Daily Mail
Note in buried time capsule tells finder to back Epsom Derby runner 'with a Santa-themed name' - helping them win £2,500 after race was won by horse called Christmas Day
By ELIZABETH IVENS FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
Published: 20:57 EDT, 6 June 2026 | Updated: 21:14 EDT, 6 June 2026
A buried message from the past helped four lucky punters scoop £2,500 by picking the winner of the Epsom Derby yesterday.
They put their money on a horse called Christmas Day after the recent discovery of a 'time capsule' letter buried 62 years ago which urged the finder to back any runner whose name could be linked to Santa Claus.
That was the name of the horse that won the Derby in front of the late Queen in 1964 – and spookily it appears there have been no Santa-themed horse names in the race since then until yesterday's remarkable coincidence.
Santa Claus became the most famous horse in Britain when he won what was then the most valuable race the country had ever seen as the monarch watched.
Subsequently, a sentimental racing fan who had seemingly backed the horse himself took another gamble without knowing whether it would ever pay off.
He buried a 'time capsule' in a park in Crystal Palace, South London, with a letter and some coins urging the finder to bet on a horse 'whose name can be associated in some way with Santa Claus'.
The writer signed off with 'and the best of British luck' from 'P Wright Paterson'.
The package – a note and four shillings and two half crowns, £10 in today's money, wrapped in plastic – remained undiscovered under a bust of Sir Joseph Paxton who designed the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition of 1851, for another 62 years.
That was until just a few weeks ago when construction workers unearthed it during a park regeneration project. And when it was handed to site manager Josh Smalls, a racing fan from Ireland, whose uncle is a racehorse trainer, he knew just what to do.
Informing the mayor of Bromley Christine Harris of his find – which has now been donated to the local museum – he revealed to her amazement that there was 'unbelievably' a horse in the forthcoming Derby called Christmas Day.
The pair both rushed to put a bet on the race, with Mrs Harris vowing to donate any prize money to two local mayoral charities.
And in a remarkable twist of fate, Christmas Day romped home despite being a relative outsider ahead of the race at 25-1, although he started at a more modest 7-1.
Mrs Harris, 65, who scooped £390 with her £15 stake, said: 'I have been telling everyone this has got to be a sign and I was convinced [the horse would win]. If this had been dug up two, three or four years ago or most years since it was buried, there was nothing running relating to the word Santa Claus.'
She did not manage to see the race because she was attending a street party but received an 'excited call on her way home'.
And despite sons Elliott, 31, and Josh, 27, 'telling her it was mad that she was sure it would win', they also put a bet on yesterday, scooping £1,200 and £500 each.
Mr Smalls was also convinced the horse would come in and watched from his sitting room, scooping £500 from a £30 stake.
'I was jumping around coming down the final stretch,' he said. 'Sometimes I believe in things being written in the stars and too many things aligned with this one so I believed I had a chance.'
Now Mrs Harris is hoping for one more stroke of luck – 'that we find out who the note's author is. It would be great to find out the story behind it – it must be someone's dad or uncle or relative and we would love to know'.
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