(above) Stefano Cherchi's final winner: Flying Bat (black jacket, red cap) at Gosford, March 16, 2024
Born in Sardinia on March 8, 2001, Stefano Davide Cherchi rode 106 winners in Britain before relocating to Australia at the start of 2024, where he died following a fall in a race.
He was apprenticed to Newmarket trainer and fellow Italian Marco Botti and made his debut on Casina Di Notte at Nottingham August 2, 2018, finishing eighth. He rode his first winner aboard the Botti-trained Withoutdestination in a 1m 4f handicap at Wolverhampton on April 2, 2019.
He enjoyed his most successful year in 2021 with 35 wins, highlighted by victory on Mitrosonfire the Grey Horse Handicap at Newmarket for joint trainers William Muir and Chris Grassick.
In 2022, he moved from Botti to become Amy Murphy’s apprentice and rode ten winners for her, including the 2022 Brighton Mile on The Covex Kid.
He enjoyed one of his biggest moments when partnering Maximilian Caesar to victory in the 1m 2f Hippo Bamboo Wipes Handicap at Doncaster’s 2023 St Leger meeting, beating the Ryan Moore-ridden Westerton in a photo-finish. A month later, he returned to the track to have a first Group 1 ride aboard the Ben Brookhouse-trained Redhot Whisper in the Futurity Trophy, finishing seventh.
Stefano came close to a Group-race breakthrough when finishing second on Great Generation in Ayr’s Firth Of Clyde in September 2023, and had winners at several major courses including Ascot, Newbury, Sandown, and both Newmarket tracks.
He rode what proved to be his last winner in Britain on Daysofourlives in a 1m 2f handicap at Chelmsford on November 7, 2023. Two months earlier, he had ridden that horse to a share of the spoils when dead-heating for a race at Ascot.
He relocated to New South Wales at the start of 2024 with the dual aims of improving his riding and gaining more experience. He rode two winners there, the most recent success coming on Flying Bat at Gosford on March 16.
However, on March 20 he suffered a serious head injury when his mount fell in a race at Canberra. He was placed in intensive care but failed to recover and died two weeks later, on April 3, 2024. He was just 23 years old.
He had remained in regular contact with Marco Botti and was looking forward to returning to ride in England. The tragic loss of such a young jockey was mourned throughout the sport.
