Shergar Shergar Shergar (3 March 1978 – c. February 1983) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After a very successful season in 1981 he was retired to the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. In 1983 he was stolen from the stud, and a ransom of £2 million was demanded; it was not paid, and negotiations were soon broken off by the thieves. In 1999 a supergrass, formerly in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), stated they stole the horse. The IRA has never admitted any role in the theft. The Aga Khan, Shergar's owner, sent the horse for training in
Acamas (horse) following year, Acamas described as "unquestionably the best French three-year-old", rating him on 130, three pounds below Ile de Bourbon. In the official International Classification he was also rated three pounds behind Ile de Bourbon, making him the second best three-year-old in Europe, and the third-best horse of any age. In August 1978 a half-share in the colt was sold to the Irish breeder Tim Rogers and he began his stud career at the Ballymany Stud, County Kildare in 1979. He had serious fertility problems and sired very few foals. He was returned to racing as an eight-year-old in 1983,