They don’t actually ride over Mount Everest but we bet it feels like that at the end of day five. (AP Images)
We here at the Beat often find ourselves debating the merits of a particular horse over different lengths of track with a horse like Shackleford being a prime example. Sure he was inspiring in the Preakness but could he handle the mile and a half of the Belmont monster? As history demonstrated he couldn’t despite a game performance and that awareness is the difference between a winning bet and a losing one.
But how would our Belmont champion Ruler On Ice do on a slightly longer track than the Big Sandy? Say how about a track just over 420 miles? To be fair he would be given ten days to complete it but chances are that he would probably lose in what is officially the longest horse race in the world- the Mongol Derby.
Also known as the Greatest Horse Race in the World, the Mongol Derby is a 1000 kilometer long race that has been best described as “hell on horseback”. The race emulates the “Yam” system set up by Genghis Khan in the 13th century which served as the communications lifeline of his immense empire. Stations with fresh horses, food, and riders were set up throughout the empire allowing messengers to literally continue riding around the clock in what was the fastest communications system of its day.
Although today’s race does not feature any related delights such as sacking cities, it does take place across the same terrain as the great Khan’s messengers rode and uses the same famed Mongol ponies. The race is so tough that you have to qualify for it first by undergoing three days of training- if you survive that then you are allowed to enter the race!
For all your non-Mongol betting needs visit Bodog’s online Racebook!
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