Shergar: 'He was a dream horse'

"I have visited all corners of the globe and everyone mentions Shergar."

These are the words of former jockey Walter Swinburn who has fond memories of the racehorse which hurtled to a record 10 lengths victory in the 1981 Epsom Derby.

Nicknamed "Shergar the wonder-horse", the stallion was valued by Lloyds of London at £10m at stud.

But he was taken by an armed gang from a stud farm in County Kildare on 9 February 1983. They demanded a £2m ransom, but that was later dropped to £40,000.

Swinburn, said he was a dream horse, and memories of that derby win remain crystal clear.

"He (Shergar) was in charge, that was the lovely thing about him, he paced himself. He had this enormous engine," he said.

"I was only 19, he was a very uncomplicated horse. He had a marvellous temperament. A lot has been spoken about how marvellous he was, but his temperament was equal to that.

"For someone at 19 years of age to come across a horse like him was dream come true."

A bay colt with a distinctive white blaze, Shergar was named European Horse of the Year in 1981 and retired from racing that September.

He was owned by a syndicate including Islamic leader the Aga Khan and carried an insurance premium of £300,000 when he was in competition.

All the shareholders refused to pay the ransom because they wanted to deter future kidnappings.

Swinburn, who is now a trainer, has played down speculation that Shergar was killed because his abductors were unable to handle him.

"I'm as puzzled as anyone, puzzled to this day. I visited him many times at Ballymaney stud... and you could walk up to him in the paddock and catch him, his temperament was the same as when he was a racehorse."

At the time of his kidnapping, his trainer Michael Stoute said Shergar was the best horse "I have ever trained".

Numerous hoax calls and false alarms were received by the police and media about sightings of Shergar, dead and alive.

Shergar has never been found and his kidnappers have never been officially identified.

Swinburn added: "He was a once in a lifetime horse and the further my career went on, and even now as a trainer, I realise one will never come round like Shergar.

"The ending will never spoil the memories, the great memories. They are crystal clear and as fresh now as they were then."