Tributes flood in for racing star following tragic death in Australia

The 23-year-old was riding at Canberra on March 20 when his mount, Hasime, fell in the Affinity Electrical Technologies Plate, with two other riders escaping serious injury after being unseated in the incident.

Cherchi received medical treatment at the track before being transferred to hospital and was found to have sustained a head injury and internal bleeding.

He was immediately joined in Australia by his parents and his girlfriend, Brittany Fallon - who hails from Shevington, but now lives in Dubai - to provide support at his bedside.

Brittany’s brother Cieren – a fellow jockey, and son of racing legend Kieran – also shared a fundraising page to support Stefano and his family.

Speaking last week, Cieren said: “I’m asking everyone in racing to come together as a community and pray for him. It’s a hard time for me and my family, but if we’ve got everyone supporting him and praying, hopefully he can pull through.”

The fundraising page has already raised several thousand pounds, which will now go towards the cost of ‘the funeral and a good send-off’.

The New South Wales Jockeys Association tweeted on Wednesday: "With deep sadness, the Cherchi family have announced their beloved son Stefano passed away peacefully. The family are very grateful for the love, prayers and messages sent by the racing community across the world."

The majority of Cherchi's success in Britain came aboard horses trained by fellow Italian Marco Botti, the man who provided his most recent mount in Britain at Chelmsford in November.

Cherchi partnered 38 winners for Botti while in the UK, and the Newmarket handler was hugely saddened by the news of his death.

He said: "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. His charm and his way of behaving with people...he was such a nice guy.

"For me, he was like a son. It's very sad for the family and all his friends. It's like we lost a member of the family."

The Sardinian-born Cherchi made his British debut in 2018 and rode his first winner the following April aboard the Botti-trained Withoutdestination at Wolverhampton.

He teamed up with a wide variety of trainers, including Godolphin handler Saeed bin Suroor for whom he partnered eight winners, and Newmarket trainer Amy Murphy who provided 10 victories from 175 rides.

Cherchi struck gold four times for David Loughnane, who tweeted: "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: "We are heartbroken to hear the news. Our thoughts are with his friends, family, and everyone who has had the pleasure of working with him."

The Professional Jockeys Association has also responded, stating: "As well as being a gifted rider, Stefano was immensely popular in the weighing room due to his humility, kindness and sense of humour. He was very much loved and will be missed even more. Our thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with his partner Brittany, his family, friends and colleagues."