On Saturday’s groundbreaking win, she added: “That sort of fear of failure has sort of disappeared. However much more I want to achieve, and I want to achieve so much more, it’s kind of like I can always look back on my career and know that it was all worth it.
“I got to achieve what I always dreamed of achieving.”
Osborne’s ride on Highwayman in the St Leger was her first for trainer Joseph O’Brien, and only came about because of an injury to regular jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle.
She acknowledged that the success of a jockey is dependent on “being chosen”, but is adamant that her gender isn’t a factor in the opportunities she gets.
“I don’t feel like in my position now that I’m ever looked at any differently because I’m a woman,” she said.
“Any jockey, when you’re starting out, it takes years to gain respect and be looked at as a person that people would want to use. And I don’t think my gender at this point would have had anything to do with it.
“Hopefully Saturday will open more doors. But when it comes to me as a female jockey, I don’t think I’m viewed any differently within the industry.”
Osborne also said she is treated as “one of the lads” in the weighing room, and has never experienced sexism and misogyny unlike other female jockeys, including Bryony Frost.
Jockey Robbie Dunne was banned from racing for 18 months, with three months suspended, for bullying fellow rider Frost in 2021, which was later cut to 10 months on appeal.
Having ridden 60 winners since the start of May, Osborne is currently sitting eighth in the Flat Jockeys Championship, and is open about dreaming of being champion jockey in the future.
She would be the first female jockey to achieve that.
“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.
“It’s been a phenomenal year that’s been topped off by Saturday. But I’m very lucky. I have a very good agent [Tony Hind] and agents are so important in this sport. He’s got an amazing book of jockeys, the likes of Ryan Moore, William Buick, Billy Loughnane. And I’m very lucky to be on 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.”
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