Champion horse hair trophies set to spark race

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 Ray Goddard Collection of Hair Trophies of Champion Racehorses features a collection of tail or mane hair from 829 champion racehorses, stallions and broodmares, collected over a period of 55 years between 1948 and 2003.

Horses include such legendary names as 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 13, 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.