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. 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. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Doreen Swinburn cant remember the precise date, but Walter Swinburn did, at least, get another chance to say hello to Shergar far away from the thrilling crowds. 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. From revolutionaries to royalty, Toby covers the But his disappearance remains a mystery. There was blood everywhere, and the horse even slipped on his own blood. While there was a massive hunt for the horse and several different ransom requests were made, the horse was never seen or heard from again. With an intense garda hunt taking place across the country and the ransom process now a shambles, a decision was made to end the operation. 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. In June 1981 he threw his stable lad and bolted during a workout at Newmarket. But the next year - when 55 mares were lined up to breed from Shergar - everything changed. 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 "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. Well, if youre not satisfied, came the reply. One of them, with the revolver, was very aggressive," Mr. Fitzgerald told the Telegraph about his ride in the kidnappers car. "I do not believe any ransom will be paid. John Waynes Monument Valley Horseback Ride, Wyatt Earps Vendetta Ride Tombstone Arizona Territory. "He was a gentleman and he even gave us his mobile telephone number. Not only was Man o War one of the immortals of horse racing, he later became a top sire. No horse has ever recorded a greater winning margin in the famous race. That is certainly not the case around Ballinamore. Shergars owners reportedly refused to give in to the two million pound ransom demand for fear of setting a precedent. It was several minutes before Shergar bled to death. 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. It is also unlikely that any provision was made for kidnapping in other insurance for the horse.". When the news broke, media from around the world descended on the Republic and three leading racing journalists were asked to come to Northern Ireland in a phone call apparently from the kidnappers. Another engaged a trio of racing correspondents from London to travel to the Europa Hotel in Belfast to await further instructions. 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. View our online Press Pack. Well, I would say, somebody knows. 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. They have narrowed the field, in a manner of speaking, down to a small townland called Aughrasheeling, not far from Ballinamore, and less than 10 miles from the Northern Ireland border. He was gelded at a young age, so he was never used for breeding. We want 2 million [ransom] for him," one said. I had never been in the horse racing world before. There was blood everywhere and the horse even slipped on his own blood. 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. The kidnap strategy was divided into three parts. He was buried near his sire, Bold Ruler, in a small graveyard behind the office at the farm. A TERROR chief who was publicly accused of being behind the Shergar kidnapping nips down to the bookies on the anniversary of the legendary racehorses disappearance. The Irish horse breeding industry was one of the few bright spots, with 20,000 associated jobs. He was out on the paddock with some bullocks. The next day, another call came through with the following message: The horse has had an accident. Thats it.. I found that really strange. He was a very kind horse. The brass nameplate on Secretariats stall door will remain there. They insisted on dealing only with the Aga Khans office in Paris. Jim Fitzgerald, a father of six, was forced at gunpoint to Shergars stable where they were joined by six more masked gunmen. The Aga Khan was amazing. It couldnt have happened in a worse country in that we are the kingdom of the horse here, says racing historian Guy Williams. Letters written by an IRA supergrass to the Belfast Telegraph's late political editor, Liam Clarke, proved pivotal in the making of a new BBC documentary on one of Ireland greatest kidnap mysteries. He was astonished to find it was pierced by two bullet holes. He was astonished to find it was pierced by two bullet holes. Were William Butler Yeats alive, his passion for Celtic myth and legend would seize upon the story of Shergar. 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. 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. 19-year-old English jockey Walter Swinburn on Shergar, after winning the Derby at Epsom, 3rd June 1981, Walter Swinburn wins the Derby on Shergar in 1981, Shergar, ridden by a 19-year-old Walter Swinburn, wins the Derby by 10 lengths at Epsom, 3rd June 1981, The Aga Khan leads Shergar in after his Derby win, Portrait of Shergar at his stables in Newmarket, England, taken in 1980, Walter Swinburn and Shergar made a formidable partnership. "After that, it was just a case of old-fashioned walking up laneways and knocking on doors and trying to track down people who had some connection with the case. Predictably, the residents claimed to know nothing about Shergar's whereabouts before or after he was killed. After driving him around for three hours, the kidnappers dumped Fitzgerald out of the car. 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. A shocked Mr Fitzgerald was able to give only a rough outline of the raid. 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. 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. Then, pointing their guns at 58-year-old Mr Fitzgerald, they marched him across the road to the luxurious stud. Mr Cosgrove, in turn, rang his friend, former Army officer Captain Sean Berry. In February 1983, Many sources and investigators believe that he must be buried near Aughnasheelin, near Ballinamore, County Leitrim. 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. Shergar and Mr Fitzgerald were put inside. In coldly commercial terms, Shergar was an international commodity: breeding fees went for 80,000. From 31 crops to race, First Down Dash has sired 1,462 winners, which includes 258 stakes winners. Stan Cosgrove presented himself but with the hotel heavily staked by plain clothes police officers, no kidnappers appeared. His 306 foals went on to produce such legends as 1964 Derby and Preakness winner Northern Dancer, who himself sired 645 named foals; Mr. 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. All sorts of thoughts were racing through my head about what they might do to me. Read about 10 more mysterious disappearances . All sorts of thoughts were racing through my head about what they might do to me. He was expected to be a source of profit for the syndicate which owned him. Lawyer Owen Tebbs, who organised the syndicate for the Aga, said: "It is quite likely many have not taken out insurance. However, she has happier memories of making the documentary. There was a lot of shrugging and shaking of heads, while Martin Kenny, a Sinn Fein councillor for the town, said: "I have never heard anyone say they knew where Shergar was buried or what happened to him.". He refused to entertain the idea of bowing to the kidnappers' demands. Why Does My Horse Bob Is Head When I Put His Bridle On? Secretariat Maybe the most well-known racehorse of all time was the first in racing history to be awarded the Horse of the Year Award. Police were there was this silence.. 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. The IRA plan was also stupid; none of the kidnappers had a clue how to handle a horse, let alone an excitable stallion. The mystery man who went to Ireland to disappear. Red Rum was passed from training yard to training yard until he found his footing with his new trainer McCain. Capt Berry, now 78, who at the time was the chairman of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, revealed last week that he had been working with senior police officers from Dublin on the case - and those officers felt themselves to be in direct competition with the local police in Co Kildare. What did Cleo sMITHs abductor do to her? but he had a great head that way. Along with triple Grand National winner Red Rum, it remains probably the most famous horse to come out of Europe in the last century. 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. But the end of the case did not deter others on the hunt. She spent months getting to know them. "There is a possibility that it was him because when Shergar was abducted there was a Kerry connection.". "No horse deserves an ending like that - let alone one as special as Shergar. Shergar wins the Derby - and you need a telescope to see the rest. - Peter Bromley, BBC Radio, June 3rd, 1981. Millars film is a forensic portrayal of Shergars kidnapping and contains definitive interviews with Cosgrove and Fitzgerald, both of whom died in the years afterwards. A quarter of a century ago, the Ballymany Stud was shielded from the outside world by a five-bar wooden gate with a latch. But he had his first budget to deliver the next day, so he "passed the buck" to the justice minister. But four hours later, he was released and found 40 miles away from the stud farm. Another would not cause any attention. Shergar was just five years old when he was snatched in the middle of the night from the Ballymany Stud in Co. Kildare. Shergar's former jockey Walter Swinburn, who rode Shergar at his famous race, was distressed by the findings. Owner the Aga Khan sold 34 shares in the horse at 250,000 each and kept another six for himself, valuing it at 10m. Shergar, a beloved thoroughbred As his second season approached, Shergar was expected to cover at least 55 mares throughout 1983. In a neat turn of phrase, Alison says: "They thought this horse would be their cash cow.". He was bred by the Aga Khan and sold for 10 million to an international syndicate when he was retired from racing. Those hairs would be invaluable DNA evidence if any remains of the animal are ever found. the gang and the Aga Khan. Alison has no doubt. The Provisional IRA, strapped for cash to fund its campaign, hatched a plan to kidnap the animal for ransom. By the evening of the fourth day, although distressed by his new surroundings, he was not badly injured, as O'Callaghan had thought. ", In that, she was often assisted by Liam's widow, Kathryn Johnston. 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. "An operation of this intensity requiring this amount of manpower would have to have been authorised at a high level," he said. 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. Swinburn would ride two other Derby winners but his surname and glittering career will always be associated with that of Shergar. Early in his three-year-old season, Shergar won the race then known as the Guardian Classic Trial at Sandown Park. The Sunday Telegraph reported that four days after Shergar was seized, the Army Council realized they would never collect a ransom. 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 gang struck as stud head groom Jim Fitzgerald and his family were relaxing after dinner at their home in Ballymany, near Newbridge in County Kildare. In a rare and exclusive interview last week, Mr Fitzgerald, now 78, frail and with a full head of white hair, quietly recalled the most terrifying moment of his life, as he was driven away from the stud by three armed men. According to the former IRA member, the kidnappers' problems became acute early on because the vet who had agreed to look after Shergar pulled out on the night of the horse's abduction. On the racecourse, as a two- and three-year-old, Shergar had been nothing short of sensational, winning the 1981 Derby by 10 lengths, a record distance that century for Britain's biggest flat race. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. However, according to one impeccable source - a former IRA member who spoke through an intermediary - not even O'Callaghan had been told the full truth of Shergar's final hours, because the gang was so embarrassed by what happened. Two armed men forced their way into the house. It is still the sort of town where locals turn their heads when two British journalists walk into a pub. The bay colt was owned by the Aga Khan, the billionaire spiritual leader to 15 million Ismaili Muslims. Just sort of go out there and do your best. Furthermore, by contacting leading IRA men in Co Leitrim the leadership had guaranteed the horse "safe passage" to a remote farm close to the border. But detectives believe he is hidden away in an isolated spot. Mallon is described by those who know him, including former paramilitaries, as a "head case". 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. Revered Irish racehorse Shergar was taken at gunpoint from Ballymany Stud in County Kildare on February 8, 1983, and never seen again. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, 5% off all bookings with this Travelodge discount code, Save 200 on 2023 holidays with this TUI discount code, Save 5% on hotel bookings with this Barcelo promo code, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Get up to 10% off using the Booking.com app, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK April 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this April, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. Millars research brought her to Leitrim and the wild landscape outside Ballinamore. 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. The Unsolved Mystery of Shergar According to the BBC, The body has never been found. The most valuable horse in the world disappeared without trace. Nobody has ever been charged with the theft. 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". He was very upset about that, says Doreen Swinburn. "We decided to go into the extreme end of the glen this year where there was a lot of dumping taking place. Shergar was hailed as the greatest racehorse of all time when he won the 1981 Epsom Derby. I never at any stage thought he was worried. Police said the kidnappers did just that after driving away with their prize. Where is Shergar? became a sort of cliche of the time, along with Who Shot JR?, the smiling villain from the TV show Dallas. Furthermore, a prominent Provo-supporting family used to live in the village of Aughnasheelan, three miles from Ballinamore, which is surrounded by deep bogs where a horse's body could easily be hidden. Don Tidey, an Irish businessman, was found alive in woods near the town after being kidnapped by the IRA at the end of 1983, months after Shergar's disappearance. Speculation is that they were unable to handle the stallion and shot him before he ran wild on them. His death was one of the lead items in television news bulletins and also made the front pages of national newspapers the next day. And so, the greatest racehorse of the century was butchered in the same way that the IRA killed many of its human enemies. Searching For Shergar, the work of Erica Starling Productions, will be shown on Sunday at 8pm on BBC2 before being repeated in Ireland on RTE1 at 9.30pm on Tuesday. 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. The kidnappers had also failed to anticipate the reaction of the people of Ireland - a horse-loving nation - to Shergar's abduction. This vivid image of how Shergar died confirmed the worst fears of one of the most senior figures in Irish racing. I found that really hard to understand. Indeed, it could well have been from the weapon used to terrorise the groom's family until the gang made their getaway. 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. Sadly still hasn't been found today just guessing. Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, the IRA, and the US Mafia have all been suggested. It was left to each member to insure his own share. 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. Des Leadon, the head of clinical pathology at the Irish Equine Centre, who has investigated a number of horse corpses that were believed to have been Shergar, said DNA testing would have to be used to determine if the skull belonged to the missing horse. Who was the greatest racehorse sire of all time? WebShergar No one has ever admitted responsibility for the incident, and the remains of the horse have never been found. (modern). As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Shergar's memorable ten-length Epsom Derby victory of 1981. But Richard Baerlein, the canny racing correspondent, was so convinced after witnessing Shergar and Swinburn cruise to a 10-length victory at Sandown in April 1981 that he urged punters to get in while the going was good. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. Instead, Mallon ordered that the horse be shot. I doubt anyone has been there for years. The IRA plan was naive: they assumed they were blackmailing the Aga Khan for a ransom of 2 million. And there is a separate sadness, too, in that Swinburn, after coming through the vicissitudes of flat racing, would die from injuries sustained from an accidental fall at his home in London, in 2016. . A gate leading to the stud was unguarded and unlocked when the gunmen arrived at 8.30 on Tuesday night. Now, however, an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph to mark the 25th anniversary of the horse's kidnapping finally solves the puzzle of Shergar's final hours, why his remains have never been found and how the Garda, the Irish police, bungled their investigation. It is used to make some wall and fine arts paintbrushes. His reluctance to talk is understandable. He was a 25/1 shout for the Derby after trainer Michael Stoute decided to prepare him after his maiden season in 1980. By day four, an impasse had been reached. "After the 1981 hunger strikes, the IRA had increased in strength and support, but desperately needed more funds. At gunpoint they led Mr Fitzgerald's wife and their five children into one room and locked the door. His US Triple Crown performances ingrained his place in history. He had been preparing for his second season as a breeding stallion, the BBC said. Its impossible to buy. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. "We are keen to find Shergar. It changed my life, How King Charles III survived threats posed by nationalism on both sides of the Irish Sea, It tastes foul. In many ways I wanted to call the film the Ghost of Shergar. What happened next is not for the fainthearted. He was born in Kildare in 1978 and kidnapped by an armed gang in 1983. And so it proved in the first year at stud, when it produced 35 foals. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, The disappearance of champion racehorse Shergar remains a mystery, English jockey Walter Swinburn, 19, on Shergar in 1980, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). They contained names of people in the racing industry, which I knew were accurate from my own research, and that gave me great confidence in what he was saying. A convicted killer from Co. Tyrone, he eventually became part of IRA folklore after shooting his way out of one prison and being lifted by helicopter from another. I hope one day we can get to the bottom of what happend. About 100 cameramen and journalists were in or outside the Europa Hotel as Thompson and his co-negotiators arrived. The gang had chosen the time for the snatch carefully. 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. The bronze, a replica of a statue at Aintree, is worth pounds 10,000. "We want 2 million if you want the horse back in one piece," they said. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. He didnt so much surprise the cognoscenti as exceed their wildest expectations. Home Horse How Many Horses Did Shergar Sire? It was a sort of exasperation: oh, you dont want to talk about that horse. And Shergar wouldnt let his jacket go.. Staff assigned to look after Shergar, valued at 20million, were not in his centrally-heated security stable. Security was minimal, which reflects a kind of misplaced innocence and trust when it came to Ireland and horses. 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. Share your favorite stories with other history buffs in the IrishCentral History Facebook group. Negotiations with the kidnappers continued for four days and a Polaroid photograph was provided, showing Shergar and an up-to-date copy of the Irish Times before the kidnappers suddenly fell silent. It was believed Shergar - valued at 10m - was taken by the IRA, which was short of money and looking for new sources of funding. Theories over who had kidnapped Shergar have been plentiful. 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. But perhaps its greatest mystery is what happened to Shergar, the racehorse once regarded as the nearest real-life equivalent to Pegasus, the winged horse from Greek mythology. A gorgeous few minutes of television interview exists with Walter Swinburn, utterly unflappable and just 19 when he rode Shergar to victory. The most valuable horse in the world disappeared without trace. Taking the horse was relatively simple and the details were recounted in newspaper reports that circulated around the world in the days afterwards. 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Shergar would be easily recognisable among other horses from the distinctive big white blaze on his face and three white socks. The search for the last resting place of Shergar It was the world's most famous racehorse when it was kidnapped by an armed IRA gang in 1983 and When contacted by The Sunday Telegraph, he refused to discuss the case. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. He said: "If Shergar is harmed in any way it will do untold damage to the whole bloodstock industry.
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