A Brief History
On February 8, 1983, a successful Irish racehorse, Shergar, was kidnapped for ransom, a crime that resulted in the killing of the swift steed that had been enjoying life as a stud.
Digging Deeper
Born, or foaled as they say in the horse world, in 1978, Shergar had a successful racing career that made him a prime candidate to become a stud horse, which he became in October of 1981, serving his time as a stud in Ireland rather than accepting a large contract to move to the US.
Three armed gunmen invaded the home of Shergar’s head groom and informed the groom that a ransom of £2 million would be required for the safe return of the stallion. The horsenapping crew is believed to have included as many as nine members in total. The groom was warned that contacting the police would result not only in the death of Shergar, but also of the groom and his family.
Negotiations broke down and Shergar was killed by machine gunning after allegedly injuring himself, according to a police informant. The informant also claimed the horse was stolen in order to raise money for the IRA, the Irish Republican Army.
No arrests were ever made, and the body of the unlucky stud was never found.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Who is your favorite racehorse?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Bauer, Conrad. Shergar: A True Crime Story of Kidnapping, Racehorse and Politics. Maplewood Publishing, 2016.
Toby, Milton. Taking Shergar: Thoroughbred Racing’s Most Famous Cold Case. University Press of Kentucky, 2018.
The featured image in this article, a 1982 map of Europe, is a work of a Central Intelligence Agency employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a Work of the United States Government, this image or media is in the public domain in the United States.
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