Saffie Osborne Becomes First Woman to Win British Classic at St Leger

Jockey Saffie Osborne, 24, has declared that the "fear of failure" has dissipated following her victory at Doncaster in the St Leger. This win makes her the first woman to claim a British Classic race. Osborne stated that despite her ambition to achieve much more in her career, this accomplishment means she can always reflect on her journey and feel it was "worth it."

Osborne described horse racing as a sport that can be "very lonely," often involving extensive travel and significant physical risks, including serious falls and bone fractures. However, achieving a Classic victory, a dream since she was five years old, has now been realized.

Historically, opportunities in British Classics have not been equal for female jockeys. Out of the sport's 250-year history, only six women have ridden in these prestigious races, accumulating a total of 12 rides. These include Gay Kelleway, Alex Greaves, Hayley Turner, Josephine Gordon, Hollie Doyle, and now Saffie Osborne.

"It has been a male-dominated sport for an extremely long time, and I suppose it's becoming less and less of a conversation, which is quite nice," Osborne commented. She added that having her own historic "first" is particularly special, especially as there are few such milestones left for women to achieve in the sport.

Osborne's ride on Highwayman was for trainer Joseph O'Brien and came about due to an injury to the regular jockey. She acknowledged the importance of being selected for rides but maintained that her gender has not been a barrier to the opportunities she has received. "I don't feel like in my position now that I'm ever looked at any differently because I'm a woman," she said, noting that earning respect in the industry takes years for any jockey.

She believes her performance on Saturday could open more doors, but stated that within the industry, she does not feel her gender dictates how she is perceived.

Osborne also shared that she feels accepted as "one of the lads" in the weighing room and has not personally experienced the sexism and misogyny reported by some other female jockeys, such as Bryony Frost. In 2021, jockey Robbie Dunne received an 18-month ban, with three months suspended, for bullying Frost, a sentence later reduced on appeal.

Currently ranked eighth in the Flat Jockeys Championship with 60 wins since May, Osborne expressed her ambition to become champion jockey, a title yet to be achieved by a female rider. "You wouldn't be a jockey if you didn't want to be champion jockey one day. I think this is the first year that maybe I truly believe that I could one day," she said.

She attributed her success partly to her agent, Tony Hind, who also represents leading jockeys like Ryan Moore and William Buick, and expressed gratitude for being part of his team. "He makes champion jockeys, he's had a lot of them. And yeah, I would love to be the next one on the list."