Princess Zahra Aga Khan, daughter of the late Aga Khan, has finally lifted the lid on one of racing's most enduring mysteries, confirming that the champion thoroughbred Shergar was killed 'in an awful way' just two days after being kidnapped from an Irish stud farm in 1983.
Speaking to Telegraph Sport, Princess Zahra disclosed that the £2 million ransom demand was never paid, partly because the horse was owned by a syndicate and partly because her father feared the money would be used to fund violence. 'We now know the horse was killed within two days. They did so in an awful way,' she said.
Shergar, who won the 1981 Epsom Derby by a record ten lengths, was taken by six armed men from Ballymany Stud in County Kildare on the night of 8 February 1983. At the time, the IRA were widely suspected of being behind the kidnapping, though no group ever formally claimed responsibility. The horse's remains have never been recovered.
Princess Zahra, who was 12 at the time of the abduction, said her father was deeply upset and frustrated by the public criticism he received for not paying the ransom. 'People didn't understand the horse was syndicated and the ransom demand was only for 10 per cent of his stud value,' she explained. She added that the horse was not insured against kidnapping because the idea seemed unthinkable.
Describing the killing as 'very unprofessionally done', Princess Zahra said Shergar was 'the kindest horse in the world' and did not deserve his fate. The Aga Khan, who was the 49th imam and spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims, died in 2025 aged 88. Princess Zahra now leads the family's business operations, having taken over the breeding side two decades ago.