Chris Caserta was with apprentice Amy Graham the night he died: ‘We just kept getting dunked over and over’
While police search for the body of Chris Caserta, trainers and racing identities have opened up about the young jockey, revealing harrowing details about the night he died.
Gold Coast
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The woman who desperately struggled with jockey Chris Caserta in a rip at Surfers Paradise on Wednesday night says she did her “best to save him” – but “we just kept getting dunked over and over and over again”.
In a text message to her boss, apprentice rider Amy Graham said: “I thought I was going to die, I tried my best to save him, keep him calm and breathe without struggling myself. But we just kept getting dunked over and over and over again. It happened so fast, we just got dragged out.
“We didn’t even go that far but the ocean took us out ... I didn’t even want to go in but I couldn’t let him go in alone.”
Ms Graham, 25, and Mr Caserta, 26, had gone to dinner in Surfers Paradise when the popular jockey decided to go for a swim off the Esplanade just after 10pm.
“He had dinner and two drinks and he wanted to go for a swim,” Ms Graham’s boss, trainer John Zielke told the Bulletin.
“Amy is doing it pretty tough at the moment.”
Passers-by spotted the pair struggling in the water and were comforting the woman after she got herself to shore, Sgt Notaro said.
Police began searching for Mr Caserta about 10.20pm on Wednesday. Just after lunch on Thursday, they said they had told his family that the search was for his body and not a rescue.
Police investigations are continuing.
Senior Sergeant Jay Notaro said he had the heartbreaking job to tell Mr Caserta’s parents in Victoria the news.
“We are searching for Chris’s body as the timeframe for survival has passed,” he said.
“It is an absolute tragedy at any time, especially being so close to Christmas.
“On behalf of the police service I’d like to pass on our sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues in the racing industry.
“We’ll continue the search and aim to bring Chris to his family.”
Ms Graham was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition. She was released early Thursday morning.
Mr Caserta moved to the Gold Coast in early 2021 after Covid-19 protocols affected his career in Victoria.
Before then he had suffered lengthy sidelines including two horse-riding accidents. One left him waiting 18 months to return to the track due to a serious leg break.
In 2019 he was the talk of racing circles after his weight loss to ride Jedastar at 44kg in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington.
While Jedastar finished last, Mr Caserta told News Corp this year he would love another chance to ride at racing’s highest level and was trying to leave no stone unturned in his bid to start again and climb up racing’s highest peaks.
He had won 27 races since moving to Queensland, and many horses for trainers Les Ross, Kacy Fogden and Hilary Dew.
Gold Coast Turf Club CEO Steve Lines said Mr Caserta’s disappearance had deeply affected the entire racing community.
“Our heart goes out to Chris’ family and the entire racing community,” he said.
Former top cop Jim Keogh, now a personal trainer who looks after jockeys, wrote a glowing reference to the young jockey, saying he had always supported “battling trainers” and his mates.
He expected Chris Caserta to be at personal training on Thursday morning. Instead he awoke to news he was missing.
“Chris Caserta started training with me at the start of the year,” he said.
“He never ate junk food, and very rarely drank alcohol.
“At training, he showed he was a great boxer as well as jockey and this also always reflected the fact that he was a supreme athlete.
“He never sulked on missing rides and was always looking at ways to improve his riding. At training Tuesday he mentioned he missed a ride in the first race at the Coast this weekend and that it went to long time Gold Coast jockey, Glen Colless.
“Chris commented, ‘well, I might have missed the ride, but Glen is a world-class rider and if I was to be replaced I could not think of a better rider’.
“He said working for Chris Waller was the opportunity of a lifetime and he was going to ‘make the most of it’.
“He went anywhere to ride, no matter if the horse had a chance or not. He loved to support the ‘battler trainer’.”
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