Could Day 6 of the 2025 Mongol Derby finally have seen one rider open up some daylight between himself and the rest of the field? Up until now, a determined quintet of top class horsemen (including one plucky horsewoman) have been leapfrogging each other by minutes to hand the baton around between them at every station. Trying to keep up with the constant swapsies of the lead has left us majorly dizzy. But it looks like one rider might finally have clinched something of an advantage. Khalifa Al Hamed (KAH) has absolutely flown away from his closest rivals today, to storm through four horse stations riding solo and make it safely into HS22 this evening with just 4 minutes of riding time left to spare. It’s been a masterclass in pacing and astute navigation on another scorcher of a day. He finds himself all alone for the first time, spending the night a full horse station ahead of Anna Boden (ABO) and Michael Pollard (MPO) back at HS21. But, as we’ve seen time and time again over the course of this Derby, no lead is too great to be lost. With 7 more horse stations between KAH and the finish line, can he cling on for glory or will the jockeys behind him come back from the brink? It’s far from a done deal.

As morning broke at HS18 this morning with the Famous Five frontrunners, all eyes were on KAH. With his compatriot and co-pilot Eisa Al Khayari (EAK) penaltied out for 3 hours until 10AM, it was unclear whether KAH would stay behind to stick it out together or charge on ahead alone. As KAH packed his bags and rose early, it seemed he’d gone for the latter. This man is on a mission. Dennis Alverson (DAL) was also detained from departure for 2 hours, having picked up his first vet penalty last night. KAH, ABO and MPO drew their horses and tacked up, preparing for another day of trading blows on the steppe. It was an inauspicious start for KAH. While ABO and MPO hopped on and disappeared into the distance, KAH’s first draw was preoccupied with burying him just out of the horse lines. Having dug himself out the dirt, it was back to the drawing board as he retrieved his tack and picked a new pony. Happily, this one was much more friendly, and off he went in hot pursuit. Emphasis here on hot: temperatures today were once again infernal, and even at 7am this morning riders were beginning to perspire from more than nerves.

We might have expected ABO and MPO to make it into HS19 first with such a head start, but that would be to underestimate KAH’s ninja navigation skills. As predicted, today’s return to mountain passes and valleys has done much to pick apart the field. KAH picked a better line through today’s trickier first leg, and quickly made up the time. The trio bowled into HS19 basically on top of each other. It was looking like the day might be another long, hot game of tag. ABO was straight down to business, and whipped through the vet check and horse draw with trademark efficiency to zoom out by 9:20AM.  Off she flew, with KAH in hot pursuit. MPO had picked the beloved pony of his young host, who we had to gently dislodge from around his horse’s neck to let MPO get rolling 10 minutes later.

At HS20, we kept an eager eye on the horizon for the incoming troop. First in was KAH, who’d drawn something cross bred with a dragon out of HS19 and left ABO for dust. She’d managed to keep pace for most of the leg, but he’d pulled away coming into the station. Having dropped off the pace and taken a bit of a detour on the final slog in, she bumped up against a new hurdle at HS20 when her horse’s heart rate failed to come down and she was handed her first vet penalty of the Derby. 2 hours on the naughty step. But it wasn’t all bad news. She happened to be stuck at the only buffet on the steppe offering ample nutella. Initial disappointment quickly forgotten, she settled down to load up on some consolation carbs. KAH was off and running, as MPO trundled into HS20 an hour or so later. His kids’ pony had proved quite a steady, docile fellow, but they got along famously to make it to HS20 safely. ABO’s next pick looked a feisty sort, but he was no match for her stickability and iron will. She rocketed out together with MPO after a prolonged feast, reunited on their quest for HS21.

Up ahead, KAH was once again steering impressively through some challenging terrain to swoop into HS21. He was in and out by 4:35PM, leaving him 2hrs 30 mins to kick on for HS22, a whopping 4 horse station day through navigational nightmares all by himself. This man is on a roll. By 6:56PM, he’d done it. Clocked into HS22 and clearing the vet check within 15 minutes, he finished the day on a well deserved high. No doubt he’ll be out like a light tonight.

ABO and MPO had a slightly more circuitous time of it. They followed KAH’s tracks until the compulsory waypoint at a bridge between HS20 and HS21, but then things went a little pear shaped. Instead of winding through the mountain passes on a fairly direct route as KAH had done, they went the long way round to loop into HS21 from the north to arrive in for around 6:30pm. With no chance of vetting through and riding out with enough time to get beyond the 12k no camping zone beyond HS21, they settled down for the evening at the station. Resting up for Day 7 on the steppe, there’s just one leg between them and their prey. Will they have all the luck to track him down tomorrow, or will KAH’s break for the line hold?

They still have to keep a watchful eye over their shoulders. EAK has pulled off an astonishing comeback from his 3 hour disadvantage this morning. Despite his first draw at HS19 proving too bonkers even for his own owners to handle, once his second pick was up and away he’d hit his stride. HS20 did nothing to calm his nerves, as his horse – suffering in the unrelenting heat – pulsed down in time to clear the vet check with just seconds to go. Putting it all behind him, he’s navigated beautifully and ridden a few cracking horses to reach just over halfway between HS20 and HS21 tonight. However, he does seem to have struck out on ABO and MPO’s slightly loopy route into HS21. Will he right himself and make up some time, or find himself riding in circles in the wilds?

Closest behind him this evening, Dennis the Menace and Sam Phelps (SPH) have reunited to continue their Derby campaigns together. DAL had a tough old time of it today. Smashing out of HS18 after his two hour penalty was up, you’d think he’d have spent some of his time out poring over the maps. Apparently not. Dashing off in entirely the wrong direction, he meandered around bewildered for quite some time before righting himself and appearing at HS19 four hours later. He’d run out of water, and his GPS had run out battery about the same time his horse ran out of gas. Understandably, he arrived into HS19 somewhat dazed and confused. Vet Anna was quick to dispatch him to the dining ger for a “good feed”.

Happily for DAL, SPH arrived to join the party at HS19 shortly after. Feeling a little lonely after riding for such a long time with only his horses for company, SPH had waited 90 minutes this morning back at HS17 for fellow Aussies Brandon Fiore (BFI) and Lucy Fiore (LFI) to catch up to him. They’d pushed on for HS19 together which was all going swimmingly, until BFI’s horse caught him unawares and ruthlessly binned him. Loyal wife LFI dutifully tried to recapture the fugitive, but he quickly outstripped her in his mad dash back to HS17. Untethered by such marital bonds, SPH decided to leave them to it, and kicked on for HS18 alone. Concerningly, he’d headed out of HS18 on DAL’s initial wonky bearing, before thankfully righting himself a little quicker and arriving at HS19 in good time on a cracking little horse. The two cowboys were visibly overjoyed to be reunited, and saddled up to trot out of HS19 side by side, rejuvenated by each other’s company and good spirits.

But what of BFI and LFI? Despite LFI’s game attempts to rescue her husband, she was soon outstripped by his loose horse who legged it back to HS17. Sensing he was resigned to his fate, she gave up the ghost and pushed on alone to HS18. Electing to accept a vehicle carry forward to HS18 rather than pick a new horse to ride out from at HS17, BFI was scooped up to meet her up ahead at HS18. The pair of them waited out his 2 hour penalty reunited, as LFI admitted the 10k she’d had to ride alone had been the worst of the Derby so far. Sticking together through thick and thin – specifically some chafing, replacement tack and ruined chaps – they’ve powered on today to find themselves a very hospitable family to camp out with tonight between HS19 and HS20. There’s even a shower available. Shame it’s hardly worth it with no clean clothes to change into.

Camping out just behind them on the same leg having navigated slightly differently, Kami Bitting (KBI) is still riding a cracking race to keep making up time. Her horse riding into HS18 this morning had been pretty hard work, judging by her expression on arrival. Her next draw to HS19 wasn’t much more motivated, and gave her a stressful 29 minutes at HS19 when he refused to drink anything and pulsed down for the vet check at the very last second. You can take a horse to water, eh KBI?

Just behind them back along the course camping out halfway into HS19, Hugh Wrigley (HWR) and Blake McCusker (BMC) continue to go from strength to strength as they ride a particularly powerful day to fly up the field. Some savvy navigating between HS15 and HS16 this morning saw them leapfrog the rest of the main pack ahead of them last night to get themselves within touching distance of the head of the field. They were tracked down by the crew tonight camping with a very welcoming family, their horses passing the remote vet check with flying colours. Could they keep up their momentum to haul themselves further up the top 10 tomorrow? Rock on, boys.

Behind them, HS18 is busy tonight, bursting with jockeys with many tales to tell. Bianca Farmas-Griffith (BFG) edges ever closer to her goal of completing the Mongol Derby on her third crack at the beast. So far, it’s looking extremely promising. Today she united with Ali Woodward (AWO) and Melissa Montgomery (MMO), who continue to ride impeccably as they march up the rankings. MMO picked an opinionated steed from HS17 who took a few herders to control, but she managed him perfectly to ride a smooth leg. Tom Kompier (TKO) did a boomerang out of HS16 when his first horse shook him off. But he had the last laugh: despite having to ride back and redraw, his next pick was a total rocket who propelled him up the course to obliterate the competition around him.

Livi Strang Steel (LSS) is tonight lamenting the loss of her pal Bertie Siggers (BSI), after BSI suffered an acrimonious separation from her horse after leaving HS16. LSS kicked on alone, as BSI was trucked back to HS16 to redraw and remount. BSI has slipped just a station behind to HS17 this evening as a result, but luckily found a new riding buddy in the form of Esme Waldmann (EWA) to journey on with. Kat Buccelli (KBU), Elizabeth Ingvaldson (EIN) and Haley Fitzgerald (HFI) have all done exceptionally well today to cover more than 3 stations, and have earned special respect with the crew for being such generally lovely, happy souls to have out on the steppe.

Anna Guony Baldursdottir (AGB) is another permanently positive rider who’s ridden hard today to pull ahead of those she was stationed with last night, finding herself camping out alone tonight en route into HS18 with some very excited hosts. She’s followed by Olivia Hankel (OHA) at HS17, who is quite frankly the happiest person alive. We’ve literally never seen her without a massive grin on her face. What a ray of sunshine to join the Derby cast. She’s rivalled only by Alison Thomas (ATH), who’s also drawn compliments for her gracious manners. Uta Hesterberg (UHE) had a dramatic start to the day when her first pick at HS14 jumped the gun and made a dash for HS15 without her, inconveniently already bearing all of her tack. Waiting patiently for him to be corralled by the herder motorbike brigade, she sensibly elected to draw a calmer mount. Florian Senger-Weiss (FSW) managed a relatively drama free day, and was instead blessed with a total legend of a horse for his ride into HS16.

His former riding buddy Gerda Pohl (GPO) had a slightly more turbulent time of it. Her crafty horse spotted an opportunity for freedom and took off at full pelt into some trees, scraping her out of the saddle. His escape was thwarted by some helpful herders, who dragged him back to GPO and helped her remount. Off she went, only to have her horse get himself tangled up in his reins at a water stop and tip her up once again. Not to be outwitted, the same herders sprung back into action, and chased the errant steed over some nearby mountains to bring him back to waiting GPO, happily refreshed from her unscheduled dip. No harm done, she was jovial as ever this evening. One tough cookie.

GPO shares HS17 this evening with the rest of our plucky riders still in the running for competitive placings. They’ve been given a couple of extra riding hours today to help them on their way to the finish line as the field spreads out and the leaders plough ahead. Their bonus hours will be added to their times at the finish line. All have camped out tonight with wonderful host families. We were delighted to welcome Autumn Clarke (ACL) back to the steppe today, who got off the fun bus to rejoin the fray along with Naidene Stander (NUR), Pippa Henderson (PHE) and Lieve Donnellan (LDO). Kirsty Barnes (KBA) decided to trade places, and will now ride forward in Adventure Category. We’re looking forward to seeing more of our Bloodwagon riders back out on the steppe tomorrow, where they should be jetting off from HS19.

Behind the scenes, our crew continue to enjoy adventures of their own as they scurry up and down the course trying to keep pace with the riders. Vet Angus and crew spent last night trying to extricate themselves from a deadly bog en route to HS22, while Horse Manager Ben managed to drive himself into a similar situation today. His whereabouts remain unclear. The last we heard was a desperate plea for a tractor. Clearly our crew could do with some navigational tips from the riders. Meanwhile medic Andy found himself short of riders to treat today, so got to work practising his dental skills on vet Facu.

Once he did finally arrive at HS22, Angus had some good news to share. The horses at this station seem to be somewhat more tame than we’ve seen in recent days, and were being used as makeshift scaffolding to erect the horse lines for the action to come. What a relief. (We won’t tell the riders about the clip he also shared of a herder being trawled around on his arse by a steed doing laps at a full gallop, desperately clinging on to a horse catching pole. Good luck to whoever draws that one.)

Looking past the horse lines at HS22 tomorrow, there’s plenty more surprises to come. Some of these legs present myriad route choices. The leg between HS22 and HS23 also has some no water zones, which limits riders’ abilities to ride out and camp. And the whole leg between HS25 and HS26 is off limits – you must either make it to HS26, or stay at HS25. Will we see exhausted riders pushing the boundaries to make it through, or playing it safe and sound? We could yet see some more dramatic shakeups in the leaderboard. For now, here’s some further stunning snaps from our incredible team out in the field. Bring it on, Day 7.

Day 6 Close of Play

HS22: KAH

HS21: ABO, MPO

Between HS20 – HS21: EAK

HS20: DAL, SPH

Between HS19 – HS20: BFI, KBI, LFI

Between HS18 – HS19: BMC, HWR

HS18: AWO, BFG, EIN, HFI, KBU, LSS, MMO, TKO

Between HS17 – HS18: AGB

HS17: ATH, BSI, EWA, FSW, OHA, UHE

Between HS16 – HS17: CSC, FFU, GNE, GPO

Adventure Category: ABE, ACL, ATO, CKA, DFI, DME, JLA, JOQ, KBA, LDO, LMK, NUR, PHE

Retired: AKN, MSA

Penalties

Vet penalties: ABO (2 hrs)

Outside assistance: BFI (2 hrs – carry forward, lost horse)

Extra riding time (added to finish times, not sat out in real time): CSC (90 mins), FFU (105 mins), GNE (105 mins), GPO (60 mins)

Photo credits: Kathy Gabriel, Tulgaa Skizz, Kabaanaa, Angus Wilkinson