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Shergar was five years old and preparing for his second season as a breeding stallion when he was snatched from the Ballymany Stud in Co Kildare - just a stone's throw from The Curragh racetrack - on a foggy winter's evening. The source did not know exactly where Shergar's body was buried, but the fact that his carcass was riddled with bullets meant the gang did everything to ensure Shergar's remains were never found. 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. "Two years earlier, supermarket owner Ben Dunne was kidnapped by the IRA and a ransom was paid. Shergar, a beloved thoroughbred He found his way to a telephone and rang his brother - this phone call led to a series of phone calls between Shergars shareholders, his vet, racing associates and several Irish Ministers. In an apparent bid to receive a pay out, jailed IRA The odds shrank to 8/1: Baerlein warned that those odds would again halve if Shergar triumphed at the Chester Vase. When she spoke with people, she found them friendly but reticent to speak about her chief subject. In 2008 an investigation by the Sunday Telegraph claimed that within four days of being kidnapped and held at a remote farm senior IRA chiefs ordered the horse be released. There is a general acceptance of who was behind the kidnapping of Shergar. In February 1983, at the height of The Troubles, Ireland faced a truly mysterious crime that remains virtually unsolved. On the night of February 8th masked gunmen invaded the family home of Jim Fitzgerald, the retired chief groom at Ballymany and a father of six children, took him hostage and brought him to Ballymany. Last night police chief Mr Murphy appealed to the gang to return Shergar unharmed. . Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! Ive made some really hard films. The truth about Shergar racehorse kidnapping By Andrew Alderson, Chief Reporter examiner.co.uk 27 Jan 2008 It is 25 years since a world-famous racehorse was kidnapped by the IRA, never to be seen again. They all suffered in some way. And Shergar wouldnt let his jacket go.. There were cameras all around." Some horses are treated similar to pets, kept for their companionship and entertainment value. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Desert Orchid (11 April 1979 13 November 2006), known as Dessie, was an English racehorse. "People know where Shergar is buried, but the rehearsed silence is unbreakable.". Certainly, the operation bore the hallmarks of an IRA plan in that it relied upon immaculate planning, thuggery, ruthlessness and the usual fetish for hokey codenames, delivered tersely down telephones. When I was making the Disappeared with Darragh McIntyre, there was a genuine fear about things from the past. Shergar was voted European Racehorse of the Year, but he never raced again and was retired to stud. In a neat turn of phrase, Alison says: "They thought this horse would be their cash cow.". A gorgeous few minutes of television interview exists with Walter Swinburn, utterly unflappable and just 19 when he rode Shergar to victory. Why Does My Horse Bob Is Head When I Put His Bridle On? "No horse deserves an ending like that - let alone one as special as Shergar.. 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. Predictably, the residents claimed to know nothing about Shergar's whereabouts before or after he was killed. He opened it to find two men wearing balaclavas wielding guns - one of them said, We have come for Shergar. Along with triple Grand National winner Red Rum, it remains probably the most famous horse to come out of Europe in the last century. However, Nicky Kehoe, who was also named by O'Callaghan in his book as a member of the IRA kidnap gang, denied any involvement. 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. There was blood everywhere and the horse even slipped on his own blood. He was ordered to point out Shergar's box. Former IRA informer Sean O'Callaghan, who is from Co Kerry, later claimed that the horse had been killed by his abductors who were unable to handle him. A retired milkman from south-west Ireland believes he may have solved the greatest mystery in the history of horse racing after spending Grand National day cleaning up a beauty spot. We do not even know what kind of accents they spoke with.". Chief Supt James "Spud" Murphy became the darling of the media for his bizarre pronouncements and his determination to use psychics and mediums to try to solve the case. The Boomtown Rats released Banana Republic. They demanded a 5m ransom from the syndicate owning the horse, which included the Aga Khan. Most domesticated horses in the world today are used to ride and to do farm or ranch work. We want $3 million for him.". Shergar was retired to stud at the end of its Derby-winning year and immediately became the most valuable horse at that time. More importantly, he was also able to confirm a number of different details.". That is something we haven't got," he once said. O'Callaghan suggested the horse had thrown itself into a frenzy, injured a leg and that it was put out of its misery and "was killed within days even though the IRA kept up the pretence that he was alive". Police have now passed the skull to the Garda team at Naas, in Co Kildare, which is responsible for the "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. We want 2 million [ransom] for him," one said. Inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2011, First Down Dash is arguably the greatest race sire of all time. Shergar began his first season of racing in September 1980 and ran two races that year, where he won one and came second in the other. The Sunday Telegraph has been told that four days after Shergar was seized, and following extensive stalling by the Aga Khan's representative, the Army Council realised their equine "property" was worthless and told the gang to release the horse. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. (modern). But there was an important difference between the two. The most valuable horse in the world disappeared without trace. Why CanT I Take My Horse Into Gerudo Desert? Cosgrove didnt doubt this was Shergar but it was impossible to tell if the horse was even alive. A source told the paper: "Shergar was machine gunned to death. Police were When contacted by The Sunday Telegraph, he refused to discuss the case. The book identified Kevin Mallon, a senior IRA leader, as the man who had devised the plot. But four hours later, he was released and found 40 miles away from the stud farm. The abduction sparked a massive hunt, but, according to a former IRA terrorist, Sean O'Callaghan, Shergar was killed within days. 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It was a very bloody death.. Were William Butler Yeats alive, his passion for Celtic myth and legend would seize upon the story of Shergar. But the end of the case did not deter others on the hunt. It was several minutes before Shergar bled to death. Years later, there were still whispers that Shergar was alive and secretly producing foals whose breeding lines could never be divulged. Shergar won the Espom Derby in England in 1981, romping home by ten lengths, which still remains the record for the longest margin of victory in the famous race. They are expected to carry out DNA tests. What Colors Can Rocky Mountain Horses Be? Police have now passed the skull to the Garda team at Naas, in Co Kildare, which is responsible for the inquiry into the disappearance of Shergar in 1983. Walter Swinburn on Shergar after his runaway victory in the Epsom Derby in 1981. They were so lovely and they went through such trauma. The bronze, a replica of a statue at Aintree, is worth pounds 10,000. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. "Shergar was a grand horse and he deserved better. Until a decade ago this was "bandit country", the remote hills and marshlands from where the IRA and its supporters smuggled arms over the border and planned their raids on the security forces in Northern Ireland. No horse has ever recorded a greater winning margin in the famous race. Bank robberies, or hold-ups of cash in transit, was becoming more and more difficult and a new strategy needed to be found. There are several ideas pertaining to what happened to Shergar. He had a lot of confidence in Shergar. If we can show it is possible to identity him after all this time it may deter other people from kidnapping horses," he said. But even around the area where the horses remains are alleged to be . Thompson received a phone call the next day from the kidnappers - they said, "The horse has had an accident. Alison, who has been fascinated by the disappearance of Shergar since her early years, researched the existing material meticulously and found some of the so-called 'exclusives' less than accurate. "I can still remember that night in that car with them lads. Conspiracy theories soon abounded over who had kidnapped the horse. If that was not bad enough insurers refused to pay him out, insisting there was no proof that the horse was, indeed, dead. Rather than leave the horse, they killed it. It couldnt have happened in a worse country in that we are the kingdom of the horse here, says racing historian Guy Williams. In February 1983, What did Cleo sMITHs abductor do to her? Shergar was born in Kildare, Ireland in 1978. It is believed that an IRA gang took him at a time when kidnappings were plentiful. The gang had chosen the time for the snatch carefully. But Ballinamore has form. Others, including the IRA, argued that O'Callaghan, who died in a swimming pool accident in Jamaica last August, could not be trusted , given how he had spent a long period of his life as an informer against republicans. I love to think about how Secretariat is Ruffians uncle. Thompson is Then, after the Shergar fiasco, another supermarket boss, Don Tidey, was also kidnapped and a ransom demanded. 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 But detectives admitted they know nothing yet about the gang. The bay colt was owned by the Aga Khan, the billionaire spiritual leader to 15 million Ismaili Muslims. A series of phone calls was made, ultimately to Stan Cosgrove, the renowned equine vet and a shareholder in Shergar and to Alan Dukes, the Kildare TD and then minister for finance. Now a new BBC One Northern Ireland documentary reveals the thoroughbred is likely buried in a desolate bog in Co Leitrim. But his disappearance remains a mystery. 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. By far the most popular set of events is that the horse, worth 10million in 1983, was taken for ransom by the IRA thinking it was owned by the fabulously wealthy Aga Khan who would pay a fortune to get the champion back. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Shergar amassed 295,000 in prize money in 1981 under Stoute's careful handling. His US Triple Crown performances ingrained his place in history. So Lester Piggott, even then the doyen of flat racing, and jockey for Shergars first maiden race at Newbury, stepped in as Shergar swept the field in the Irish Derby, allowing broadcaster Michael OHehir to exclaim on television: Hes winning it so easily! I hope one day we can get to the bottom of what happend. "I can still remember that night in that car with them lads. Shergar won at a canter and the chief anticipation at Epsom was whether the sensational three-year-old and his young jockey would handle the enormous expectation. Kidnapped racehorse Shergar was the centre of a 2 million ransom mystery last night. 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. It was the world's most famous racehorse when it was kidnapped by an armed IRA gang in 1983 and disappeared forever. Nothing more was heard from them again. Vanilla Ice: loves his racing, baby BBC Vanilla Ice said: I love horses, I love watching them. He made it look so easy. A decade ago Sean O'Callaghan, an IRA double killer turned police double agent, used his book, The Informer, to name seven former Provos he claimed had planned and carried out the horse's kidnap. In February 1983, at the height of The Troubles, Ireland faced a truly mysterious crime that remains virtually unsolved.
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