Mongol Derby 2025 – Day 6 – Riding solo

Equestrianists.com - Full Article

Holly Conyers
9th August 2025

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...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/mongol-derby-2025-day-6-riding-solo/

Mongol Derby 2025 – Day 5 – High five

Equestrianists.com - Full Article

Holly Conyers
8th August 2025

Horses and riders alike faced another scorcher out on the steppe on Day 5 of the 2025 Mongol Derby, as yesterday’s cooler climes gave way once again to cloudless skies. The heat was back on, and the pressure building. As our five leaders hit the fast, flat and mercifully straight legs between HS14 and HS18, they were thrashing it out to try to give each other the slip and establish a lead. But to no avail. It’s been a tense grapple for dominance, and nobody was ready to blink first. Until, finally, it all became too much for two riders: Dennis Alverson (DAL) and Eisa Al Khayari (EAK) fell victim to vet penalties at HS18 this evening, and will be delayed from riding out tomorrow morning. Michael Pollard (MPO), Anna Boden (ABO) and Khalifa Al Hamed (KAH) are cleared for lift off at 7AM, while DAL and EAK will be serving time behind Derby bars. KAH has a tough call to make overnight: stay loyal to his partner EAK, or go it alone and keep pace with the competition? 7AM on Day 6 could very well be a decisive moment in the showdown for the podium. Set your alarms folks: you don’t want to miss this one...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/mongol-derby-2025-day-5-high-five/

Mongol Derby 2025 – Day 4 – Arabian knights

Equestrianists.com - Full Article

Holly Conyers
7th August 2025

As we approach the halfway marker of the 2025 Mongol Derby, the battle for the lead rages on. Odds on the final victor remain too close to call at the close of Day 4, as the riders heading up the field toss the lead around between them like the proverbial hot potato. There’s nothing in it, but one thing’s for sure: last night’s downpour did nothing to dampen our riders’ competitive drive. They continue to eat up the course at a voracious pace, and we find ourselves with some new overnight leaders. Our Emirati endurance pros Eisa Al Khayari (EAK) and Khalifa Al Hamed (KAH) have proven themselves a tough act to follow. They’re now sitting pretty at the head of the field on the way into HS14, camped 3km ahead of their nearest rivals. If they can hit HS14 in the lead tomorrow, they reach a relatively flat, straight section of the course all the way to HS18. The dream racetrack for a pair of seriously experienced jockeys gunning to extend their lead in the Mongol Derby. If they partner with the right equine athletes, could they leave the chasing pack in the dust? It could all come down to luck of the horse draw...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/mongol-derby-2025-day-4-arabian-knights/

Mongol Derby 2025 – Day 3 – The winds of change

Equestrianists.com - Full Article

Holly Conyers
6th August 2025

Day 3 of the 2025 Mongol Derby has been one for the books. Barely had our nerves recovered from the rollercoaster ride that was Day 2 before our horde of 45 fearless equestrianists were at it again, causing widespread mayhem on their noble quest for the finish line. As the dust settles on our sparring riders and their battle-hardened mounts, two warriors remain locked in a deadly duel at the head of the race. Kami Bitting (KBI) and Sam Phelps (SPH) have both kept up their blistering pace to make it into HS10 tonight, but a last minute plot twist has blown the rankings wide open. KBI has been left licking her wounds overnight, as a vet penalty incurred on arrival at HS10 keeps her stuck there until 10AM tomorrow morning. SPH now finds himself leading the charge out of HS10 tomorrow bright and early, but will he handle the pressure of soldiering on alone or be swallowed up by the cavalry camping out just a few kilometres behind him?...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/mongol-derby-2025-day-3-the-winds-of-change/

UAE complete hat-trick of Young Horse Endurance World Championship titles

August 4 2025

Riding with unwavering consistency and backed by an incredible team, Saif Al Mazrouei helped the UAE to a third-straight FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Horses individual honour and a successful defence of the Teams title at Jullianges in France on Saturday.

One of the heavyweights on the distance-riding circuit, the UAE had won the 2023 and 2024 renewals, with Al Mazrouei making sure his calculated ride brought the defending champions a tenth overall success even as he himself claimed a second victory, 10 years after winning for the first time in 2015. 

A total of 82 rider-horse combinations from 25 countries set out to conquer the 120 km event for eight-year-old horses at Hippodrome de Jullianges, which is located at an altitude of 910 metres in a wooded forest commune in the picturesque French countryside 530 kms south of Paris and 131 kms east of Lyon. The high altitude and undulating terrain made the ride a tough proposition for the combinations involved with only 31 pairs eventually completing the four-loop ride.

And it was the UAE that secured the top two spots on the podium, with Al Mazrouei triumphing aboard Bullio Quasillo, the pair recording the fastest time of five hours 33 minutes and 21 seconds (5:33:21), which was 43 secs quicker than the second-placed UAE pairing of Essa Saeed Al Mazrouei and his mount Al Fatina who were home in 5:34:04.

Royal Endurance Team of Bahrain rider Sultan Mayoof Al Romaihi, who partnered Haqtar Du Carrelie, took third place on the podium with a time of 5:40:50.

Saif Al Mazrouei posted the second best time during the 35.5 km first loop and dropped three places to reach fifth during the course of the second loop that spanned the same distance. He picked up the pace during the third loop over 31 kms which allowed him to reclaim second on the leaderboard.

Starting the fourth and final loop over 20 kms, Saif found himself trailing countryman Essa Al Mazrouei by five seconds, but after a solid push and upping up the tempo on Bullio Quasillo by nearly 9 kph, he was able to set a lead of his own and overcame his compatriot comfortably.

The UAE claimed the Team championship as well after Rashed Saeed Al Malhoof claimed fifth place aboard Heracles Feuillee.

Congratulating the team on the success, Sheikh Rashed Dalmook Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Equestrian Club, said: “I would like to congratulate our nation’s great leadership, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence, for their relentless support and guidance which has helped the UAE reach great heights in the sport of endurance internationally. 

“Our victory in the FEI Endurance Championship for Young Horses is a testament to the exceptional skill, unwavering dedication and outstanding horsemanship. The UAE Team has always displayed immense grit and unshakable determination in the pursuit of success at the highest level and by winning the championship for the third-straight year we have raised the bar and set a new standard of excellence for the rest to follow."

Ahmed Rashed Al Kaabi, Acting General Manager of Dubai Equestrian Club and Chief d’Equipe of the UAE Team, added: “I would like extend my heartfelt congratulations to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum for their incredible backing for endurance and leading the UAE riders by example. They have inspired generations of the youngsters to achieve the best results, which has propelled the UAE forward and turned the country into one of the powerhouses in the sport.

“The UAE Team has worked really hard, and shown great courage and unity to bring glory to the country. Their teamwork truly shone through the entire event and we have earned every bit of this victory. I couldn’t be prouder.”

About Dubai Equestrian Club

Established in 2002 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Equestrian Club is a world leader in the sport of endurance riding and a pioneer when it comes to organising competitions in the United Arab Emirates at its purpose-built, state-of-the-art Dubai International Endurance City. Its annual calendar is headlined by two globally-renowned events: the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Festival and Crown Prince of Dubai Endurance Festival.

Mongol Derby 2025 – Day 2 – The huntswoman becomes the hunted

Equestrianists.com - Full Article

Holly Conyers
5th August 2025

The clock has stopped on Day 2 on the 2025 Mongol Derby, and the tension on the steppe has soared along with the mercury. Jockeys at the head of the race have been locked in a fierce battle of wills for poll position coming into Day 3, but it’s Kami Bitting (KBI) who has emerged victorious from the fray. Finding herself roughly halfway between HS6 and HS7 this evening at the close of riding hours, she is bedding down for the night in the most glamorous of steppe establishments: a 5-star goat shed. Over the past two days she has already put on a frankly intimidating display of masterful horsemanship, ruthless efficiency and flawless navigating. Make no mistake, this professional huntswoman has her quarry firmly in her sights: the 2025 Mongol Derby crown.

Impressive her dash for daylight may have been, but she’s by no means out of the woods yet...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/mongol-derby-2025-day-2-the-huntswoman-becomes-the-hunted/

Mongol Derby 2025 – Day 1 – A fork in the road

Equestrianists.com - Full Article

Holly Conyers
4th August 2025

Day 1 of the 2025 Mongol Derby has drawn to a nail biting close. Since thundering across the start line at around 11AM Mongolian time this morning as a pack of 45 strong, our field has already covered some serious ground to spread out across the steppe. The gauntlet has been well and truly laid down by four early contenders for the lead, the gap between them too close to call. Anna Boden (ABO) and Bertie Siggers (BSI) appear to have formed a dynamic duo, having ridden side by side since shortly out of the start gates on a pair of perfectly matching dark bays to storm up the course. Riding similarly impressive debut days were Sam Phelps (SPH) and Kami Bitting (KBI), who have banded together since riding out of HS2. The quartet had been in the lead pack all day, until a dramatic turn of events at HS2: SPH and KBI turned on their hocks to shoot out of the station back the way they had come straight into the incoming tide of riders behind them, while ABO and BSI rocketed off in the opposite direction. The pairs have each found a hospitable family to accommodate them for their first night out in the wilds of the steppe, but whose navigational nous will give them the edge coming into HS3 tomorrow, and will these nascent partnerships last? It’s all to play for...

Read more here:
https://equestrianists.com/updates/mongol-derby-2025-day-1-a-fork-in-the-road/