE) made a very special memory today, when she drew her very youthful hostess Dashkhuu’s personal pony off the line. She was mighty chuffed, and insisted on snapping a photo with her prized steed and her favourite rider before she left. What a sweetheart. A big credit to all our riders and crew for being such lovely souls with all our herder families, who put in a huge amount of effort every year to make this whole mad circus happen. Yolande Steyn (YST) was also a hit with the family, as she and Sarah Delia (SDE) were treated to a phenomenal lunch spread.

For the rest of our riders still out on the steppe, drink in every last minute and enjoy it. Even if you smell a bit ripe and everything hurts. You’ll be missing it all very soon.

Photo credits: Kathy Gabriel, Tulgaa Skizz, Tim Lee, Holly Cathels

Day 8 Close of Play

Finish Camp: MMO, SJO

HS28: GNE, JDA, JED

HS27: ARE, GAK, MGO, LRD

HS26: AZA

Between HS25 – HS26: BRE, CRE, GGO, GKO, SDR

HS25: ACE, AHE, BBL, CCO, EGI, EWA, MSC, TGI (Adv Cat: CAS, CLE, KSI, SDE, YST)

HS24: BCR, CMO, HMO, KDU, KWE, MHA (Adv Cat: FBE, SVW)

HS23: RCO

Adventure Category: BBO, CAS, CLE, FBE, KSI, MER, SDE, SVW, YST

Retired: CWI, PDA, YJI

Penalties

Vet penalties: MHA (3 hrs)

Outside assistance: AHE (2 hrs)