It was just after 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday , February 8 , 1983 , when Jim Fitzgerald heard aknockat the doorway . Fitzgerald , the main groom for the Ballymany Stud horse stable in Newbridge , Ireland , was remain in his home on the stable ’s ground . The family was n’t expecting anyone . His son , Bernard , went to the door to see who it was .
There , in the doorframe , stood two masked human being . Each hold up a machine gun .
Even before they spoke , Fitzgerald have intercourse there was only one cause for them to be there . They had fall for the horse . For Shergar .
Fitzgerald ’s wife and four other tiddler were also at house . One gunman ushered them into a way and locked the room access . Yet more hitman materialized . AnotherorderedFitzgerald to lead him to Shergar ’s static , and Fitzgerald did as he was told . The man then produced a two - way radio and speak into it . Soon , a horse trailer overstretch up , and more men with guns spilled out . There were perhaps five or six in all now use up the grounds .
The men ordered a panicky Fitzgerald to lead Shergar — who was soothed by the caretaker ’s presence — outdoors and into the poke . Then they ushered Fitzgerald into another vehicle , blindfolding him . Both vehicles pulled out of the stable and past the unlocked logic gate that had permitted them incoming . Fitzgerald was drive around for what seemed like hr .
Finally , he was free on a unusual road and given a brief set of instructions : He was not to call the police , or he and his crime syndicate would be killed . He was given a codification phrasal idiom , " King Neptune , " that could confirm the group ’s identity when they reached out to the horse ’s possessor to negotiate their ransom demand : £ 2 million ( about $ 2.6 million ) .
They drove off , leave Fitzgerald alone and in the darkness . Somewhere in Ireland was Shergar , one of the mostfamoushorses in the history of racing , who was being set out to stud for astonishing sums . His intact life , Shergar had been treat with the farthest care . Now he was in the mitt of criminals . He had been horsenapped .
In the story of horse racing in Europe , few horses could rival Shergar ’s accomplishments . He wasbornin Kildare , Ireland , in 1978 . He grew up nibbling the nutrient - rich grass and soil vulgar in the expanse , and which was believed to contribute to strong equine bones . Though he hadrunjust eight times in his undivided - season career , Shergar had won five of his six offset , admit both the Irish Sweeps Derby and Epsom Derby in 1981 . In the latter , he won by a record 10 lengths , the wide margin of any sawhorse in that race that century . The achievement web him European Horse of the Year honors as well as a totality of $ 809,447 in vocation profit .
With his distinctive blank glare , white foundation , and a memorable running style — he would sprint with his tongue lolling out of his oral cavity like a canine — Shergar was the superbia of Ireland . When he was withdraw from speed , his owner , the billionaire Ismaili Moslem spiritual loss leader , the Aga Khan , field offers from Kentucky breeders in the neighborhood of $ 35 to $ 40 million for Shergar . But Khan , believing Shergar should be return to Ireland , would not sell to American investors . Instead , he sell 40 shares of the horse to 34 shareholders valued at $ 15 million total , hold six for himself . He then sent Shergar to his Ballymany unchanging so he could be put out to stud , with the gain being returned to the stakeholders .
Shergar ’s first season was fruitful : He mated with 42 of 44 mares . The 2d time of year , which was slated to start in February 1983 , was expect to involve 55 mare , with fee for his offspring and their presumptively superior racing genetics reaching close to $ 5 million .
But Shergar ’s schedule would not continue as planned .
Days before mating season commence , the hit man had tap on Jim Fitzgerald ’s doorway . By 9 p.m. that night , they ’d impart Fitzgerald on a stark route and taken off with the horse cavalry .
Fitzgerald was able to walk into a village and locate a phone . With the gang ’s lodge saucy in his mind , his first communication was not to the Irish police , also known as the Garda . rather , hecalledhis comrade , Des , for a ride back to the stables . Then he called his boss , farm manager Ghislain Drion , and explain what had just happened . A shocked Drion suck up the selective information , then attend up and endeavor to reach the Aga Khan , who was in Switzerland . Drion also telephoned Shergar ’s veterinary , Stan Cosgrove , seeking advice on how to handle the situation .
The call extend , no one party entirely sure how to proceed . Very few racehorses had ever been abducted , with the two highest - profile cases both alfresco of Ireland : A mare name Carnauba had beensnatchedin Italy in 1975 and 11 - time race winner Fanfreluchegrabbedin Kentucky in 1977 . Both were afterwards regain alive .
Drion in the end reached the Aga Khan , who recite him to phone the police no matter of the criminals ’ monish . Cosgrove , meanwhile , called his friend Sean Berry , the chair of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeding Association . Berry called an Irish finance minister . By the time the situation had been routed to the police , it was other Wednesday morning , and Shergar had been potentially travel for six hours or more .
The delay answer played straight off into the mob ’s plans . On Wednesday , the area was teeming with trailer , as a major cavalry sale was scheduled . Shergar ’s captor could have easily blended into the view . And with a number of pastures in the sphere , it would have been just as gentle to let Shergar loiter outdoors , grouped in with hundreds of other horses . Until the snatcher made impinging , it would be almost inconceivable to trace them .
To make matter worse , both Dublin police force and Kildare police were on the suit but refuse to apportion info with one another .
The first call to Ballymany came at 4 p.m. the next day , on Wednesday , February 9 . Ghislain Drion accepted it , and knew it was real because the callerusedthe same codification , King Neptune , that had been given to Fitzgerald . By now , Drion was being coached by the Garda , who had told him to keep the telephoner on the line for at least 90 second , which would allow for authority to trace the call . Drion , who was French , pretended there was a spoken communication roadblock , but the telephoner seemed wise to his purpose and disconnected after 85 seconds . More call followed , with the mankind shortly insisting that he be given a routine to address to someone in Paris , where the Aga Khan had representative , for negociate further .
A little later that evening , a call came into the business office of the BBC in Belfast . A gentleman’s gentleman arrogate to be involved in the kidnapping demanded to negotiate with three horse cavalry racing journalists : Lord Oaksey , Peter Campling , and Derek Thompson . All three were told to guide to the Europa Hotel for further education . There , Thompson take in a call telling him to drive 30 miles to a static possess by stock breeder Jeremy Maxwell . He did as he was instructed , and was coach by police force to perform duties similar to Drion’s — trying to asseverate the call long enough for it to be hunt .
Whoever Thompson speak to on the telephone was demand an initial requital of between $ 44,000 and $ 56,000 , a paltry amount that led authorities to believe it might be a hoax . They had no option , however , but to proceed . When Thompson finally managed to keep the man on the call for 95 irregular , he was told the officer in charge of the tap had terminate his shift . It had n’t been traced .
Both Thompson and Drion preserve insisting on get proof Shergar was still alive . Drion managed to get the man he was talk with to allow for evidence at the Rossnaree Hotel in Dublin , though it did n’t get in until Saturday , February 12 . There , a man off to retrieve it found a Polaroid of Shergar next to a newspaper from February 11 , apparently raise the sawbuck was awake two days after being captured .
As these parallel negotiations dragged on over the week , they were stymy by one common element : The kidnapper did not appear to have report for the fact that Shergar was not have entirely by the Aga Khan . There were 33 other stockholder , and all of them had a say in how to move . Some believe giving in to the kidnapper would put a dangerous precedent that would put many valuable racehorses at risk of infection . No one seemed able or willing to acquiesce to the ransom money demand .
Both Thompson and a representative for the syndicate that owned Shergar received similar last calls . Thompson ’s came first , at roughly 6:55 a.m. on Thursday , February 10 , saying that the cavalry had suffered an accident and was dead . Another call was received by the pool negotiant , who had take over for Drion , shortly after the Polaroid had been think on February 12 . After the negotiator said the shareholders were not yet satisfied and had n’t come to a stopping point , the phoner grew cold . “ Well , if you ’re not satisfied , that ’s it , ” he said , and hung up . No more calls were made .
It would be several years before Ireland knew of Shergar ’s likely portion .
From the beginning , it seemed that the Irish Republican Army , or IRA , was responsible for Shergar ’s larceny . Some speculated that the IRA , in need of cash in hand to arm themselves in the midst of the Troubles — the 30 - year conflict over the status ofNorthern Ireland — had turned to the moneymaking earthly concern of Equus caballus racing and convey off with Shergar just before breeding season began . But that did n’t keep other theories from emerging .
Some believed the mafia had somehow orchestrated the criminal offence . Others recall Colonel Gaddafi of Libya had held the horse in exchange for arms for the IRA . A Kentucky stock breeder name Wayne Murty was name in Irish newspaper , the idea being that the Aga Khan had get ahead a courtroom opinion over a contentious summons war for 56 worthful breeding horses and this was his retaliation .
None , however , made as much sense as the IRA . The militant group never took duty for the enactment , but the part appeared to line up .
In the late 1990s , a former IRA member and police informant identify Sean O’Callaghan admitted in a book that an IRA drawing card named Kevin Mallon had plan the horse heist . Another former IRA member who spoke withThe Telegraphin 2008 claim the mind had quickly go off the rails when a veterinarian the IRA had been counting on to take care of Shergar back out of the mint , leaving them with no real guidance on how to handle him . Shergar , having been on a diet and practise regimen to promote manfulness , was belike excitable . It ’s potential he hurt himself , or , according toThe Telegraph ’s source , it may have been that Mallon realized he was n’t going to get the ransom . Either elbow room , The Telegraph ’s source says Shergar was hit and his remained bury in an unknown location . Shareholders who had thieving policy were paid by Lloyd ’s of London . The rest took a deprivation .
It ’s never been once and for all raise that the IRA was involved . The fact that they never claim responsibility means little — Shergar was an icon in Ireland , and admitting culpableness in his demise in all probability seemed unwise even for a militant group . IRA sympathizers , let alone anyone else , would likely not receive the intelligence well .
In the ending , the race to find Shergar was not one that anyone was able to gain ground . But before his death , the champion sawbuck did enjoy a full season of breeding . Of his 35 issue , 28raced , and 15 were winners .
