Captain Eustace Loraine Crawley was born on April 19, 1868. He made a dream start to race-riding by winning on his first mount under National Hunt rules, Field Marshall in the Maiden Hunters’ Chase at Sandown Park’s Grand Military meeting on March 21, 1890.
Riding the four-year-old Impeyan (10st 10lbs), Captain Crawley won the four-mile 1891 National Hunt Steeplechase which, that year, was run at Hurst Park, on February 25, for the first time. Seventeen runners faced starter Arthur Coventry for a first prize of £900.
Three horses – Impeyan, Jubilee Boy and Van de Berg – jumped the last together; at the post, Impeyan was a neck in front of Jupiter Boy, the 5-1 favourite ridden by Willy Moore. Van de Berg, the mount of Mr John Cottrell Dormer, was the same distance away in third. Two horses fell during the race, two refused and two bolted. Captain Crawley eventually bought Van de Berg.
He rode Field Marshall in the 1893 Grand National, the only time he rode in the race, but pulled up his mount when all chance had gone. However, in 1895 he guided Field Marshall, who was then owned by Mr Eustace Loder, to land Sandown’s Grand Military Gold Cup (below), winning in ‘a canter’(according to the form book) by five lengths.
The Shaker provided Captain Crawley with the last two wins of his career when landing the Cavalry Brigade Cup and the Aldershot Cup on consecutive days, May 10 & 11, 1898 at Aldershot.
His was a comparatively short career in the saddle, but – having ridden 40 winners in Britain and carried everything before him when racing in Ireland – it was an exceptionally brilliant one.
He served in the 12th (Prince of Wales’s Royal) Lancers and attained the rank of major. Sadly, Major Eustace Crawley lost his life in the Great War. He was killed on November 2, 1914 during the Battle of Ypres, aged 42. He was buried at the Ypres Memorial CWGC Cemetery in Belgium.
