Shergar
Shergar was a Thoroughbred bay colt with a white blaze, four white socks and a wall eye. He was foaled on 3 March 1978 at Sheshoon, the private stud of the Aga Khan IV in County Kildare, Ireland. In 1981 he won the 202nd Epsom Derby by ten lengths, the longest winning margin in the race’s history. In 1983 he was stolen from the stud and a ransom of £2 million was demanded; it was not paid, and negotiations were soon broken off by the thieves. In 1999 a supergrass, formerly in the Provisional Irish Republican Army, stated they stole the horse.
About Shergar in brief
Shergar was a Thoroughbred bay colt with a white blaze, four white socks and a wall eye. He was foaled on 3 March 1978 at Sheshoon, the private stud of the Aga Khan IV in County Kildare, Ireland. Shergar was sired by Great Nephew, a British stallion whose wins included the Prix du Moulin and Prix Dollar in France in 1967. The horse was sent into training with Michael Stoute in 1979 and 1980. In 1981 he won the 202nd Epsom Derby by ten lengths, the longest winning margin in the race’s history. In 1983 he was stolen from the stud and a ransom of £2 million was demanded; it was not paid, and negotiations were soon broken off by the thieves. In 1999 a supergrass, formerly in the Provisional Irish Republican Army, stated they stole the horse. The IRA has never admitted any role in the theft. In honour of Shergar, the Shergar Cup was inaugurated in 1999. His story has been made into two screen dramatisations, several books and two documentaries. No arrests have ever been made in relation to the theft, and Shergar’s body has never been recovered or identified. It is likely that the body was buried near Aughnasheelin, near Ballinamore, County Leitrim. He is buried in the same grave as his owner, the Aga Khan IV, who died in 2005. The Aga Khan sold forty shares in the horse, valuing it at £10 million.
Retaining six shares, he created an owners’ syndicate with the remaining thirty-four members. The syndicate did not accept as true the proof provided that the horse was still alive. In 1978 the AgA Khan announced he would send some of his yearlings for training in England. For a trainer, he chose Michael Stretch, who was based at Newmarket, Suffolk. He trained the winners of the Oaks, Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks with Fair Salinia, and the Gold Cup with Shangamuzo. He responded very well to training, particularly in September 1980, when jockey Lester Piggott rode him in the run-up to Shergar’s debut race. On 19 September 1980 Shergar ran his first race, with jockey Richard Baerer, and won the first race for two-year-old colts and geldings over a 1 mile straight. He kept up with the leaders before the opening race, winning by 2 2 1/2 lengths. In June that year Shergar won the Irish Sweeps Derby by four lengths; a month after that he won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by four lengths. In his final race of the year he came in fourth, and he was retired to stud in Ireland. In January 1983, an armed gang stole Shergar from the Ago Khan’s stud farm.
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This page is based on the article Shergar published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 23, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
