Racehorse hair samples sell for £38,000 in sale overseen by Wellingborough auctioneer

Listed with a starting price of £24,000 the collection which once belonged to enthusiast, Ray Goddard, was made up of samples collected from 1948 and 2004.

The collection went under the hammer yesterday (November 13), and although it fell just short of its £40,000 to £50,000 estimate, it’s seen by the auctioneer as a peek into the sport’s esteemed history.

Graham Budd, an auctioneer based on Wellingborough’s Leyland Trading Estate, said: “Collecting locks of horse hair might seem like an unusual pastime, but it’s provided us with an incredible archive, featuring some of the most famous horses the racing world has seen.

"It tells a wonderful story of half a century of racing history.”

Highlights of the collection were locks of hair from Red Rum, a three-time winner of the Grand National, and Shergar, winner of the 1981 Epsom Derby by an unprecedented 10 lengths, which remains the the longest winning margin in the Derby’s near 250-year history.

Other highlights from the ‘Race to History’ collection included Cottage Rake’s 1948 Cheltenham Gold Cup trophy which sold for £26,000, and a horseshoe worn by Shergar when winning the 1981 Derby, which sold for £4,000.