Shergar won the 1981 Epsom Derby after starting as the race’s shortest-priced favorite since 1931.
Shergar won the 1981 Epsom Derby by 10 lengths, then the largest winning margin in the race since records of that kind were commonly reported. He was ridden by Walter Swinburn and trained by Michael Stoute for owner the Aga Khan IV. Shergar’s starting price was 10–11, making him an exceptionally strong favorite.
The colt continued his season by winning the Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. He was retired to stud after finishing fourth in the 1981 St Leger, so he did not complete the English Triple Crown. His career ended tragically when he was kidnapped from his stud farm in Ireland in 1983.
Shergar is sometimes confused with Nijinsky, the last horse to complete the English Triple Crown, or Dancing Brave, another famous Derby-era champion. Neither won the 1981 Epsom Derby.