Derek Arthur Crutchley began his racing career in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire in 1955 as a five-stone apprentice with Maurice Moroney. He served three years of his apprenticeship there before moving on to Arthur Thomas’ yard in Warwick to finish serving his time. However, his career as a budding apprentice jockey was interrupted by National Service, which Derek served initially with the Royal Norfolk Regiment and then the Royal Veterinary Corps, ending up as a rider/groom with the Kings Troop, Royal Horse Artillery.
After ‘demob’, he returned to racing and rode for a few years in the early 1960s as a freelance, riding mainly for Neville Hall and Walter Wharton. He had his final ride at Windsor on October 4, 1963, finishing last of 27 runners on Technician, having been slowly away. Lack of opportunities led him to relinquish his licence and work full time in a racing yard.
In the years that followed, Derek worked for several of the top trainers of the time including Dick Hern during the great years of Sun Princess, Nashwan, Dayjur, Minster Son and Unfuwain, followed by three years with both Peter Walwyn and Richard Hannon. Derek then spent seven years at Manton with Peter Chapple-Hyam and with John Gosden where he ‘did’ the highly talented Cape Verdi as a two-year-old.
His contribution to the sport over more than 50 years was recognised at Warwick on April 17, 2007 with the running of the Derek Crutchley Lifetime in Racing Claiming Stakes.
