1893 -1965
National Hunt jockey Frederick Walter Croney rode 63 winners over jumps in Britain, recording his biggest success in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham. Remarkably, that Cheltenham triumph came less than two months after he’d ridden in his first hurdle race, the prestigious Berkshire Hurdle at Newbury on January 20, 1921, finishing a highly creditable second on Be A Lad.
He didn’t have to wait long for his first win, less than a week, guiding 6-1 chance Waterbottle to victory in the Wickham Handicap Hurdle at Gatwick on January 26, 1921. Waterbottle played an important role in Fred’s early career. He returned to Gatwick the following month and finished third in the valuable Grand International Hurdle, then turned out again the very next day to win Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle. A month after that, Waterbottle gave Fred his red-letter day in the saddle by winning the County Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham’s National Hunt Meeting.
Soon afterwards he moved north and rode largely for Alnwick trainer Adam Scott. He rode a good number of winners for him, enjoying his most successful year in 1922 with a score of 12, the only time he attained a double-figure score during a calendar year. They included a treble at Kelso on April 22 on Manly Boy in the Bowmont Hurdle, Irish Lace in the Selling Handicap Hurdle and Swindle in the Sunlaws Hurdle. He also won twice on Ailsa Craig on successive days at Perth’s two-day meeting on the last two days of September, landing the Tay Selling Hurdle on the first day and the Duncrub Handicap Hurdle on the second day.
Also that year, Fred came close to winning another major race when finishing second, beaten two-and-a-half lengths on Confessor in the 1922 Welsh Grand National. He rode Gay Lochinvar in that year’s Grand National at Aintree but was among the fallers.
His second Grand National ride came on 100-1 outsider De Combar in 1928. They managed to avoid the carnage at the Canal Turn, in which half the 42-runner field was put out of the race through being unable to jump the fence, on which Easter Hero had become straddled. Fred and De Combat were among the nine survivors at halfway, jumping the water in second place, only to fall on the second circuit. The following month he finished fourth on Fuglebird, in the Scottish Grand National, having ridden him to win a two-runner chase at Carlisle’s Easter Monday fixture 12 days earlier.
Fred rode his last winner on Glenlossie in the three-mile Blackhill Handicap Chase at Hexham on October 14, 1931. He retired in November 1933 but made a brief return to the saddle eight years later, presumably due to the shortage of jump jockeys during World War Two. He rode for the last time when finishing unplaced on Seringhi in the one-mile four-furlong Stockeld Juvenile Hurdle at Wetherby on December 27, 1941.
During his retirement Fred worked on a freelance basis, including assisting trainer Snowy Parker at the racecourse. He died during the last week of April 1965, aged 72.
