13 Facts About Corey Nakatani

Corey Nakatani has won 3,909 races in his career including the Kentucky Oaks twice and the Strub Stakes four times.

Corey Nakatani has won ten races in the Breeders' Cup, including three consecutive victories in the Breeders' Cup Sprint between 1996 and 1998.

Corey 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.

Corey Nakatani's 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 Nakatani 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.

Corey Nakatani then went on and broke and galloped horses for Johnny Longden and Longden's son, Eric Longden before starting his career as a jockey.

Corey Nakatani graduated from jockey school in Castaic, California, and won his first race, a dead heat, in Caliente, Mexico in 1988 aboard Blue King.

Corey Nakatani moved to Southern California in April 1989, and became the leading apprentice jockey that same year.

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

Corey 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.

Corey Nakatani was badly injured in a spill at Del Mar in August 2018, suffering multiple compression fractures and herniated discs.

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