Shergar stand him at the Ballymany Stud in Ireland. He arrived in October 1981, and was paraded down the main street of Newbridge, County Kildare. Milton Toby, the writer on Thoroughbred racing and equine law, judges Shergar to have been "a national hero in Ireland. ... one of the most recognizable sports personalities—horse or human—in Ireland." In 1982—his only rutting season—Shergar covered 44 mares, from which 36 foals were produced: 17 colts and 19 fillies. Of these, three won Group races, and the most successful of his progeny was Authaal. When sold as a weanling (between six months and a year)
Horse racing in Ireland crowds in excess of 100,000 annually attending both the Punchestown Festival in April, and the Galway Races in July. The majority of racecourses are turf, with Dundalk being the only floodlit all-weather polytrack. Laytown holds the distinction of being the only beach racecourse in the country adhering to the rules of the Turf Club, with one race meeting held each year on a natural sand track; however unaffiliated beach races are frequently held on beaches in some parts of the country. Horse Racing Ireland recognises the following racecourses: Ulster Munster Leinster Connacht Races have previously been held under the Rules