Nakatani faces lengthy recovery after surgery

ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Corey Nakatani, who was injured in a spill at Del Mar on Aug. 4, underwent surgeries on his neck and back in late September and faces a lengthy recovery for an expected return to riding, according to his son and agent, Matt Nakatani.

The two operations fused vertebrae in Nakatani’s back and repaired a disc in his neck, his son said. Matt Nakatani said his father faces a “multi-month” recovery.

“The doctors didn’t put a timeline on his comeback,” Matt Nakatani said.

“The doctors are happy. We’ll take it day by day. He has a good couple of days and a bad couple of days. He can’t do too much yet.”

Nakatani is scheduled to begin physical therapy in the coming weeks, one month after his operation. Until then, he is resting.

“We’ll just take it easy,” Matt Nakatani said. “You can’t do too much. He needs to let the swelling go down and take baby steps.”

Nakatani, 47, was injured in a two-horse spill on turf when his mount, Irish Spring, clipped heels with a horse in front of him who veered to the inside and into Irish Spring’s path. Irish Spring fell and suffered fatal injuries.

Nakatani, a former leading rider in Southern California, has won 25 races from 182 mounts this year, and more than 3,900 races in his career, which began in 1988.