Dream overseas double for Saffie Osborne

PA Sport Reporters
February 17, 2024 1:19 pm

Rider won in Dubai on Friday and Qatar on Saturday.

Saffie Osborne completed a magical double when guiding Emaraaty Ana to success in Qatar on Saturday.

Just 24 hours on from making history as the first woman to ride a winner in Dubai when Ouzo struck at Meydan, former Group One scorer Emaraaty Ana took the Dukhan Sprint at Al Rayyan Racecourse.

“It’s my first time riding here, I’ve tried to do as much research as possible and talk to people about the track,” Osborne said after Emaraaty Ana’s victory.

“He’s a horse who’s nearly won two Breeders’ Cup (Turf) Sprints, he has plenty of pace and I was able to use that to our advantage.

“He’s got so much ability this horse, I was able to get a breather into him around the bend and turning in he’s ultra-tough. I would ideally have been a bit further back, but he’s a really classy horse and I’m lucky to be on board him.”

Speaking after her win on Ouzo, she said: “I’ve grown up watching people ride big winners here.

“If you told me then that I’d be here riding a winner I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s something every jockey dreams of doing. It’s absolutely epic.”

Like Ouzo, Emaraaty Ana – formerly with Kevin Ryan – is trained by Osborne’s father, Jamie, and her mother Katie O’Sullivan was in both Dubai and Qatar to cheer their daughter on.

“We have had an unbelievable 24 hours, and so has that young girl there! Saffie and I got the 5.20am this morning. We have just been floating through life, it is incredible and so exciting,” she said.

“It was a solid run last time. Ian and Claire Barrett have reinvested in these kind of horses, and what a success it’s been for them! Saffie is doing what she loves and it is a pleasure to watch her.”