Eerie time capsule from 1964 present in London park predicts this weekend’s Derby winner
Construction worker Craciun Marius Dorin has found a time capsule buried beneath a statue containing a 1964 note with a surprising horse racing betting tip
The eerie find has issued a shocking gambling tip for this weekend (Image: Jam Press/The Crystal Palace Park Trust)
A construction worker was left speechless after unearthing a 62-year-old time capsule containing a gambling tip – only to discover a horse matching the hint is competing in the Derby this weekend.
The capsule was found under a statue in Crystal Palace Park, Bromley. The find contained a message, vintage coins and directions for whoever discovered it to put a wager on a horse whose name could be connected to Father Christmas. In a bizarre development a horse named Christmas Day is racing in Saturday’s Derby at Epsom Downs.
The find was made when builder Craciun Marius Dorin unearthed the capsule while working on the park’s £22m restoration scheme. On top of the extraordinary find, Craciun said his surname also carried a festive significance.
He said: “I’m Romanian and Craciun in Romanian actually means Christmas – isn’t that crazy?”
Dorin discovered the capsule in April and promptly passed it to site manager Josh Smalls, who said: “It was very exciting.
“I was like a child on Christmas Day.
“To find a piece of history like that – and for it to link up so well with the horse this year – it was kind of spooky.
“I looked through the rosters of the last few years and couldn’t find any other horse with a Christmassy name. Unbelievably, there is a horse in this year’s Derby called Christmas Day.”
“And after going down a bit of a research rabbit hole, I found out that the trainer of Santa Claus was a fellow called Vincent O’Brien, and it turned out the trainer of this horse, Christmas Day, is actually called Aidan O’Brien.
“So I’m not sure if there was a direct relation there, but I thought it was quite cool.”
The message revealed the cash inside had originated from winnings on a horse named Santa Claus in the Epsom Derby.
Its writer directed whoever uncovered the time capsule in years to come to use the funds to back another racehorse with a similarly seasonal nickname. The find instantly grabbed Josh’s interest as he was raised amongst the horse racing world.
Josh said: “My uncle was a racing horse trainer, I’d go to about two races every year.” He added: “So this note sparked quite a bit of interest.”
Josh staked a £20 wager on Christmas Day shortly after discovering the message. He said: “Hopefully he’ll win on Saturday and make everyone a bit of money.”
Bromley mayor Christine Harris has also placed a £15 bet on Christmas Day, with any potential returns earmarked for her selected good causes. The time capsule held four vintage coins – four shillings and two half crowns – valued at approximately £10 in today’s currency.
They were discovered wrapped in plastic underneath the monument to Sir Joseph Paxton, the Victorian landscape architect who constructed the Crystal Palace.
The sculpture was being lifted from its base to be repositioned at a fresh location on the Italian Terraces as part of the broader redevelopment of Crystal Palace Park. Sir Joseph Paxton was an English horticulturist, architect, engineer and Liberal Member of Parliament.
He is most famous for creating the Crystal Palace, which was constructed in Hyde Park, London to accommodate the Great Exhibition of 1851, the first world’s fair. And for developing the Cavendish banana, the most eaten banana in the Western world.
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