Veteran jockey Corey Nakatani, who has not ridden competitively since this past April, will return to the saddle and will be represented by his son Matt, who released the news on his Instagram account Wednesday.
“Not only are we excited to team together, we are excited for what the future holds,” Matt Nakatani wrote. “The amount of positive feedback we have received this past week has been very humbling and we are very grateful for the Trainers and Owners that support our team. Since I can remember, I have been his biggest fan. I am so proud of the career he has had to date. Better yet, he still has many more wins left in him. I am extremely blessed to not only call him my dad but to be able to represent a rider of his capabilities is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Nakatani, who turned 46 Oct. 21, has booted home the winners of 10 Breeders' Cup events, most recently accounting for the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile with Tapizar (Tapit). He rode a career-best 300 winners in 1995, but has not approached that level since and had ridden 27 winners from 158 mounts through early April. His most recent graded stakes success came courtesy of Chiropractor (Kitten's Joy) in the 2015 GI Hollywood Derby.
In May, Nakatani told Daily Racing Form that he was mulling over retirement, citing lack of opportunity with top barns.
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