Shergar quickly'"; another shareholder, Lord Derby, disagreed and said "if ransom money is paid for this horse, then there is a danger of other horses being kidnapped in the years to come – and that simply cannot be tolerated". The first phone call from the thieves was on the night Shergar was stolen; Fitzgerald was not back at Ballymany by that time, and had not had the chance to tell the news of the theft to anyone. The call was to Jeremy Maxwell, a horse trainer based in Northern Ireland. The caller demanded £40,000, although this figure was later raised to
William the Third (horse) February 1917. Five years later he was Leading broodmare sire in Great Britain & Ireland. William the Third (horse) William the Third (1898–1917) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. After finishing unplaced on his only race as a two-year-old in 1900, he won five times in 1901 as well as finishing second in The Derby. He reached his peak as a four-year-old, winning five consecutive races including the Ascot Gold Cup, Queen Alexandra Stakes and Doncaster Cup. His career was ended by injury in early 1903 and he was retired to stud, where he had considerable success as a