X Y Jet attempting seven furlongs off layoff in Mr. Prospector

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Jorge Navarro said he plans to run X Y Jet in Saturday’s Grade 3, seven-furlong Mr. Prospector, setting up a likely rematch with Imperial Hint, whom he defeated by 1 1/2 lengths earlier this year in the Dubai Golden Shaheen.

The injury-plagued X Y Jet, has not started since winning the Golden Shaheen on March 30 at Meydan. He returned to the work tab last month at the Palm Meadows training center, where he’s had six breezes since Nov. 9, including a half-mile in 49.80 seconds Monday.

“We’re running out of time if we want to get him back to Dubai,” Navarro said. “He’s ready. Three-quarters would be no problem. I’m just worried about the seven-eighths. But Imperial Hint has to run seven-eighths, too.”

X Y Jet won the 2017 Mr. Prospector in the first of three starts prior to his second-place finish in the 2018 Dubai Golden Shaheen. The Mr. Prospector was run at six furlongs that year, but was switched to seven panels last season.

Diamond Oops, winner of the Grade 3 Smile Sprint here this summer and subsequently Grade 1-placed on two other occasions prior to a disappointing effort in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, also is expected for the Mr. Prospector, along with the Todd Pletcher-trained Zenden.

Florida-breds face off in feature

Wednesday’s program is highlighted by a $40,000 optional-claiming dash going seven furlongs on the main track for Florida-breds. Stakes-placed Maddy’s Last Dance, making his 3-year-old debut and first start since being moved to trainer Ron Spatz’s barn, is among a field of seven that includes Midwest invader Kyle, recent conditioned claiming winner Joe Di Baggio, Salambo, Free Flayme, Particularity, and Undaunted.

The main event will go as the ninth race on the card and is the penultimate leg of a Rainbow 6 sequence that begins with a carryover of more than $543,000.

Business brisk early in meet

The Gulfstream Park Championship meeting has gotten off to a great start from a business standpoint with weekend handles the past two weeks setting records for the month of December. The combined handle of $26.08 million this past weekend eclipsed the mark of $22.14 million established the weekend of Dec. 7-8, which included both the Claiming Crown and Clasico del Caribe programs.

The combined handle here last Saturday of $17.3 million on a card featuring five stakes including the Harlan’s Holiday and Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale also was a record for the month of December, according to track officials.