Stefano Cherchi (8 March 2001 – 3 April 2024) was an Italian jockey.

Career

Cherchi made his debut in August 2018 riding ''Casina Di Notte'' at Nottingham. He was apprentice to Italian trainer

Marco Botti Marco Botti (born 23 December 1976) is an Italian horse racing, racehorse trainer who is based in Great Britain, working from his stable ''Prestige Place'' in Newmarket, Suffolk. Botti is the son of Alduino Botti, a champion racehorse trainer in I ...

in Newmarket. The following year, Cherchi rode his first winner at Wolverhampton, ''Withoutdestination''. After riding 38 winners for Botti, Cherchi moved to Amy Murphy's yard where he rode a further 10 winners as her apprentice jockey. Cherchi had notable winners including the

Grey Horse Handicap The Grey Horse Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to grey horses aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres) on the July course at Newmarket in August. History The ra ...

at Newmarket onboard ''Mitrosonfire'' in 2021. He also rode ''Maximilian Caesar'' to victory in a 1m2f handicap during the 2023

St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...

meeting, beating the Ryan Moore-ridden ''Westerton'' in a photo-finish. Cherchi also won Brighton's feature race, the Brighton Mile. His first Group 1 mount was ''Redhot Whisper'' for Ben Brookhouse in the 2023 Futurity Trophy at Doncaster. He would finish last of seven runners. Following British success, Cherchi moved to Australia in late 2023 where he joined Annabel Neasham's stables at Warwick Farm. He would ride 25 times in Australia, winning twice. His last winner came aboard ''Flying Bat'' at

Gosford Gosford is a waterfront city at the northern end of Brisbane Water on the Central Coast in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Gosford Waterfront is known for its boating and scenic views on the shores of Brisbane Water. Gosford is ...

on 16th March 2024.

Accident and death

On 20 March 2024, Cherchi was injured when his horse Hasime fell while racing at

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, Australia. Two other jockeys, Jeff Penza and Shaun Guymer were brought down by the fall, but were able to walk back to the weighing room. Cherchi was treated for injuries at the racecourse before being transferred to hospital. On 3 April he died in hospital from his injuries, at the age of 23. Cherchi's funeral took place in Sassari, on the island of Sardinia. A memorial service at Our Lady Immaculate and Saint Etheldreda Church in Newmarket was attended by hundreds of members of the horse racing community. Several months later, a memorial race was run for Cherchi at

Mores Mores (, sometimes ; , plural form of singular , meaning "manner, custom, usage, or habit") are social norms that are widely observed within a particular society or culture. Mores determine what is considered morally acceptable or unacceptable ...

Personal life

Cherchi's girlfriend was Brittany Fallon, daughter of Irish jockey Kieren Fallon. Cherchi was close friends with her brother, Cieren Fallon, Cieren, and fellow Italian jockey Andrea Atzeni. Atzeni later dedicated his win in the Sydney Cup to Cherchi.

References

2001 births 2024 deaths Italian jockeys Jockeys who died while racing Horse-related accidents and incidents Deaths by horse-riding accident in Australia 21st-century Italian sportsmen {{Horseracing-bio-stub