I love to think about how Secretariat is Ruffians uncle. I found that really strange. Remains were never Thieves stole a life-size statue of the triple Grand National winner, Red Rum, from a house in East Meon, Hampshire. Taking the horse was relatively simple and the details were recounted in newspaper reports that circulated around the world in the days afterwards. Award-winning filmmaker Alison Millar realised she had uncovered gold dust when she was shown the hefty sheaf of letters sent from Maghaberry Prison by Sean O'Callaghan to Mr Clarke. No horse has ever recorded a greater winning margin in the famous race. 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. The IRA plan was also stupid; none of the kidnappers had a clue how to handle a horse, let alone an excitable stallion. "He was a gentleman and he even gave us his mobile telephone number. From 31 crops to race, First Down Dash has sired 1,462 winners, which includes 258 stakes winners. They warned Mr Fitzgerald not to inform the police and said they would be in touch at noon yesterday with more details. Shergar is insured for nearly 4 million, only a fraction of his value. Hes dead.. Unlike today, there were no electronic security gates, CCTV cameras or an intercom to gain access - even though the horses inside were sometimes worth millions of pounds each. This was it and it was approved by the IRA army council, according to our sources.". 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. Vanilla Ice: loves his racing, baby BBC Vanilla Ice said: I love horses, I love watching them. That summer was one of coronation for Shergar. But no.. It is still the sort of town where locals turn their heads when two British journalists walk into a pub. "I can tell you, I didn't look around once - I was happy to be on the ground," he said in a broad Co Kildare accent. 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". Millars research brought her to Leitrim and the wild landscape outside Ballinamore. "I can still remember that night in that car with them lads. Read about 10 more mysterious disappearances . The champion racehorse won the 1981 Derby by a record of 10 lengths. Searching for Shergar, BBC One Northern Ireland, Thursday, June 7, Receive today's headlines directly to your inbox every morning and evening, Please check your inbox to verify your details, I thought Id be hauled over the coals, but my boss suggested I see a doctor. An armed gang who stole Shergar, winner of the 1981 Derby from the Aga Khan's Irish stud on Tuesday night told a captive groom at the time that they would be demanding 2 million for his safe return. By David Remnick. The organisation would never admit culpability but Sean OCallaghan, the IRA commander and police informer, in interviews named those he said carried out the act. 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. 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. I think Wally and [trainer] Michael Stoute not me, I can assure you, I was the one who was in bits were very good with him. "I was there with a farmer's son and he said it was not an ordinary horse.". About 100 cameramen and journalists were in or outside the Europa Hotel as Thompson and his co-negotiators arrived. In February 1983, at the height of The Troubles, Ireland faced a truly mysterious crime that remains virtually unsolved. Chief superintendent James Murphy, who is leading the kidnap hunt, said last night: "It was unbelievably easy. Even then, the consensus was that if a ransom were paid, every racehorse in the country would become a potential target. Sadly, Liam died suddenly before the making of the programme, but Kathryn is in no doubt he would have loved working on it, using his many contacts to bring fresh perspective to the mystery. Should I Get A Pre-Purchase Exam On A Horse? Named Horse of the Year in 1957, Bold Ruler was the first stallion whose offspring won more than $2 million in one season. At gunpoint, Mr Fitzgerald, a quietly spoken father of six, was forced to lead the gang to Shergar's stable and load the horse into a stolen horsebox that they had brought with them. 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! Police said: "They could be common criminals or linked with subversive groups. Most domesticated horses in the world today are used to ride and to do farm or ranch work. The Sunday Telegraph reported that four days after Shergar was seized, the Army Council realized they would never collect a ransom. Lawyer Owen Tebbs, who organised the syndicate for the Aga, said: "It is quite likely many have not taken out insurance. No. They forced him to release the horse, before they also took him away with them. (In a bitter twist, Stan Cosgrove would discover that his did not). He made it look so easy. Tommy Foley, from Tralee in Co Kerry, said he found the remains of the stallions skull last Saturday during an annual clean up of a glen outside the West Ireland town. He was expected to be a source of profit for the syndicate which owned him. In February 1983, at the height of The Troubles, Ireland faced a truly mysterious crime that remains virtually unsolved. 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. The man leading the hunt said: "I do not believe any ransom will be paid, and police will block any attempt to pay one.". Desert Orchid (11 April 1979 13 November 2006), known as Dessie, was an English racehorse. WebShergar was stolen from the Aga Khan's stud farm by an armed gang on 8 February 1983. 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 "We have come for Shergar. I never at any stage thought he was worried. Irelands economy was ransacked. Well, if youre not satisfied, came the reply. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. The proud former groom still has framed photographs of Shergar in his hall and living room. This vivid image of how Shergar died confirmed the worst fears of one of the most senior figures in Irish racing. Who was the greatest racehorse sire of all time? All rights reserved. They approached several locals, but each time was stonewalled when the conversation turned to the horse. Shergar was kidnapped from the Ballymany Stud on February 9 1983. I had never been in the horse racing world before. 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. When he retired after that first season, racehorse owners paid up to $120,000 for shares in his services impregnating mares, eager to have young horses from his bloodline to train for races. The abduction sparked a massive hunt, but, according to a former IRA terrorist, Sean O'Callaghan, Shergar was killed within days. Shergar's former jockey Walter Swinburn was distressed by the paper's findings. Shergar's former jockey Walter Swinburn, who rode Shergar at his famous race, was distressed by the findings. A common belief is that Shergars remains are buried somewhere in that region of the country. Alison has no doubt. He was a very kind horse. He had a lot of confidence in Shergar. There was lots of cussing and swearing because the horse wouldn't die. Red Rum died on 18 October 1995, aged 30. The men never reached an agreement. With the horse valued at 10 million, he offered 40 shares, at 250,000 each, which were quickly snapped up. The IRA has never officially claimed responsibility for stealing the beloved horse. It is used to make some wall and fine arts paintbrushes. Mr Cosgrove, in turn, rang his friend, former Army officer Captain Sean Berry. Shergar was so far out of sight that John Matthias, riding the second-placed Glint of Gold, admitted that in the tumult he was convinced hed won the race. "When you stripped away some of the veneer, you realised that there was very little underneath," she says. We want $3 million for him.". This process is referred to as a caricature of police bungling, as the actual police werent notified until 8 hours after Shergar was taken and the men were long gone from the area. That is something we haven't got," he once said. Thompson received a phone call the next day from the kidnappers - they said, "The horse has had an accident. Physically, he was a distinctive beauty: the white blaze on the nose, the four white socks. The remains of a Cherry Hill man reported missing by his family earlier this year were found by a hunter this week in a state park, authorities said.. Peter Myers, 68, "That's not a very nice thing to do," he said slowly, with typical Irish understatement, as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. Security was very lax.". As scores of British journalists descended on Co Kildare, the hunt for Shergar turned into a media circus. I do. Shergar, a beloved thoroughbred racehorse worth over $15 million, was kidnapped from his stable in County Kildare by a gang of machine gun-wielding men in balaclavas. Home Horse How Many Horses Did Shergar Sire? Among others, one reason the investigation was so difficult for authorities was because the kidnappers had chosen the day before Irelands big Goffs racehorse sale to abduct Shergar, when many horseboxes were being driven across all of Irelands roads, thereby making it hard to differentiate him. When she spoke with people, she found them friendly but reticent to speak about her chief subject. All that energy, all that life. Shergar, scheduled to cover up to 55 mares a year, has put 42 of his first 44 mares in foal. They found the horse just as they imagined. 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. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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. Yes. On Monday, August 8, 2022, an inmate in the Polk County Detention Center led the Polk County Sheriffs Office to skeletal remains in a shallow grave west of In February 1983, And especially in that era, the shoulder pad and champagne era, it was very glossy. The most valuable horse in the world disappeared without trace. Nobody has ever been charged with the theft. Before the kidnap, Shergar was worth 10m. It was several minutes before the horse, which was in agony, slowly bled to death. 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One of them, with the revolver, was very aggressive," said Mr Fitzgerald, at his end-of-terrace home in Newbridge, just three miles from the stud. "No horse deserves an ending like that - let alone one as special as Shergar. Fitzpatrick was forced to identify Shergar and was then driven in a van for about half an hour before he was released in the village of Kilcock. Remains were never found, and what happened to the horse has never been known. A week later, The Irish Times reported that a loaded magazine from a semi-automatic rifle was found near the outside wall of Ballymany Stud and recognised as the kind used by the Provisional IRA in south Armagh. In 2018, the Belfast-based documentary maker succeeded in making a film, Searching for Shergar, which is at once a warm evocation of his splendid life and an examination of the eerie void left by the manner of his death. Shergar has vanished before, but only briefly. Swirling mist and driving rain threaten to obscure the view from a ridge up in the Iron Mountains, high above County Leitrim. Epsom was wreathed in flowers and goodwill and a delight among the crowd at witnessing racing aristocracy: a rare champion, as much vision as animal.