After a seven-month hiatus, jockey Corey Nakatani has made plans to return to the saddle. The 46-year-old has not ridden a race since April 13 at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, but for the past five weeks he has been working horses in the mornings at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Nakatani has several mounts lined up for Monday's opening day card at The Great Race Place.
This time, the veteran rider will have something new to add to the mix. Nakatani will be represented by his son, 24-year-old Matt Nakatani, stepping out as a jockey's agent for the first time. Father-son jockey-agent teams are rare, but Matt is looking forward to the challenge.
“This is a really good opportunity for me, and I'm really excited about it,” said Matt. “I may have always been my dad's biggest fan, but I also know that he's one of the best riders out there, period.”
He has a passion for the sport that was bred into him from the beginning; his mother, Michele Dollase, is a Thoroughbred trainer, as are his aunt and uncle, Craig and Amy Dollase. Their late father Wallace Dollase, Matt's grandfather, was a highly-respected trainer on the West Coast. Matt said he has never missed watching a single race in which his father rode, and that handicapping the races is one of his passions.
However, Matt also loves football.
This time, the veteran rider will have something new to add to the mix. Nakatani will be represented by his son, 24-year-old Matt Nakatani, stepping out as a jockey's agent for the first time. Father-son jockey-agent teams are rare, but Matt is looking forward to the challenge.
“This is a really good opportunity for me, and I'm really excited about it,” said Matt. “I may have always been my dad's biggest fan, but I also know that he's one of the best riders out there, period.”
He has a passion for the sport that was bred into him from the beginning; his mother, Michele Dollase, is a Thoroughbred trainer, as are his aunt and uncle, Craig and Amy Dollase. Their late father Wallace Dollase, Matt's grandfather, was a highly-respected trainer on the West Coast. Matt said he has never missed watching a single race in which his father rode, and that handicapping the races is one of his passions.
However, Matt also loves football.
Initially, his goal was to pursue agency in the National Football League, which would require him to pursue a law degree. While that dream remains a future possibility, Matt is determined to help his father regain the pinnacle of his career.
“I have become my father's right-hand man since I returned home from school in the summer of 2015,” Matt said. “A couple months ago, we sat down and discussed his goals, what he'd like to accomplish this time around, and I want to help him rejuvenate his career.”
Corey already has 10 Breeders' Cup wins to his name, international stakes wins in Dubai and at Ascot, as well as 10 riding titles across Southern California. He has won the Kentucky Oaks twice, and finished second in the 2011 Kentucky Derby aboard Nehro. The winner of 3,827 races was on the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame ballot in 2015.
Matt says his father was suffering from pneumonia in the last week of the Oaklawn Park meet, and that he returned home to recover and take a short break. Corey then purchased a house, and was enthralled with the process of making its repairs himself, eventually “flipping” the home.
In June, Corey's second wife, Lisa, became ill, and the rider put aside all his concerns to be there for his family.
“My dad has always been that way,” said Matt. “He puts family first, above all else.”
Now that Lisa has recovered, Corey is committed to making the most of his comeback. On Matt's recommendation, he has been working with a personal trainer five to six times a week, and Matt said he has received multiple compliments on his father's fitness and appearance thus far.
“Trainers always say to me that the way he sits a horse, gets into the rhythm with the horse, is really like poetry in motion,” Matt said. “He has been blessed with a God-given talent that has allowed him to be on top of the game for 25-plus years.”
The father-son duo would love to get the additional 173 wins necessary for Corey hit the 4,000 win milestone, and, next year, to work toward breaking Chris McCarron's record for stakes wins at Del Mar.
“Obviously, a Kentucky Derby win would be a true storybook ending,” said Matt. “I am very grateful for the opportunity that lies ahead, and extremely proud to represent my father.”
