COLONEL JOHN GIVES NAKATANI BEST SHOT.Byline: ART WILSON Arthur Earl "Dutch" Wilson (December 11, 1885 in Macon, Illinois; died June 12, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois) was a catcher in Major League Baseball. Art Wilson was the catcher for Cubs pitcher Hippo Vaughn during the "double no-hitter" game in 1917. HORSE RACING horse racing, trials of speed involving two or more horses. It includes races among harnessed horses with one of two particular gaits, among saddled Thoroughbreds (or, less frequently, quarterhorses) on a flat track, or among saddled horses over a turf course with ARCADIA - There isn't much in the thoroughbred racing game A racing game is any game that involves competing in races through a surrogate playing piece or vehicle, either getting it from one point to another or completing a number of circuits in the shortest time. that jockey Corey Nakatani ''' Corey S. Nakatani (born October 21, 1970 in Covina, California, United States) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. As of 2006, Nakatani has won more than 3000 races including the Kentucky Oaks twice, the Canadian International Stakes, the Dubai Golden hasn't accomplished since beginning his career with a victory at Caliente in 1988 aboard Blue King in a dead heat. The 37-year-old Covina native has won seven Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I thoroughbred horse races operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982 by a consortium of North American racing organizations, led by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. races, 10 major riding titles and all three of the Southland's signature races -- the Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during , Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions. and Pacific Classic. Nakatani ranked second nationally with earnings of $14.7 million in 1995 and tied Gary Stevens
But there are a couple of black holes in Nakatani's career, ones he'd like to see filled. Nakatani is 0 for 12 in the Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $750,000. . The best he's been able to do was a pair of third-place finishes with Desert Hero in 1999 and A.P. Warrior in 2006. He finished fourth aboard Liquidity, the 5-2 second choice, in last year's running. The lack of success in the Santa Anita Derby has carried over to Louisville, Ky., where Nakatani has failed to win in 12 mounts at the Kentucky Derby. He's finished fourth twice -- aboard Green Alligator alligator, large aquatic reptile of the genus Alligator, in the same order as the crocodile. There are two species—a large type found in the S United States and a small type found in E China. Alligators differ from crocodiles in several ways. in his first Derby ride in 1991 and Halory Hunter in 1998. Enter Colonel John, a 3-year-old son of two-time Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles (2012 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. winner Tiznow. Nakatani will be aboard the Eoin Harty-trained colt in Saturday's 71st running of the Santa Anita Derby, and he hopes the 2-1 morning-line favorite will help him end those string of goose eggs. "You can go look at it, the past, and you can go look and see that at any time I didn't have the horse in those races," he said at Santa Anita's Clockers' Corner on Thursday. "This time, I'm coming in here with a loaded gun. I'm looking forward to winning the race." Nakatani has ridden Colonel John in three of his five starts, including a three-length victory in the Real Quiet Stakes at Hollywood Park on Nov. 18. He believes he's finally on the colt that will end his Derby frustrations at Santa Anita and Churchill Downs. "There's no question he's by far the best one I've sat on to this point," Nakatani said. "The athleticism is there, the mind's there and he's got the impeccable breeding to go the mile and a quarter." Nakatani has had some high-profile Santa Anita Derby and Kentucky Derby mounts, including Sharp Cat and Sweet Catomine at Santa Anita and Serena's Song in Louisville. The problem was that all three were fillies. "And when was the last time a filly won?" Nakatani asked. The answer is Winning Colors, who won both the Santa Anita Derby and Kentucky Derby in gate-to-wire fashion in 1988 before Nakatani had even begun his career. "When it's all said and done, I've always put them in a position to win, but it's just a matter of if they were good enough," he said. "I know what it takes to win these races, and it's a matter of getting the opportunity to ride the right horse." The right horse might be Colonel John, who began his career with a runner-up effort in a maiden special weight on Aug. 19 at Del Mar. He broke his maiden by 41/2 lengths with Nakatani aboard next time out on Oct. 7 at OakTree and, following his victory in the Real Quiet, finished second to Into Mischief in the CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park on Dec. 22. Colonel John's 2008 debut was a success when Garrett Gomez, subbing for the injured Nakatani, beat ElGato Malo by a half-length in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita on March 1. Now that Nakatani's broken collarbone col·lar·bone n. See clavicle. is healed and Gomez opted to ride Court Vision in Saturday's Wood Memorial Stakes The Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York is an American horse race first run in 1925. It was named to honor Eugene D. Wood, a New York State politician and horse racing enthusiast who had been a founder and past president of the old Jamaica Racetrack at Aqueduct, Nakatani is reunited with Colonel John. "I'm thankful that I get the chance to get back on him because I feel he's the best chance I've had going into this race," Nakatani said. "I've been very high on this horse ever since he was 2 and I started getting on his back. " I've always felt he was a tremendous athlete, and working with (Harty), he's been around the block a few times and knows what it takes to get there, and I think he's got the expectations I have." Nakatani says his 20-plus-year career would be complete if he could win the Kentucky Derby. "I can ride with the best in the world, there's no question," he said. "I put my horses in position to win. You look at my records, whether you go to Japan, to Dubai, wherever you go my horses are always right there, they're always making money. "The key is to make money for the owners in this sport and that's my job, to put them in a position to do that. Whether they're 15-1 in those types of races or 20-1, you still try to do your best, and that's what people like about me." art.wilson@sgvn.com CAPTION(S): box Box: OUT OF THE GATE - Art Wilson |
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