February 8, 1983: Shergar, winner of the 1981 Epsom Derby, is kidnapped from Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. A ransom of £2 million was demanded, but before an agreement was reached to pay it, the kidnappers broke off negotiations.
No body has ever been found, and no one has claimed responsibility, although a grass (or, as we would say in America, an informant or rat) claimed the Irish Republican Army did it to raise money for weapons.
Shergar was owned by Prince Karim Al-Husseini Aga Khan, known as the Aga Khan IV, a religious leader, businessman, and socialite best known as the 49th imam of Isam'ilism. Horse racing has long been known as "the sport of kings," and, like the British royal family, his has long been involved in it.
Foaled and trained in Ireland, Shergar began his first season of racing in September 1980, and ran two races that year, where he won one and came second in the other. In 1981, he ran in six races, winning five of them, including the prestigious Epsom Derby by 10 lengths, the longest winning margin in the race's history. After the season, the Aga Khan decided to retire him to stud in Ireland.
The Aga Khan sold 40 shares in the horse, valuing it at £10 million. Retaining six shares, he created an owners' syndicate with the remaining 34 members. Shergar was stolen from the Aga Khan's stud farm by an armed gang on February 8, 1983. Negotiations were conducted with the thieves, but the gang broke off all communication after four days when the syndicate did not accept as true the proof provided that the horse was still alive. The horse was never seen in public again.
In 1999, Sean O'Callaghan, a former member of the Irish Republican Army, published details of the theft, and stated that it was an IRA operation to raise money for arms. He said that very soon after the theft, Shergar had panicked and damaged his leg, which led to him being killed by the gang. An investigation by The Sunday Telegraph concluded that the horse was shot four days after the theft. No arrests have ever been made in relation to the theft. Shergar's body has never been recovered or identified.
In honour of Shergar, the Shergar Cup was inaugurated in 1999. His story has been made into two film dramatizations, several books and two documentaries.
Among English soccer fans traveling to tournament matches on the European continent, where horse meat is more common, it became a common joke that you should be careful what you eat, because you never know when you're going to end up with a mouthful of Shergar.
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February 8, 1983 was a Tuesday. Baseball and football were out of season. There were 8 games in the NBA:
* The New Jersey Nets beat the Atlanta Hawks, 115-109 at The Omni in Atlanta.
* The Washington Bullets beat the Boston Celtics, 104-101 in overtime at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland.
* The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Chicago Bulls, 109-93 at the Chicago Stadium.
* The Houston Rockets beat the Kansas City Kings, 116-115 in overtime at The Summit in Houston. (It's now the Central Campus of the Lakewood Church, televangelist Joel Osteen's "megachurch.")
* The Dallas Mavericks beat the Phoenix Suns, 112-100 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
* The San Antonio Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons, 147-143 in overtime at the HemisFair Arena in San Antonio. George Gervin scored 41 points. In defeat, Isiah Thomas scored 46, and Kelly Tripucka scored 34.
* The San Diego Clippers beat the Denver Nuggets, 125-98 at the San Diego Sports Arena (now the Pechanga Arena).
* And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 121-118 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.
And the NHL All-Star Game was played at the Nassau County Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Hempstead (mailing address, Uniondale), Long Island, New York. The Clarence Campbell Conference (West) All-Stars beat the Prince of Wales Conference (East) All-Stars, 9-3. Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers scored 4 goals for the Campbell team, and was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
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