Injury to sideline Nakatani for a month

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Corey Nakatani is expected to miss at least a month after injuring his collarbone in a spill last Sunday, he said on Thursday.

Nakatani said his left collarbone “was broken at the tip” but that the injury will not require surgery. He said additional X-rays will be taken in about three weeks, and an assessment will be made on when he can return to riding.

He plans to undergo laser therapy and use an ultrasound machine to facilitate healing.

“I need to get the process going,” he said.

Nakatani estimates that the injury is the “fourth or fifth” time that he has injured his left collarbone.

Nakatani was injured when his mount appeared to clip heels near the quarter pole of a sprint on the downhill turf course. The 44-year-old rider is a finalist on the 2015 Hall of Fame ballot and has won 3,771 races in his career.