Shergar amassed 295,000 in prize money in 1981 under Stoute's careful handling. Lord Lucan and the Mafia In 2008, the Sunday Telegraph took a closer look at the cold At gunpoint they led Mr Fitzgerald's wife and their five children into one room and locked the door. He was born in Kildare in 1978 and kidnapped by an armed gang in 1983. It was a very bloody death.. Already, however, there were problems: the kidnappers mistakenly believed that Shergar belonged solely to the Aga Khan when, in fact, the horse was owned by 34 members of the syndicate, who had to agree tactics. In 2004, he vowed never to talk about the incident again, but Alison managed to get him to speak to camera. The question you have to ask is: why else would anyone use a pistol to shoot a racehorse? His five victories that season included the Irish Derby and Ascot's prestige King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. This was it and it was approved by the IRA army council, according to our sources.". We want 2 million [ransom] for him," one said. 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. The failure to find Shergar's body meant that only members of the syndicate who had insured the horse for theft - as well as death or an accident - were compensated by their insurance companies. Swinburn was suspended, because of an infringement. The lad with me is a farmer's son, and he knew immediately that the skull came from a racehorse. 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. In a neat turn of phrase, Alison says: "They thought this horse would be their cash cow.". "I can still remember that night in that car with them lads. Shergar ran just eight races in his short life, winning six times. Foaled on March 3rd, 1978 at The Aga Khans stud at Sheshoon, Shergars dam, Sharmeen, was a descendent of Mumtaz Mahal, in turn the daughter of The Tetrarch, foaled at the Straffan stud in Kildare in 1911 and one of the most influential host lines of the last century. It was believed Shergar - valued at 10m - was taken by the IRA, which was short of money and looking for new sources of funding. Once targets had been attacked, active service units would then slip back to the "safe houses" of the south to prepare for their next mission. Theories over who had kidnapped Shergar have been plentiful. An Irish councillor claims he had discovered the head of horse racing legend Shergar. He's dead." Mr Reynolds, 46, who was Fine Gael MP for Sligo/Leitrim for 20 years, until last year, said: "According to folklore, Shergar lies buried in an outlying farm near Ballinamore. Two armed men forced their way into the house. Mallon, a convicted killer originally from Co Tyrone, eventually became part of IRA folklore after shooting his way out of one prison and being lifted by helicopter from another. But no contact was made. As the hunt for Shergar continued on both sides of the border, the gang's background was still 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. From that, she was able to confirm that it was, indeed, the IRA who took the horse, killed it shortly afterwards and buried it near the Northern Ireland border. File photograph: Matt Kavanagh. 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. But this turned out to be an elaborate hoax and the real negotiations were going on between. I found that really strange. 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. 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. 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! Using coded phrases, the kidnappers soon began negotiations with a representative of the Aga Khan over the telephone but made sure to hang up before 90 seconds passed so that authorities couldnt track their location. Most domesticated horses in the world today are used to ride and to do farm or ranch work. Bold Ruler. His frightened family had followed kidnappers' orders to remain silent and it was 5 am yesterday before police were contacted. I went around to all these places and people were truly kind in talking to me. 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. He said the scene that greeted him at Belfast airport was unreal: "It was like being a film star. From there, the scene moved to Maxwells farmhouse, at a remote location outside Belfast. If they had wanted to steal a horse, they couldnt have found a kinder horse,' said Doreen Swinburn. And he came up to Walter and he grabbed his jacket. Shergars body was never found, and the case remains a mystery. Alison stresses that the programme, which is screened next week on BBC One Northern Ireland, is a documentary, not an investigation, but it obviously required much research. She spent months getting to know them. But the horse was kidnapped by an armed gang in 1983. "There were two bullet holes in the head and it was definitely a racehorse's head," he said. 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 The source said that the two handlers, one clutching a machine gun, went into the remote stable where the horse was being held and opened fire. But detectives admitted they know nothing yet about the gang. What did Cleo sMITHs abductor do to her? He is the majority shareholder in the syndicate, which also includes trainer Vincent O'Brien and leading owner Robert Sangster. But he wanted his champion to stand at his Irish stud. But having established beyond doubt that the horse was killed by the IRA - though Alison is unable to confirm some reports which said that it was machine-gunned to death after breaking a leg and becoming unmanageable - there remained the question posed by the title of the documentary, Searching for Shergar. The family was in Ireland and made a detour to Ballymany one afternoon for a quick visit. The horse had retired from racing and had recently embarked on a lucrative career at stud with racehorse owners paying for Shergar to cover their mares in the hope the resulting foal would be another champion. Conspiracy theories soon abounded over who had kidnapped the horse. 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. The plot, hairbrained as it turned out, was to gain a ransom for the record-breaking Epsom Derby winner. It was the world's most famous racehorse when it was kidnapped by an armed IRA gang in 1983 and disappeared forever. Man o War. "There is a possibility that it was him because when Shergar was abducted there was a Kerry connection.". 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. The bay colt was owned by the Aga Khan, the billionaire spiritual leader to 15 million Ismaili Muslims. The gang had chosen the time for the snatch carefully. What Colors Can Rocky Mountain Horses Be? She says: "He would have been in the middle of it.". However because of the media attention and massive police search for the horse it was decided that would be impossible without incriminating the kidnappers so the horse was shot. She still believes that there are people who have a knowledge of where the remains of the horse lie buried. 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. "We want 2 million if you want the horse back in one piece," they said. "When you stripped away some of the veneer, you realised that there was very little underneath," she says. One of the yarns that grew out of that day is that when the younger Swinburn treated himself to an ice-pop, the vendor offered a cheery Have a nice, day, son, not realising he was serving the Derby-winning jockey. Scientific tests on a skull of a horse found in Ireland have ruled out the possibility that it was the remains of kidnapped racehorse Shergar. John Waynes Monument Valley Horseback Ride, Wyatt Earps Vendetta Ride Tombstone Arizona Territory. Cosgrove didnt doubt this was Shergar but it was impossible to tell if the horse was even alive. Police said the kidnappers did just that after driving away with their prize. There was blood everywhere and the horse even slipped on his own blood. Jim Fitzgerald, a father of six, was forced at gunpoint to Shergars stable where they were joined by six more masked gunmen. By David Remnick. WebShergar - Born in County Kildare in 1978 and kidnapped by an armed gang in 1983. Just sort of go out there and do your best. Seven of the most famous ranch and quarter horse bloodlines are Doc Bar, Driftwood, Two Eyed Jack, Joe Hancock, Playgun, Old Sorrel, and Peppy San Badger. 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. Horses are often Read more, Horsehair is used for the crafts of horsehair hitching, horsehair braiding, pottery, and in making jewelry items such as bracelets, necklaces, earrings and barrettes. As his second season approached, Shergar was expected to cover at least 55 mares throughout 1983. 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. You can call me Arkle from now on, a voice told ITVs Derek Thompson when the phone eventually rang at 1.15 in the morning. Someone has daubed "PIRA [Provisional IRA]" in purple crayon on his white garden wall. There was widespread relief when at the end of his career, instead of being shipped to one of the large American studs as expected, Shergar was returned to his birthplace of Ireland. He was stolen at night along with his groom, who was held at gunpoint in the horse van before being released 20 miles away. When I was making the Disappeared with Darragh McIntyre, there was a genuine fear about things from the past. Here is Shergar winning the Epsom Derby in 1981: Discover the real Ireland, how you can travel slow around the island, Dubliner adopted to New York at birth reunites with Irish family 63 years later, Catholic Church launches initiative encouraging young Irish men to consider priesthood, Killarney National Park in "terrible state" after years of neglect, conference hears, Great Famine Voices 2023 Launch New Season of Films, Ireland of the Welcomes' hot hotel: The Savoy Hotel Limerick, WATCH: 1916 Easter Rising footage featured in British Path online archives, Mustard and herb lamb chops with honey dressing recipe. And when I was looking at this horse, I was thinking: why is there such silence and controversy? One of them, with the revolver, was very aggressive," Mr. Fitzgerald told the Telegraph about his ride in the kidnappers car. An Irish councillor claims he had discovered the head of horse racing legend Shergar. Piggott was not a man given to excessive emotion but of Shergar he said late in his life: He was one of the best horses of the last hundred years. the gang and the Aga Khan. 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.
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