Jockey Saffie Osborne is experiencing an exceptional start to the 2026 Flat racing season, positioning her fifth in the jockeys' championship standings. The 24-year-old has accumulated 22 wins from 132 rides since the season commenced in early May, a tally that surpasses the combined victories of former champions Ryan Moore and William Buick. This impressive run of form has generated a 45-point profit for punters who have consistently backed her since Guineas weekend at Newmarket.
Osborne, who began her career as an apprentice in July 2020, expressed her enthusiasm for the season, noting a strong start with three winners during Guineas weekend and subsequent victories at major festivals throughout May. Her success has been achieved with high-quality horses and stakes winners, though she remains acutely aware of the unpredictable nature of horse racing, having faced significant injuries in the past, including a broken arm and punctured lung in 2020.
The focus now shifts to Royal Ascot, the highlight of the Flat racing calendar, where Osborne is yet to secure a victory despite 34 previous rides. She acknowledges the intense level of competition at the event, stating, “I grew up understanding that Royal Ascot was the pinnacle of our sport.” Her father, former jump jockey and now trainer Jamie Osborne, has trained Royal Ascot winners, instilling in her a strong desire to achieve the same as a rider.
Osborne has pinpointed the Richard Spencer-trained filly Gold Digger, owned by Phil Cunningham, as her strongest prospect for a first Royal Ascot win in the Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap on Friday. She described Gold Digger as “so talented,” believing the horse “looks like she could be a Group horse in a handicap.” Additionally, Osborne is set to ride Owen Burrows’s Touleen in the Group One Coronation Stakes and her father’s course-specialist, Hickory, in either the Royal Hunt Cup or the Buckingham Palace Stakes.
Despite her family's deep roots in the equestrian world – her father being a jockey-turned-trainer and her mother a renowned equine artist – Osborne is the only one of her four siblings to pursue a riding career. Her early focus was on eventing rather than thoroughbred racing, and she credits her three older brothers with honing her competitive spirit, a trait she believes has been crucial to her success.