Hovdey: Nakatani now more mentor than tormentor

Corey Nakatani’s history with the Pacific Classic hits notes both high and low. His victory in 2006 with Lava Man went a long way toward erasing the taste of the 2000 Classic, when Nakatani was set to ride odds-on choice General Challenge but suffered a broken collarbone earlier on the card.

Nakatani, idled by a back injury suffered in a Del Mar turf course accident Aug. 4, will be watching from the sidelines again this year for Saturday’s 28th running of the Pacific Classic. The good news, sort of, is that Nakatani had not been riding any of the eight runners entered in the Classic, as opposed to the recently injured Victor Espinoza, who would have been aboard heavily favored Accelerate.

At 46, Nakatani knows he is nearing the end of his career and was hoping to get there without a serious interruption. At least, from one angle, a back injury was a change of pace. For most of his career – which includes 10 Breeders’ Cup trophies among his 3,909 winners – Nakatani’s Achilles heel has been his collarbone, either left or right.

The untimely fracture in 2000 was followed by another cracked clavicle in January 2008, then another in September of the same year. More recently, Nakatani broke a collarbone in March 2015, then rushed a comeback and paid for it both physically and emotionally. By the spring of 2016 he was burnt toast and stepped away from riding for eight months.

As a three-time Hall of Fame nominee with more than $234 million in mount earnings, Nakatani is accustomed to riding good horses in rich races. His best connections over the past year have been with owner-trainer Mick Ruis, for whom he rode the 2-year-old Bolt d’Oro to major scores, and Richard Baltas, trainer of Nakatani’s 2018 stakes winners Madam Dancealot and Gas Station Sushi.

Nakatani was aboard the 3-year-old colt Irish Spring for Baltas on Aug. 4 when they arrived in the stretch of a one-mile turf race. Apprentice Assael Espinoza, Victor’s 18-year-old nephew, was up ahead aboard Aussie Fox.

“I was in the pocket and he was outside, about two wide from where I was,” Nakatani recalled. “I always try to leave a spot to go, to give me an option when I have to make those split decisions. I opted to drop to the fence, and I kind of glanced left a little to make sure it was okay to do that. In that split second I turned my eyes back, it happened. I was gone.”

Nakatani and Irish Spring went down, then the trailing Geovanni Franco and his mount, Bitter Ring Home, fell over them. Irish Spring suffered fatal injury, while neither Franco nor Bitter Ring Home was seriously hurt.

After a hearing, the board of stewards cited Espinoza for careless riding in allowing his horse to angle in front of Irish Spring and cause him to fall. He was suspended for 10 racing days, although Espinoza continues to ride pending an appeal of the length of the suspension.

“I feel sorry for him,” Nakatani said. “It was an accident. There was nothing malicious or intentional. I think the penalty was a bit harsh, but I guess I can understand it since my horse lost his life. I kind of went through those scenarios as a young rider. I tried to learn from my mistakes and not let them happen again.”

Nakatani also has courted his own share of controversy. In the past, he has incurred two 30-day suspensions for what stewards viewed as dangerous actions on horseback, and at one point was ordered into anger management counseling.

It has been 14 years since the last time Nakatani made headlines for the wrong reasons. And while he will never be described as mellow, he enjoys channeling his intensity as a mentor and sounding board for young riders new to the craft.

“When I was his age I was lucky to have a room full of Hall of Famers to learn from,” Nakatani said of Espinoza. “Shoemaker, McCarron, Delahoussaye, Laffit, Solis, and then Cordero, Bailey, or Pat Day would sometimes come to town.”

The guard has changed, and Nakatani finds himself among the handful of 40- and 50-somethings who feel obligated to pass on their knowledge. The success of apprentices like Eclipse Award winner Evin Roman and now Espinoza indicates they are paying attention.

“I got him to drop his irons, hand ride, and finish on horses – pick them up and help them to the wire more than using the whip,” Nakatani said of Espinoza. “But I’ve always told him: First and foremost protect your fellow riders, and protect the horses. Riders need to be able to go home to their families at the end of the day, and not the hospital.”

Nakatani ended up spending a night in the hospital. Did Espinoza visit?

“Of course he did,” Nakatani said.

“I had a lot of phone calls and well-wishes from riders, owners, and fans,” Nakatani said. “You get caught up in the day-in, day-out grind, and then when you see the support it’s tremendous.”

Nakatani said he’ll know his immediate fate in the next week or so.

“Hopefully, I’ll get through this and be able to ride again,” Nakatani added. “The sport was life changing for me. I’ll always love it, and I’ll be in it to the day I kick the bucket.”