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 April 15 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 shilling and two half crown coins and a note. The coins, which would be the equivalent to about £10 today, were wrapped in a plastic sheet, along with a letter. In the letter, the anonymous author, identified only as P. Wright Paterson, instructed the finder to use the money to bet on a horse with a name that could be “associated with ‘Santa Claus,’” the 1964 Derby champion. The note concluded: “And the best of British luck.” The bust was being relocated as part of a £21.8 million (US$29 million) park regeneration scheme. “Unbelievably, there is a horse in this year’s Derby called Christmas Day,” site manager Josh Smalls said. Smalls placed a £20 bet on Christmas Day, who went on the win the world famous horse races at a starting price of 7-1. Smalls 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. Bromley mayor Christine Harris also put £15 on Christmas Day with any winnings going to charity. After the race the Trust posted on Facebook, “What just happened?!?! The park’s time capsule prophecy came true. Christmas Day just won the Derby!” Research by Smalls revealed that the 1847 Derby winner Santa Claus was trained by Vincent O’Brien, while this year’s entrant Christmas Day is trained by Aidan O’Brien. The shared surname suggests a possible familial link, though the note’s author never identified themselves. The source reports Smalls could not locate any other recent Derby horse with a festive name. 伦敦南部水晶宫公园的一工地经理根据一个尘封62年的时间胶囊里留下的“预言式”提示，押注埃普索姆德比赛马大赛，竟然真的赢了。 这位名叫乔什·斯莫尔斯的经理在公园一座雕像下方发现了一个数十年前藏匿的便条后，果断为“圣诞节”这匹马下了20英镑的注，赔率为7赔1。结果，这匹马一举夺得了英国最负盛名的平地赛马 —— 埃普索姆德比大赛冠军。 这个时间胶囊是4月15日由施工承包商克拉丘恩·马里乌斯·多林挖出的。当时他正在搬运一尊约瑟夫·帕克斯顿爵士的半身像。帕克斯顿是维多利亚时代的水晶宫的设计师。雕像下藏有四枚先令硬币、两枚半克朗硬币以及一张手写便条。这些硬币按如今的币值大约相当于10英镑，它们与信件一起被包裹在一张塑料布内。 信件中，一位署名仅为“P. Wright Paterson”的匿名作者指示发现者：用这些钱去押一匹与“圣诞老人”有关的马。“圣诞老人”正是1964年德比大赛的冠军马。便条结尾写道：“祝你好运，英国人。” 这尊半身像的迁移是该公园一项耗资2180万英镑的整修工程的一部分。 “简直难以置信，今年德比大赛中真的有一匹马叫‘圣诞节’，”斯莫尔斯说。他用20英镑押注这匹马，最终它以7赔1的起跑赔率赢得了比赛。 乔什从小在马术环境中长大，他有一位叔叔就是训马师。“我当时非常兴奋，就像圣诞节那天的小孩一样，”他在获胜前接受BBC采访时说，“发现这样一段历史，而且它居然和今年的马如此巧合地联系上了，实在有点诡异。” 布罗姆利市长克里斯汀·哈里斯也为“圣诞节”押了15英镑，并表示任何赢利都将捐给慈善机构。赛后，公园信托基金在脸书上发文：“刚刚发生了什么？！？！公园的时间胶囊预言成真了！‘圣诞节’刚刚赢得了德比大赛！” 斯莫尔斯研究发现，1847年德比冠军马“圣诞老人”的训练师是文森特·奥布莱恩，而今年这匹“圣诞节”的训练师则是艾丹·奥布莱恩，相同的姓氏暗示着两人之间可能存在家族联系，尽管便条的作者从未表明身份。他查遍了近年来的德比参赛马名单，确实没有找到其他带有圣诞节日色彩名字的马匹。 (Translated by DeepSeek) | 