The Aga Khan and the mystery of mighty colt Shergar
As tributes are paid to the Aga Khan following his death at the age of 88, the revered owner-breeder will always be associated with his mighty colt Shergar, the spectacular winner of the 1981 Derby.
But the Shergar story went on to run much deeper than that, with the horse being kidnapped from Ballymany Stud in County Kildare. He was never found and it is a puzzle that will probably never be solved.
Shergar was lionised in the racing world for the manner of his Epsom triumph under the teenage Walter Swinburn, and to this day his winning margin of 10 lengths stands as a record for a race first run in 1780.
The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaili sect of Shia Muslims, landed the much-sought-after prize another four times, with Shahrastani, Kahyasi, Sinndar and Harzand, but none of them could match the impact made by his first winner.
The big bay with the white blaze had secured his position among the 20th-century greats by the time the curtain came down on his career at the end of the 1981 season, but the drama was far from over.
On the night of February 8, 1983, a foggy evening, intruders broke into the Aga Khan's Ballymany Stud and kidnapped the horse.
It is generally accepted the IRA were the culprits, that his abductors were ill-equipped to control a thoroughbred stallion, and that he was killed shortly afterwards. But his remains have never been found.
Shergar’s racing career was guided by Michael Stoute, who sent him out to win six of his eight races, taking the Sandown Classic Trial by 10 lengths and the Chester Vase by 12 on the way to Epsom, where he started a 10-11 chance and won in a stroll.
With Swinburn suspended he was ridden by Lester Piggott to win the Irish Derby by four lengths.
But the young rider was back