X Y Jet, speedy earner of more than $3 million, dies of apparent heart attack

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – World-class sprinter X Y Jet died suddenly Wednesday morning of an apparent heart attack following a routine gallop at the Palm Meadows training center, trainer Jorge Navarro said.

Navarro said his exercise rider gave him a thumbs-up coming off the track after X Y Jet had completed his gallop. But once he got to the barn the 8-year-old began to show signs of distress.

“He galloped perfect, but when he got to the shed row and we went to remove the saddle we thought maybe the horse had tied up the way he was acting,” an emotional Navarro explained. “He took another step forward and that’s when he just laid down and died.”

X Y Jet, a son of Kantharos, won 12 races from 26 starts and accumulated earnings in excess of $3 million. He began his career at Gulfstream Park with trainer Antonio Sano in August 2014. He was transferred to Navarro’s barn just prior to his final start that season, a second-place finish in the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

X Y Jet was originally owned solely by Gelfenstein Farm, which sold an interest in the horse to Rockingham Ranch during the winter of 2016. David Bernsen LLC also was listed as a partner prior to the final start of his career, a last-place finish in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector here Dec. 21.

X Y Jet was expertly nursed along by Navarro through an injury-plagued career. He registered his most important victory last spring, at the age of 7, a wire-to-wire half-length triumph in the Grade 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. He also had finished second in the same race twice, beaten a neck in 2016 and a head by Mind Your Biscuits in 2018. X Y Jet also was a two-time winner of the Mr. Prospector.

“When I called my wife to tell her what had happened I was all right. But now that I’m by myself, I’m devastated,” a broken up Navarro said while fighting back tears. “You know how much he meant to me. He put me on the map. Took me to the greatest place, the biggest stage in the world, Dubai. I owe him everything. It’s just so hard to find the proper words right now to reflect the feelings I have for this horse. He was very, very special to me.”