That September, after Shergar finished a disappointing fourth in the St Leger, the Aga Khan decided to retire his prize horse from racing and return him to stud at Ballymany. He was a 25/1 shout for the Derby after trainer Michael Stoute decided to prepare him after his maiden season in 1980. They warned Mr Fitzgerald not to inform the police and said they would be in touch at noon yesterday with more details. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. The lad with me is a farmer's son, and he knew immediately that the skull came from a racehorse. In February 1983, Shergar was kidnapped for ransom by the IRA, who killed him when the abduction went wrong and buried his body in a bog in the north of County Shergar ran just eight races in his short life, winning six times. What happened next is not for the fainthearted. But last night, more than 24 hours after the raid, they had made no contact. In February 1983, at the height of The Troubles, Ireland faced a truly mysterious crime that remains virtually unsolved. The family was in Ireland and made a detour to Ballymany one afternoon for a quick visit. However, Nicky Kehoe, who was also named by O'Callaghan in his book as a member of the IRA kidnap gang, denied any involvement. According to OCallaghan, Shergar had become agitated during transport, badly damaging a leg. In many ways I wanted to call the film the Ghost of Shergar. It is then believed, and the claim is repeated in a documentary on BBC One in Northern Ireland on Thursday night, that the remains were buried in a bog. "We decided to go into the extreme end of the glen this year where there was a lot of dumping taking place. But I couldnt understand why the way we talk about silence and fear in relation to the past on this island extended to this horse. Another would not cause any attention. What Colors Can Rocky Mountain Horses Be? Bank robberies, or hold-ups of cash in transit, was becoming more and more difficult and a new strategy needed to be found. And finally being able to touch all that remains of the wonder horse apart from memories - a little bunch of hairs plucked from its mane and tail shortly before it was kidnapped and given to two young visitors who came to photograph Shergar one day. It is still the sort of town where locals turn their heads when two British journalists walk into a pub. A source told the paper: "Shergar was machine gunned to death. (In a bitter twist, Stan Cosgrove would discover that his did not). It was several minutes before Shergar bled to death. There, he was syndicated for 10 million (40 shares worth 250,000 each, six of which were kept by the Aga Khan) to stand at stud. That is certainly not the case around Ballinamore. Olly Murs breaks down on stage over Caroline Flack 'regret', Fulham's Pereira stretchered off with suspected broken leg in worrying scenes, One dead and seven injured as knifeman goes on bloody rampage near club, 'Meghan killed me - then she mourns me', says estranged dad Thomas Markle, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. It was shortly after 8 pm when the son of Jim Fitzgerald, Shergars head groom that lived at the stud, heard a knock at the door. He proved infertile as a stallion, as none of the 34 mares bred to him became pregnant. Security was minimal, which reflects a kind of misplaced innocence and trust when it came to Ireland and horses. However, by then Mallon was under surveillance, the Garda were crawling all over Ireland and he felt it was impossible to move Shergar or free the horse close to where it was being held. Shergars owners reportedly refused to give in to the two million pound ransom demand for fear of setting a precedent. Even though the Troubles ended a decade ago we were advised "not to spend more than an hour there if you are asking awkward questions". Shergar amassed 295,000 in prize money in 1981 under Stoute's careful handling. Even as the case remains unsolved, Taking Shergar offers a new look at this over thirty-year-old mystery. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, 5% off all bookings with this Travelodge discount code, Save 200 on 2023 holidays with this TUI discount code, Save 5% on hotel bookings with this Barcelo promo code, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Get up to 10% off using the Booking.com app, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK April 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this April, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. Theories over who had kidnapped Shergar have been plentiful. She spent months getting to know them. Nothing more was heard from them again. Years later, there were still whispers that Shergar was alive and secretly producing foals whose breeding lines could never be divulged. The precise circumstances of Shergar's grisly death are also revealed for the first time. The odds shrank to 8/1: Baerlein warned that those odds would again halve if Shergar triumphed at the Chester Vase. Tommy Foley, from Tralee in Co Kerry, said he found the remains of the stallion's skull last Saturday during an annual clean up of a glen outside the West Ireland town. It is 35 years since Derby winner Shergar was horse-napped from the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. I was just fascinated by the story. In an apparent bid to receive a pay out, jailed IRA informant Seon O'Callagan claimed the horse died within 24 hours. A mystery man said he had information the horse was still alive and he could pinpoint where it was being held. The sinister end to a beautiful episode in Irish sport; the freakish clash of paramilitarism and high-end horse breeding and the abrupt and sudden silence has made Shergar seem like a symbol of everything that was warped about Ireland on both sides of the Border. "I do not believe any ransom will be paid. Some said it was the Mafia in retaliation for a horse deal with the Aga Khan that had gone wrong. But Richard Baerlein, the canny racing correspondent, was so convinced after witnessing Shergar and Swinburn cruise to a 10-length victory at Sandown in April 1981 that he urged punters to get in while the going was good. In the wake of the kidnapping, he was the victim of a scam in which the Garda appears not to have been blameless and which cost him many thousands of pounds. The IRA has privately tried to blame renegade members for the kidnap, but Kevin O'Connor, a historian and journalist with top Republican contacts, dismisses this idea. From there, the scene moved to Maxwells farmhouse, at a remote location outside Belfast. But no.. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. It was a very bloody death.. He was a very kind horse. On the cold, muggy evening of February 8, 1983, Shergar was kidnapped by a gang of men in balaclavas, thought to be part of the IRA. It was several hours before the Garda were informed, but by then there were no clues. In 1999, former IRA gunman Sen O'Callaghan published his memoirs, The Informer. Mr Kehoe, a former Sinn Fein councillor, said he had not sued O'Callaghan because nobody believed him: "He was working for both sides - that's as much as you need to know about what he has to say.". Jim Fitzgerald, a father of six, was forced at gunpoint to Shergars stable where they were joined by six more masked gunmen. Some horses are treated similar to pets, kept for their companionship and entertainment value. It was a sort of exasperation: oh, you dont want to talk about that horse. When he was returned to Ireland after her first winning season, he was syndicated for $15 million between 34 people - each share was worth around $382,000, six of which were kept by the Aga Khan. There was a lot of shrugging and shaking of heads, while Martin Kenny, a Sinn Fein councillor for the town, said: "I have never heard anyone say they knew where Shergar was buried or what happened to him.". Thompson believed he kept the call going long enough to trace the location only to be told by police that the man who did their tracing had clocked off and headed home at midnight. The proud former groom still has framed photographs of Shergar in his hall and living room. This meant there were two parallel inquiries, with the two forces refusing to share information. The kidnappers shrewdly chose their date to coincide with a horse sale at Goffs; the verdant roads were teeming with horse trailers. They are expected to carry out DNA tests. In an apparent bid to receive a pay out, jailed IRA "I have never gone along with the theory that he was too hard to control because he was the quietest, gentlest horse, with a bombproof temperament.". Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Named Horse of the Year in 1957, Bold Ruler was the first stallion whose offspring won more than $2 million in one season. In February 1983, Shergar was kidnapped from his stable in Kildare, held for ransom, and brutally killed by his captors who havent been identified. Revered Irish racehorse Shergar was taken at gunpoint from Ballymany Stud in County Kildare on February 8, 1983, and never seen again. Where is the animal buried? When she spoke with people, she found them friendly but reticent to speak about her chief subject. More importantly, he was also able to confirm a number of different details.". Now, chief reporter Andrew Alderson has solved the mystery of Shergar's final hours, why his remains have never been found and uncovered the truth about the The most valuable horse in the world disappeared without trace. Nobody has ever been charged with the theft. The Provisional IRA, strapped for cash to fund its campaign, hatched a plan to kidnap the animal for ransom. She says: "He would have been in the middle of it.". Red Rum was passed from training yard to training yard until he found his footing with his new trainer McCain. In February 1983, Over the course of the following few days, a strange and blackly comic series of late-night phone calls and false trails formed the official backdrop to a nationwide trawl of farm yards and sheds for the missing horse. "Two years earlier, supermarket owner Ben Dunne was kidnapped by the IRA and a ransom was paid. And Walter was just an excellent horseman.. Shergar's former jockey Walter Swinburn was distressed by the paper's findings. Aghrasheeling translates as "meadow of the fairies", but are people still spinning fairy stories? Many in the Republic, including broad Republican sympathisers, would never have forgiven the IRA and its political wing, Sinn Fein, for machine gunning the equine pride of the nation in cold blood. A sign on a railing leading to the stud read: "Please close the gate.". "His wife had found out what he was up to and warned him that if he walked out of the door [to look after Shergar] he would never walk in again," said the source. Shergar's memorable ten-length Epsom Derby victory of 1981. We want $3 million for him.". The equine equivalent of the Lord Lucan mystery, there has been no ending to the riddle, with the IRA never officially claiming responsibility and Shergar's body never found. By then, a silence had begun about Shergar that would stretch for four decades. "He has always refused to speak openly about his time in the IRA, but he spoke to me as an 'expert' on the IRA's kidnapping strategy," says Alison. By day four, an impasse had been reached. Shergar was hailed as the greatest racehorse of all time when he won the 1981 Epsom Derby. Its impossible to buy. If they had wanted to steal a horse, they couldnt have found a kinder horse,' said Doreen Swinburn. From 31 crops to race, First Down Dash has sired 1,462 winners, which includes 258 stakes winners. Shergar became a father for the first time a week ago when a bay colt [pictured top left on the newspaper page above] who looks remarkably like him was born at the Irish stud. After driving him around for three hours, the kidnappers dumped Fitzgerald out of the car. He was gelded at a young age, so he was never used for breeding. Man o War. Police are investigating after human remains were found in a large plastic container last week in a New Jersey neighborhood near New York City. Early in his three-year-old season, Shergar won the race then known as the Guardian Classic Trial at Sandown Park. . It was a very bloody death.". Police were checking on reports that a car and horsebox were seen heading towards the Ulster border at dawn yesterday. Remains were never ", Michael Stoute, who trained the horse to win two Derbys, said: "He was the best I ever had.". One said it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. In 2004, he vowed never to talk about the incident again, but Alison managed to get him to speak to camera. Last night police chief Mr Murphy appealed to the gang to return Shergar unharmed. Swinburn would ride two other Derby winners but his surname and glittering career will always be associated with that of Shergar. But it wasnt just any horse. John Waynes Monument Valley Horseback Ride, Wyatt Earps Vendetta Ride Tombstone Arizona Territory. However, another line of dialogue was taking place through Ballymany Stud, where a caller gave the code name King Neptune the name the kidnappers had instructed Jim Fitzgerald to remember and pass on. Lawyer Owen Tebbs, who organised the syndicate for the Aga, said: "It is quite likely many have not taken out insurance. One of them, with the revolver, was very aggressive," Mr. Fitzgerald told the Telegraph about his ride in the kidnappers car. We want 2 million [ransom] for him," one said. The plot, hairbrained as it turned out, was to gain a ransom for the record-breaking Epsom Derby winner. But detectives admitted they know nothing yet about the gang. He then hung up. The search for the last resting place of Shergar It was the world's most famous racehorse when it was kidnapped by an armed IRA gang in 1983 and Walter rode horses as he found them and that won him many races. "People know where Shergar is buried, but the rehearsed silence is unbreakable.". Now a new BBC One Northern Ireland documentary reveals the thoroughbred is likely buried in a desolate bog in Co Leitrim. As he was freed the kidnappers told him their chilling terms. Some believe the IRA snatched the horse, as they were looking for new sources of funding around the same time. During his first season he "covered" 35 mares, with owners paying up to 80,000 a time for the privilege of having a colt or filly by Shergar. Shergar was taken by masked gunmen on 8 February 1983 and while it's never been been proven exactly what happened there are no end of theories. Share your favorite stories with other history buffs in the IrishCentral History Facebook group. Although there was some dissent, the members of the syndicate owning shares in Shergar refused to countenance paying over any money and, shortly afterwards, all contact was ended and the mystery deepened. Sadly still hasn't been found today just guessing. As his son, Bernard, answered it, three masked and armed men barged their way in and started ordering the family around.