Former jockey Kieren Fallon’s daughter Brittany has paid an emotional tribute to her boyfriend Stefano Cherchi, the popular Italian rider, who died a fortnight after a fall during a race while riding in Australia.
She had been at his bedside in Canberra since he sustained serious head injuries inthe fall on March 20. The 25-year-old, whose father is the six-time champion flat jockey, said on social media: “Life will never be the same. I’ll love you forever, thank you for showing me the most passionate kind of love I could have only ever imagined.”
Cherchi, who was 23, rode more than 100 winners as an apprentice in the UK. Born in Sardinia, Cherchi was following in the wake of other Italian jockeys Frankie Dettori and Andrea Atzeni by coming to Britain to forge his career. At the age of 16, he joined Newmarket, UK-based Italian trainer Marco Botti for whom he went on to ride 38 winners and spent the last 18 months of his apprenticeship with Amy Murphy.
He went out to Australia for the winter and was due to decide on whether he would stay or come back to the UK in the next month or so. But after the fall, he never regained consciousness.
“It’s incredibly sad,” said Murphy. “He was a fabulous guy. No one had anything but good to say about him. It’s hard to put into words - life can be so cruel. The world was his oyster and he had his whole life ahead of him and here we are talking about him today. My heart goes out to his family.”
The Professional Jockeys Association put out a statement saying: “The PJA and our members are devastated to hear the news from Australia of Stefano’s passing. 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.”
In 2009 an institute in Tasmania rated being a professional jockey in Australia as the most hazardous occupation with the exception of offshore fishing and, whether it is firmer ground or that they ride tighter, there remains a fatality rate which was still as high as 1.4 per year in 2015. In one 14-month spell during 2013 to 14, four young female jockeys died as a result of racing falls. The last fatality before Cherchi was light-weight jockey Dean Holland who was killed in a fall at Donald a year ago.
