The Hit The Lights Podcast
The Hit The Lights Podcast
The Shadows of Horse Racing: Shergar's Unsolved Mystery and Swinburne's Tragic Destiny
Brace yourself for a gripping journey as we traverse the tumultuous world of high-stakes horse racing, unearthing heart-stopping stories from the annals of sports history. Today, we spotlight the unparalleled racing legend, Shurgar, whose astonishing feats on the track were eclipsed by his chilling abduction in 1983. You'll be riveted as we delve into his legendary victories, including his triumph in the prestigious Epsom Derby, and the eerie silence that followed his mysterious disappearance.
Adding to the drama, we illuminate the audacious acts of his abductors, their audacious ransom demands, and the swirl of theories about Shurgar's unknown fate. But the intrigue doesn't stop there. We also chronicle the roller-coaster journey of Walter Swinburne, Shurgar's brilliant jockey, whose meteoric rise to fame was marred by a crushing fall. From his exhilarating wins to the career-ending accident that led to his heartbreaking retirement, we explore the shadows of triumph and tragedy in the world of horse racing. So, prepare to be fascinated as we expose the unseen side of sports, draped in thrill, danger, and mystery.
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Thanks for listening and stay spooky!
Sports are often seen as a symbol of fair play, teamwork and healthy competition, but what happens when the games we love become tainted by sinister forces? Welcome to our new video series, sinister Sports, where we explore the dark side of sports. We'll uncover the shocking stories that have been buried for years, from doping scandals to match fixing. We'll be taking a step into the shadows of the sports world and exposing the shocking truths that have been hidden from the public eye. In our first video of this series, we'll be talking about a horse named Shurgar, who was mysterious kidnapping in 1983 left the world baffled At the time of his disappearance. The cult was widely considered the most viable horse on the planet, with a value of between 10 million and 15 million pounds and, despite being retired from racing, would have been a huge earner at sturd for breeding future champions. Today we'll be exploring Shurgar's incredible racing career, the events leading up to his abduction and the various theories surrounding his fate. A twisting, tragic journey into the world of horse racing, crime and intrigue. Take those lights, sit back and enjoy. Shurgar was born on March 3rd 1978 at Shalsun, the private sturd of his owner, the Aga Khan, located near the Kurek racecourse in County Kildare Island. He was a striking Bay Colt with a white blaze, four white socks and a wall blue eye. His sire or father was great nephew who had already produced a derby winner in Grundy, so expectations were high for the horse. In the same year Shurgar was born, the Aga Khan announced he would send some of his prized yearlings to be trained in England, and he chose Michael Stout's yard. Based in Newmarket, stout was an up and coming flat horse trainer who had already had success in some of the British classics. In 1979, one year old Shurgar settled into Stout's yard where he was broken in and prepared for his first race. According to Stout, he was an easy horse to break and had a lovely temperament and attitude towards his training. In September 1980, champion Jockey Leicester Pigot rode Shurgar in a pre-race gallop in the run up to his debut race On the 19th of September 1980, shurgar ran his first race, the Chris Plate at Newbury, with Pigot as his jockey. Shurgar started as the 11-8 favourite and justified those odds by winning by two and a half lengths. The plan was for Shurgar to run once more before being rested ready for the following year. However, his next race didn't go as smoothly and he was beaten into second in the William Hill Ferturity Stakes at Doncaster on the 25th of October 1980. Despite his unexpected defeat, shurgar still impressed the racing correspondence with one saying he was a magnificent stamp of a horse and a serious consideration for the following year's derby.
Speaker 1:In 1981, schergaard was a bigger, stronger horse and Michael Stout's aim for the year was to run him in the Epsom Derby. His preparation began on 25th April when he won the Guardian newspaper classic trial at Sandown. On this occasion he was ridden for the first time by Walter Swinburne. Walter was a hugely talented teenager and his youthful, cherubic face earned him the nickname the choir boy. Schergaard won the race by an impressive 10 lengths. After the win, his odds for the Derby shortened from 25 to 1 to 8 to 1. Schergaard won his next race, the Chester Vase, on May 5th 1981, again Swinburne took the ride and blew away his opponent, winning by 12 lengths. Schergaard was now considered a real contender for the Epsom Derby. However, the question was would Michael Stout and the Aga Khan allow 19 year old Walter Swinburne to ride Schergaard on his first ever ride in the race when there were other, far more experienced jockeys clambering to get the chance to ride? The most exciting 3 year old called to the ear. Thankfully, they kept the faith in the brilliant young jockey. Here he is speaking with his father and bro Scott just before the race.
Speaker 1:Just to give you an idea of how important the Epsom Derby is, here is a brief explanation for those who do not know. The Derby stakes. To give its correct name is a Group 1 flat horse race run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs, open to 3 year old Colts and Phillies. It is run at Epsom Downs race course in Surrey, where it was first held in 1780 and has since become one of the most famous horse races in the world. It is also Britain's richest flat horse race, with nearly a million pounds awarded to the winner. It is not just about the race either. It is also a special event that showcases British culture and fashion at its finest.
Speaker 1:On 3rd of June 1981, schergaard ran in the Derby. He was wild placed throughout the race and at Tetnam Corner, the final bend, he took the lead and effortlessly drew clear of the other runners, winning by a record breaking 10 lengths the largest winning margin ever that, at the time of writing this in 2023, still hasn't been beaten. Following his Derby win, the Agakhan was offered $40 million to Syndicate Sugar. He turned it down and instead decided to syndicate him for £10 million at £250,000 for each of the 40 shares a record price at the time. He kept six shares for himself and the others were sold individually to buyers from 9 different countries. Schergaard was now a very valuable horse.
Speaker 1:However, shortly after his Derby success, he had a very lucky escape. He threw his rider on the gallops and ran through a hedge onto a road. Millions of pounds of racehorse was later seen trotting loose through the local village. He was caught by a resident who led him back to the stables. Schergaard was unharmed during the event and stagged recalled. It is very lucky nothing happened to him. There's a crossing there and it's a difficult thing. Seemingly unperturbed by the incident, on the 27th of June Schergaard ran in the Irish Derby at the Courag lest. A pigot stepped up for the ride as Swinburne was suspended following an infringement at Royal Ascot. He won the race by four lengths. After the race, pigot told reporters that Schergaard was one of the best horses he had ever ridden.
Speaker 1:A month later, reunited with Swinburne, Schergaard won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot on the 25th of July 1981. His next race was the St Ledger at Doncaster, but there were rumours circulating that his training wasn't going to plan and that Schergaard was being mullish on the gallops, a claim denied by Stout. There must have been some truth in it, though, as Schergaard failed to accelerate as usual in the closing stages of the St Ledger and trailed in forth. A series of tests were run on the horse to see if anything was amiss, but they showed he was in good health, and it came as a shock to the racing world when it was announced that Schergaard had run his last race and would be retired to Bali. Many stirred in Ireland. By now, schergaard was a national hero in Ireland and one of their most recognisable sports personalities, and he arrived in Ireland in October 1981 to a hero's welcome. In 1982 he produced 36 falls, 17 colts and 19 fillies. Of these, three went on to win group races, and the most successful of his progeny was Orphel, who won the Irish St Ledger. To many, his first progeny was a little disappointing for a horse with Schergaard's racing prowess, and sadly he would never get the chance to prove them wrong.
Speaker 1:On the 8th of February 1983, at around 8.30pm, three men, all armed and wearing balaclavas, entered the home of Jim Fitzgerald, the head groom at Bali Mani Stud. They were part of a group of at least six, possibly nine, men who had come to steal the most famous and viable racehorse in the world. One of the men spoke to Fitzgerald telling him we have come for Sherga. We want £2 million for him. Fitzgerald's terrified family were locked in a room while he was marched at gunpoint to Sherga's stable, where he was ordered to put the horse in the back of a horse box. Fitzgerald was then bungled into the back of a separate vehicle and told to lie on the floor with his face covered with a coat. He was then driven around for over four hours before being dumped in the village of Kilcock, around 20 miles from Bali Mani. He was given instructions not to contact the police or he and his family would be killed. He was told to wait for further instructions from the gang who gave him the code name King Neptune.
Speaker 1:Jim walked to the next village and called his brother to pick him up. He then rang the agus khan stud manager, ghislaine Drion, and told him about the theft, urging him not to tell the police because of the threats to his family. Drion first tried and failed to contact the agus khan. He then contacted other shareholders in the horse. When he did finally speak to the agus khan, he told him to contact the police straight away. However, this was eight hours after the theft and the trail had already gone cold.
Speaker 1:From the start, the agus khan was reluctant to pay the ransom. He was unsure whether sugar would be returned even if the money was paid, and concerned that if the kidnappers' demands were met it would make every high value horse in Ireland a target for future thefts. Not all the shareholders agreed with this approach. The first contact made by the kidnappers was to Jeremy Maxwell, a horse trainer based in Northern Ireland. The caller demanded £40,000, a figure that was later increased to £52,000. A puzzling amount considering, they told Fitzgerald, £2 million. Maxwell was told that the gang would only negotiate with three well-known British racing journalists Peter Campbell, john Oxy and Derek Thompson. The three men were instructed to be at the Europa Hotel in central Balfast by Thursday evening. The Europa was known as the most bombed hotel in Europe after having suffered multiple attacks during the Northern Ireland troubles. After arriving at the hotel, they were contacted by phone and told to go to Maxwell's house to await further instructions.
Speaker 1:Efforts were made to prolong the call so the police could trace it failed. Another call was received that claimed that things had gone wrong and sugar was dead. This was initially believed to be a hoax or a distraction by the kidnappers. On the 9th of February the thieves contacted Bally Manistead and spoke to Ghislaine Drion. As Drion was French, he struggled to understand the caller's heavy Irish accent. 90 minutes later the caller tried again and this time demanded £2 million for the safe return of sugar. He also asked for a contact number in France through which further negotiations could be made. The number given was for the Aga Khan's French office. Negotiations started from the French office.
Speaker 1:Because of the earlier call about sugar being dead, the negotiators demanded proof that the horse was still alive. On Saturday, the 12th of February, the kidnappers said that proof had been left. At the Rosenary Hotel in Ireland A package was left that contained several Polaroid photos showing sugar. Some of the pictures showed the horse's head next to a copy of the Irish news dated the 11th of February 1983. It was confirmed the image was sugar. Although just a headshot was not confirmation he was still alive. This image is believed to be one of the Polaroid's scent. The final call with the themes was at 10.40pm on the 12th of February 1981. The negotiators said that they were not satisfied that the pictures proved sugar was still alive. The caller told the negotiators if you are not satisfied, that's it, and the call ended. No further contact was made, despite repeated requests, and sadly sugar was never seen again.
Speaker 1:There are several theories about what happened to Shogar. The horse's owners and negotiators believe the theft was undertaken to create confusion and publicity rather than obtaining money. Many of the demands made during negotiations were physically impossible, with one being the demand to include 100 pound sterling notes in the ransom money when such a note didn't exist. It also became clear that the kidnappers had not realised Shogar was owned by shareholders and not solely by the aga-cann. This made things a lot more complicated, with not all parties agreeing on the way forward.
Speaker 1:The delays in reporting the crime hindered the police investigation. However, they did have a few leads Unbeknown to the press and public. Early in their investigations they found the magazine for a sterile MPI-69 machine gun, which suggested a link to the IRA active service unit in South Armour. The description of the horsebox used was also known, but no trace was ever found of it. It's believed the investigation was not helped by the leading investigator, chief Superintendent James Murphy, who turned into a slightly comical figure during his press conferences with reporters likening him to Inspector Clouseau. There was no clear news of Shogar's whereabouts and, with the guard eye limiting the information they released, the press speculation escalated, which was mostly inaccurate and did nothing to help the case.
Speaker 1:A breakthrough appeared to come 8 weeks after Shogar was stolen. A horse trainer named Dennis Minogue claimed he had a contact within the IRA who had shown him a photograph of Shogar and that he could help get Shogar released for a ransom of 80,000 Irish pounds. He agreed to help the police in a sting operation and on July 20th 1983, detective Martin Kennerons put the ransom money in the boot of his car in a remote village, which Minogue was going to hand over once the horse had been released. The following day, detective Kennerons found the boot of his car had been forced open and the money was missing, along with Minogue. The money was never recovered.
Speaker 1:It is widely believed by police and intelligence that the IRA was the most likely suspect behind the theft and they kidnapped the horse to raise much needed funds. This theory was backed up in 1999, when Sean O'Callaghan, a former IRA member, who had been working within the organisation as a super grass for the police since 1980, published his autobiography. In it, he claimed that the plot to steal Shogar was devised by Kevin Mallon, a leading IRA member. He claimed that Shogar had been killed soon after he was kidnapped. After he became panicked and uncontrollable, no one was able to handle him and he injured his leg quite badly, so the decision was made to shoot him. Despite the claims, the IRA have never admitted any part of the theft. In 2008, a special investigation by the Sunday Telegraph obtained information from another IRA member who said that O'Kalligan had not been told the full story because the gang was so embarrassed by what happened.
Speaker 1:After stealing Shurgah, the gang had arranged for a vet to look after him, but he didn't turn up as his wife threatened to leave him if he did so. The men left with the animal had trouble controlling the highly charged stallion and once they realised the Agakhan was not willing to pay the ransom and only owned part of him, they were going to release the horse. However, kevin Mallon thought it too risky and decided to have the horse killed instead. Shockingly, he claimed, shurgah was machine gunned to death. His remains are likely to have been buried somewhere in Ballan Amor County Lightroom. But despite several equine skeletons being found, none have been identified as belonging to Shurgah. Strans of his mane and tail have been retained that may contain sufficient DNA to identify him if his bones are ever located, but to date his whereabouts are unknown. In the years since his disappearance, races have been named in his honour and the statue of Shurgah stands in the grounds of Guildtown Stud, one of the Agakhan's Irish stud farms.
Speaker 1:A television play and a film have been made of his life and demise, as well as countless articles and documentaries.
Speaker 1:His jockey, walter Swinburne, also met an untimely death at the age of 55. When, on December 12th 2016, he fell out of a bathroom window, possibly while having an epileptic fit. Swinburne enjoyed a successful career after rising to stardom as Shurgah's jockey, winning several major races, including the coveted Ark the Triumph. However, after he fell in 1996, he spent four days in a coma, which was thought to have caused him to develop epilepsy, and he was forced to retire from race riding in 2000. He went on to have some success as a trainer until, for financial reasons, he gave up his flat training licence in 2011. A sad end to not only one of the best race horses of all time, but also his equally talented jockey. Thank you for watching this video. We hope you enjoyed our first episode on sinister sports. Leave a comment down below if you enjoyed this sports video and if you know of any dark tales and stories within the sports industry. Thanks for watching and, as always, we'll see you in the next video.