A 23-year-old jockey who rode more than 100 winners in the UK has died after falling from his horse.
Stefano Cherchi was riding in Australia on 20 March when his mount, Hasime, fell in the Affinity Electrical Technologies Plate at Canberra.
The Italian received medical treatment at the track before being transferred to hospital where he was found to have sustained a head injury and internal bleeding.
The New South Wales Jockeys Association posted on X: “With deep sadness, the Cherchi family have announced their beloved son Stefano passed away peacefully today.
“The family are very grateful for the love, prayers & messages sent by the racing community across the world.”
The majority of Cherchi’s success in Britain came on horses trained by fellow Italian Marco Botti, who provided his most recent mount in Britain at Chelmsford in November.
The Sardinian-born Cherchi partnered 38 winners for Botti while in the UK, and the Newmarket handler said the jockey had been “like a son” to him.
He said: “It’s just devastating news for all of us. We knew it was a bad fall and we knew things didn’t look great, but you live in hope and hope for a miracle.
“Hopefully he’s going to a better place and we will never forget him – he will always be with us.
“His charm and his way of behaving with people, he was such a nice guy. For me, he was a little bit like a son to be honest.”
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Cherchi made his British debut in 2018 and rode his first winner the following April – the Botti-trained Withoutdestination at Wolverhampton.
He also teamed up with a wide variety of trainers, including Godolphin handler Saeed bin Suroor and Newmarket trainer Amy Murphy.
Cherchi struck gold four times for David Loughnane, who said on X: “He was an absolute gentleman and a pleasure to have known and worked with. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
In a statement, the British Horseracing Authority said it was “heartbroken” at the news and the “entire racing industry will be in mourning after the loss of such a talented young man”.
The Professional Jockeys Association said Cherchi was “immensely popular” and a “gifted rider” and its thoughts are with “his partner Brittany, his family, friends and colleagues”.
