New Film From Galway Sportsground to the Mongol Steppes

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BY CHARLIE MCBRIDE
Galway Advertiser
May 25, 2017

The Galway Film Fleadh is rapidly approaching and among the gems to look out for is the world premiere of All The Wild Horses, Ivo Marloh’s terrific feature-length documentary about the Mongol Derby.

This is the longest and toughest horse race in the world. With a route based on Genghis Khan’s empire-wide network of postal depots, the 1,000 kilometre race sees riders from all over the world and all walks of life compete on a relay of semi-wild horses across 25 stations in the Mongolian wilderness. Taking over a week to complete and entailing dawn-to-dusk rides, arduous terrain and extremes of weather, this is an epic equine adventure without equal.

Marloh’s film captures all the race drama as it unfolds amid the stunning steppe landscape and Fleadh audiences will surely be drawn to the stories of the two Irish riders taking part; Donie Fahy, from Meath, and Galway’s own Richard Killoran who both came to the race with backgrounds as professional national hunt jockeys. Ahead of All The Wild Horses’ Galway premiere, Richard Killoran chatted with me about his experiences and impressions of this unique race.

I began by asking whether horses were part of his upbringing. “They were and they weren’t,” he replies. “I grew up near the Sportsground on College Road and there weren’t many horses around there and there were no jockeys in the family before me. I started going to riding school in Claregalway when I was 11 or 12 and that’s when I first got the bug for it. I used to enjoy going to the races with my father and I then went to the racing school when I was 15 and I moved England not long after that. I actually retired as a full time jockey a few years ago but I am doing some riding out at the moment...”

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