Corey Nakatani

Background

Nakatani is married to his second wife, Lisa, and has two daughters, Lilah and Brittany, and two sons, Matthew, a sports agent who specialises in horse racing and previous Louisville Cardinals football placekicker, and Austin. Brittany, Matthew, and Austin are from a previous marriage to Michele Dollase, daughter of trainer Wallace Dollase. His late father Roy Nakatani, a Japanese American, was born in a World War II internment camp and spent time at Santa Anita Park when it was a relocation camp. Corey's mother is Marie Nakatani and he is one of ten children.

Racing career

Corey was a champion high school wrestler who became intrigued by racing after visiting Santa Anita with his father after a wrestling tournament at the age of sixteen. Nakatani eventually approached horse trainer Roger Stein for work. After three days of mucking out stalls and walking horses, he decided he wanted to ride even though he had never been on a horse before. Stein then suggested that he get some experience on a working farm, so he learned the ropes on the Thoroughbred farm of Tony Matos. He then went on and broke and galloped horses for Johnny Longden and Longden's son, Eric Longden before starting his career as a jockey. He graduated from jockey school in Castaic, California, and won his first race, a dead heat, in Caliente, Mexico in 1988 aboard Blue King. He moved to Southern California in April 1989, and became the leading apprentice jockey that same year. His current residence is Southern California.

Nakatani won his 3,500th race at Aqueduct Racetrack on November 17, 2011, aboard Grand Strategy in the eighth race of the day.

Nakatani has ridden a number of notable horses including Jackson Bend, Nehro, Colonel John, Lava Man, Thor's Echo, Aragorn, Rock Hard Ten, Sarafan, Indian Blessing, Lite Light, Relaxed Gesture, Sandpit, Serena's Song, Bolt d'Oro, Silic, and Lit de Justice.

In the 2015 Kentucky Derby, won by American Pharoah, Nakatani was the jockey of Frammento, which placed 15th. Weeks earlier, the jockey had broken his collarbone in a March 17 spill at Santa Anita. In the 2014 Kentucky Derby, he finished sixth on Dance With Fate.

Nakatani was badly injured in a spill at Del Mar in August 2018, suffering multiple compression fractures and herniated discs. Nakatani never returned to the saddle and formally announced his retirement as a jockey on November 23, 2019, in a statement through his son and jockey agent Matt.

In 2023 Nakatani will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

References

Year-end charts

References

1. "Corey S. Nakatani".
2. Reilly, Kellie. (24 November 2019). "Nakatani highlight reel: 10 Breeders' Cup wins, Lava Man, Serena's Song, and more".
3. "NTRA biography Corey Nakatani".
4. Dulay, Cindy Pierson. "Corey Nakatani".
5. King, Byron. (23 November 2019). "Nakatani Retires From Riding". The Blood-Horse.
6. Grening, David. (25 April 2023). "Nakatani, Arrogate, California Chrome, Songbird top 2023 Hall of Fame class". [[Daily Racing Form]].