Jockey missing, presumed dead after late night swim

26 year old Jockey, Chris Caserta, missing presumed dead after a late night swim

Jockey, Chris Caserta, is feared dead after taking a late night swim with trackwork rider, Amy Graham on Wednesday 1st December off Surfers Paradise Beach in Queensland, Australia. The two went for a swim in the sea just after 10pm and were spotted by members of the public who noticed that they were “struggling in the water”. They were able to assist Miss Graham to safety, but Caserta was unable to make it to the shore and has not been seen since. Miss Graham was taken to hospital and is said to be in a stable condition.

A land, sea and air search began at 2am Australia time on 2nd December to try to locate the 26 year old jockey. Rescue helicopters and lifesavers on jetskis searched in vain for Caserta but were unable to locate him.

The area in South West Queensland has been lashed with torrential rain and flash floods recently, and even though surf conditions looked OK from the beach, there was an awareness of strong undercurrents in that area periodically which would have added to the difficulty in trying to rescue somebody in those conditions.

Australian police say “the timeframe for survival has passed and Caserta’s family have been told that the search for him has been downgraded to the search for a body”.

Caserta most recently rode at Grafton on Sunday last, finishing fifth on Gus Lightning in the 1100m  Blue Brews and BBQ’s Class 1 handicap.

Please note: Feature image for illustration only.

You may also like to read

Jan Hughes

News Reporter, Everything Horse