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. It was several hours before the Garda were informed, but by then there were no clues. He flew to Belfast to negotiate at the Europa Hotel. A gorgeous few minutes of television interview exists with Walter Swinburn, utterly unflappable and just 19 when he rode Shergar to victory. His US Triple Crown performances ingrained his place in history. 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. It was several minutes before Shergar bled to death. All sorts of thoughts were racing through my head about what they might do to me. he was worth an estimated $50 million at stud. I hope one day we can get to the bottom of what happend. In February 1983, at the height of The Troubles, Ireland faced a truly mysterious crime that remains virtually unsolved. It was the time of horse sales in the area and the roads were full of horseboxes. 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. 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. Another engaged a trio of racing correspondents from London to travel to the Europa Hotel in Belfast to await further instructions. In February 1983, Remains were never found, and what happened to the horse has never been known. His owner Le Mare always had the dream of winning the Grand National, so Red Rum began training for his new career in steeplechasing. When it comes to breeding, there are multiple ranch and Quarter horse bloodlines famous for producing top-quality horses. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. The bronze, a replica of a statue at Aintree, is worth pounds 10,000. It is also unlikely that any provision was made for kidnapping in other insurance for the horse.". Shergar The Boomtown Rats released Banana Republic. Mr Foley, who still has the head, said he had not yet been to the police about the discovery, but planned to do so soon. SHERGAR was arguably the most valuable and famous racehorse in the world. The IRA's operations were heavily disrupted as every known Republican stronghold and safe house was raided in the hunt for the horse which, in turn, led to the seizure of several arms caches. About 100 cameramen and journalists were in or outside the Europa Hotel as Thompson and his co-negotiators arrived. Horse Profile and Mysterious Disappearance of Shergar Watch: Irish enjoy a trad session in 1988, in Paddy Reillys pub, NYC, How you can learn Gaelic literature and culture online with a top Irish university, The story behind Ireland's favorite song, The Cranberries "Zombie", How the Irish (and Welsh) invented romantic love. 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. 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. The most famous and valuable racehorse in the world, Shergar had won the 1981 Epsom Derby by ten lengths, which is the longest winning margin in the race's 202-year history. 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. 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. A mystery man said he had information the horse was still alive and he could pinpoint where it was being held. Those who looked after and rode Shergar agree that he was one of the kindest, gentlest racehorses ever to grace the racetrack. If there was a silence, it was because there is no true answer to the question: why would anyone do such a thing? The dark humour disguised the less palatable truth that Ireland, the Banana Republic, couldnt even cherish and safeguard one of the most gorgeous animals the world had seen. It is speculated that he is likely buried on the property of an IRA veteran, which would make gaining approval or permission to dig for remains almost impossible. He was astonished to find it was pierced by two bullet holes. 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. Theories over who had kidnapped Shergar have been plentiful. His reluctance to talk is understandable. After Shergar won the 202nd Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby in 1981, the five-year-old Irish-bred retired. I had never been in the horse racing world before. They insisted on dealing only with the Aga Khans office in Paris. However the kidnappers soon realised that getting the ransom was going to be harder than they thought and killed the horse. It is 35 years since Derby winner Shergar was horse-napped from the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. As racing fans prepare for this year's running of the Derby this afternoon, the name of Shergar is still remembered because of its record 10-length win in the race in 1981. Bold Ruler. The book identified Kevin Mallon, a senior IRA leader, as the man who had devised the plot. A former IRA member told the Sunday Telegraph: "Shergar was machine-gunned to death. The kidnappers had chosen the day before Ireland's major Goff's racehorse sale - when horse boxes were being driven the length and breadth of the country - to abduct Shergar, thereby making it more difficult for the stallion to be found. Several owners are understood to have failed to win insurance payouts because, with no body ever found, there was no proof that the stallion was dead. 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. The Unsolved Mystery of Shergar According to the BBC, The body has never been found. Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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