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Shergar theft remembered following Aga Khan's death

Kevin Sharkey
BBC News NI Dublin Reporter
PA It is a black and white image of a smiling jockey sitting on top of a racehorse which is wearing a saddle with the number eighteen on it. Another man dressed in a top hat and morning suit is standing beside the horse holding the reigns. There is a crowd of men standing behind the men wearing the top hat.PA
The dream of prestigious offspring was shattered when a gang, armed with guns, kidnapped Shergar

The death of the Aga Khan has evoked memories of one of the greatest sporting mysteries of all time - the disappearance of the wonder horse Shergar.

The champion racehorse, owned by the Aga Khan, was stolen in Ireland 42 years ago today.

The billionaire spiritual leader had strong racing connections with Ireland, and he also owned the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare.

That's where Shergar was homed, when an armed gang of kidnappers broke into the farm and seized the horse under the cover of darkness on the 8 February 1983.

Steve Powell/Allsport A brown horse wearing a bridle stands to the left of the image and a balding man wearing a grey suit is looking at the horse and smiling. Standing beside him is a small man with grey curly hair holding a camera. There is a crowd of spectators in the background.Steve Powell/Allsport
Shergar with the Aga Khan (centre) after winning the Irish Derby at The Curragh racecourse near Newbridge, County Kildare, in 1980

It was an audacious kidnapping and it made headlines around the world at the time.

Shergar had won the 1981 Derby by a record 10 lengths and followed that triumph with successes in the Irish Derby and the King George.

The colt had earned the right to be regarded as one of the all-time greats.

When Shergar retired at the end of that season, racehorse owners paid £10m for shares in his services impregnating mares.

But the dream of prestigious offspring was shattered a year later when the gang, armed with guns, kidnapped Shergar.

Suspicion fell on the IRA at the height of the Troubles but no one or any organisation has ever admitted kidnapping or killing the superstar colt.

No trace of the horse has ever been found and the mystery has endured.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images An elderly man with grey hair and freckles is looking into the distance and smiling. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader Aga Khan died at the age of 88 on Wednesday

Retired Irish jockey, Fran Berry grew up in County Kildare and was born in 1981, when Shergar posted the remarkable Derby sucess.

"He (Shergar) was syndicated for a world record price at the time to stand at stud in County Kildare where one would have expected, given his ability on the racetrack, that he may well develop into a top stallion," he told BBC News NI.

"Sadly, we never got to learn that due to the fact he was kidnapped."

Berry paid tribute to the Aga Khan and his contribution to racing in Ireland and around the world.

"As regards horse racing and the way he developed and nurtured a breed over many years and the success that it brought and the quality that it brought, he's left a legacy that will continue for a long time," he said.

PA It is a black and white image of a crowd of dozens of people surrounding a horse with a white stripe on the front of its face. A jockey is sitting on the horse and a man wearing a top hat and morning suit is leading the horse through the crowd.PA
The Aga Khan leads his horse, Shergar, into the unsaddling enclosure at Epsom.

The Aga Khan was a big supporter of Irish racing and in 2019 the then taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar accompanied him at the unveiling of the Aga Khan Stand at the Curragh racecourse in County Kildare.

But his interest in horses wasn't limited to racing.

He was also a longstanding supporter of showjumping in Ireland.

The Aga Khan Trophy, donated by the Aga Khan's father in 1926, is a central part of the annual Dublin Horse Show at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS).

In fact, the trophy has been embedded in the Irish sporting consciousness ever since the nation's showjumping team of Eddie Macken, Paul Darragh, Captain Con Power and James Kernan won a dramatic and historic three-in-a-row between 1977 and 1979.

Shergar and Showjumping are part of the Aga Khan's legacy in Ireland.