Stefano Cherchi suffered a head injury and internal bleeding following a fall at Canberra on Wednesday. While riding Hasime in the third race, his horse fell, leading to the subsequent fall of Epic Statement, ridden by Jeff Penza, and Dunjenni, ridden by Shaun Guymer.

Both Penza and Guymer walked back to the weighing room, but Cherchi required an hour of on-track treatment before being taken to the hospital. Jim Walshe, the Canberra chairman of stewards, confirmed Cherchi's hospitalization for further examination.

Formerly an apprentice with Marco Botti, Cherchi relocated to Newmarket at 16 and amassed over 100 wins in Britain before moving to Warwick Farm in 2024 for the Australian summer and autumn seasons. Fortunately, all three horses involved in the incident escaped serious injury.