On the day when it was revealed that Walter Swinburn, who rode three Derby winners, died from head injuries sustained in a fall from his bathroom window, it is perhaps ironic that the inquest -which recorded a verdict of accidental death – has been taking place exactly 34 years since the sensational kidnapping of his most famous winner, the Aga Khan’s magnificent Shergar, from Ballymany Stud in Ireland, by IRA terrorists. Most racing enthusiasts will know the horrific result of this terrible incident. I remember coming home from school and seeing it on the news without fully taking in what was going on. You can read the Daily Express reporting of the kidnapping here and here.
BySteve
Steve Bradley is the man behind this project, an unashamedly nostalgic website dedicated to horse racing’s golden days of the past, featuring vintage racecards, clippings and news stories plucked from the newspapers of the day. A devotee of horse racing’s halcyon days from the 1960s to the 1990s, Steve caught the racing bug as a small boy living near Catterick racecourse, where he was lucky enough to see the great Red Rum in action in the 1970s. He has undertaken private research commissions for various figures within the racing industry. Away from racing he enjoys spending time with his retired greyhound, bar billiards, music, TV, films, reading and travel.