Saffie Osborne ends 'frustrating' time on sidelines due to knee injury with comeback ride at Wolverhampton on Saturday

Saffie Osborne is relishing her return to the saddle at Wolverhampton on Saturday evening after spending more than two months on the sidelines due to torn ligaments in her knee.

The 21-year-old suffered the injury in a fall at the beginning of October but continued to ride for three weeks before announcing at the end of the month that she would miss the remainder of the year.

"I rode for three weeks after it happened but it was getting to a point where it wasn't getting any better," said Osborne. "I found out I'd ruptured the ligaments so at that point, I was only doing more damage. I had to weigh up my options and the pain was getting too bad, which was beginning to get in the way of my riding. If I hadn't stopped when I did I would probably have experienced more issues this year."

Before her setback, Osborne had been enjoying a memorable 2023 with a career-best 70 winners; her mounts earning more than £1.3 million in prize-money in Britain. The jockey recorded a breakthrough domestic Group success aboard Random Harvest in the Valiant Stakes at Ascot, landed the Chester Cup with Metier and was crowned the leading rider in the Racing League for the second year in a row.

Random Harvest: winner of the Valiant Stakes under Saffie OsborneCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I didn't miss too much here but I was supposed to be riding in Australia this winter," said Osborne. "It was annoying because everything was going really well but at least it didn't happen in the middle of June or something like that. It's been frustrating. It didn't feel like it was getting better for a long time but all of a sudden it started to click into place.

"It's been a long process and I've been in Oaksey House every day since I stopped riding – the team there have been phenomenal. My goal now is to just ride as many winners as possible. I was lucky to ride a couple of bigger winners last year and it was my first taste at that level. It was great to finish in the top 20 in the jockeys' championship in my first year without a claim and I want to better that this year."

Osborne, part of the victorious ladies' team at Ascot's Shergar Cup in August, makes her comeback aboard Hashtagmetoo (7.00) for her father Jamie Osborne.

Read more:

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