Wellingborough auctioneer to sell off horse racing memorabilia including collection of racehorse hair from legendary steeds

The collection is going under the hammer on November 13 as part of the ‘Race to History’ specialist horseracing memorabilia auction in the John Lambton Room of the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket.

Graham Budd, owner of the auction house based in Wellingborough’s Leyland trading estate said collecting hair from famous steeds ‘might seem like an unusual pastime’, however it is expected to sell for thousands.

He added: “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.

“The quality and provenance of the items in this sale is unprecedented, and we’re fortunate to be selling several lots in aid of some great charities, which have a huge impact in the racing world and beyond.

"We’ve had plenty of interest from around the world, so we’re in a good position to raise a lot of money for these good causes.”

The collection includes locks of hair from over 850 racehorses, including Shergar, Red Rum, Arkle, Nijinsky and other champion thoroughbreds, gathered by enthusiast, Ray Goddard, who continued his unusual hobby up to his death in 2004.

Other items in the auction include a shoe worn by Shergar in the 1981 Epsom Derby, a solid gold Cheltenham Gold Cup won by Cottage Rake in 1948, and a Victorian solid silver sculptural trophy from the 1875 Chesterfield Cup race at Goodwood, valued between £20,000 and £30,000. A collection of items are also to be sold on behalf of the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, the Injured Jockeys Fund and Racing Welfare.

The auction begins at 1pm on November 13, with the featured lots of the Race to History auction available to view on Graham Budd’s website here.