From the Daily Mirror, 28/06/2008
Sadly, they probably know him for what happened after he had finished his racing career. The immortality of Shergar was hastened by his infamous end. Abducted after just one season at stud, he is presumed to have been killed by his captors after a bungled kidnap attempt.
The fact that his remains were never found has yielded an endless stream of conspiracy theories.
When Shergar won the 1981 Derby by the widest margin in the race's history, it was the best Derby-winning performance of the post-war era, according to Timeform and the Racing Post.
Owned by the Aga Khan, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by 19-year-old Walter Swinburn, Shergar made a winning debut in the Kris Plate at Newbury in September 1980. He won impressively by two and a half lengths in a course-record time, beating 22 rivals. Yet in his next race, the William Hill Futurity, he was beaten convincingly by Beldale Flutter.
As a result, he was only rated 31st in the European Free Handicap entering his three-year-old career.
Yet his Classic season will still be talked about long after we've gone.
On his first five starts of 1981 he triumphed in the Sandown Classic Trial by 10 lengths, the Chester Vase by 12 lengths, the Derby by 10 lengths, and the Irish Derby and the King George by four lengths each.
MORE FEATURES
Bookmark this post with: