Eight days after thundering across the 2025 Mongol Derby start line, four exceptional equestrianists have come full circle to boomerang back to finish camp. Having fought tooth and nail for the crown over the last 1,000km of high speed chasing across the steppe, they eventually elected to prioritise camaraderie over competition and crossed the line together. Behold, our 2025 Mongol Derby Joint Champions: Brit Anna Boden (ABO), American Michael Pollard (MPO) and brothers in arms from the UAE Eisa Al Khayari (EAK) and Khalifa Al Hamed (KAH). An extraordinary end to an even more extraordinary Derby. Congratulations are in order, as they celebrate at start camp tonight with a long-awaited shower, some clean clothes and a cold beer. Cheers to you, champs.

Their victory marks many firsts. This was 5-star eventer MPO’s first ever endurance riding event – not a bad start. It was the first time a rider from the UAE – let alone two – has won the Derby. ABO becomes the first rider ever to have jointly won both the Derbies, having already shared victory in the 2022 Gaucho Derby alongside Holly Conyers. And – perhaps most importantly of all – it was the first time as many as four jockeys have chosen to band together to share the spoilts. Sportsmanship wins out. What a day, what a Derby. And it’s not over yet. With the rest of our field still out on the course having the ride of their lives, there’s much, much more excitement to come.

But just how did these highly competitive jockeys, who’ve been busy desperately trying to ride away from each other for the last 8 days, end up uniting in the home stretch? We certainly wouldn’t have put money on the final outcome this morning back at HS25. For the first time during this year’s Derby, our riders awoke to a chill in the air. The oppressive heat of the last week had broken, and racing conditions couldn’t have been better: cool breeze, clear skies, fresh horses. A good omen for a swift day.

Our riders emerged from their gers, packing up their gear and drawing their steeds for what would be the final time. The atmosphere was charged. MPO and ABO were barely holding it together, their duct taped chaps a fitting metaphor for everyone’s mental state at this stage of the game. It was clear two teams had formed: as they picked their horses and mounted up, our jockeys formed two imaginary holding pens at each end of the horse lines. ABO and MPO vs EAK and KAH. Event Manager Erik counted them down to 7am as they circled anxiously, stealing final glances at their GPSs and each other. And finally, they were off: the clock struck 7, and the warring pairs rocketed out of HS25, in totally opposite directions. It appeared to be a strategic parting of the ways. Both twosomes knew they had no chance of grasping victory over the other if they continued to ride as a pack. The only option would be to shake the others off their tail, navigating differently and taking a gamble. Textbook ABO: this is exactly how she (and the author) finally got their noses out in front to win the Gaucho Derby in 2022. The race was on.

But this time, their efforts to shake each other off were soon scuppered. The tricky navigational legs of the Derby were already behind them, and this straight run down to HS26 didn’t leave much room for creative way finding. After their initial attempt to separate by riding round opposite sides of a small hill, they were all soon reunited on the same track into HS26. And riding they were: at lightning speed, they swooped down the course into HS26 like missiles locked on their target.

They were neck and neck for the whole leg, and swept into HS26 together. Another well-oiled horse change later, and they were mounted back up and hounding down HS27. Neither team was able to again an advantage over the other as they hurtled along another leg. Until, on the approach into HS27, MPO’s mount started sputtering. Finally, he ran out of gas, and had to dismount, walk in and watch the others disappear without him. ABO made the agonising decision to ride on ahead knowing there was nothing she could do to help. MPO was out there alone.

ABO kept pace with EAK and KAH, as they once again whirled through HS27 in the blink of an eye. As they were off and flying, MPO trudged into the station once they’d already left. A little disheartened to find the others had kept pushing on, his horse took a little more time to pulse down. He held his nerve to remain calm and polite with all the crew despite the crushing pressure. Eventually, he pulled his final draw, and mounted up to give chase. Luckily, this pick was much more game, and charged out to HS28 determined to help MPO make up the gap. While the leading three charged ahead, MPO rode a rapid leg to make up some more time on them, and took a slightly more direct route to HS28.

But closing the gap proved a bridge too far. Up ahead at HS28 – the final pitstop of the Derby before the finish line – his quarry had already arrived by 1:26PM. It was blowing a hooley as ABO, EAK and KAH matched the weather, a hurricane of broiling nerves as they cleared the vet check professionally and were off and racing again within just 10 minutes. ABO by now looks like she’s riding an Indian Relay, and had leapt off one horse and onto another just ten minutes after arriving. Hot on her heels, EAK and KAH set off to attempt to reel her in just a couple of minutes later, at 1:39PM. The herders were gossiping excitedly in their wake: ABO might have opened a slight gap, but EAK and KAH had the much faster horses. Would they ride her down and leave her in the dust in an excruciatingly tight decider to the 2025 Mongol Derby?

As they galloped out for the final showdown, MPO hit HS28 a short while after. He vetted through and drew his new horse quickly, before chucking his tack on and taking the reins of a sweet little paint. Initially a little hard to fire up, a jogging herder helped MPO jumpstart his ride to head out on the last leg of the Mongol Derby, chasing down the front three. But where exactly where they?

Imagine MPO’s relief when, desperately trying to make up some time on his lonely run into the finish line, he spotted what must have looked like a mirage on the horizon. His three Derby arch nemeses, snacking on some peanuts in the middle of the leg. Was he hallucinating? Had 8 days of hell on a horse finally got to him? But no. His mind wasn’t playing tricks on him.

It transpired that the herders had a point. ABO’s horse had been no match for EAK and KAH’s rocket propelled steeds, who quickly caught up with her and reformed a pack shortly outside of the horse station. But what happened next they certainly had not predicted. Once regrouped, KAH made an extraordinarily noble suggestion to his fellow riders: give up jockeying for poll position, and sit and wait for MPO to catch them up to cross the line together. They’d come too far exchanging blows tit for tat in an evenly matched contest to throw him under the bus like this just because he’d had the rotten luck at the very last moment to draw an equine crossed with a sloth.

ABO leapt at the suggestion. EAK was temporarily unconvinced: he had a gnawing hole in his stomach, and the thought of the banquet of food awaiting him at the finish line had kept him going all morning. How much longer could he hold out while running on fumes? Ready for anything, ABO had a solution. She promptly whipped out a leftover packet of emergency peanuts, which EAK swiftly agreed would do the trick. And so they waited in the sunshine as EAK happily snacked on his emergency rations, hanger averted. The competitive tension dissipated, as they scanned the horizon for incoming MPO to join them on the final ride to eternal Derby glory. Their reunion was an emotional one. MPO was understandably overjoyed to find that he had not, in fact, been left behind. A few tears may have been shed. Their shared victory now mutually agreed, they all dismounted to walk the rest of the leg into the finish line together, enjoying the last moments of the Derby bubble before they returned to the real world. After a long walk in, they finally crossed the line as one to become the joint 2025 Mongol Derby Champions, sailing through the final vet check with ease after their amiable stroll in. What a finale.

A special commendation must go to KAH and MPO, who both made it round the entire Derby course with zero vet penalties. It’s an incredibly fine balance to ride the Derby at the front but still manage to judge each of your horse’s to the best of its abilities. Perfectly ridden, gents.

ABO may be the first jockey to share the spoils on both Derbies, but might she soon be joined by a few more? EAK and KAH are set to line up under starter’s order on the 2026 Gaucho Derby, alongside yet another Mongol Derby champion: Linda Hermann, of 2023.  Could one – or more – of them join ABO in the double Derby Hall of Fame in just 6 months time? Or could Linda even become the first champion to clinch both titles solo? Tune back in for coverage of the Gaucho Derby in February to find out.

As our first four riders to cross the line bask in their victory, the rest of their cohort remain out on the course on the ride of their lives. So close to the finish line they can practically hear the bottles being popped this evening, Sam Phelps (SPH) and Dennis Alverson (DAL) have – reluctantly – pulled away from their former companions Brandon Fiore (BFI) and Lucy Fiore (LFI) to end up closest to home this evening, camped about 15km short of the finish line.

Declaring this morning back at HS24 that “teamwork makes the dreamwork”, another wholesome foursome was planning to ride out the rest of the race together. DAL and SPH waited with BFI and LFI for their late riding penalty to run down from last night while enjoying an extended breakfast of jam on toast, before drawing their horses and gunning for HS25. And gun it they did. All appeared in HS25 this morning in record time and riding on a high, singing the praises of their “awesome” equine partners. DAL’s horse was sporting a particularly fetching tracking collar. Its owner perhaps didn’t have much faith in DAL’s own sense of direction, and decided to tag his actual horse as collateral. Or – more plausibly – it may have turned out to be the herder’s champion naadam horse, far too valuable to leave roaming the steppe unmonitored either loose or under saddle. Either way, the extra precaution was clearly justifiable. He had led a pack of seriously speedy horses from the front the whole way, never stopping to check his pace or seeming to tire. DAL was in heaven. Riding with this “level set of horsemen” was all he had hoped for during the Derby. He could now finish a happy man.

After their bolt in, all four passed through the vet check in flying form. What a leg, what a group of horses. The stuff of Derby dreams, as SPH put it. He’d had enough of slogging it out alone, and was now just looking forward to finishing with a smile in unbeatable company. LFI was especially attached to her own pick, who had been the most level headed of the bunch and paced himself at the same speed the entire run. In good spirits, they were all loving the perfect conditions and hoping to reach HS28 this evening. BFI was all smiles despite the disappearance of his tack and gear along with his lost horse yesterday. Still riding in a borrowed saddle and with absolutely no luggage, he was looking on the bright side:” At least it’s a nice donation to the herders who find it.” That’s the spirit.

They set off for HS26. SPH was feeling fresh enough to expend some extra energy getting in some campdrafting practice on a bemused local cow. They continued flying high all the way into HS27, and a clear run to HS28 or even beyond started to seem possible. Until LFI once again had to spring into action to rescue her dearly beloved in distress, as he lost his horse just of HS27. The pair waved goodbye to DAL and SPH, who continued on their merry way to HS28. BFI and LFI did make it into HS28 as they’d hoped tonight to spend their final evening out on the steppe, but DAL and SPH have pushed on to savour one last night out under the stars. Enjoy it, guys. You’ll look back on this soon and think the finish line came all too quickly. Will they hang back for BFI and LFI to claim joint 5th place tomorrow, or will they be reunited at finish camp? We’ll have to tune in in the morning to find out.

Closest behind them and also hoping to hoof it all the way to finish camp tomorrow are Blake McCusker (BMC) and Kami Bitting (KBI). They’ve ridden another exemplary Derby day, to smash through another 4 horse stations since riding out from HS22 this morning. For BMC, it started out a rocky ride. His first pick looked cute and fluffy at first, but reared up dramatically out of the blue while he was still finding his stirrups. Impressively, BMC righted himself from a very precarious looking tilt, and kicked on straight out the station alongside KBI. This guy can ride.

Meanwhile, BMC’s erstwhile riding buddy Hugh Wrigley (HWR) is still trying to catch him back up. He’s just one station behind at HS25 tonight, having spent the whole day riding lonesome. But no longer: he’s been caught by the Girl Gang who’ve been steadily romping up the field as a united front. Elizabeth Ingvaldson (EIN) and her mount had clearly formed quite the bond, as he gave her an emotional kiss goodbye. It’s been a steady effort for most of them today, although Livi Strang Steel’s (LSS) inexperienced mount took her by surprise at the very end the leg into HS24 to transform from a bit of a dozy dobbin into a buckaroo. Melissa Montgomery (MMO) had luckily ended up on “Grandpa Jo” this leg, a steady presence in the group who was completely unflustered and happily helped track down the excitable youngster. LSS was legged back into the saddle by MMO to ride into the station thankfully unharmed. Girl power.

Out in the wilds between HS24 and HS25 tonight, Bianca Farmas-Griffith (BFG) has slipped back from the squad slightly having fallen foul of her first ever vet penalty in her three cracks at the Derby. As fate would have it, HS22 where she got stuck happened to be home to a pretty good consolation prize: brand new steppe puppies. Not a bad excuse to sit down for a quick cuddle, when she could wrestle them off vet Angus. Event Manager Louise was also settling well at HS22: she’d found a keen hairdresser to freshen up her locks for the closing party.

Tom Kompier (TKO) is just behind her camped up with a different family. He was blessed by a steppe angel today, on a long and slightly slow leg in the heat of the day. A concerned driver asked him as they motored past if he needed water. TKO was indeed quite thirsty, but it turned out the driver was also out of water. Off he went, and TKO kept plodding along, forgetting all about it. He was shocked and delighted when, an hour later, his guardian angel reappeared out of the blue, having rushed off to find him water. There’s really no place like Mongolia.

Back in the rest of the field, Bertie Siggers (BSI), Frank Furlong (FFU) and Olivia Hankel (OHA) took an interesting route into HS22 today, appearing unexpectedly on the top of the ridge beside the station. Apparently they’d gone a bit off track and needed a bit of a vantage point to figure out if what they were looking at was actually a horse station. Luckily they did eventually find their bearings, and shot out in the correct direction for HS23. Florian Senger-Weiss (FSW) was feeling the love while flying along today, after playing wrangler with somebody’s loose missing horse en route into HS21. Uta Hesterberg (UHE) is still a ball of incredibly positive energy, despite drawing a bit of a firecracker to start her morning.

Bringing up the rear of the field at HS23 tonight, Grace Netter (GNE) has earned a serious shout out. She had to take a carry forward today en route into HS23, when she called for a vet assist to check in on her pony. Vet Tanya came to scoop up her when she was concerned he was feeling a bit poorly. Gold star for horse care, and also for putting in an absolute shift to ride alone for herself for the last couple of days in great spirits and riding form. She’s one tough cookie determined to make it to the finish line still in the placings, and we’re very proud of her plucky riding. Keep it up, GNE: we see you, and we’re all right there behind you.

Sadly, Esme Waldmann (EWA) has succumbed to her injuries picked up a few days ago. Having survived all the horses could throw at her, she was caught unawares by a glowing furnace inside a ger, and picked up a nasty burn on her hand. She’d been having a great round – fighting the pain to keep blasting up the course like a true warrior – but has been forced to join Adventure Category and take a break from the saddle for now. We look forward to seeing her back on the horse with the rest of the party bus once she’s healed up a bit.

Eagerly awaiting a reunion with all those still plugging away out on the steppe, David Malenoir-Evans (DME) has taken up a new mantle: DJ Dave. Finding himself bored without any riders to run errands for, he’s decided to focus on making them all a killer playlist for the closing night bash instead. A man of many talents. The finish camp plus ones – riders’ friends and family keen to see them ride across the finish line – also arrived today to kick off the party. The atmosphere is building at the finish line, as all the gathering crew, riders and loved ones come together to celebrate the remaining riders’ big moment between the flags.

Speaking of parties, Media Manager Candie was in for a surprise at HS23 this evening, as her loyal crew cobbled together a makeshift early birthday cake to celebrate the eve of her big day. Shocked and touched, she declared there’s no better place to be celebrating a birthday, and no better crew. Hear, hear. (But we do also look forward to plying her with vodka at the finish line shortly.)

As the curtains close on Day 8, we’ll be back tomorrow to cheer on the rest of our field still kicking on for home in the 2025 Mongol Derby. Here’s some more of our favourite memories for the day for you all to enjoy.

Day 8 Close of Play

Finish Camp: ABO, EAK, KAH, MPO

Between HS28 – Finish Camp: DAL, SPH

HS28: BFI, LFI

HS26: BMC, KBI

HS25: AWO, EIN, HFI, HWR, KBU, LSS, MMO

Between HS24 – HS25: BFG, TKO

HS24: AGB, BSI, FFU, FSW, UHE

HS23: ATH, GNE, GPO, OHA

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

Retired: AKN, CSC, DME, KBA, MSA

Penalties

Vet penalties: BFG (2 hrs), FSW (2 hrs)

Late riding: FFU (10 mins)

Extra riding time (added to finish times, not sat out in real time): UHE (15 mins)

Photo credits: Kathy Gabriel, Tulgaa Skizz, Kabaanaa, Andaa, Sarah Van Dyk, Corrado Valli, Tseveendulam