Andy Newton

Group One winning UK female jockeys listed: After Saffie Osborne wins St Leger

by
Andy Newton
14 September 2026

British horse racing witnessed a watershed moment on Saturday, September 12, 2026, when Saffie Osborne rode Highwayman to victory in the 250th running of the St Leger Stakes at Doncaster. In doing so, the 24-year-old became the first female jockey in history to win a British Classic.

Osborne’s landmark victory broke racing’s final glass ceiling on the Flat, joining a select group of trailblazers who have conquered the top tier of international racing.

Saffie came close to winning her first Group One on Touleen (2nd) in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot in June – but went one better in the St Leger at Doncaster.

UK Female Jockeys: Group One Flat Victories

Only four UK-based female jockeys have ever ridden a Group One winner on the Flat.

Saffie Osborne

2026 St Leger Stakes (Highwayman) – The historic breakthrough that crowned her as the first woman to claim a British Classic at Doncaster.

WATCH: Saffie Osborne winning the 2026 St Leger on Highwayman

Hollie Doyle

2020 Champions Sprint Stakes (Glen Shiel) – Her first Group One success, coming on Champions Day at Ascot
2021 Goodwood Cup (Trueshan) – Dominant staying performance on the Sussex Downs at Goodwood
2022 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) (Nashwa) – Made history as the first female jockey to win a European Classic
2022 Nassau Stakes (Nashwa) – Followed up her French Oaks success with a Group One win at Goodwood
2022 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp (The Platinum Queen) – Guided the two-year-old filly to victory on Arc day in Paris
2023 King’s Stand Stakes (Bradsell) – Became the first female jockey to ride a Group One winner at Royal Ascot
2023 Falmouth Stakes (Nashwa) – Took top honours over the mile at Newmarket
2023 Prix du Cadran (Trueshan) – Added another European Group One staying prize at Longchamp
2024 Nunthorpe Stakes (Bradsell) – Sealed her ninth career Group One title at York

WATCH: Hollie Doyle winning the 2024 Nunthorpe on Bradsell

Hayley Turner

2011 July Cup (Dream Ahead) – The first female jockey to win a Group One outright on British soil
2011 Nunthorpe Stakes (Margot Did) – Secured her second Group One victory within the same summer
2012 Beverly D. Stakes (I’m A Dreamer) – Captured her first international Grade 1 victory at Arlington Park in the United States

WATCH: Hayley Turner winning the 2011 July Cup on Dream Ahead

Alex Greaves

1997 Nunthorpe Stakes (Ya Malak) – The ultimate pioneer, Greaves became the first female jockey to win a Group One race in Great Britain, sharing the victory in a dead heat at York with Coastal Bluff.

WATCH: Alex Greaves winning the 1997 Nunthorpe Stakes on Ya Malak

Rachael Blackmore’s Historic Jumps Career

While Flat racing reached its newest milestone at Doncaster, Ireland’s Rachael Blackmore fundamentally altered National Hunt racing by conquering its biggest jump races:

Becoming the first female rider to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup (A Plus Tard) and Aintree Grand National (Minella Times).

Aintree Grand National (2021): Made global headlines onboard Minella Times, becoming the first female jockey ever to win the iconic steeple chase
Cheltenham Gold Cup (2022): Made history as the first woman to win National Hunt’s premier chase, riding A Plus Tard to a spectacular victory
Cheltenham Festival Top Jockey (2021): Won six races across the 2021 meeting, becoming the first female rider to claim the festival’s leading jockey title