Sporting his standard duds, including a ball cap, creased jeans and shades, Fincher has his modular phone slung on his belt, ready to be drawn from its holster.

“Busy,” replies the New-Mexico based trainer when asked about how it's all going. “It's just been such a non-stop crazy time, but coming back to Sunland Park, this is my bread and butter.”

Fincher returned only a week ago from his second Middle East junket which capped Senor Buscador's (Mineshaft) successful two-race sojourn to that part of the world. Unless you have resided under an igneous rock, then you know that Joey Peacock's 6-year-old stalwart won the G1 Saudi Cup and then finished third in the G1 Dubai World Cup.

“The experience was great and even though the result in Dubai wasn't what we wanted, everyone was incredibly welcoming,” he said. “Even in a race as big as that one was, I don't get disappointed because at least 75 percent of the time you are going to lose in racing, so getting down like I used to serves no purpose whatsoever.”

Don't misinterpret Fincher's words because he wanted Buscador to win the World Cup. He wants to win them all and badly. Feigning disappointment is his prosaic outlook shining through. You have to have this kind of attitude, which hails from a special place inside and comes from a host of life experiences.

Like a character out of an Ace Reid Cowpoke cartoon, the horseman has a thin build which is a reminder that he used to ride for a living. The mental toughness he developed in the saddle while breaking young horses and as a New Mexico jockey some 30 years ago has served him well, especially in a business like conditioning.

Todd Fincher (left) with Only One America in the Island Fashion S. | Coady Photography

“I'd win three races riding and think I was on top,” he said. “And then that would dry up and I would get really, really down on myself, so you can't do that. It's a humbling sport with so many factors out of your control. You always have to be thankful for wins like Buscador delivered and he is not done yet, we hope.”

Fincher confirmed that Senor Buscador has arrived safely at Peacefield Farm in Temecula, California and will be given several weeks off before a new training cycle could start.

“Just like always, we are going to let him tell us,” he said. “I think the GII Pat O'Brien S. could be possible, we'll see, and then long term, the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.” Two years ago at Del Mar, Buscador finished third in the O'Brien to Laurel River (Into Mischief), who ran away with this year's Dubai World Cup.

While the Saudi Cup champ gets a break, his trainer will be doing nothing of the sort. With Sunland complete, Fincher's stable shifts to SunRay Park up in Farmington, New Mexico, but he loaded up a trailer bound for Hot Springs, Arkansas to start this week.

“We have a couple that I am taking to Oaklawn and I will be there all week,” he said. “I don't like hauling them this far, but it is going to be good to run against competition like this.”

Fincher is entering Perfect Dude (Majesticperfection)–who shifted from Vann Belvoir over to him in February–in Saturday's GIII Count Fleet S. It's a race which will feature Skelly (Practical Joke), who is making his first U.S. start since the gelding ran second in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia.

Making the some 900-mile trip to Oaklawn for the GI Apple Blossom S. is Flying Connection (Nyquist). Last year, the filly won the Island Fashion S. and then netted the Sunland Park Oaks, which earned her a spot in the starting gate for the GI Kentucky Oaks. She ran a game sixth in defeat that Friday.

“Perfect Dude is a fairly new acquisition, but I can tell he has a ton of talent and he is really quick out of the gate,” said Fincher. “I think Flying Connection has developed a real tactical advantage and she has really come far since last year when she just went straight to the front all the time.”

Flying Connection is co-owned by Brad King, Randy Andrews, Chris Coleman, Jim Cone, Suzanne Kirby and Lee Lewis, which is the same group who invested in another Fincher-trained runner, Olivia Twist (Mshawish). Incidentally, King, Andrews, Cone and Lewis are a part of MSW Candy Aisle (Gun Runner), who was ninth in Oaklawn's GII Fantasy S. Mar. 30, and who Fincher will possibly send to the Valley of the Vapors S. Apr. 20.

A half-sister to MGSW/MGISP Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), Olivia Twist already made the trip to Hot Springs to join Candy Aisle and put in a six-panel work over the weekend. According to her trainer, the 4-year-old could be ready for the April 27 running of the Dig A Diamond S., but for now Fincher is taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to her next start.

Olivia Twist working with Cristian Torres aboard at Oaklawn | courtesy of Robert Yates

“She raced a ton starting as a 2-year-old,” he said. “I really think she needed a good rest and got it during the second half of last year. I really like the way she carries her weight and she's developed over the winter, she has continued to be aggressive in the mornings, so we'll see if that continues to translate to the afternoons.”

Olivia Twist started eight times from when she broke her maiden at Remington Park late in her juvenile year through last summer at Del Mar. The biggest puzzle for Fincher is to figure out what distance she wants.

“That will come,” he said.

In the interim, Todd Fincher has plenty more puzzles to solve as Saudi Arabia and Dubai are now firmly in the rearview mirror. The road to Oaklawn beckons, and that means it is an opportunity to develop some more bread and butter.

The post Fincher Back To ‘Bread & Butter’ After Dubai, Oaklawn Road Beckons appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“Yeah. I mean, it's been pretty crazy,” admits owner and breeder Joey Peacock, Jr.

Peacock, a resident of San Antonio, and his family have been in the horse business for the better part of 5 1/2 decades, but never has there been one like Senor Buscador to grace their New Mexico-based barn. And it all starts with a daughter of a virtually unknown son of Fappiano who won no fewer than seven black-type races at Zia Park and Sunland Park for Peacock's father and trainer Todd Fincher. She has managed to one-up herself in the breeding shed, with five winners from five to race, four of those full stakes winners and two graded winners.

Not bad for a mare by….checks notes…Desert God?

The Pride of New Mexico and 'Mining' For Gold

“I think that early on, people look down their noses at her being a 'New Mexico-bred,'” he said of Rose's Desert. “But if you really look at the pedigree, I mean, she's by a horse who was an unraced son of Fappiano out of a mare that won the [GI] Kentucky Oaks. I mean, let's be real, that's a pretty solid pedigree.”

That Kentucky Oaks winner is the 1982 victress Blush With Pride (Blushing Groom {Fr}), whose daughter Better Than Honour (Deputy Minister) was broodmare of the year in 2007. More on how this part of the pedigree fits in below.

“There's a lot of times that you have great racemares who don't end up being great broodmares, but we were just always confident in her. And she's a big mare, so it wasn't like we had limitations when we were talking about stallions, like we were trying to overcome anything,” Peacock explained.

He continued, “She had speed. She had size. She didn't have anything that we had to try to breed to improve, which really opened us up to really go to anybody that we wanted to stallion-wise. Right or wrong, we are 100% all in on that pedigree and that bloodline. We haven't sold any of Roses Desert's offspring and don't intend to. I just think it's something that we can take and build on and look back 20 years from now and say, 'Oh my God. Look what happened starting with Rose's Desert.' I tell you, I wouldn't trade our broodmare with anybody else's broodmare.”

The decision to send Rose's Desert to Mineshaft, on the surface at least, is an interesting one. The Peacocks successfully mated the mare to the likes of Ghostzapper (Grade III winner Runaway Ghost and SW Our Iris Rose) and Curlin (MSW Sheriff Brown). A four-time Grade I winner and Horse of the Year in 2003, Mineshaft has been a reliable sire of racehorses, if not perhaps in the same league as a Ghostzapper or Curlin.

“My dad was still alive when we bred to Mineshaft, and so he would get the stallion book every year and go through it, and what he really liked to see–he liked to see horses that had a decent amount of races in their career, which to him indicated soundness,” Peacock explained. “He liked to see horses all through the pedigree that made money, which to him was a proxy for ability at the racetrack. And then to see a horse that had the stamina to go the classic distances, and Mineshaft fit all those, checked all those boxes. So he wasn't a big stud fee, $10,000, but you know what? So what?

“We were not handcuffed by the fact that we were breeding to market to the sales, which I think drives most breeding decisions. So we were sort of free of that obligation of trying to get a sales horse. We just wanted to breed a good, sound, solid race horse, and as you can see, we got fortunate and that's what turned out to be.”

The cross of A.P. Indy over the Blush With Pride family needs little introduction, as it has resulted in the likes of Belmont winner Rags to Riches–by A.P. Indy himself; GSW & G1SP Casino Drive (Mineshaft); MGSW/GISP Greatest Honour (Tapit); Canadian SW Cascading (A.P. Indy); and Modeling (Tapit), the dam of champion MGISW Arcangelo (Arrogate).

And Mineshaft himself is out of Prospectors Delite, a mare by….well, does anyone know how Senor Buscador translates into English? If you didn't, you do now.

An Immediate Hit

Peacock, who boards his mares at Shawhan Place in Kentucky, reports there was nothing remarkable about Senor Buscador's upbringing, but the same couldn't be said about the year 2020, the colt's juvenile season. The Coronavirus was on the lips and minds of everybody, and in its own way, it wreaked havoc on the Thoroughbred industry. Among the types of decisions it impacted were the otherwise-inane discussions of just where to run one's horses.

“New Mexico shut down and we were trying to find a race for him because he's ready to go, and so Todd took him to Remington Park and after that first race, Todd said, 'This horse is–you don't get horses like this very often. This horse is special,'” Peacock said. “So when he said that, I started paying a lot more attention. Not that I don't pay attention to our horses, but I mean, I started getting excited because he doesn't ever really offer any kind of glowing remarks like that.”

Senor Buscador and Rose's Desert | Courtesy Shawhan Place

Having rallied from last to debut a 2 1/2-length winner in November 2020, Senor Buscador romped by 5 3/4 lengths in the Springboard Mile the following month, but the colt was a flat fifth at 5-2 behind Mandaloun (Into Mischief) in the GII Risen Star S.

“We had the fastest two-turn dirt Beyer for any 2-year-old when he won the Springboard, so my phone started ringing off the hook first thing in the morning after that race, and then we decided we weren't interested in selling the horse, so we were headed to the Risen Star,” Peacock said.

“We thought the horse was going to run well. Didn't have his patented late kick. We ended up sending him to Dr. Tommy Hays in Elgin, Texas, and turns out he had chipped an ankle. So Dr. Hays took the chip out, said, 'Good news. We got it early. It hadn't been floating around. It didn't do a bunch of other soft tissue damage, so let's just give him time off,' which we did.”

Dashed Derby Dreams 

Having also been forced to miss the 2018 Triple Crown trail with Senor Buscador's GIII Sunland Derby-winning half-brother Runaway Ghost, Peacock was compelled to regroup and was pointing Senor Buscador to a fall campaign in 2021.

“I think we gave him four months off, and then we were training him to come back for the Zia Park Derby in New Mexico, and then Todd gets to the barn one morning and his right rear hock is just…he can't even put his foot on the ground,” Peacock said. “It's swollen beyond belief. I mean, he got injured in the stall and then that thing got infected and there's very little blood flow to that part of the hock.

“So we had to have another surgery, go in and clean out the infection, try to get the antibiotics to where they needed to be. It ended up being a long, drawn-out affair. I mean, the veterinarians were like, 'We don't know how this is going to go.' We weren't not talking about [being] a racehorse anymore. We're just talking about survival.”

But survive he did, finishing third to fellow World Cup entrant Laurel River (Into Mischief) in the GII Pat O'Brien S. at Del Mar before winning the 2022 GIII Ack Ack S. at Churchill Downs. He reportedly bled when eighth to Cody's Wish (Curlin) in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Connections continued on undeterred into a 5-year-old season, confidence still well intact, and Senor Buscador backed up their opinion with a 13-1 upset in the GII San Diego H. ahead of a sound fourth in the GI TVG Pacific Classic in early September. A respectable third in the GI Awesome Again S., Senor Buscador made up a fair bit of ground in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic to be seventh.

Some might have called time on the season after a seventh start in eight months, but they pressed on to the GI Cigar Mile H., where Senor Buscador finished an anti-bias runner-up.

“We were thinking about the Pegasus all along and hoping that based on that Cigar effort, we'd get the invitation and sure enough we did and we felt good about our chances there,” Peacock said.

With the nine-furlong race run to suit his relentless closing style, Senor Buscador rallied past all the competition bar National Treasure (Quality Road) and not long after the race crossed the finish line, Fincher's phone was ringing.

“The Saudi people had been talking to us after the Cigar, and of course Todd gets the call, shoot, five minutes after the Pegasus,” said Peacock. We're standing together after the race and he got the invitation.”

Riyadh Riches

A decided outsider in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup, consistent form and all, Senor Buscador was so far out of it in the early stages that Peacock and team were struggling to find him.

“I'll be honest with you. We had no idea where he was,” Peacock admitted. “We watched it from the paddock because we couldn't get back to our seats. There were so many people at the track that we couldn't get back to where we were sitting, so we just decided we'd watch it from the paddock and we watched it on the Jumbotron.

“They've got the chase car inside the rail videoing the front-runners. But when they came into the stretch, of course anytime he's running, I'm looking at the middle of the racetrack to try to find something that's closing and we could see him coming down the middle of the stretch. So yeah, we didn't get the opportunity to get excited until it was almost over. Our goal for the year was to get Senior Buscador a Grade I win and never dreamed it'd be the Saudi Cup, but heck, if you have to pick one to win, he picked a good one.”

And now it's on to the World Cup, the second of a two-race lease with Saudi owner Sharaf Mohammed S Al Hariri.

“He's doing great,” Peacock confirmed. “It was funny. When he went to Saudi, the first few days he was a little lethargic, and I guess it's just jet lag, just like us. But he started really picking it up after he was there, I think on the third day, and then continued through the race. Oscar, who is Todd Fincher's right-hand man who's there with him and gallops him every day said he's doing great. Galloping great. He's happy. He's eating well. He's training good. I mean, we couldn't ask for things to be going better at this point.”

Peacock said he has engaged informally with a handful of individuals regarding a potential stud deal.

“I want to see him in Kentucky,”he said. “I mean, I think he deserves that opportunity. Again, right or wrong, we 100% believe in the pedigree and I just think he deserves that opportunity, so we'll see if we can make it happen or not.”

And what would his dad think of what Senor Buscador has accomplished?

“Oh, wow. Well, first of all, I'm not sure he would've ever let Todd take the horse to Saudi,” Peacock chuckled. “I think that's the first thing. But no, he would be tickled to know that we have a horse that's running on the world stage that can compete on the world stage and arguably one of the biggest races on the world stage.

“So yeah, I would have to say he would be very excited about that. And the fact that we own the mare and we own every one of his brothers and sisters, it just really makes it that much more special for our family.”

The post Long And Winding Road Lands Senor Buscador On World Stage appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The entire Shawhan crew was ecstatic, but two team members in particular were especially over the moon.

Let's start with Teddy Kuster, who co-founded Shawhan nearly 20 years ago. Lemon Muffin's win at Oaklawn was particularly memorable for the octogenarian as he co-bred the filly.

“When you've been in the horse business for as long as I have and you have two horses like that in one day, it's phenomenal,” Kuster enthused. “I mean, you don't do that as a small breeder. After Senor Buscador I said, 'Well this is good even if we just hit the board with the other one.' When Lemon Muffin came on at the end I was just flabbergasted. I was by myself hollering and having a good time.”

Sold by Shawhan Place as a yearling for $20,000 and pinhooked for $140,000, Lemon Muffin had been knocking on the door of getting that maiden win for some time. She ran second four times over the course of three months before earning 50 points on the road to the Kentucky Oaks with her three-and-a-half length Honeybee score for trainer D. Wayne Lukas and owner Aaron Sones.

Lemon Muffin breaks her maiden in the GIII Honeybee S. | Coady

“She would run second all the time, just keeping running second, but I said that Wayne Lukas will get her going somewhere and he did,” Kuster said proudly. “You break your maiden in a Grade III race, that doesn't happen very often.”

Lemon Muffin is a second-generation homebred for Kuster, who was KTFMC Farm Manager of the Year in 1986.

In 1990, Claiborne's farm manager Gus Koch–the father of Shawhan's co-founder Matt Koch–wrote Kuster a letter telling him about a well-bred, unraced filly that was going to go through the ring at the Keeneland January Sale. Kuster purchased that Claiborne homebred, Fee (Spectacular Bid), for just $9,500.

Fee was responsible for several stakes horses including MGSW High Stakes Player (High Brite). Kuster sold the majority of her offspring but retained the last filly she produced, Pelt (Canadian Frontier).

Now 18 years old, Pelt is responsible for five winners, with Lemon Muffin being her first stakes winner. The mare has a yearling filly by Complexity and is barren this year, but was just bred to Cairo Prince.

Lemon Muffin ranks near the top of the list of talented horses that Kuster has bred, but he is also the breeder of Hilda's Passion (Canadian Frontier), a Grade I winner and the dam of former WinStar sire Yoshida (Jpn).

Kuster sold Hilda's Passion as a yearling before she went on to become a five time graded stakes winner, including the 2011 GI Ballerina S., and then sell for $1.225 million to Katsumi Yoshida. Kuster figured he probably wouldn't have much connection to the mare again, but pretty soon her son Yoshida rose to the top of the game in the U.S. Kuster is now a strong supporter of Yoshida, who has his first 3-year-olds this year.

For Kuster, the results of this weekend were dimmed only by the absence of the person who has always watched races alongside him. Last June, his wife Betsy passed away at the age of 80.

“My wife and I were in this together and we always bred as Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Kuster,” he said. “She and I were very close and had been married over 55 years. She liked the horses and enjoyed going to the races. [This weekend] she would have been very excited and would have said, 'I told you so. It would happen. I told you so.' She was always my number one supporter.”

Asked about the possibility of seeing Lemon Muffin get to the Oaks, Kuster said, “I thinks she's got a good shot at getting there and if so, I'll be there.”

Senor Buscador and Rose's Desert | courtesy Shawhan Place

So what about the other star of the show for Shawhan Place, Senor Buscador?

Courtney Schneider, Shawhan's broodmare manager and director of sales, has long been regarded as president of the Senor Buscador fan club. Schneider foaled the son of Mineshaft, like she has for all but one of his siblings, and has tuned in to every one of his races over the past five years. The Saudi Cup victory was no exception.

“You go into weekends like that hoping for the best, but you don't expect to come out with wins like that,” Schneider said. “For myself personally, when Senor Buscador hit the wire I was in instant tears. He's very special. With Lemon Muffin as well, I foaled and raised her, so to have a weekend like that was just truly unbelievable.”

Senor Buscador has amassed seven wins from 18 career starts and boasts almost $12 million in earnings as he now points to the G1 Dubai World Cup.

Schneider said she's itching to book a plane ticket to Dubai for next month if foaling season will allow her to get away.

“I've traveled to follow him from very early on,” Schneider said. “I flew to New Orleans when he ran in the Risen Star. I was at Churchill when he won the GIII Ack Ack S. in 2022.  It's very special for me to have clients that will allow me to still be a part of everything and to follow these horses, because that's why I do it–for the love of the horse.”

Senor Buscador's dam Rose's Desert (Desert God) has been the broodmare of a lifetime for the Peacock family. A homebred for Joe Peacock Sr., Rose's Desert was a seven-time stakes winner in New Mexico, but her resume continued to expand every year of her breeding career as her first four foals all earned stakes victories.

The Peacock family has never sold one of her foals, although they did send her first foal Runaway Ghost (Ghostzapper) through the ring as a yearling only to snap him back up after he RNA'd and race him in their own silks.

The winner of the 2018 GIII Sunland Derby, Runaway Ghost was pointing for the GI Kentucky Derby until he suffered a fracture to his shin. The Peacock family had already traveled from their home state of Texas up to Kentucky, so when they no longer had a Derby contender to watch they stopped by the farm to visit their star mare. Rose's Desert was due to foal any day and she of course waited until the morning after they left, but in their family photo with the mare, she is carrying none other than Senor Buscador.

The Peacock and Rose's Desert, with Senor Buscador in utero | courtesy Shawhan Place

The mating proved to be a special one in more ways than one as it was the last of Rose's Desert's matings that Joey Peacock Jr. picked out with his father before his passing.

Schneider said this foal was a standout from the start.

“I found a text that I had sent to Joey when he was just a few weeks old saying, 'Oh my gosh, he's out here running laps around everybody else in the field.' For him to run laps around everybody else in a $20 million race is just mind blowing now. But he was always one that was forward and he was a little bit of a different model from her typical foals. He had a little bit more leg, a little bit leaner, a little more athletic than the rest of them.”

But all of Rose's Desert's foals have proven their talent on the racetrack. After her four straight stakes winners, the mare was barren for two years. Her 3-year-old of this year, Aye Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}), won on debut on Nov. 28 at Zia Park and that filly's 2-year-old half-sister Rose A (Hard Spun) recently joined the Todd Fincher barn.

Rose's Desert has a yearling colt by Authentic called The Hell We Did (named after how when Joe Peacock Sr. heard what the family had named Senor Buscador, he exclaimed, 'The hell we did!'). She is currently in foal to Into Mischief and will be bred back to Uncle Mo.

“I think she gets knocked a little bit being a New Mexico-bred, but if you go and look at her pedigree, it's deep with Fappiano and all these really good racehorses,” Schneider explained. “Her foals all normally come in plain brown wrappers. I wouldn't say necessarily right off the bat that they would win any beauty contests, but they're big, strong individuals and they've proven that they run.”

Rose's Desert's legacy now continues as her oldest daughter Our Iris Rose (Ghostzapper), a dual stakes winner for the Peacock family, is now a producer. She recently had her first foal, a colt by Curlin.

“I'm very exciting for what the family has coming,” Schneider said. “Rose's Desert has been such a special mare for the Peacocks. It's great because we've had the entire family. To have a client like that who keeps the family here and keeps us involved is incredibly special. It says a lot about their trust in us that they've had this much success and they've stuck with us just as they've stuck with Todd Fincher. I think that speaks volumes to the character they have.”

For a farm with less than a dozen employees that will foal around 50 mares this year, these resent results are significant. Schneider admitted that they aren't quite used to the limelight.

“It's exciting though, because everybody here has worked so hard for so many years,” she explained. “Not that we necessarily didn't get the recognition we deserved before, but just to see this come through, it's a little bittersweet but just very humbling as well. We do this because we love the horses. We all work hard and it's nice to see all that pay off.”

The post Shawhan Place Riding High After Memorable Weekend appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The margin was a nose. Did he know he had won and what made the difference this time?

“Just a little less bad luck is all that we really needed for this to happen,” Fincher said. “Because every time he puts himself in a terrible position. The Japanese jockey (Yuga Kawada, the rider Ushba Tesoro) really did a good job. He had me in a bad position for a long time. We didn't have anywhere to go. He had us in a bad spot, and we had to wait down the stretch. When that horse finally cleared us that was when we could move out and make our run. Junior (Alvarado) timed that perfectly. That's why we were so emotional. Because we never thought he was going to win until the last second, and we still didn't know if we won because the finish was so close.”

Senor Buscador will now head to Dubai for the GI Dubai World Cup. Run at a mile-and-a-quarter and around two turns, that race seems like a better fit for Senor Buscador than the one-turn, mile-and-an-eighth Saudi Cup. But Fincher said the real key to victory in Dubai will be whether or not the early pace is fast enough to set up his late run.

“He needs some kind of setup,” Fincher said. “I don't know why he does it, but he takes himself back right out of the gate. If you watch the Pegasus, he out broke National Treasure and then, three jumps later, he's four lengths behind him. So, he does that to himself and he's not going to change that style. And we can't change it. So, you're still going to need a pace because he's not going to get up there mid-pack and hang around. So, he needs an honest pace.”

Fincher has been training since the late nineties and has been the proverbial big fish in the small pond that is New Mexico racing. Does he ever see himself moving on to a tougher circuit?

“You have to have the horses to make a move like that and I just don't have them,” he said. “I have a ton of New Mexico breds. We break usually 30 to 50 horses a year, and 95% of them are New Mexico breds. Last year, we broke two Kentucky breds and one Louisiana bred, and the rest were New Mexico breds. So, it's not like I normally have the right horses to do it. But this year, we actually broke 15 Kentucky breds and a couple of Louisiana breds. So, we might have an opportunity to take a stable somewhere. But you can't go somewhere with two or three horses and set up a stable and think people are going to bring you horses”.

During the stallion spotlight segments of the podcast, the crew sang the praises of the WinStar stallion Improbable, who stands for $15,000, and the Coolmore stallion Tiz the Law, who stands for $20,000. His first crop are now 2-year-olds and will be hitting the track shortly.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by WinStar Farm, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, Coolmore,  the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association,https://www.kentuckybred.org/https://www.nyrabets.com/ 1/ST Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, https://www.winstarfarm.com/and XBTV.com, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley and Zoe Cadman reviewed the Saudi Cup, the GII Rebel S. and the GIII Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn. They also looked ahead to this weekend's races, which will include major preps for the GI Kentucky Derby in the GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita and the GII Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream. There was also a discussion of the Jeffrey Englehart story and whether or not HISA should expand its role so that it can oversee the sales.

To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here.

The post Todd Fincher Joins TDN Writer’s Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The banner wasn't there. That's because jockey Junior Alvarado was sporting royal blue and white aboard the eventual winner.

Despite reporting by several Middle Eastern news outlets–namely Arab News and the Saudi Gazette–which either listed Peacock secondarily as the owner, or in the case of latter, totally omitted his name, rest assured, said the San Antonio-based breeder and owner, he is still firmly in control.

“I think it was a misunderstanding and probably due to not fully comprehending the nature of the business agreement,” said Peacock, when he was reached by phone on Monday afternoon. “This is a two-race lease for a minority interest in Senor Buscador, and he is, and always will be ours.”

It is true that after Senor Buscador arrived for the Saudi Cup under the care of trainer Todd Fincher, Peacock did forge a racing license agreement just before the race on Friday with Saudi businessman Sharaf Mohammed S. Al-Hariri.

Peacock says that the terms pertain only to Senor Buscador's time in the Middle East and have nothing to do with breeding rights. The arrangement includes competing in the Saudi Cup and then the opportunity to run in next month's G1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse.

In exchange for an undisclosed amount, but one which Peacock confirmed was significant, Al-Hariri's stake is strictly based on the horse's winnings.

The other portion of the deal gave Al-Harari the right to have his silks borne by jockey Junior Alvarado in both races.

“I started to receive all kinds of offers for Buscador when we were invited to go to the Saudi Cup,” the owner explained. “The answer was always 'no thank you' but I understood how important it was to them over there to have their silks in the race, so I thought from a business standpoint, it would be good to mitigate our own risks, hedge our bets, and offer a short-term lease.

Owner Joe Peacock Jr. | Horsephotos

“I think Sharaf took a gamble, a major risk, and I applaud him for that effort. I am happy that it worked out for him.”

After the 6-year-old won on Saturday in Riyadh, there was confusion over why Peacock and his contingent were not allowed to take part in the official trophy presentation.

The owner and his supporters were denied access by the Royal Guard to the area where the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, conducted the ceremony. Al-Hariri instead received the Saudi Cup trophy.

“I was very disappointed,” admitted Peacock. “I told them I owned the horse, but it wasn't until later that they brought the trophies to us during the press conference. That is the way it goes.”

When asked about the news stories put out by the press in Saudi Arabia, he said, “I'm really over it and not going to spend time thinking about it because I know who we are and what it took to get our horse into this position.”

As of Monday morning, Senor Buscador arrived safe and sound in Dubai after he was joined by a contingent of other Saudi Cup card participants for the two-hour flight. The logistics were organized shortly after the invitation to come to Saudi Arabia was extended, according to Peacock.

Over the next month, Senor Buscador will be housed at Meydan with Fincher assistant Oscar Rojero, who traveled with the horse to Saudi Arabia. Regular workouts will take place, with Fincher making all of the decisions concerning the tab–just as he always does–added the owner.

Dubai World Cup Night is scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 30 with Senor Buscador attempting to become the first dual winner of the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup.

Hi, SENOR BUSCADOR!

⁦@thesaudicup⁩ winner has arrived in #Dubai! We can't wait to see him at #DWC24 pic.twitter.com/N34FGzgtRY

— Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai) February 26, 2024

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And why not?

The 6-year-old admittedly had a bit to find on form with each of his four fellow American participants, but it wasn't as if he'd been dreadful in defeat in those efforts. Not when a running-on seventh behind White Abarrio (Race Day) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Not when runner-up to loose-on-the-lead Hoist the Gold (Mineshaft) in the GII Cigar Mile H., and certainly not in the Pegasus. He drew a nice gate in four at Wednesday's post position draw and, on paper at least, the Saudi Cup race flow seemed to favor horses capable of switching off early and saving their best for a final-furlong flurry. The pace got hot, as predicted, and Senor Buscador–who was racing over the 13th different racetrack in the 18th start of his career–took full advantage, running down reigning G1 Dubai World Cup hero Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) and a brave pacesetter in the form of the locally owned Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming), capping a brilliant and often-thrilling evening of racing in the Saudi capital.

Senor Buscador, who carried the silks of local owner Sharaf Mohammed Al Hariri in a deal brokered with joint-owner Joe Peacock, Jr. in time for this race, was allowed to find his stride and raced in the company of the slow-starting Ushba Tesoro at the back of the field, as Saudi Crown showed the way and was kept honest by National Treasure, Hoist the Gold and King's Cup winner Power in Numbers (Girvin) deep on the track. White Abarrio, making his first start since defeating Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) at Santa Anita, was well-spotted behind the leaders and just to the outside of the UAE galloper Isolate (Mark Valeski).

From a virtual standing start, the first 400 meters were posted in :23.80 and the 800-meter split of :46.01 would have had the back markers licking their lips. Saudi Crown took the field into the turn and looked to be going much better than National Treasure, who was now vigorously ridden by Flavien Prat, and in the meantime, Ushba Tesoro had gotten the jump on Senor Buscador entering the final three furlongs. Having survived the the pace battle, it was time to win the war, and Saudi Crown went for home, but Ushba Tesoro and Senor Buscador were beginning to do their best work and began to chip away at the deficit. Saudi Crown held the call deep into the final 100 meters, and Ushba Tesoro speared through looking the winner, but Junior Alvarado conjured up one final surge from Senor Buscador, a move that failed at Gulfstream four weeks ago, but one that was worth $10 million this time around.

The final time of 1:49.50 established a new stakes record, just betting the mark of 1:49.59 set by Mishriff (GB) (Make Believe {GB}) in 2021.

“We got a bit unlucky the last two races on the track, very fast with speed horses, and I never like to change the style of horses,” said Alvarado. “I always had faith in the horse and we just needed, not even luck, just a fair track and I knew we would get that today. I'm very happy, very grateful for opportunities that come along.”

Added co-owner and breeder Joe Peacock, Jr.: “The one-turn mile and eighth [1800m] was right up his alley and a track that played fair. We can make excuses for him, he puts himself in that position getting dirt in his face but he sure tries to overcome it every time.

“A couple of weeks before the Pegasus we thought of The Saudi Cup. I was so adamant he would prove himself and he has. This ranks up there. This was big. We were excited about the opportunity. We felt the horse deserved the opportunity. It's amazing.”

Winning conditioner Todd Fincher indicated this year's World Cup about 600 miles of desert to the east in 35 days would be next, but that they will 'leave it up to the horse.'

White Abarrio failed to capitalize on his good trip and weakened out to finish 11th.

“Beautiful trip,” was the succinct post-mortem from Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Fincher's Crowning Moment

According to a story from the TDN's J. N. Campbell, Todd Fincher was born to a family of horsepeople in Denver, Colorado, and became a jockey, amassing better than $2 million in earnings. But he outgrew the saddle by 1997 and took out his training license in the following year–according to Equibase statistics, his runners earned $18,199 that year and about $700,000 over the next four seasons, but the fire had been lit.

Since 2009, the New Mexico-based outfit has never earned less than $1.4 million, and with the likes of Senor Buscador's GIII Sunland Park Derby-winning half-brother Runaway Ghost (Ghostzapper)–now a stallion in New Mexico–and Slammed (Marking) representing the stable in recent years, posted earnings north of $5.5 million in 2023. That topped his previous best of $4.5 million from 2022, when both Slammed and Senor Buscador competed in the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland.

And now–a $10-million payday thousands of miles from the Land of Enchantment.

“I'm about to cry, it's amazing,” Fincher said. “He never got the credit he deserved and he finally got to show it today. I didn't believe it, as something always happens to him in every race. He always has 10 or 11 horses to weave in and out of. We know he was going to run good, we just had to hope for the right set up. It's awesome.

“From New Mexico, we don't have the quality of horses very often but the stable is getting better now and they treated us great over here. I'm very excited about the opportunity and getting it done is unbelievable.”

Pedigree Notes:

At the age of 25, Lane's End's Mineshaft was being represented by his eighth Grade I winner, while Senor Buscador is the first elite-level scorer for Desert God (Fappiano), a son of Blush With Pride (Blushing Groom {Fr}), making him a half-brother to four stakes winners, including Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour (Deputy Minister). A mating between Mineshaft's late, great sire A.P. Indy and Better Than Honour resulted in GI Belmont S. winner Rags To Riches and her GII Peter Pan S.-winning and Group 1-placed close relative Casino Drive was also by Mineshaft.

Senor Buscador is the most accomplished foal from his remarkable dam, trained by Fincher for Joe Peacock, Sr. to no fewer than seven stakes wins at Sunland and Zia Park.

Rose's Desert is also the dam of the 3-year-old filly Aye Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}), victorious in her lone racetrack appearance at Zia Park last November, the 2-year-old filly Rose A (Hard Spun) and the yearling colt The Hell We Did (Authentic). She most recently visited the latter's sire Into Mischief.

What They're Saying

Yuga Kawada, jockey, Ushba Tesoro, second: “He was in good form and travelled nicely. He showed his run. The only thing he didn't do is win.”

Florent Geroux, Saudi Crown, third: “It was very comfortable up front, I was surprised. It was too far for him. He ran a big race. Obviously, he ran too hard to get beat. He did all the dirty work and I just got caught in the last 100m. Beautiful race.”

Flavien Prat, National Treasure, fourth: “I had a good trip and I thought he ran a good race. I was not travelling as well as last time. I think he ran hard last time, but still I'm very proud of him.”

Christophe Lemaire, Derma Sotogake, fifth: “With this number in the stalls, the horse didn't leave that quick. I could get a position on the inside and didn't lose any ground and the horse made good progress. I was at the back of the leaders in the final straight and I thought I could come with a big run to win, but this was a reappearance and he just couldn't finish it.”

Joel Rosario, Isolate, sixth: “Very good, he was in a good spot but he got a little tired in the end.”

Luis Saez, Defunded, seventh: “Broke well, he was in the right spot, but no horse to finish.”

Joao Moreira, Crown Pride, ninth: “He travelled very nice the first half of the race and all of a sudden he came off and he kept running, but he didn't bring his A-game.”

Camilo Ospina, Carmel Road, 11th: “He was wide from gate 14 but it was a very tough race.”

Adel Alfouraidi, Power In Numbers, 13th: “Very hard for him.”

John Velazquez, Hoist The Gold, 14th: “He broke well, but he didn't show up today.”

Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia
SAUDI CUP-G1, $20,000,000, King Abdulaziz, 2-24, NH4yo/up, SH3yo/up, 1800m, 1:49.50, ft.
1–SENOR BUSCADOR, 126, h, 6, by Mineshaft
1st Dam: Rose's Desert (MSW, $626,035), by Desert God
2nd Dam: Miss Glen Rose, by Peaks and Valleys
3rd Dam: Snippet, by Alysheba
O-Sharaf Mohammed Al Hariri & Joe R Peacock Jr; B-Joe Peacock Sr & Joe Peacock Jr (KY); T-Todd W Fincher; J-Junior Alvarado; $10,000,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW & MGISP-US, 18-7-2-2, $11,496,427. *1/2 to Runaway Ghost (Ghostzapper), GSW, $783,509; Sheriff Brown (Curlin), MSW, $603,681; and Our Iris Rose (Ghostzapper), SW, $307,880. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Ushba Tesoro (Jpn), 126, h, 7, Orfevre (Jpn)–Millefeui Attach (Jpn), by King Kamehameha (Jpn). (¥25,000,000 Wlg '17 JRHAJUL). O-Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Co Ltd; B-Chiyoda Farm Shizunai; T-Noburu Takagi; J-Yuga Kawada; $3,500,000.
3–Saudi Crown, 126, h, 4, Always Dreaming–New Narration, by Tapit. ($45,000 Ylg '21 KEEJAN; $240,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-FMQ Stables; B-CHC Inc (KY); T-Brad Cox; J-Florent Geroux; $2,000,000.
Margins: HD, 3/4, 3/4.
Also Ran: National Treasure, Derma Sotogake (Jpn), Isolate, Defunded, Scotland Yard, Crown Pride (Jpn), White Abarrio, Carmel Road, Lemon Pop, Power in Numbers, Hoist the Gold.
Click for the JCSA chart (R9).

A moment @JuniorandKellyA will never forget! #TheSaudiCup | #サウジカップ pic.twitter.com/ewZpsjBgnj

— The Saudi Cup (@thesaudicup) February 24, 2024

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“It went just the way Todd and I wanted,” said Alvarado. “He went out there and stretched his legs. We wanted to keep him happy. He went around the track very happy, enjoying his workout and gallop out on his own.”

Work of the Day from @GulfstreamPark—Senor Buscador worked 4 Furlongs in 50.14 on February 11th, 2024, for trainer @ToddFincher. pic.twitter.com/85OJ3UwecC

— XBTV (@WatchXBTV) February 11, 2024

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An average daily handle of $830,371 was up 72% from the 48-date meet in 2022 to set a new track record and was the highest daily handle recorded by a racetrack in the state of New Mexico since 2010. Live handle was up an equally impressive 47% from 2022. Five of the tracks ten all-time highest daily handles were recorded in 2023, all coming in the last 15 days of the meet.

Purses were a big reason in driving the average Thoroughbred field size to nearly nine horses per race (8.91) versus last year's 7.45 per race figure. Average daily overnight purses totaled $344,067, both a track and New Mexico record. Total average daily purses, including stakes, was $432,767.

Racing safety also set records with only two racing catastrophic injuries the entire meet resulting in a rate of 0.74 per 1000 starters–the lowest ever recorded for Zia Park and nearly 50% lower than the national average for dirt races as published by The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database. There was one catastrophic injury during training which began Oct. 1.

“From all metrics the meet was a great success–records set for wagering, purses and in safety as well,” said Lauren Barrows, Vice President and General Manager. “We thank all our guests, horsemen and racing participants and team members for having a part in delivering those impressive numbers.”

Todd Fincher won his third straight training title, while jockey Luis Fuentes secured his second straight leading rider title. The leading Thoroughbred owners were J. Kirk and Judy Robison.

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Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) won last month's GII San Diego H., the local prep for the Pacific Classic. Todd Fincher is not afraid to put the 5-year-old homebred owned by Joey Peacock in after he rewarded the New Mexico-based trainer with the second Grade II stakes win of his career. Senor Buscador worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 (6/38) at Del Mar Thursday morning.

“It's a Grade I and that's kind of important for a stallion prospect,” said Fincher. “With the right circumstances, he can definitely run with them.”

Another potential starter is Tripoli (Kitten's Joy), winner of the Pacific Classic in 2021. The nearly $1-million earner is looking to get back on track after finishing fifth for trainer John Sadler in the San Diego H.

Skinner (Curlin) is the third 3-year-old to jump on board for the Classic. The John Shirreffs trainee was last seen running second in the Los Alamitos Derby July 8 after finishing third in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby back in April. The bay colt's most recent work came last Saturday when he went seven furlongs in 1:26.40 at Del Mar (1/2).

“We have another work to go,” Shirreffs says. “Then we'll decide if we're going to go.”

One other addition is Call Me Fast (Dialed In) from the Michael Puhich barn. The dark bay gelding joins Defunded (Dialed In), Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo), Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}), Order and Law (Violence), Slow Down Andy (Nyquist) and Stilleto Boy (Shackleford), who are already potential starters.

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“We definitely are going to supplement for the Sprint,” trainer and co-owner Eric Kruljac said Sunday. “Especially since it's at Santa Anita this year. We'll possibly look for a prep. Long range, you look at your options, but with horses it's a day-to-day thing with their health and such.”

The Bing Crosby was The Chosen Vron's eighth straight victory and first Grade I tally.

“He's perfect this morning,” Kruljac said. “He's a survivor. He had a lot left at the wire. He could have gone another quarter, I think. Watching the replays, he looked the strongest. I think he could be a miler.”

A next start has not yet been determined for Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), who gave trainer Todd Fincher his first stakes victory at Del Mar with his upset score in the GII San Diego H. Saturday.

He's tired,” Fincher said of the 5-year-old. “He ran hard.”

Of his first Del Mar stakes win, Fincher said, “It's great. I mean to win a Grade II at Del Mar is pretty high on your list. It's nice.”

Fincher did not commit to a next start for his charge.

“We don't know,” he said. “We'll either go seven furlongs or the mile and a quarter; we just haven't decided.”

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