The UB Post-Leading English News

Riders Announced for the Mongol Derby

Written by Administrator
Friday, May 22, 2009.
26 brave riders confirmed for the wild 1000km race across the Mongolian steppe, including TV-adventurer Ben Fogle and former Champion jockey Richard Dunwoody. After a worldwide search and a painstaking selection process the 26 riders for the first ever Mongol Derby, the world’s longest, toughest horse race have been announced. The riders, ranging in age from 24 to 65, hail from nine countries and come from numerous equestrian and adventure backgrounds. Among the selected 26 are TV presenter and well known adventurer Ben Fogle, and former Champion jockey Richard Dunwoody. The Mongol Derby will be an extra feather in both of their adventuring bows: whilst Ben, amongst his other exploits, has raced to the South Pole and rowed across the Atlantic in 49 days, Richard has ridden 1900 winners over jumps, also raced to the South Pole and is currently doing an 1000 mile walk for charity. The other riders - amongst them hardened adventurers, polo players and eventers - are from New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, South Africa, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Scotland, USA and the UK. Inspired by the formidable postal system of the mighty Chinggis Khan, The Mongol Derby will see these brave riders tackle 1000 km of steppe, changing their steeds at a series of 40 km staging posts along the route. Forget the Melbourne Cup or The Grand National, this is set to be the biggest, baddest equestrian affair on the planet. Richard Dunwoody says of the Derby: ‘The Mongol Derby is going to be the sort of experience that many people can only dream of, although the jockeys had better not underestimate how incredibly tough it’s going to be. Riding 1000 km is not for the faint of heart or weak of limb’. The Derby sets off from Chinggis Khan’s capital Kharkhorin on August 22 2009 and cocks a snoop at the gathering clouds of the credit crunch; offering the perfect antidote to recession-induced narcolepsy. What better way to dispel the gloom than to charge forth on the largest and most ambitious horse-race in the history of man, with only the wilderness and the thunder of hooves for company? As with all adventurists’ events, the Mongol Derby is not only about having a proper adventure, it’s also about raising buckets of cash for charity. Each rider or team of riders will raise a minimum of £1000 so the inaugural Derby is set to raise at least £25,000 for the official charity Mercy Corps. The funds will be used to support nomadic families and herders across Mongolia.