Memories of the mighty Shergar will coming flooding back at Ascot on Saturday, when one of the sport’s most famous names is officially inducted into the British Racing Hall of Fame.
Owned by the Aga Khan, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Walter Swinburn, the big bay with the white blaze was a spectacular 10-length winner of the 1981 Derby. But the Shergar story went on to run much deeper than that, with the horse being kidnapped from the Aga’s Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. He has never been found and it is a puzzle that will probably never be solved.
Nemone Routh, who manages the Aga Khan Studs in France, said: “Shergar is an iconic horse. I know, from having worked for His Highness The Aga Khan for a long time, that he often spoke of Shergar’s Derby as one of the races he was most proud of.
“He was a relatively young owner at the time and for the horse to win it the way he did was exceptional. Anything that remembers Shergar the racehorse is always welcomed by the Aga Khan Studs because that is how we like to remember him.
“Princess Zahra and her family will be very honoured by this.”
Shergar’s winning distance remains a record for the Epsom Classic to this day, that wonderful moment rounding Tattenham Corner when Swinburn flicked the switch and the afterburners powered on never to be forgotten
“There’s only one horse in it… you need a telescope to see the rest!” said BBC radio commentator Peter Bromley. You certainly did.
Share