Strange but true: Vanilla Ice to tell the mysterious tale of Shergar's kidnap

The infamous story of the Aga Khan's legendary Derby-winning homebred Shergar is being told by a certain Vanilla Ice in a new seven-part podcast.

The idea of the series is to merge true crime and sport, and while nineties Miami rapper Vanilla Ice, whose breakout single 'Ice Ice Baby' topped the charts in the UK and the United States, may seem a bizarre choice for narrator, he has always been a huge fan of horseracing.

The first episode of Sport's Strangest Crimes was released on Thursday on BBC Sounds, with subsequent episodes to be aired weekly the same day.

The release comes 40 years after Shergar galloped into immortality by winning the Derby by a still-record ten lengths.

The colt followed up in the Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, and a lucrative stallion career in Ireland beckoned.

However, the stunning racehorse, whose official rating of 140 ranks him co-second since the start of the International Classifications in 1977 with Alleged and Frankel, with Dancing Brave just on top on 141, was very sadly not to get the chance of proving his worth as a stallion.

For on a cold winter's night in 1983 a group of armed men entered Ballymany Stud near the Curragh in balaclavas and stole the stallion, declaring: "We have come for Shergar. We want two million for him."

The kidnappers are widely thought to have been IRA members but much less is known for sure about subsequent events, and Shergar's remains have never been found, while the IRA have never admitted any role in the theft or its aftermath.

Vanilla Ice: loves his racing, babyCredit: Bbc

Vanilla Ice said: “I love horses, I love watching them. There’s just something about horses, they are as tranquil as the ocean. Horses are awesome.

"Shergar the horse has become legend over the years, a household name, and one of the most fascinating stories ever. It’s like the Titanic, many ships have sunk, so why is the Titanic such a mystery? And that’s what Shergar is, it’s a big mystery, nobody knows where the horse is, it’s an amazing story.”

Richard Maddock, commissioning editor for BBC 5 Live, added: “Sport’s Strangest Crimes is an anthology series from BBC 5 Live and BBC Sounds that beautifully brings together two of our most popular podcast genres, true crime and sport. Our first seven-part series tells the fascinating story of the kidnap of Shergar, the super horse.

"Released on the 40th anniversary of his historic Epsom Derby win, the story is still as intriguing today. And when horse aficionado Vanilla Ice agreed to narrate this series, his passion for the Shergar story and his ability to bring characters and events to life helped make an amazing story that little bit more fascinating.”

(£) Members - catch up with Lee Mottershead's superb Big Read on Shergar's Derby triumph

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