Half a century of racing history’ up for auction with a unique collection of racehorse hair

A unique collection of locks of hair, cut from the manes and tails of some of the world’s most famous racehorses between 1948 and 2004, is to be sold for the first time at auction. The collection contains locks of hair from over 850 racehorses, including Shergar, Red Rum, Arkle, Nijinsky and countless other champion thoroughbreds, gathered by an enthusiast called Ray Goddard, who continued his unusual hobby up to his death in 2004.

The collection is going under the hammer on November 13th, in the ‘Race to History’ specialist horseracing memorabilia auction, held by Graham Budd Auctions in partnership with Weatherbys. The auction will be held at the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket.

“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,” said Graham Budd, auctioneer and owner of Graham Budd Auctions.

Other lots for sale in the auction include:

• A collection of items owned by Shergar’s work rider, Cliff Lines, including a bronze statue of the horse, privately commissioned by the Aga Khan and given to Lines, valued at £10,000 - £15,000, and also a shoe worn by the legendary horse in the 1981 Derby
• The rights to a set of purple and scarlet racing silks once registered by the Prince of Wales - later King George IV - valued at £5,000 - £7,000
• A collection of items consigned to be sold on behalf of the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, the Injured Jockeys Fund and Racing Welfare, including a superb horse racing quilt by the artist Brenda Martin Matthews
• Cliff Lines Collection (Lots 197 - 202)

A spectacular collection of trophies is also up for sale, including a Victorian solid silver sculptural trophy dating from the 1875 Chesterfield Cup race at Goodwood, valued at £20,000 - £30,000, and a solid gold Cheltenham Gold Cup won by Cottage Rake in 1948. Cottage Rake was trained by famous Irish trainer Vincent O’Brien, and the trophy is valued at £10,000 - £15,000. Graham Budd Auctions is also selling the silks/colours worn by the jockey Aubrey Brabazon on that day, estimated at £1,500 - £2,500.

Graham Budd continued: “It’s great to be working alongside Weatherbys again on this auction. 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.”