A construction site manager has miraculously won a bet on the Epsom Derby after taking a prophetic tip from a 62-year-old time capsule.
Josh Smalls wagered £20 on Christmas Day at odds of 7-1 after discovering a decades-old message hidden beneath a statue at Crystal Palace Park in south London.
The capsule contained a handwritten note dating back 62 years, encouraging whoever found it to place money on a Derby runner with a name "associated with Santa Claus".
The horse, trained by Aidan O'Brien, pulled clear in the closing stages to claim victory in Britain's most prestigious flat race.
The capsule was unearthed on 15 April by contractor Craciun Marius Dorin, who was helping to move a bust of Sir Joseph Paxton, the Victorian architect behind the original Crystal Palace.
Hidden beneath the statue were four old coins and a note explaining they represented winnings from a bet on Santa Claus, the 1964 Derby champion.
The anonymous author, identified only as P. Wright Paterson, instructed future discoverers to stake the money on any Derby entrant whose name could be linked to Santa Claus.
The note concluded: "And the best of British luck."
The bust was being relocated as part of a £21.8million park regeneration scheme.
Smalls, who relocated to London from County Armagh two years ago, grew up around horse racing and has an uncle who trains horses.
"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," he told the BBC before his win.
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"I looked through the rosters of the last few years and couldn't find any other horse with a Christmassy name."
The worker who uncovered the capsule noted a remarkable coincidence of his own.
"I'm Romanian and Craciun in Romanian actually means Christmas - isn't that crazy?" Mr Dorin said.
Bromley Mayor Christine Harris also placed a £15 bet on Christmas Day, pledging any winnings to Madlani Cancer Support and the Dyslexia Association of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
After the horse stormed home ahead of runner-up Maltese Cross, the Crystal Palace Park Trust posted on social media: "What just happened? The park's time capsule prophecy came true."
The victory gave O'Brien his 12th triumph in Britain's premier Classic.
Christmas Day was never seriously threatened after entering the straight, staying on strongly to repel the late challenge.
The now-historic note and coins will be displayed at the Crystal Palace Museum.
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