MARLBOROUGH Town Council is to contact the organisers of the defunct timber horse race, the Marlborough Cup, to ask for the return of the trophy, loaned to the event by former mayor Ian Perryman.

Coun Joan Evans brought the matter up at Tuesday night's full town council meeting.

"Now that Count Konrad is not running the race any more we should ask for the cup back before it gets lost or forgotten," she said.

"It is very old and very valuable and it belongs to the town."

The tankard-style trophy was formerly competed for in a more traditional style of horse racing and is thought to be solid silver and more than 100 years old.

Count Konrad Goess-Sarau founded the modern race, run over a course of solid timber fences at Barbury racecourse between Marlborough and Swindon, eight years ago but called it off this year because he felt American-style timber racing has not caught on in Britain.

Last year plans for the race had to be scrapped due to the foot and mouth outbreak.

The organisers are working on a new event to replace it, to be called Marlborough festival of countryside racing.