He was the first horse in history to win Australian & NZ Derby and Caulfield Cup, but now lives on the Tibetan border

Mongolian Khan is a retired Australian-bred New Zealand-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2015 he won the 140th running of the New Zealand Derby before going on to win the Australian Derby, becoming the first horse to complete the double in 29 years. As a four-year-old he won the Caulfield Cup, creating a unique treble.

Mongolian Khan was foaled at Graeme McCulloch's Grenville stud at Whitemore in Northern Tasmania, Australia, in October 2011. Mongolian Khan is by the highest ever rated 2yo, the sire, Holy Roman Emperor (Danehill) by the broodmare, Centifit (Centaine). He is a half-brother to Gr.1 Wellington Cup winner Young Centaur, and the family feature Hong Kong Gr.1 horse, Super Fit, and the two-time Gr.1 Avondale Gold Cup winner Krona -- which is exactly why McCulloch decided to sell him in New Zealand in partnership with Ainsley Downs Stud. He was brought to New Zealand by Courtney Howells of Ainsley Downs Stud (Waikato, New Zealand) as a weanling and prepared for the Karaka yearling sales, where he was on sold at the Ready to Run sales for $220,000. He was trained by Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman on behalf of the Inner Mongolian riders syndicate* horse group.

Mongolian Khan won on debut at Te Rapa at odds greater than 40 to one, but failed in the Group Two Hawke's Bay Guineas in his second career start. Once he stepped up over a mile and beyond he proved a revelation, winning five in a row including the 3yo Salver, Waikato Guineas, Avondale Guineas and New Zealand Derby. The New Zealand Derby was billed as a match race with Volkstok'n'barrell, who had created a big impression of his own in winning five races in a row including the Bonecrusher Stakes, Great Northern Guineas and Karaka Mile. The eagerly anticipated clash lived up to expectations as the two exciting three-year-olds drew well clear of their rivals and fought a memorable struggle down the home straight. Having been clearly headed by Volkstok'n'barrell, Mongolian Khan fought back and proved too strong in the concluding stages, edging away to win by one length. There was a margin of more than five lengths back to the remainder of the field.

Mongolian Khan then travelled to Australia, where he finished a disappointing fifth in the Rosehill Guineas. He bounced back impressively from that, however, winning the Australian Derby strongly from Hauraki and his arch-rival Volkstok'n'barrell. In doing so he became the first horse to win the New Zealand Derby-Australian Derby double since Bonecrusher in 1986. Mongolian Khan began his four-year-old season by finishing seventh to Fawkner in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington Racecourse on 12 September and then ran fourth to Mourinho in the Underwood Stakes at Caulfield two weeks later. At the same track on 10 October the colt finished third in the Caulfield Stakes behind Criterion and Happy Trails. On 17 October, Mongolian Khan started the 4/1 favourite in an eighteen-runner field for the Caulfield Cup with Opie Bosson aboard. He took the lead 400 metres from the finish and won by half a length from the classy British challenger, Trip To Paris.

Mongolian Khan was retired and begun Stud duties at Windsor Park Stud. His first crop are starting to come through and include, Made For Khan, who was sold privately after trialling well at Cambridge and would go on to finish second at his first two starts for trainer Matt Laurie in the spring, before finishing sixth in stakes company at Flemington behind Ain'tnodeeldun, indicating they would consider a tilt at one of the later Derbys with the promising stayer. Mongolian Brave is also a winner in Australia.

*The receivers of the company, which had a 46% stake in champion racehorse managed to sell the shareholding for just under $20,000. Selling the stake in the well-known stud horse was the final task in the receivership of Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry, owned by a Chinese firm with the same name, and directed by the horse's owner, Lin Lang (Mr Wolf) who owed $573,000. Mongolian Khan was purchased by Jang Jun Stud in Hongyuan County, in China’s Sichuan Province – that’s a good 2000km from Inner Mongolia. So on a stud farm on the Tibetan border trots the great Kiwi racehorse Mongolian Khan, sold by the receivers of the New Zealand-registered company for which he earned more than $4m in prize money. Nobody knows where his former owner is – he’s seemingly gone with the wind.

RACE RECORD - 17:8-0-1

EARNINGS - NZ$625,500 & A$1,312,250

Waikato Guineas (2015)

Avondale Guineas (2015)

New Zealand Derby (2015)

Australian Derby (2015)

Caulfield Cup (2015)