Cheltenham Festival Top Jockeys : Jamie Osborne

Jamie Osborne rode 11 Cheltenham Festival winner between 1991 and 1997. His biggest wins came on Remittance Man in the 1992 Champion Chase and in two World Hurdles on Nomadic Way and Karshi. He was leading ridder at the 1992 meeting with 5 wins. Nicky Henderson provided Osborne with the ammo for three of his five wins. As a pair they are best remembered for Remittance Man a horse Henderson has compared to his new star chaser Sprinter Sacre.

William Hill make Ruby Walsh 8/13 favourite to win the Leading Rider award at the 2015 Cheltenham Festival.

Jamie Osborne Career Highlights

March 29, 1986: First winner as amateur, on Fair Bavard at Southwell. After a dozen more wins, he joins Nicky Henderson as conditional jockey. In his first two seasons, he rides 21 and 22 winners, but already he is spending time on the injury list with a broken collarbone.

May 1989: The big break-of the best kind-as Osborne is picked to succeed Simon Sherwood as Oliver Sherwood’s stable jockey.

November 1990: First major win for the team aboard Arctic Call in the Hennessy.

March 1992: Five winners at the Cheltenham Festival-including Remittance Man

May 1993: Clocks up first century of winners in a season, followed by a Tote Gold Trophy double on Large Action (’94, Sherwood) and Mysilv (’95, Charlie Egerton).

July 1996: A year after the Jockey Club turns down his application for a Flat licence, on the grounds he would not get enough work, a dozen rides on the level bring a first winner on Ethbaat for William Muir at Wolverhampton, and in November comes a second Hennessy winner, for Walter Dennis on Coome Hill.

November 15, 1997: Lands 33-1 win on Senor El Betrutti in the Murphy’s Gold Cup at Cheltenham. Back at the track less than 24 hours later, Space Trucker unseats him, and the bones in his left wrist are jigsawed into 15 pieces. “There was nothing but skin holding my arm on,” he recalls.

October 31, 1998: Back in the saddle at Ascot, Osborne lands an emotional win on Coome Hill in a race commemorating his great friend John Durkan, who died of leukaemia.

March 16, 1999: On the first day of what is potentially an exciting Cheltenham Festival for Osborne, Kadou Nonantais is in front when he falls at the 12th in the William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase. This time, Osborne’s right wrist is injured.

March 28, 1999: Osborne announces his retirement from riding at The Lesters awards ceremony.

Full name: Jamie Anthony Osborne

Born: August 27, 1967

First winner: Fair Bavard at Southwell on March 29, 1986

Big-race winners: Aldino (Grand Annual Chase, 1991), Arctic Call (Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, 1990), Collier Bay (AIG Europe Champion Hurdle, 1996), Coome Hill (Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, 1996), Coulton (Cathcart Chase, 1995), Dusty Miller (County Hurdle, 1992), Flashing Steel (Jameson Irish Grand National, 1995), Flown (Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, 1992), Karshi (Bonusprint Stayers’ Hurdle, 1997), Large Action (Gerry Feilden Hurdle & Bula Hurdle, 1994, Coopers & Lybrand Hurdle, 1995, Bula Hurdle, 1996, Cleeve Hurdle, 1997), Nakir (Arkle Challenge Trophy, 1994), Nomadic Way (Stayers’ Hurdle, 1992), Remittance Man (Queen Mother Champion Chase, 1992), Senor El Betrutti (Murphy’s Gold Cup, 1997), Shadow Leader (Citroen Supreme Novices’ Hurdle & Scottish Champion Hurdle, 1997), Squire Silk (Sandeman Maghull Novices’ Chase 1997), Suny Bay (Greenalls Grand National Trial 1997), Travado (Arkle Challenge Trophy, 1993), Young Pokey (Arkle Challenge Trophy, 1992)

Seasonal totals of winners: 1985-86 1, 1986-87 13, 1987-88 21, 1988-89 22, 1989-90 53, 1990-91 62, 1991-92 76, 1992-93 102, 1993-94 105, 1994- 95 111, 1995-96 52, 1996-97 131, 1997-98 16, 1998-99 38

Jamie Osborne Cheltenham Festival Winners