Tag: todd fincher

Pacific Classic’s Potential Field Grows To 10

The list of potential runners for Del Mar's 33rd running of the G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic Sept. 2 has grown to 10, so far.

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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The Chosen Vron Expected to Be Supplemented to Breeders’ Cup

The Chosen Vron (Vronsky) earned a free entry into the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint with his victory in the GI Bing Crosby S. Saturday at Del Mar, but the 5-year-old gelding is not nominated to the Breeders' Cup and will need to be supplemented for $100,000 to make it into championship weekend.

“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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Senor Buscador Upsets San Diego

If there is a will, there is a way, and the 'Senor' found a way. Senor Buscador mowed down rivals late in the GII San Diego H. to pick up the second Graded stakes victory of his career at 13-1 odds.

Starting his 2023 season with a dominating score in Sunland's Curribot H. Mar. 5, he ran fourth in a salty rendition of the GII Oaklawn H., and could not overcome early crowding in the GI Hollywood Gold Cup, finishing fifth behind returning foe Defunded (Dialed In) and GISW & G1SW Country Grammar (Tonalist).

Last after the jump and in the rear of the field for the lion's portion of the contest, Senor Buscador was perfectly content to watch it all unfold as Brickyard Ride and Slow Down Andy dueled for the pace control. Off the rail into the leading bend and five wide around the second as runners closed ranks, he was rolling under a full head of steam as he arrived in the lane in fourth but quickly closing the gap. Drawing alongside a leg-weary Brickyard Ride, who was about to be overtaken by Slow Down Andy, the winner continued his relentless grind to eventually prevail by 1 1/4 lengths.

After the race, both rider and trainer–who picked up their first stakes win of the meet here–were thrilled with the effort, and echoed similar sentiments about the horse's propensity to leave the blocks on the slower side.

“I told him [jockey Geovanni Franco] to just let the horse do his thing, don't panic and start riding early,” said Fincher after the race. “He's got one strong kick. He'll start picking them up at the half-mile pole on his own. Wait as long as you can, then push the button. He'll never do anything but fall back out of the gate, so we needed a good set-up.”

Hailing from a very busy family, a half-brother to a Graded stakes winner and two listed winners, Senor Buscador is out of New Mexican icon Rose's Desert, who made her name dominating that circuit. The 10-time winning racemare found similar acclaim as a producer, and has several young offspring in the wings including 2-year-old filly Aye Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}); a yearling Rose A (Hard Spun); and 2023 colt The Hell We Did (Authentic). That dam visited the venerable Into Mischief for 2024. This is the extended family of GSP Shaker Knit as well as a host of successful Argentinian black-type earners.

 

Saturday, Del Mar
SAN DIEGO H.-GII, $302,000, Del Mar, 7-29, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:42.54, ft.
1–SENOR BUSCADOR, 119, h, 5, 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-Peacock Family Holdings LP; B-Joe R Peacock Sr. & Joe R Peacock Jr. (KY); T-Todd W. Fincher; J-Geovanni Franco. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 12-6-0-1, $667,427. *1/2 to Sheriff Brown (Curlin), MSW, $558,681; 1/2 to Our Iris Rose (Ghostzapper), SW, $307,880; 1/2 to Runaway Ghost (Ghostzapper), GSW, $783,509. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Slow Down Andy, 122, c, 4, Nyquist–Edwina E, by Square Eddie. O/B-Reddam Racing, LLC (CA); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $60,000.
3–Brickyard Ride, 120, h, 6, Clubhouse Ride–Brickyard Helen, by Southern Image. O/B-Alfred A. Pais (CA); T-Craig Anthony Lewis. $36,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 3/4, HF. Odds: 13.50, 3.90, 14.20.
Also Ran: Defunded, Tripoli, Royal Ship (Brz), Missed the Cut, American Admiral, Tisquantum. Scratched: Piroli.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Hometown Hero Wild On Ice Stuns In Sunland Derby

Once a year, a small track in New Mexico plays host to some big names as everyone chases points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby in the GIII Sunland Park Derby. While Tim Yakteen scratched his transfer in Fort Bragg (Tapit) Saturday, the field still included Bob Baffert's Hard to Figure (Hard Spun) and Steve Asmussen's How Did He Do That (Good Magic), as well as local Mine That Derby winner Henry Q (Blame). But for all the big connections, it was the longest shot on the board that took home the prize –Texas-bred Wild On Ice (Tapizar) at 35-1.

After a brief gate delay caused by One in Vermillion (Army Mule), the speed took off with top choices Hard to Figure and Henry Q taking it to one another from the opening strides. Wild On Ice was three wide with that pair into the first turn but wisely took back under jockey Ken Tohill to race with Low Expectations (Nyquist) in the second flight. The first quarter blitzed by in :20.58 but the top four stayed compact with two rivals distanced out the back.

Kept outside in the clear the whole way, Wild On Ice stayed right off the favorite's flank into the far turn and pounced as the speed began to fade with a quarter to run. Low Expectations kept him honest to the line but Wild On Ice was clearly best to win going away. The gelding, who is not currently nominated to the Triple Crown, picked up 50 points for his effort.

Pedigree Notes:

GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Tapizar, who we tragically lost in 2020, is best known for siring dual Eclipse champion Monomoy Girl. Wild On Ice becomes the 7th individual graded-stakes winners for his sire who has one more crop of 2-year-olds to race. Dam Slamitagain, herself a half-sister to the dam of MGSP Pioppo (Brz), has now produced three winners from as many foals. This is also the family of GI Florida Derby and GI Fountain of Youth hero Vicar (Wild Again) as well as French Two Thousand Guineas winner Astronomer Royal (Danzig).

Sunday, Sunland Park
SUNLAND PARK DERBY-GIII, $600,000, Sunland, 3-26, 3yo,
1 1/8m, 1:51.39, ft.
1–WILD ON ICE, 122, g, 3, by Tapizar
          1st Dam: Slamitagain, by Grand Slam
          2nd Dam: Oonagh, by Wild Again
          3rd Dam: Escrow Agent, by El Gran Senor
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Frank
Sumpter (TX); T-Joel H. Marr; J-Ken S. Tohill. $356,400.
Lifetime Record: SP, 5-3-0-1, $405,400. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Low Expectations, 122, g, 3, Nyquist–Eloquent Tribute, by
Tapit. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($192,000
Ylg '21 FTKOCT; $17,000 RNA 2yo '22 OBSOPN). O-Reddam
Racing LLC; B-Mount Riga Bloodstock (KY); T-Antonio C. Garcia.
$130,680.
3–Henry Q, 122, c, 3, Blame–Lunar Empress, by Malibu Moon.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($125,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-The
Del Mar Group; B-Fred W. Hertrich lll & John D. Fielding (KY);
T-Todd W. Fincher. $59,400.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2HF, 6 3/4. Odds: 35.40, 21.00, 1.60.
Also Ran: How Did He Do That, One in Vermillion,
Hard to Figure. Scratched: Fort Bragg.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs.
VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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