Jockey Chris Caserta presumed dead after being caught in rip current

By CNN Sport staff

Updated 1401 GMT (2201 HKT) December 2, 2021

Caserta celebrates a victory at Flemington Racecourse in June last year.

(CNN)Australian jockey Chris Caserta is presumed dead after being caught in a rip current during a late-night swim, Queensland Police said on Thursday.

Shortly after 10 p.m. on Wednesday, 26-year-old Caserta and a female companion entered the water at Surfers Paradise Beach in Queensland, police said. The woman, who has not been identified by police, was able to reach the shore, but a land, sea and air search for Caserta remains ongoing. «Unfortunately, I had the heartbreaking job of telling Chris' parents that this is not a search and rescue for Chris. We're searching for Chris' body as the time frame for survival has passed,» Jay Notaro, senior sergeant of Queensland Police, told reporters. «It is an absolute tragedy at any time, but particularly just before Christmas. On behalf of the Queensland Police service, I'd like to pass on our sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues in the racing industry. Read More»We'll continue to search and our goal is to return Chris to his family."Caserta wins at Bairnsdale Racecourse in November 2020. Notaro added that bystanders alerted authorities and helped to calm the woman after she had recovered from the water. «They entered the water at a similar time and were quite close when they both got into trouble,» he said. Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, videos and featuresRip currents — fast-moving water that usually flows away from the beach — are common at Surfers Paradise. The beach is patrolled between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to Notaro, as he warned people not to enter the water outside those times given the potential