Huge congratulations must go to Saffie Osborne, who became the first woman to ride the winner of a British Classic when steering Highwayman to victory in the 250th running of the St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday.
Saffie must surely be in consideration for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Could she also one day become the first woman to be crowned Champion Jockey? It is certainly possible, particularly with “Bony Tony” Hind as her agent. Hind has already helped guide four jockeys to a total of nine British Champion Jockey titles, so he knows exactly what it takes to build a championship-winning career.
Saffie’s victory represents a major breakthrough for female jockeys, but it has been a long time coming. Several outstanding women have previously broken important barriers within the sport.
Gay Kelleway
Gay Kelleway became the first female jockey to ride in a British Classic when she partnered Davemma in the 1986 Oaks.
The following year, she became the first woman to ride a winner at Royal Ascot, achieving that historic victory aboard Sprowston Boy in the Queen Alexandra Stakes.
Alex Greaves
Alex Greaves was another trailblazing British Flat jockey. In 1996, she became the first woman to ride in the Epsom Derby, partnering Portuguese Lil. She also rode the same filly in the 1,000 Guineas that year.
In 1997, Greaves rode Ya Malak to a dead-heat victory in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York, becoming the first woman to ride a Group 1 winner in Britain.
She was also the first female apprentice jockey to ride out her full claim and was named Female Jockey of the Year five times.
Hayley Turner
In 2008, Hayley Turner became the first woman to ride 100 winners in a British season.
She later became the first woman to ride a British Group 1 winner outright when partnering Dream Ahead to victory in the 2011 July Cup. Alex Greaves’s earlier Group 1 success aboard Ya Malak had been a dead-heat.
Hollie Doyle
Hollie Doyle set a new record for the number of winners ridden by a woman in a British season, reaching 151 victories in 2020.
That same year, she became the first female jockey to ride a winner on British Champions Day before securing her first Group 1 victory aboard Glen Shiel in the British Champions Sprint Stakes.
Rachael Blackmore
When it comes to National Hunt racing, Rachael Blackmore is in a class of her own. During an outstanding 16-year career, she repeatedly broke barriers at the highest level of the sport.
In 2021, she became the first woman to be leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival, riding six winners during the meeting. Later that year, she became the first woman to win the Grand National when partnering Minella Times.
In 2022, Blackmore made further history by becoming the first female jockey to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, riding A Plus Tard to victory.
Her achievements transcended racing, earning her the BBC World Sport Star of the Year and RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year awards in 2021.
Saffie Osborne’s remarkable St Leger victory has now broken another of racing’s most significant barriers. It has not merely made history—it has changed perceptions of what female riders can achieve at the very highest level of the sport.