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Shergar (foaled 1978) was an Irish racehorse, and winner of the 202nd Epsom Derby (1981) by ten lengths – the longest winning margin in the race's history.〔This victory earned him a spot in ''The Observer'' newspaper's 100 Most Memorable Sporting Moments of the Twentieth Century ()〕 A bay colt with a distinctive white blaze, Shergar was named European Horse of the Year in 1981 and was retired from racing that September. Two years later, on 8 February 1983, he was stolen from the Ballymany Stud, near The Curragh in County Kildare, Ireland by masked gunmen and was never seen again. The incident has been the inspiration for several books, documentaries, and a film. ==Racing career== Bred by his owner Prince Karim Aga Khan IV in County Kildare, Ireland, close to the stud from which he was stolen, Shergar began training with Michael Stoute at Newmarket. His first run was a win in a field of 23 by just over two lengths in the Kris Plate, and he set a course record at Newbury. In his only other run – the William Hill Futurity Stakes (now the Racing Post Trophy) at Doncaster, won by Beldale Flutter – he was second, losing by the same two-and-a-half-length margin by which he had won his first race. His 3-year-old debut race in 1981 was the Guardian Classic Trial at Sandown Park. Racing correspondent Richard Baerlein, after watching the colt win by 10 lengths, famously advised race-goers that "at 8-1, Shergar for the Derby, now is the time to bet like men." After winning the Chester Vase by 12 lengths, Shergar started odds-on favourite at Epsom, ridden by 19-year-old jockey Walter Swinburn, also entering his first Derby. Swinburn recalled that early in the race, Shergar "found his own pace and lobbed along as the leaders went off at a million miles an hour, with me just putting my hands down on his withers and letting him travel at his own speed". Shergar pulled to the front early and went further clear, so far that John Matthias on runner-up Glint Of Gold thought he had won: "I told myself I'd achieved my life's ambition. Only then did I discover there was another horse on the horizon." Shergar's next race was the Irish Derby, ridden by Lester Piggott. The apparent ease with which Shergar passed the rest of the runners, winning by 4 lengths, caused commentator Peter O'Sullevan to exclaim: "He's only in an exercise canter!" The horse became a national hero in Ireland. Seeking to exploit Shergar's value at its peak, the Aga Khan sold 34 shares in the horse for £250,000 each, keeping six for himself, producing a valuation of £10 million, then a record for a stallion standing at stud in Europe. Among the buyers were bloodstock millionaire John Magnier and Shergar's vet Stan Cosgrove. Shergar also won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot by four lengths. After that came his only failure as a three-year-old when the colt apparently failed to stay the extended fourteen furlongs and finished fourth in the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster. Swinburn was sending out distress signals with two furlongs to go, and Shergar finished behind Cut Above, a horse he had beaten in the Irish Derby. Lester Piggott's view was that "he must have been over the top by then" but, whatever the explanation, Shergar's racing career was over. He had six wins for £436,000 in prize money. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Shergar」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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