Saffie Osborne with the Leger trophy
Saffie Osborne with the Leger trophy

Saffie Osborne, the first woman to win a British Classic, reflects on her St Leger success


Saffie Osborne still hasn't come down to earth following her historic win on Highwayman in the 250th Betfred St Leger.

Osborne became the first female jockey to win a British Classic at Doncaster on Saturday and was still drinking it all in when appearing via video link on Racing TV's Luck On Sunday.

Osborne did reveal, though, that it had already been a case of back to the day job, something she was thankful for.

"I'm still kind of in shock to be honest, incredible day and one you can only dream of. It's just mental that it happened really," she told the show's host.

"I couldn't really hear the crowd at the time but the reception I got coming back in, all the way around the bend after the winning line was rammed with people. I was laughing because I celebrated, I've never celebrated going over the line in my life.

"I think I crossed the line and I just wanted to feel like I can't believe this has happened but I wanted to soak every single second of it in because who knows if something like this will ever happen again."

Our man at Doncaster on Saffie Osborne's historic win on Highwayman in the 250th Betfred St Leger.

Osborne's victory made the front page of the Sunday Telegraph and Nick Luck asked her how that felt.

"It's slightly surreal," she replied.

"I don't think I've ever felt overwhelmed in my life but I feel extremely overwhelmed this morning; luckily I rode out for Richard Spencer and got straight back into normality and then back onto Doncaster today.

"It was slightly mental walking into the petrol station and seeing my face on the front of the paper and a couple of people looking at me, then looking back at the paper and I was 'oh god, this all feels a little bit much right now'."

'What is wrong with these people?'

But not everyone was impressed with the coverage in the national media.

Trainer Eve Johnson Houghton was in the studio alongside Cornelius Lysaght who was the BBC Racing Correspondent between 2001 and 2020 and Luck turned to them for their thoughts.

"It's a great moment in racing and it's a great moment for women in racing because that glass ceiling is pretty hard to crack and I'm so chuffed," Johnson Houghton said.

She continued: "I've known Saffie since she was yea big and I'm so chuffed for her and I'm so chuffed for the sport, I think it's brilliant."

When asked by Nick Luck what the coverage on BBC News was like last night, Johnson Houghton didn't pull her punches, saying: "Absolutely rubbish. I'm so horrified.

"It was never mentioned on BBC News. I drove up here listening to Radio 5 Live all the way, not a mention of it and apparently it wasn't on ITV News and it wasn't on Sky Sports News. What is wrong with these people?

"What is wrong with them? They keep saying we're a nation of overweight people. Celebrate sport, celebrate women in sport."


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