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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. The stallion had a white blaze mark on his face, four white "socks" and a distinctive racing style of running with his tongue hanging out - he was gentle, calm and kind. But I couldnt get my head around the horse, and it brought it back to the fact that there is a fear of somebody saying something that would get them in trouble. Shergar has vanished before, but only briefly. The search for the last resting place of Shergar They are expected to carry out DNA tests. "I can still remember that night in that car with them lads. Members of the 34-share syndicate could face huge losses if he is damaged. Eight hours passed before detectives arrived in Ballymany. 'He was a very kind horse. The hunt for Shergar created a huge media storm - everyone in the UK and Ireland were hell-bent on getting him back, and the Dublin police had offered an over $150,000 reward for his return. It was several hours before the Garda were informed, but by then there were no clues. Thieves stole a life-size statue of the triple Grand National winner, Red Rum, from a house in East Meon, Hampshire. Cosgrove didnt doubt this was Shergar but it was impossible to tell if the horse was even alive. Police said: "They could be common criminals or linked with subversive groups. The champion racehorse won the 1981 Derby by a record of 10 lengths. 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. The proud former groom still has framed photographs of Shergar in his hall and living room. Jim Fitzgerald, a father of six, was forced at gunpoint to Shergars stable where they were joined by six more masked gunmen. The most valuable horse in the world disappeared without trace. Nobody has ever been charged with the theft. WebShergar's remains have never been found and the thieves have never been officially identified. He said he had long suspected that the horse, in the hands of non-experts, had met a lingering death "crazed with pain". "These were letters which set out not only what happened to Shergar, but also referred to the kidnapping of people.". 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. The description speaks of the low ignorance of the moment. The Ballymany Stud is located in County Kildare, Ireland. It was the time of horse sales in the area and the roads were full of horseboxes. Human remains discovered in a plastic container left on a street in But it was a wonderful day and he rode a lovely competent race. By then, a silence had begun about Shergar that would stretch for four decades. The bay colt was owned by the Aga Khan, the billionaire spiritual leader to 15 million Ismaili Muslims, was trained by Sir Michael Stoute at Newmarket and was ridden by the "choirboy", an angelic looking 19-year-old jockey called Walter Swinburn, who now trains in Britain. There was lots of cursing and swearing because the horse wouldnt die. Love Irish history? Case of the Stolen Racehorse Shergar Horse and Jockey figurine Native Dancer became so popular that his blood began to dominate the Thoroughbred breed. The Irish horse breeding industry was one of the few bright spots, with 20,000 associated jobs. But as hopes faded, the late Detective Chief Superintendent James Murphy, who was leading the inquiry, uttered the immortal line: "If we find the body, we will treat it like any other murder investigation.". 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. 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. Shergar was voted European Racehorse of the Year, but he never raced again and was retired to stud. Now a new BBC One Northern Ireland documentary reveals the thoroughbred is likely buried in a desolate bog in Co Leitrim. (In a bitter twist, Stan Cosgrove would discover that his did not). Shergar was retired to stud at the end of its Derby-winning year and immediately became the most valuable horse at that time. 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. She says: "Sean wrote letters from Maghaberry to Liam on a frequent basis, sometimes two a week, during the early-1990s. In February 1983, at the height of The Troubles, Ireland faced a truly mysterious crime that remains virtually unsolved. From revolutionaries to royalty, Toby covers the Shergar is insured for nearly 4 million, only a fraction of his value. Investors thought it was a licence to print money. 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. 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. He was a 25/1 shout for the Derby after trainer Michael Stoute decided to prepare him after his maiden season in 1980. In February 1983, at the height of The Troubles, Ireland faced a truly mysterious crime that remains virtually unsolved. 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 was a very bloody death." In 2004, he vowed never to talk about the incident again, but Alison managed to get him to speak to camera. The stud farm was Ireland's main racecourse and training grounds. Bred by the Aga Khan in County Kildare not too far from the stud from which he was eventually taken, Shergar was trained by Sir Michael Stoute in Newmarket. Vanilla Ice: loves his racing, baby BBC Vanilla Ice said: I love horses, I love watching them. "Shergar was machine gunned to death. Shergar, scheduled to cover up to 55 mares a year, has put 42 of his first 44 mares in foal. As his second season approached, Shergar was expected to cover at least 55 mares throughout 1983. He didnt so much surprise the cognoscenti as exceed their wildest expectations. When Alison set out to make the documentary, she figured that 35 years after the kidnapping and the new atmosphere in Ireland - at that time the Troubles were at their height - tongues may have been loosened and people would be more willing to talk about the incident. "A vet has confirmed that the holes in the skull are pistol-shots. But the next year - when 55 mares were lined up to breed from Shergar - everything changed. Or the detective who did his best in a situation that became crazy. Alison has no doubt. Strange but true: Vanilla Ice to tell the mysterious tale of Shergar Hes with his father Wally; boyish, serious, not remotely fazed. Shergar was born in Kildare, Ireland in 1978. 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. 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. They forced him to release the horse, before they also took him away with them. But the horse was kidnapped by an armed gang in 1983. He was expected to be a source of profit for the syndicate which owned him. There is a general acceptance of who was behind the kidnapping of Shergar. "We decided to go into the extreme end of the glen this year where there was a lot of dumping taking place. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. If they had wanted to steal a horse, they couldnt have found a kinder horse,' said Doreen Swinburn. Mystery of Shergar: famous Irish horse kidnap - IrishCentral.com That is something we haven't got," he once said. 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. Conspiracy theories soon abounded over who had kidnapped the horse. He flew to Belfast to negotiate at the Europa Hotel. 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. An astonishing lack of security made it equally simple for a four-man gang to steal him from the Aga Khan's stud farm in Ireland. Aghrasheeling translates as "meadow of the fairies", but are people still spinning fairy stories? Who was the greatest racehorse sire of all time? Red Rum was passed from training yard to training yard until he found his footing with his new trainer McCain. The kidnappers are widely thought to have been IRA members but much less is known for sure about subsequent events, and Shergar's remains have never been found, while the IRA have never admitted any role in the theft or its aftermath. 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, His frightened family had followed kidnappers' orders to remain silent and it was 5 am yesterday before police were contacted. Stan Cosgrove, now 81, who spent more than 80,000 trying to get the horse back and, later, in trying to prove that Shergar was dead, has never received a penny. New Book Examines Cold Case Mystery Of Epsom Derby Winner