ARCADIA, Calif. -- Patrick Valenzuela, the leading rider at Southern California's five major meets in 2003, has fired his agent.

Nick Cosato had been booking Valenzuela's mounts for the last two years, a period of major success after Valenzuela made a comeback from drug problems.

"I'm not just comfortable with him having another jockey," Valenzuela said Monday. "I wish Nick the best. I don't know right now who my new agent will be. I have somebody in mind, but we'll just have to wait a day or two."

Cosato became Corey Nakatani's agent at the start of the Santa Anita meet Dec. 26 with Valenzuela's approval.

"He called me last night and fired me," Cosato said. "That's all I have to say."

Valenzuela, 41, missed the first 13 days of the Santa Anita meet while serving accumulated suspensions. He resumed riding full-time last week.

Valenzuela won riding titles last year at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park's spring-summer meet, Del Mar, Santa Anita's fall meet and Hollywood Park's fall meet, becoming the first jockey since Chris McCarron in 1983 to accomplish the feat.

Valenzuela will ride Continental Red in the $1 million Classic at the Sunshine Millions races Saturday.