He hit the headlines in 1992 when he rode a record-equalling five winners at the Cheltenham festival, including three in one day.

The home of National Hunt was a lucky place for Osborne, whose festival wins included a Champion Hurdle, a Champion Chase, three Arkles and two Stayers' Hurdles.

His most successful season came in 1996-97 when he came second in the jockeys' championship, riding 131 winners.

He had fruitful partnerships with several trainers, most notably Oliver Sherwood and Nicky Henderson.

A popular jockey, he won the hearts of the racing set in 1998 by bursting into tears after winning a comeback race at Ascot. He had been out for almost a year with a fractured wrist.

In the same year, he was one of five jockeys arrested as part of an investigation into alleged race fixing, but was later released without charge.

But the ramifications of the arrest continued when in March, 2000, a former detective was convicted of trying to extort money from Osborne.

Robert Harrington had approached Osborne after the jockey had been arrested in the race-fixing investigations and tried to convince him that he would be implicated unless he paid a �2,000 bribe.

Osborne immediately contacted Scotland Yard, which launched an investigation and Harrington was subsequently given an 18-month jail sentence.

Osborne has also admitted to being offered �20,000 on behalf of drug smuggler Brian Wright to throw two races at the Cheltenham Festival

And he claimed in a criminal trial at the Old Bailey that he was approached by Dermot Browne, but insisted that he turned the offer down.

The wrist injury took its toll and he retired at the relatively young age of 31 in March, 1999, ironically just two weeks after trainer Jenny Pitman announced her retirement.

The two were said to have had a spat which resulted in Pitman punching the jockey in the weighing room at Ayr.

Osborne established himself as a Flat trainer and had his most successful season to date in 2002.

Matters on the track ended on a high note when Red Wine won the last big race of the Flat campaign, the Tote Scoop6 November Handicap at Doncaster.

But there were less happier moments, such as when his best horse Irony was removed from his stables in July - although the owners insisted the decision was unconnected to the BBC Kenyon Confronts documentary.

In that programme, Osborne was caught on camera making unguarded comments and he was subsequently found guilty of bringing racing into disrepute and fined �4,000.