Irish pair dominate gruelling Mongol marathon

Professional Irish jump jockeys Donie Fahy and Richard Killoran claimed first and second respectively in the latest running of the gruelling Mongol Derby.

The race is a recreation of the ancient horse-messenger system used by Genghis Khan that could relay messages across the empire. The riders take on 1000km of Mongolian steppe on semi-wild horses, swapping their mounts at a network of horse stations set 40km apart.

The race started yesterday week and Donie crossed the finish line nose to nose with South African adventurer Barry Armitage. Barry however was issued with veterinary penalty of two hours when an inspection revealed his horse was lame.