It had happened. Shergar had been horse-napped for ransom by the IRA, for no reason, none at all. And, four days into the horse-napping, the IRA members had machine gunned the four year old stallion to death. It shocked all of Ireland, as Shergar had a lot of potential, a lot of years left.

His owner, the Aga Khan family, aka, Prince Karim al-Husseini, was devastated by the loss. Shergar had been one of his most successful studs, and now he was gone.