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Chris Caserta

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TJMitchell View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TJMitchell Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2021 at 10:50am
Ah man, that's horrible news
Time is a flat circle
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2021 at 11:27am
Terrible news.  Such a loss of a decent young man with the world at his feet.  Thooughts go out to his family and friends. 
animals before people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Bonjour Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2021 at 12:53pm
They haven't found Chris yet!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tlazolteotl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2021 at 1:27pm
It's a risky business swimming in the dark, especially if you're drunk. Unless it's in a swimming pool. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote TJMitchell Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2021 at 3:46pm
Police have said the search has moved on from search and rescue to body recovery.
Time is a flat circle
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote brave_ponies Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2021 at 3:59pm
Thanks for the update TJ.

Heartbreaking for his family and friends. I hope they find him.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Jamal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2021 at 5:27pm
Very sad news. R.I.P
Australian racing is only good up to 1400m in terms of world standards when it comes to depth/quality in numbers
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2021 at 8:12pm

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 Gold Coast Bulletin.

“Amy is doing it pretty tough at the moment.”

Jockeys unite to help find their missing mate

The horse jockey Chris Caserta last rode to victory will race as favourite at Ipswich on Friday as jockeys come together over his tragic death following a late-night swim at Surfers Paradise on Wednesday night.

In what will stir emotional scenes if she is to win, the Steven Wise-trained Gem Of The Lochs lines up in the Benchmark 58 Handicap under jockey Jasmine Cornish after Caserta rode the mare in five of her last nine starts.

In what was his last race victory, Caserta won aboard Gem Of The Lochs on November 13 at the Gold Coast.

In a case of fierce rivals on the track, but great mates off it, the Southeast Queensland jockeys’ community has bound together over Caserta’s drowning.

Among the first people at Surfers Paradise beach on Thursday morning were a group of jockeys, ready to assist police in any way needed to help find their missing mate.

They would later gather at Caserta’s Gold Coast apartment to support each other in the wake of the tragedy.

“We are all here,” good mate and respected jockey Jake Bayliss said.

“Jaden Lloyd, Zac Lloyd, Sheriden Thomlinson, Kyle Wilson-Taylor, Zac Sprie and myself are all together.

“There’s still a stack of jet ski’s out there, it’s all reliant on the swell and those type of things.”

Bayliss said he has a long-held friendship with Caserta with the pair close mates for the best part of a decade through riding.

“I knew him really well, we went to the races all the time, I have known him since I was 15,” he said.

“He stayed at my place only two weeks ago after track work, Britt – his partner – is best mates with my partner, Holly too.

“We’re all quite close, especially myself.”

Caserta’s riding mentor James Winks paid tribute to the young hoop, saying he was always trying to perfect his trade.

“Chris was a gentleman throughout his journey with me, always eager to learn, listen and apply everything thrown at him,” he posted.

“He had so much enthusiasm and love for the sport, and I’m shattered that his life has come to an end far too early.”

I’m going to miss you little bro ?????? Thank you for all of the amazing memories and laughs we shared. You touched every single person you met along the way ?? pic.twitter.com/2QclEjn8Fw

— Stacey Rawiller (@SRawiller) December 2, 2021

With Caserta’s family unable to make the trip to Queensland due to Covid-19 border closures, the National Jockeys’ Association has been in close contact with his parents during the difficult time after Queensland police confirmed his time frame for survival had passed.

“We are deeply saddened by Chris’s passing,” Australian Jockeys Association Queensland representative Pam O’Neil said.

“Chris was just starting to get a foothold in Queensland racing and his passing will be felt by everyone in the industry.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Bonjour Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2021 at 10:52am
The've just found Chris's body! God bless the little bloke, all our love to his friends and family.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote acacia alba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2021 at 11:25am
What state is Chris from ?  Thankfully his family will have closure, altho thats cold comfort.
Have to feel for the girl who was swimming with him. 
animals before people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote TJMitchell Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2021 at 11:54am
Rest in peace Chris 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shawy38 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2021 at 12:30pm
He originated from Melbourne.
His Mum and Dad have travelled up to QLD overnight 
Heart breaks for them 
Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2021 at 12:45pm
http://www.racing.com/news/2013-11-29/karate-kid-kicks-off-career

Karate Kid kicks off career

29 November, 2013
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pardon_My_Dust Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2021 at 2:00pm
So so sad. Just an innocent swim the kid did nothing wrong. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2021 at 2:24pm

Gem to carry Caserta's spirit

R5 3.10 EST
The last horse Chris Caserta rode to victory heads to the track at Ipswich on Friday, with its trainer and the jockey’s father-in-law paying tribute to the rider.

Caserta is still missing after going for a late-night swim on the Gold Coast on Wednesday night, with police confirming on Thursday they have switched their efforts to recovering his body. That recovery mission continued on Friday.

Murwillumbah-based trainer Steven Wise trains Gem Of The Lochs, who gave Caserta his final winner as a jockey at the Gold Coast on November 13.

And the horse returns to the track at Ipswich on Friday, with the racing industry set to cheer on the seven-year-old mare.

“Chris was more than a great jockey to me, as he was also my son in-law and an all-round great guy,” Wise said.

“We had shared great success of late, as he rode Gem Of The Lochs for me and returned three amazing wins with great rides.

“He loved the mare so much that just this week, he put the horse first, as she is due to start at Ipswich tomorrow and he knew she would get weight.

“He straight away told me not to put him on this start and we should claim and get some weight off her, so she can win three straight and then he was back on to ride, as we hoped to take her to town next start.

“He even wrote the instructions for the apprentice so she would know exactly how I wanted the mare ridden.

“That sums him up as he was selfless, and even though he wanted to be the best and win, he was prepared to sit on the sidelines to let his family prosper.

“To Chris, family was everything.

“He was so excited this week, as he had just become an uncle for the first time with his brother having a beautiful baby, and he was so proud. I feel so much for his parents and siblings at this time.

“He has left a hole that will never be filled.”

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Dec 2021 at 2:54pm

Winks' tribute to Caserta


Former jockey James Winks said Australian racing has lost a dedicated talent and an impressive member of its riding ranks following the confirmation of Chris Caserta's death on Friday.

Winks, who has been mentoring a number of riders since his retirement from the saddle just over a year ago, said Caserta was dedicated from the first day he joined his stable of riders.

"He just wanted to succeed in everything he did," Winks said. "Always presented well. Everything had to be perfect. Well dressed. Well mannered. A sharp young dude who was very likeable.

"What speaks volumes for me is that he'd get just as good a kick out of any of our team members riding a winner than he did in riding one himself.

"That's a trait so very rare to find in people and that sums him up.

"He comes from a great family and you can see his upbringing made him the young man he was.

"You get a lot of different sorts of characters that I get to deal with in the job I do - and that's why I do it - but he was just an absolute pleasure to have anything to do with.

"Whatever we threw at him, he went out and tried to execute it the best he could.

"There was never, ever whingeing and he was never down. Did he get frustrated? Of course he did, but he was a very positive lad."

Winks said Caserta's hard work in establishing himself in Queensland had just started to pay off.

"He got a bit stuck by COVID as he was border hopping when it got shut and then he had to make a decision and he went to Brisbane and it sort of slowed his momentum down a bit," he explained.

"But Chris Waller had just started to give him rides at the Gold Coast on Saturday, so he was making the best of the opportunities he was getting.

"He just wanted to be the best version of himself.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Dec 2021 at 1:57pm

Exclusive: Chris Caserta became an uncle the day he died

By Bruce Clark


Red Smith, the fabled American sportswriter, covered everything from the Kentucky Derby to US baseball legend Babe Ruth, heavyweight boxing champions to chumps, but his writing of obituaries were shared with an intimate knowledge of the subject that was unique, touching and award-winning.

So, his collection, “To Absent Friends”, starts with this as an introduction, with Red delivering a eulogy to his friend, the golf impresario of the time, Fred Corcoran.

“Dying is no big deal,” he began. “The least of us will manage that. Living is the trick.”

Insert Chris Caserta here, and all those social media posts, the infectious smiling pictures you have seen since the tragedy of Chris’ passing last week, aged just 26.

Chris Caserta didn’t even have to conjure that trick of living. It was in his face, in your face, in our face.

“To be honest with you, we don’t even have one photo of my son, without that smile.” This is Chris Caserta’s grieving father Rob talking on behalf of a very close-knit Italian family from Keilor in Melbourne.

Chris’s mother Lucy, his twin brother Matt and sister Amanda and youngest brother Thomas, have endured the impossible this week in extraordinary circumstances. That smile was just contagious, just Chris, that was his nature.

“That was Chris, outgoing, a little bit cheeky. Every post I’ve seen, every picture we’ve looked at over the last few days, there was that smile and that’s how he will be remembered, and that’s fantastic,” Rob said.

“He has left an amazing legacy. I’ve been overwhelmed. We all have. At times we’ve been very tearful. The only thing that has surprised me is the amount of people he touched.”

But try and imagine this, the tragedy of losing the effervescent Chris and the insufferable uncertainty of closure, all compounded at the same time as his twin brother Matt’s wife Monika delivered Rob a first grandson, and Chris a nephew, on the day he went missing.

“Chris” has now been added to the baby’s name. Leonardo Matteo Caserta is now Leonardo Matteo Christopher Caserta. Who knows if one day he will become a jockey too.

“We aren’t a racing family,” Rob, who works in the fish business — not catching them, wholesaling them — said.

“But we have been made to feel so much a part of it; the racing industry has been fantastic, the Water Police also. We have been kept informed in times which are so tough because we couldn’t get to Queensland to be part of it. There were so many stories going around, but we knew what was going on, as hard as it was,” Rob Caserta said.

“That time was the hardest thing, but now, with the Jockeys Association and the likes of (chief executive) Matt Hyland, we can work on getting his body back to Melbourne for a funeral after the autopsy. But that was so important for all of us. We couldn’t have asked for more support,” Caserta said. “We just want to be able to organise a proper funeral now.”

Rob Caserta last spoke to his son on Wednesday, the day before he went for that night-time swim that went so wrong. He will miss those endless chats. “We would chat two to three times every day, just like last Wednesday,” Rob said.

“He’d ring after trackwork in the morning, then later before the races, and of course then after the races. We just spoke, whether it was horses or something else — he was so excited for the future,” Rob said.

“As I’ve said, I’m not a racing person. He had mentors like James Winks and friends and managers for that, but we spoke more about how he felt generally and his goals. Even last week he was emotional about missing the family and Matt having a baby.

“That is what I am going to miss, just talking to him. I’d work all through the week so I could have Saturday off and put my feet up and watch Sky. I really don’t know what I am going to do now, missing that. I used to love watching him and then talking to him.”

Rob Caserta is naturally spinning through raw emotions as we talk and reveals. “Look it’s tough, but we have great family around, but sometimes I go into the other rooms and just break down. To say there are ups and downs right now is an understatement.

“We had been planning on going to see him when the Queensland borders opened (mid-December). I didn’t want him to come down because he was happy and making a go of it. I just wanted him to keep happy and on a roll.”

And this after a short lifetime of hard work, suspensions, injuries and an unexpected path to the saddle, to get him settled in south-east Queensland, a winner of only 154 career races, but promising of so many more and keeping that exuberance forever a part of the Caserta DNA.

When the social media trolls trolled, Chris Caserta became Giuseppe Leonardo a mix derived from his mother and fathers grandparents, Leonardo on the mother’s side and Giuseppe on his father’s side.

“Whether it was bad punters or drunks, he would say: “Dad I’ve had enough of this, I’m going to change my name’, and we came up with that, he loved it,” Caserta said.

Young Chris was never a racing prospect — the martial arts, taekwondo was his go, as it was for twin brother Matt.

There were state championships, national achievements, Olympic coaching and lifelong disciplines taught — from eight through their early teens until former jockey John Didham suggested the enthusiastic little fellow with good balance would fit the jockey challenge.

“He came to us (with Matty Pumpa) at Racing Victoria with all the swagger under the sun,” said Matt Hyland. “Year two, he was cheeky, cool as you could be, as if he had already made it, full of confidence. That was Chris Caserta.”

For completion of his education, there was time with Mick Cerchi then Brett Cavanough, Jason Petch, Tony McEvoy and John Sadler; then to Queensland. Chris Waller was the first to send Rob Caserta a message as Chris had been riding for him.

You know the suspension he endured for prohibited substances and the long-term break with a broken leg are well known, but the indefatigable Caserta was well, indefatigable. Enduring, forever Chris.

Until the tides of time took him.

Until then, he lived life, a Caserta life, like only he could and did. And one that infected so many.

That’s how he should be remembered.

I’m going to miss you little bro ?????? Thank you for all of the amazing memories and laughs we shared. You touched every single person you met along the way ?? pic.twitter.com/2QclEjn8Fw

— Stacey Rawiller (@SRawiller) December 2, 2021



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