Derby winner receives prize 73 years later - thanks to the Post's intervention

Derby-winning groom Johnny Tolton said he was "over the moon" to receive a prize 73 years on from the success of his horse Nimbus in the 1949 Classic.

Tolton, who turns 100 in October, was presented with a trophy and two cut glass tumblers commemorating the victory in a surprise presentation at the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket on Thursday.

Tolton's role in Nimbus's Derby victory was recognised after the groom spoke with racing writer of the year Lee Mottershead in an interview with the Racing Post on the weekend before this year's contest.

While he received one of Nimbus's winning shoes from a farrier, Tolton told Mottershead that he had not been presented with a memento for his role in the Classic victory, and was overcome with delight after The Jockey Club agreed his place in the winning team should be recognised.

"I'm absolutely over the moon," Tolton said after giving his trophy a kiss. "I'm really shocked as we never expected we would get anything in those days, it was just lovely to be looking after a good horse like him.

"I'll put the trophy alongside Nimbus. I have two pictures of him, one after he won the 2,000 Guineas and one after he won the Derby, so this will go very nicely in between both of them.

"When I have a little drink in the evening I'll be able to look up at them and think what I was able to do in racing, so it's special."

Tolton was presented with his trophy and glasses by Brian Finch, the new chairman of Epsom racecourse, and Ravinder Parmar, groom of this year's Derby winner Desert Crown, and was also given the opportunity to meet four-time World Hurdle winner Big Buck's, who is spending the summer at the National Horseracing Museum.

Finch said: "It was a surprise to him today, his granddaughter told him he was going to Waitrose so he had no idea this was going to happen. He was shocked when he came in, but we had a chat and he quickly realised why we were all here.

"I watched the Pathe news footage with him and he relived the race and his memory of what happened that day is incredible. He knew the horse was ready to win and had a real glint in his eye when he told me he'd backed him to win the Derby at 16-1 after the 2,000 Guineas!

"Our thanks to Lee Mottershead for unearthing this story. We felt it was only right to acknowledge the important part Johnny played with Nimbus and to do so just after the Derby this year. It was a pleasure to meet him and to hear so much about that day."

Tolton remains an avid follower of racing and described Desert Crown as a "brilliant horse" despite backing Stone Age to win at Epsom.

He said: "It's so good to see the grooms more involved in everything now – they deserve it. They spend so much time with the horses, bringing them carrots and little treats and doing everything for them. It's good that so much thought is given to them now."

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