Princess Zahra Aga Khan has finally answered the mystery that has haunted British horseracing for more than four decades: the stolen Derby winner Shergar was killed “in an awful way” within two days of his capture, and the £2 million ransom was never paid because her father feared the money would be used against human beings.
The 1981 Epsom Derby winner was taken from the Ballymany Stud farm in County Kildare, Ireland, on February 8, 1983, by six armed men. The IRA were the main suspects. A ransom demand for £2 million followed – but the horse’s co-owner, the Aga Khan, could not pay alone.
“Princess Zahra Aga Khan says stolen racehorse Shergar was killed 'in an awful way' within 48 hours of his 1983 kidnap.”
“We now know the horse was killed within two days (of being taken). They did so in an awful way,” Princess Zahra, now 55, told Telegraph Sport. She was 12 at the time of the kidnapping.
Her late father, the 49th imam and spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims, has often been blamed for failing to secure Shergar’s safe return. But Princess Zahra explained that Shergar was owned by a syndicate, and the Aga Khan could not act unilaterally.
“I remember Dad saying the horse was not insured against kidnapping – because who the hell was going to kidnap a horse? – but because the horse was syndicated he couldn’t get everyone to agree on what to do,” she said.
Even if he could have paid, she added, her father argued “that even if he could pay the ransom, he couldn’t do so if (the money) was going to be used against human beings”.
Princess Zahra – who now leads the family’s breeding operation, delegated to her by her father 20 years ago – revealed that Shergar’s killing happened earlier than previously thought. “It was very unprofessionally done, and when they finally killed him they did so in an awful way,” she said.
“The horse didn’t deserve that. Even as a stallion he was the kindest horse in the world, he was so unfairly treated. And why? He was a national symbol of Irish breeding and racing.”
Princess Zahra reflected on the era: “It’s a long time ago, it was a very different world and people had different motivations back then.”
Shergar’s remains have never been found, and no one has ever officially admitted responsibility for the theft. The Aga Khan died aged 88 in 2025.