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Shergar: A True Crime Story of Kidnapping, Racehorse and Politics
A true crime story set in Ireland and involving kidnapping, the IRA and a phenomenal racehorse named Shergar. Who Kidnap Shergar? A mystery that has baffled authorities for years… Ask anyone in Great Britain or Ireland about famous racehorses and they’ll likely have only one name to tell you. Shergar. At his peak, Shergar was one of the most elegant, powerful, and successful racehorses in the history of the sport. By the time he retired, his reputation alone was enough to earn massive amounts of money. But then, one cold night, he vanished. Kidnapped. Stolen by a group of masked men. The heist quickly became an international sensation, attracting attention from around the world. Everyone wanted to who kidnapped Shergar? And the mystery has continued to the present day. Still a cold case, picking apart the Gordian knot of Shergar’s disappearance involves everything from bad business deals to domestic terrorism. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) have been accused of being at the center of the plot, arriving as it did amidst the Troubles in the country. Occurring during one of the most turbulent times in the history of Ireland, the kidnapping of one of the nation’s sporting heroes was not only front page news; it was intrinsically linked to the political situation in the country. As the kidnappers issued their demands and the owners tried desperately to get their horseback, the situation sunk deeper and deeper into tragedy before the trail went cold. In this book, we will look into the complicated and fascinating disappearance of Shergar. We will examine the delicate domestic situation in Ireland and probe just how this battle with the British might have spilled over into the sport of kings. We will look at the people who became embroiled in the plot on every side, trying to uncover the truth behind one of the world’s strangest kidnapping cases. By the end of this book, we just might know what happened to the horse named Shergar." Scroll back up and grab your copy today!
129 pages, Paperback
Published January 29, 2019
36 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 10, 2023
Because our family was living outside the US at the time of this kidnapping of Shergar, I was interested in learning about how a champion racehorse could be stolen and never seen again. But, unfortunately, where we were, on the other side of the world, there was no mention of this enormous crime. While this author described Sher gar's prowess on the racetrack, his writing style was sublime.
Shergar was the pride of the Irish. He was referred to as "Ireland's Pegasus." Shergar was named European Horse of the Year in 1981. He'd won many races and was now a stud to produce more winners. Then, on the 8th of February, 1983, six men assaulted the Fitzgerald family, took the father (James Fitzgerald), and forced him to load Shergar into a heavy horse trailer. Then, they took James with them for a multi-hour drive. At the end of the time, they dumped the confused groom on the side of the road and left. It took hours to find his way back to civilization.
The author stops the narration and discusses the "Troubles" between Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and the Republic of Ireland. A large swath of land corner remained with the British, while the rest was a Republic. Since 1969, there has been an IRA, Irish Republican Army. Eventually, the IRA split into two groups. The "Officials," based in Dublin, looked for peaceful means to resolve their conflict, while the "Provisionals," found in Belfast, were willing to do anything to get their way.
In 1983, at the time of the heist, the IRA and the British were still fighting. Now let's shift to an interesting character. Aga Khan IV, a British subject and spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims, owned the Ballymany Stud Facility and had a very successful operation. After Shergar finished his racing days, Aga Khan sold thirty-four shares in the horse and kept six shares. That created Sher gar's value to be ten million British pounds. Interestingly, each of the "owners" bought an insurance policy on the horse -- which would lead to later problems.
The author does a great job wading through the rumors, books, articles, and stories about this awful case. Then, he perforates the tales with exciting facts. However, he leaves the reader to decide. The author mentions that the British government releases classified documents about recent past events every few years. Shergar was such a lightening-rod for trouble that the British may have found out what happened and didn't release it because of the harm it would cause in Ireland and England.
This is a riveting and complex story with many variables. This is a mystery with an impossible number of possible miscreants and motives. Fascinating reading. Overall score = 4.5 stars.
Shergar was the pride of the Irish. He was referred to as "Ireland's Pegasus." Shergar was named European Horse of the Year in 1981. He'd won many races and was now a stud to produce more winners. Then, on the 8th of February, 1983, six men assaulted the Fitzgerald family, took the father (James Fitzgerald), and forced him to load Shergar into a heavy horse trailer. Then, they took James with them for a multi-hour drive. At the end of the time, they dumped the confused groom on the side of the road and left. It took hours to find his way back to civilization.
The author stops the narration and discusses the "Troubles" between Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and the Republic of Ireland. A large swath of land corner remained with the British, while the rest was a Republic. Since 1969, there has been an IRA, Irish Republican Army. Eventually, the IRA split into two groups. The "Officials," based in Dublin, looked for peaceful means to resolve their conflict, while the "Provisionals," found in Belfast, were willing to do anything to get their way.
In 1983, at the time of the heist, the IRA and the British were still fighting. Now let's shift to an interesting character. Aga Khan IV, a British subject and spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims, owned the Ballymany Stud Facility and had a very successful operation. After Shergar finished his racing days, Aga Khan sold thirty-four shares in the horse and kept six shares. That created Sher gar's value to be ten million British pounds. Interestingly, each of the "owners" bought an insurance policy on the horse -- which would lead to later problems.
The author does a great job wading through the rumors, books, articles, and stories about this awful case. Then, he perforates the tales with exciting facts. However, he leaves the reader to decide. The author mentions that the British government releases classified documents about recent past events every few years. Shergar was such a lightening-rod for trouble that the British may have found out what happened and didn't release it because of the harm it would cause in Ireland and England.
This is a riveting and complex story with many variables. This is a mystery with an impossible number of possible miscreants and motives. Fascinating reading. Overall score = 4.5 stars.
February 1, 2019
Did Not Finish
This is a simplified and sensationalized telling of what happened. If you want to learn about Shergar, I recommend any other source over this one. I believe Milton C. Toby’s Taking Shergar is probably the most researched and detailed account of what is known to have happened on the night Shergar was stolen. Toby researched the facts, many of which are exaggerated or incorrect in Bauer’s book.
Some examples:
James Fitgerald was not thrown from the car by his abductors as Bauer claims. Instead, he was let go and even given walking instructions to the nearest town. He didn’t have to walk home. He called his brother for a ride. Furthermore, Bauer’s claim that Shergar was “the most famous horse in the world” is quite ridiculous. While probably the most famous horse in Ireland, he certainly didn’t outshine studs like Secretariat, Seattle Slew, or Affirmed, nor did his racing career compare to theirs.
Having just read most of Toby's book about the same subject, I simply could not continue reading this one.
This is a simplified and sensationalized telling of what happened. If you want to learn about Shergar, I recommend any other source over this one. I believe Milton C. Toby’s Taking Shergar is probably the most researched and detailed account of what is known to have happened on the night Shergar was stolen. Toby researched the facts, many of which are exaggerated or incorrect in Bauer’s book.
Some examples:
James Fitgerald was not thrown from the car by his abductors as Bauer claims. Instead, he was let go and even given walking instructions to the nearest town. He didn’t have to walk home. He called his brother for a ride. Furthermore, Bauer’s claim that Shergar was “the most famous horse in the world” is quite ridiculous. While probably the most famous horse in Ireland, he certainly didn’t outshine studs like Secretariat, Seattle Slew, or Affirmed, nor did his racing career compare to theirs.
Having just read most of Toby's book about the same subject, I simply could not continue reading this one.
September 3, 2020
Had potential, but came up lacking.
This book had potential, but the organization leaves much to be desired. When outlining the theories on who was behind the kidnapping of Shergar, the author writes about possible IRA involvement, then brings up another theory, then returns to flesh out the IRA theory and does this numerous times. The possible theories are intriguing, however.
This book had potential, but the organization leaves much to be desired. When outlining the theories on who was behind the kidnapping of Shergar, the author writes about possible IRA involvement, then brings up another theory, then returns to flesh out the IRA theory and does this numerous times. The possible theories are intriguing, however.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews