American work rider dies in car crash

Jorge Ciscerno, a 29-year-old exercise rider, was killed in a one-car accident in Hot Springs, Ark., on Saturday morning, according to Oaklawn Park's chaplain, T.C. Megahan. Services are scheduled for Tuesday at a chapel on the Oaklawn backstretch. Ciscerno, who galloped horses at Oaklawn for trainer Kelly Von Hemel, lost control of his vehicle in the early morning hours of a wet Saturday and was killed instantly. Ciscerno is survived by his wife and a 19-month-old child. He also has two brothers, Javier Ciscerno and Julio Ciscerno, both of whom are grooms at Oaklawn, Megahan said. Ciscerno's parents live near Mexico City. Megahan said this was Ciscerno's first year in Hot Springs. He had come in from Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa. "He was a good kid, a hard worker," Megahan said. "The backside is really taking this hard. It's never easy." Megahan said the three brothers were always together and were popular members of the Hispanic community at Oaklawn. He said they were regulars at the track's chapel services and in the chaplaincy's recreation room. The Arkansas Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association is helping with the arrangements. Private services are being planned for the family, Megahan said.
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