28 March 2024 , 16:13
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Special prayers are to be offered for jockey Stefano Cherchi who was seriously injured in a fall while riding in Australia.
The Sardinian-born Cherchi has been in an induced coma in a Canberra hospital intensive care unit since the accident on March 20. Cherchi was riding in a race in Canberra when his horse came down in an incident that involved two other horses.
While the other two riders and all the horses avoided injury, 23-year-old Cherchi was attended to by medics on the track for around an hour before he was transported to hospital in the Australian capital.
There has been no official update on his condition since the NSW Jockeys Association reported that he had sustained a head injury and internal bleeding. Friends and family have been sharing messages on social media urging people to keep the popular Cherchi in their thoughts and pray for his recovery.
He has ridden 106 winners in Britain while based in Newmarket and had recorded two since arriving in Australia in January. His parents and his girlfriend Brittany Fallon, daughter of former champion jockey Kieren Fallon, have flown to his bedside.
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They have been joined by Andrea Atzeni, also Sardinian-born, who flew from Hong Kong after riding at Happy Valley on Wednesday.
On Thursday during a 5pm church service at the Sanctuary of Sant’Ignazio da Laconi in Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, the Capuchin friars from the adjacent convent were due to offer special prayers for his recovery, which could be viewed live on its own channel.
Announcing the service on X, Kieren Fallon said: "Please everyone I've been asked by Stefano Cherchi family to share this, we really do need all the prayers we can get.
"Also can you share the post so that we can get as many people praying as possible. It would be really appreciated. Thank you."
He added: "The friars will ask the Blessed Fra Nicola da Gesturi for a miracle for our Stefano.."
In England, apprentice jockey Aidan Jones completed a marathon to raise funds for Cherchi’s care via a JustGiving page, an amount which so far totals more than £5,000.