The kidnapping of a prized racehorse from a spiritual leader, one of the most extensive investigations in Irish history and theories relating it all to Muammar Gaddafi and the IRA.

The night in question

On February 8th 1983 at around 1am, masked by nightfall and a bleak winter in County Kildare, the prize racehorse Shergar was taken from Ballymany Stud Farm by at least six men in balaclavas. Holding his groom, James Fitzgerald, and his family at gunpoint.

Born 1978 on March 3rd, with a large white blaze running down his face and one blue eye, the thoroughbred Shergar was quickly noticed as especially gifted. Born from thoroughbred and champion racehorse Great Nephew. Winning the Epsom Derby in 1981 by 10 lengths, the largest winning margin in the history of The Epsom Derby.

Both Shergar and his father were under the care of His Highness the Aga Khan IV, a prominent spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and an important figure in international horse racing. 

At the time of the kidnapping Shergar had been retired and he was coming into his second year of stud duty at age five. The price for a mare to mate with him was between £60,000 and £80,000. At the beginning of 1983 Shergar was about to begin his second stud season and was expected to mate with 55 mares. The expected profit for this season for approximately £1 million, he was estimated to have a value of £10 million. 

What was unknown to the kidnappers was that Shergar’s value was divided up among 40 investors, each worth £250,000. The Aga Khan only owned six shares meaning he did not have absolute ownership for Shergar. 

After Shergar had been loaded into a horsebox and driven away, Fitzgerald was driven and abandoned several miles from his home, in a remote area. He was warned not to call the police for several hours. 

Negotiations

Working under the code name of “King Neptune”, the kidnappers were demanding £2 million. In a strange negotiating move the kidnappers would not communicate directly with The Aga Khan, instead choosing to communicate with three prominent British racing journalists; Lord Oaksey (a racing correspondent for The Daily Telegraph), Peter Campling (The Sun), and Derek Thompson (ITV). This move would ensure publicity and make sure to put pressure on the ransom is paid. 

The three journalists were told to go to The Europa Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This entered the IRA into a list of possible suspects, as Belfast was a central spot for paramilitary activities during “the troubles”. From Belfast the journalists were given the code words “Arkle” “Rugby” and “Fiat 127” and told to go to separate remote locations approximately 30 miles away. 

In the early stages of the four day negotiations the kidnappers asked for an initial sum of £40,000, which indicated to police that either the kidnappers were desperate or that they were testing the owners of Shergar to see if they were really willing to pay. 

After demands came from Shergar’s owners and The Gardaí (the Irish police) for proof that the horse was still alive and well, the kidnappers sent a polaroid holding up a newspaper to Shergar. This was not determined as irrefutable proof. 

The shared ownership of Shergar was seriously slowing down negotiations, this paired with insufficient proof the horse was still alive and the owners not wanting to set a precedent for kidnappers meant that negotiations were not looking promising. 

On the morning of February 10th a phone call was made to Derek Thompson from ITV stating simply “The horse has had an accident. He’s dead” which brought an end to negotiations. The handling of Shergar, the kidnappers assumption the horse was owned outright by The Aga Khan and the negotiations lead officials to view the kidnapping as amateur and poorly throughout. 

Theories

The most widely believed theory is that the kidnapping was committed by the IRA, with their motive being to gain funds for their side of the fight in “The Troubles”. In his 1999 book “the Informer” Former IRA member Sean O’Callaghan made claims that it was in fact the IRA. O’Callaghan reported that Shergar injured his leg either during his transportation or captivity making him too much for his already ill equipped captors to handle. Indicating that the horse was “machine gunned to death”. 

O’Callaghan’s claims remain unverified and no concrete evidence has been found to support them. 

Another theory is that French bloodstock dealer, Jean Michel Gambet, borrowed a significant amount of money from the New Orleans Mafia in order to purchase a horse from The Aga Khan. However this deal fell through and Gambet made off with the money, no horse in sight.

Gambit was later found dead in his car in Kentucky after being shot through the head. The theory here being that “the mafia” felt they were owed a valuable horse from The Aga Khan and to settle this debt they enlisted the help of some local Irish criminals. 

These claims also remain unsubstantiated and lacking in evidence. 

There is also a theory that Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi recruited the IRA to kidnap Shergar on his behalf. Reports suspect that Gaddafi wanted the race horse in order to assert his own dominance and leadership over the Islamic people, a jab at The Aga Khan’s direct lineage to The Prophet Muhammad. There were even rumours about Gaddafi riding Shergar across the Libyan desert.

These claims are often referred to as sensationalist and unfounded. 

Despite The Gardaí launching one of their most extensive investigations in Irish history, numerous leads and theories and an Interpol alert no arrests or charges were ever made. Shergar’s body was never found, he seemingly disappeared without a trace. 

The case remains one of Ireland’s most compelling and confusing unsolved mysteries.