Lucy and Brandon Fiore on second day of ‘world’s toughest horse race’ trekking 1000km through Mongolian wild

Riding the momentum of their greatest-ever season, WA husband and wife Brandon and Lucy Fiore are pitting their training and riding might against the globe’s toughest competitors in the Mongol Derby.

The world’s longest horse race, the Mongol Derby stretches through 1000km of the Mongolian Steppe, recreating the horse messenger system created by Genghis Khan in 1224.

There is a five-figure entry fee attached to compete, enabling the rider with access to 25-27 Mongolian horses, a support team, pre-race training and support stations, where horses are swapped.

Each horse does about 40km before it is switched out and rested but the riders continue at a relentless pace for the duration of the race.

However, the horses, which are semi-wild and unbroken, must pass a vet check upon arrival at the stations and riders will incur time penalties if their short-term recovery is insufficient.

The demands across a 10-day period can bring even the strongest - both mentally and physically – unstuck under the fatigue of riding for 12 hours a day and it is common for only half the participants to finish.

But the Fiores, from WA’s South West, have proven themselves in one of the most difficult industries in the world: racing.

Brandon has been training horses for less than two years but has chalked up 17 victories, all of which have been ridden by Lucy.

The stable flagbearer has been Filthy Habits, whose rigorous racing regime embodies the very soul of the Mongol Derby.

The granite-like gelding thrives on competition and has recorded seven of those 17 stable triumphs, including the Albany Cup and Rogan Josh Stakes at his last two.

Lucy has become a household name in WA racing and is coming off her greatest-ever season in the saddle, steering home 139 winners, eight of which were at Listed level or better.

With 45 black-type successes to her name, she registered her 800th career win when guiding Desert Whisper home at Bunbury last month.

Amongst their packs for the journey are just two pairs of socks and wet wipes for cleaning purposes in the absence of any bathing facilities.

Landing in Ulaanbaatar last week, the Fiores had three days of pre-race training before setting off on their intrepid voyage on Monday morning.

On Tuesday afternoon, they sat in seventh place overall, with Lucy getting unshipped when attempting to mount her new steed.

“He’s touchy but fast,” she said.

“I’m semi-used to wild horses but not small; it’s hard to stay on the small ones.”

Brandon said they’d entered the gruelling event to push their limits and had not been disappointed.

“Luce and I came over to challenge ourselves, and it’s definitely accomplishing that,” he said as he prepared his own feisty mount.