Toby Sheets, a key figure in Steve Asmussen's New York division for over 20 years, was found dead on Sunday afternoon on the Greek island of Mathraki. He was 55.

Sheets, who had been reported missing since Thursday, was discovered by a tourist on a beach near the old port of Mathraki, according to ABC News. Mathraki is a sparsely populated island near Corfu, a popular tourist spot off Greece’s northwest coast.

The Athens News Agency reported that Sheets had been staying with a Greek-American friend on Mathraki. His body has been taken to Corfu for an autopsy, and an official cause of death has not yet been determined.

Before joining Asmussen, Sheets trained on his own from 1994 to 1999 and briefly in 2004, winning 46 races from 268 starts and earning $569,442 in purses. During his tenure with Asmussen, he was responsible for the daily operations of the New York stable.

“Toby was an important part of our stable for over 20 years,” Asmussen said, highlighting Sheets' work with 2016 Belmont Stakes winner Creator and stakes winners Haynesfield, Bankit, and Cluster.

Image NYRA