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‘We’re Aiming For The Pegasus’: Cigar Mile Runner-Up Senor Buscador Eyes Lucrative Race

Joe R. Peacock Jr.'s multiple graded stakes winner Senor Buscador rallied gamely from last of 12 to finish second to Hoist the Gold in Saturday's Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct.

Trained by Todd Fincher and piloted by Junior Alvarado, the connections hoped the 5-year-old Mineshaft bay would utilizing a more close-up approach as he did when taking last year's Ack Ack (G3) traveling a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs.

Instead, Senor Buscador reverted to the deep-closing tactics that saw him win the San Diego Handicap (G2) in July at Del Mar and that he repeated through three follow-up efforts in Grade 1 events, including a seventh-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in November at Santa Anita.

“He does what he wants to do. Junior tried to let him run away from there, but he just took himself out of it,” Fincher said. “There's not a whole lot you can do about that. He was way, way back on a track where everyone won on the lead and the rail and then he went wide with nowhere to go.

“They made it tight on him down the lane,” added Fincher. “A horse on the inside of him came out and another horse was laying on him – he overcame a lot, that's for sure. Hoist the Gold is also a great horse and he ran a great race himself. He was on the better side of the bias, but you have to give him credit, he ran a great race.”

Fincher said Senor Buscador, who matched a career-high 101 Beyer Speed Figure with his Cigar Mile effort, exited the race in good order and is en route to Gulfstream Park with an eye toward a start on Jan. 27 in the $3-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) going 1 1/8 miles.

“He ate all his dinner last night and jumped on a van to Gulfstream Park. We're planning for the Pegasus,” Fincher said of the talented bay, who has now banked $923,427 through a 16-6-1-2 record.

Senor Buscador, bred in Kentucky by Peacock and the late Joe Peacock Sr., is out of the multiple stakes-winning Desert Gold mare Rose's Desert. She has produced five winners from as many foals that all were campaigned at one point by Fincher, including graded stakes winner Runaway Ghost, multiple stakes-winner Sheriff Brown, and stakes winner Our Iris Rose. A fifth half-sibling, the 2-year-old filly Aye Candy, made a winning debut Tuesday at Zia Park for Fincher.

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‘Possibly The Holy Bull’: Connections Mull What’s Next For In Reality Victor Seminole Chief

Trainer Jack Sisterson was in no rush to decide what's next for Brad Grady and David Grund's Seminole Chief the day after the juvenile son of Girvin pulled off a 12-1 upset in Saturday's $300,000 In Reality at Gulfstream Park.

“I'd like to talk to the owners and figure it out. He's still a young horse,” Sisterson said. “He handled the two turns. I would have liked to have seen him switch leads. But he moved forward again,” Sisterson said. “Possibly the Holy Bull.”

The $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), an important prep for the $1-million Curlin Florida Derby (G1), will be contested at the 1 1/16-mile distance of the In Reality at Gulfstream Feb. 3.

“We'll see how he comes out of the race,” said Sisterson before saddling Perfectly Mperfect for victory in a maiden claiming race in Sunday's Race 4. “I'm kind of a passenger along the way. I listen to the owners.”

Seminole Chief was making only his third career start Saturday, following an eight-length debut score at Finger Lakes and a troubled sixth in the seven-furlong Affirmed, the second leg of the FSS series.

Sisterson was pleased with how Seminole Chief exited his half-length triumph in the final leg of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series, in which Bentornato finished a length back in third in his bid to sweep the series for juveniles sired by accredited Florida stallions.

“He's doing great. I kept him out in the round pen for a few hours this morning. He's happy,” said Sisterson, whose stable is based at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training center in Palm Beach County.

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‘This Horse Helped Me The Whole Way’: Conglomerate Posts First Stakes Win In Valedictory

Conglomerate, under Luis Contreras, rallied impressively to best 13 rivals in the $150,000 Valedictory Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds and up Sunday at Woodbine.

It was stablemate Win for the Money, in rein to Patrick Husbands, who set the early tempo, gliding over from post eight to take the lead, followed by the trio of Meyer, So High (GB), and War Court. Conglomerate, with Luis Contreras up, sat seventh through an opening quarter in :24.98.

Win for the Money continued to run along unencumbered on the front end through a half-mile in :49.71, holding a 2½-length advantage over Meyer, who was shadowed to his inside by So High, while Conglomerate, at 15-1, had moved into fifth.

Reaching three-quarters in 1:15.61, Win for the Money was still in control and asked for his best run as the field straightened for home. Conglomerate, chasing his first stakes win for owner Gary Barber, continued to pick off his foes and improve his position, moving into second at the stretch call.

The 6-year-old Kentucky-bred Lemon Drop Kid gelding out of Maddy's Heart, by Lion Hearted, trained by Mark Casse, wrested the lead away and went on to notch a 1½-length score in a time of 2:31.49 for the 1 1/2 miles on the Tapeta main track. Collective Force came on to finish second. Win for the Money and Palazzi, both trained by Casse, finished third and fourth, respectively.

“Well, I know the first turn is going to be trouble because everyone wants to get in position, but this horse helped me the whole way,” said Contreras. “After the first turn, when everyone was in trouble, I got a perfect trip and had lots of horse the whole way.

“The horse gave me a great feeling and I was OK the whole race. The only thing was when I saw Patrick, I thought he had more horse. I was a bit worried, but my horse kicked hard at the end.”

It was the 26th start for Conglomerate, now 8-7-4, who was bred by Liberty Road Stables LLC. The bay was sixth in this year's Eclipse Stakes (G2) and ninth in the King Edward Stakes (G2). He arrived at the Valedictory off a sharp effort in an allowance optional claiming race on Oct. 29 when he posted a 1¾-length win at 1 1/16 miles over the Tapeta.

He paid $32.90 for Sunday's win, which marked the second graded stakes score Sunday for Lane's End pensioner Lemon Drop Kid, whose son Lemon Pop won the Champions Cup (G1) in Japan for Godolphin.

In other Woodbine news, trainer Martin Drexler, who is having a career year, won five races on the card.

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Tenacious Remsen Winner Dornoch Has Gargan Derby Dreaming

After trainer Danny Gargan declared 2-year-old colt Dornoch the greatest horse he has ever trained earlier this summer, the talented son of Good Magic helped to confirm that assessment Saturday when battling back strongly in the stretch to capture the Remsen (G2) by a nose at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Owned by West Paces Racing, R.A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Two Eight Racing, and Pine Racing Stables, Dornoch led through swift splits of :23.09, :46.97 and 1:11.56 through six furlongs and appeared defeated a furlong from the finish when he bumped the rail before the Chad Brown-trained Sierra Leone swept past him to take the advantage. But Dornoch showed true heart along the inside and refused to lose the 1 1/8-mile test for juveniles, digging in under Luis Saez to stick his nose back in front and cross the wire first in a final time of 1:50.30.

“It's crazy. Usually when a horse hits the rail at the eighth pole like he did, they just stop running altogether,” said Gargan. “I can't believe he re-rallied after that. He did see the other horse and get running back at him, but hitting the rail knocked him off stride and then it took him a few jumps to get back going. I think if he doesn't hit the rail, he stays in front. I've never seen a horse get passed a length and then come back and win. It was a really good race.”

Dornoch, a full-brother to this year's Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage, earned the first stakes win of his career on the heels of a dominant third-out graduation when taking a 1 1/16-mile maiden by 6 1/2 lengths on October 14 at Keeneland. He had previously finished a hard-trying second in the one-mile Sapling in August at Monmouth Park and in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden in July at Saratoga Race Course.

For his Remsen victory, Dornoch earned the maximum allotment of the 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points available to the top-five finishers, respectively. With his name now on the list of top Derby prospects, Dornoch has his connections dreaming of the First Saturday in May.

“When you've got a horse like this, you can run second in a big prep and he's in,” said Gargan. “We just have to plan out the right arrangement to get him there.”

Gargan said one key to getting Dornoch into the Derby starting gate will be maturity.

“We need him to focus running. He kind of looks around playing a little bit, and that's why he hit the rail,” said Gargan. “He's got to grow up a lot, and he's still out there goofing off. He did dig in in this race in the end, but he kind of put himself in that situation running green early. I think if another horse is around him, he won't lose focus. What we'll probably do next time is bring him off the pace which he can do. He'll finish in the lane, so he'll get a little more out of the race and mature a little bit from it.”

Dornoch will now likely get a freshening in preparation for his sophomore campaign with potential targets including the Withers (G3) at Aqueduct or the Fountain of Youth (G2) on March 2 at Gulfstream Park, according to Gargan.

“We'll take him down to Palm Meadows and keep him with us. He'll tack walk for two or three weeks and then we'll figure it out from there,” said Gargan. “We'll probably see him around the Fountain of Youth. The Withers is always something you could win real easy if you wanted to win a race, it just depends who's where.”

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