An oddity

This is the finishing post for the Kiplingcotes Derby, England's oldest horse race dating back at least to 1618, and possibly earlier. It is run once a year, on the third Thursday in March, and is open to all comers. 

There are a couple of quirks associated with the race. The first prize is £50 and the second placed rider receives all of the entry money, meaning that it is often more advantageous to come second than first! And the rules say that, if the race is not run in any year, then it can never be run again. This has caused one or two problems in the past. In 1947 no riders wanted to tackle the snow and ice that had fallen so a farmer led his horse round the track to prevent the race being void. Similarly, there was one lone rider in the Foot and Mouth year of 2001.