Racing history buried in capsule

The course has undergone a £35m refurbishment

A time capsule containing items of racing history is being buried under the revamped Doncaster Racecourse.

Champion jockey Pat Eddery will help bury the capsule on Monday, which will contain items such as racecards and horse hair.

Those behind the idea said they hoped it would show future generations the history of the racecourse.

The course, which has undergone a £35m makeover, will reopen on 17 August for the St Leger race meeting.

Among the items being buried in the capsule will be a Sunday fixture race card to mark the fact that the first Sunday race in Britain was held at the South Yorkshire racecourse.

'Extremely proud'

Also included will be a lock of hair from Silver Patriarch - the horse that won the St Leger in 1997 and a photo of Fred Archer, the jockey who won the race seven times in the 19th Century.

Primary school pupils across Doncaster were also asked to take part in a competition to draw a picture of what the racecourse means to them.

The winner's picture will feature on the back of the race card at the St Leger meeting.

Racecourse marketing manager Jo Mapletoft said: "We are extremely proud of the racecourse's history and we thought this would be a really excellent way to commemorate some triumphs of the past.

"It is quite exciting to think that in 100 years' time the timecapsule could be dug up to give future generations a complete insight into the history of the racecourse."