X Y Jet, Stormy Embrace Score Gulfstream Sprint Stakes
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Lauren King
X Y Jet wins the Smile Sprint, his sixth consecutive win at Gulfstream Park
The $250,000 Smile Sprint Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park was vintage X Y Jet.
Like so many of his stakes wins, Rockingham Ranch and Gelfenstein Farm's speedy 6-year-old gray shot to the lead in the six-furlong sprint June 30, extended it, and kept on to the wire unchallenged.
In his first start since his second brutal beat in the Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored By Gulf News (G1), the Kantharos gelding set fractions of :22.16 and :44.36 through a half-mile under jockey Emisael Jaramillo and hit the wire in 1:09.61, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Reason to Soar, who was disqualified to fifth for interference (91-1 longshot Sweetontheladies was elevated to second and Petrov took third).
"He's a horse that can beat any type of race horse. He's just wonderful," said Jaramillo, X Y Jet's regular rider. "I know him very well and feel comfortable riding him, so I'm very happy to be able to ride him and have so many victories with him."
The Smile Sprint score was X Y Jet's sixth straight at Gulfstream—dating to the 2015 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3)—and he's had his issues along with way, including extended breaks for three knee surgeries.
"Every time he runs, he does that to me," said an emotional Jorge Navarro, who has trained X Y Jet to all seven of his stakes wins. "He's had three surgeries. What he's done, what he's accomplished—people still count him out. What does he have to accomplish for people to see that he's the real deal? He might not be the top sprinter, but he's the real deal. He shows up every time."
X Y Jet has more than $1.5 million in earnings and a 10-7-2 record from 22 starts. He was bred in Florida, out of the Lost Soldier mare Soldiersingsblues.
Video: Smile Sprint S. (G3)
Earlier on the card, 15-1 longshot Stormy Embrace earned a berth into the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) with a commanding score in the $250,000 Princess Rooney Stakes (G2) at seven furlongs on the Gulfstream dirt.
The Matalona Thoroughbreds homebred by Circular Quay went to the lead under jockey Wilmer Garcia, set fractions of :22.79, :45.25, and 1:08.97 through six furlongs, then hit the wire in 1:21.81. The victory was Garcia's first in a graded stakes and trainer Kathleen O'Connell's first graded score since the 2011 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) with Watch Me Go.
"We broke really well and just tried to keep our pace all the way around," Garcia said. "I thought a couple horses had more speed than me, but we ended up in the lead. I tried to hold her down as best as I could and let her be free in the stretch."
Fellow longshot Rich Mommy finished second, and co-favorites My Miss Tapit and Curlin's Approval came in third and fourth, respectively.
The Princess Rooney was Stormy Embrace's third straight victory and second straight stakes win, following her score in the Musical Romance Stakes May 19 at Gulfstream.