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
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,