X Y Jet leads trio of defending champs nominated for Sunshine Millions

Three defending champions top the nominations for the 2019 Sunshine Millions, a four-stakes event for Florida-bred horses scheduled for Jan. 19 at Gulfstream Park.

Jay’s Way, a front-running winner of $200,000 Sunshine Millions Classic last year, is among 15 nominees for the 1 1/8-mile stakes for 4-year-olds and up. X Y Jet, a multiple graded-stakes winner who has won the $100,000 Sprint in 2018 and 2016, is the most prominent nominee for the six-furlong race for 4-year-olds and up. Starship Jubilee, a length winner of the $150,000 Filly and Mare Turf last year, is the big name among 16 nominations for the 1 1/16-mile stakes for older fillies and mares.

Galleon Mast, who won the $150,000 Turf last year and captured the Millions Turf Preview at Gulfstream Park West, has been sidelined and won’t compete in the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 4-year-olds and up, which attracted 17 nominations.

Mr. Jordan, who finished a half-length behind Jay’s Way last year, has been nominated for a rematch. The Eddie Plesa-trained graded-stakes winner with more than $800,000 in earnings captured the Millions Classic Preview at Gulfstream Park West Nov. 10.

World of Trouble, who captured the $125,000 FSS Marion County Stakes over Tampa Bay Downs sloppy main track by 13 lengths after finishing a close second in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Churchill Downs Nov. 2, has been nominated for the Classic, the Sprint and the Turf. The Jason Servis-trained 4-year-old son of Kantharos is a multiple-stakes winner on dirt and turf 

X Y Jet won four of five starts last year, starting with a 5 ½-length romp in the Millions Sprint and finishing with a 2 ¼-length tally in the Smile Sprint (G3) on the June 30 Summit of Speed card. The Jorge Navarro-trained 8-year-old gelding’s only loss came in a photo-finish loss in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan.

Starship Jubilee, a multiple-graded stakes winner won won the Canadian (G2) at Woodbine three starts back. The Kevin Attard-trained mare, who was claimed for $16,000 at Gulfstream in February 2017, was upset last time out in the Claiming Crown Tiara Dec. 1 over a heavy Gulfstream turf course.

Picara and Southern Sis, who finished 1-2 in the Millions Filly and Mare Turf Preview at Gulfstream Park West, are among the other prominent nominees.

Class and Cash, who finished a nose behind Galleon Mast after setting the pace in the Millions Turf Preview, is prominent among the Turf Nominees. Trained by Jane Cibelli, the 7 –year-old gelding has previously won the Laurel Dash.