Jockey Stefano Cherchi has tragically passed away aged 23. The Sardinian rider had fallen from his horse whilst racing in Australia, sustaining a significant head injury and suffering internal bleeding.

Cherchi had worked his way through the jockeying ranks in England and ridden over 100 winners in the United Kingdom, with a significant amount of those coming aboard horses trained by trainer Marco Botti.

The jockey decided to relocate to Australia at the beginning of this year and was riding at a meeting in Carberra a fortnight ago when disaster struck. Whilst riding in a one-mile race, his horse Hasime came down and sparked a horror incident involving two other runners.

The accident saw him sustain a severe head injury and internal bleeding, requiring over an hour of treatment on the track before he was transported to hospital. The two other jockeys, Shaun Guymer and Jeff Penza, and the three horses involved walked away from the accident unscathed.

Cherchi passed away in Australia as a result of the injuries in devastating news which has shaken the racing world.

A post on X, formerly known as Twitter, from the New South Wales Jockeys Association read: “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 racing world had rallied around Cherchi and his family following the accident, with legendary jockey Kieran Fallon labelling the incident as a ‘freak’ one and his daughter Brittany flying out to Australia to be with her boyfriend whilst in hospital.

Tributes have flooded social media since the announcements, with punters and those directly involved in the industry equally saddened by the news of Cherchi’s passing. National Hunt trainer Fergal O’Brien wrote: “Just hearing the news about Stefano Cherchi. Truly heartbreaking. Rest in peace.”

Jockey Eoin Walsh, who had relocated with Cherchi, wrote: “Back in October, Stefano and I spoke about moving over to Australia. ‘F*** it mate, let’s do it’ I wish this conversation never happened. The kindest guy I’ve ever met and it’s been an absolute pleasure babysitting you the last few years. I’ll never forget you.”

Other flat jockeys shared their condolences on Instagram, with Jason Watson, Oisin Murphy and James Doyle among those to post the news.