The history-making jockey, who became the first female to win a British Classic when landing the St Leger, will ride in Hong Kong next month

History-making jockey Saffie Osborne is hoping to use the momentum from a groundbreaking year to yield more success in Hong Kong next month.

The 24-year-old became the first female to ride the winner of a British Classic when partnering Highwayman to victory in the St Leger in September. It was the biggest of a series of landmarks for Osborne who in 2024 became the first woman to ride a winner at Meydan in Dubai in 2024, followed by big race success in Qatar.

Osborne has enjoyed a banner year and with 85 wins is two short of matching her best score of 87 set in 2024.

“I think this is the first year of my career that I’ve truly enjoyed every moment,” Osborne said. “I wasn’t in the country until April and then I had 20 winners in May, and it just kept rolling from there. It’s been amazing. I feel like I’ve been able to really relax into the rhythm of the season and I’ve been lucky to ride lots of big winners at all the big festivals.”

Osborne will begin her Hong Kong stint on November 8 and will stay until 23 December.

“I’ve been speaking to a lot of people about it and just trying to understand it as best as possible,” she said. “I’ve watched a lot of racing from Hong Kong over the years. It’s going to be something completely different, and I sometimes have to remind myself that 12-year-old Saffie would think that my life is the coolest thing ever.

“I get to travel around the world riding horses and it doesn’t get much better than that. I’ve always dreamed of going to Hong Kong and this time last year I probably never thought the opportunity would arise.”

Osborne hopes to gain a fresh perspective from the experience and has already approached several jockeys for tips about riding at Happy Valley and Sha Tin.

“I don’t think I’ve met anyone with a bad word to say about racing in Hong Kong,” she said. “The atmosphere is incredible. The racing, jockeys and horses are all high-class, so it’s where you want to be.

“I asked people about riding at Happy Valley and they said to imagine Chester the other way round, but 10 times tighter. I’ve been practising getting my horses out of the gates pretty fast the last few weeks.

“It’s very exciting and it can only further your progress as a jockey, by learning different things each place you go to. I’m just looking forward to the experience and hopefully I ride a couple of winners, because I know that’s pretty hard.”