by J.N. Campbell
If you didn't know the name of New Mexico's Todd Fincher, you do now. The past few weeks solidified it. “My phone's just blown up,” he admitted.
In the GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. at Keeneland on Oct. 8, the trainer's 4-year-old filly Slammed (Marking) set the pace early. Never looking back, she torched a solid field by more than a half dozen lengths. Once supplemented for $200,000, she will race on the same track in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 5.
That was Fincher's second trip to the heart of the Bluegrass, and his first victory at Keeneland. It gave him a pair of tickets to next month's international event. His 4-year-old colt, Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), won the GIII Ack Ack S. at Churchill Downs on Oct. 1, and will compete on the same day as his filly in the GI Breeders' Cup Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile.
But there is more to this story.
Flash back to 2013, when Fincher was facing a predicament. Two of his top mares were headed for the same race. There wasn't any way around it; he had to enter both. Keeping them apart had worked until then, but time had run out.
The elder was the short-priced favorite, Rose's Desert (Desert God), then a 5-year-old mare owned by Joe Peacock Sr. She would face her stablemate, Barbara Coleman's 4-year-old filly Hennesey Smash (Roll Hennesey Roll) in the Peppers Pride H. at Sunland Park.
Fincher said he had no idea how it was going to shake out, except that, he said, “It was going to be a showdown.” He was right.
From the bell, Hennesey Smash snatched the lead, forcing Rose's Desert to fan to the outside before the first call. Down the backstretch, Fincher's younger entry clung to the rail in control, but it looked like her more experienced rival was gaining. By the top of the lane, though, it was clear that Coleman's mare had much more left in the tank. The upset was on, all the way to the wire.
Ironically, Slammed and Senor Buscador are out of Hennesey Smash (MSW, $252,006, winner of seven of her eight career starts) and Rose's Desert (MSW, $626,035, winner of 10 of her 15 career starts), respectively. Maybe it's more prophetic. Since he took out his trainer's license 25 years ago, it's one of those full-circle moments, as both dams are connected to his Breeders' Cup berths.
Fincher was born in Denver, Colorado to a family of horsemen. They moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1985.
“I weighed 100 lbs. and was about 5'1″ in middle school,” Fincher said with a chuckle. After he graduated from high school, he became a professional jockey in his home state, amassing $2,138,839 in earnings over some 4,100 starts. He got too big for the saddle by 1997, and the following year, he turned to training.
Despite a stellar record in New Mexico, Fincher surprised some people by ending up this October in the winner's circle with Senor Buscador and Slammed. The conditioner's success wasn't happenstance; instead, it was built on breaking and building up young runners to race. What Fincher calls, “my program,” which doesn't include claiming, is based 100% on patience. It isn't easy.
“The approach I have is slow and methodical and to let the horses dictate everything because they'll tell you when it's time,” he said.
With a crack staff, he helps choose those yearlings and 2-year-olds for his trusted clients, and then trains many of them to use early speed to an overwhelming effect. If owners decide to transfer to another barn to run elsewhere, Fincher takes pride that they were given a firm foundation.
A recent case in point, Smash Ticket (Midnight Lute), who is owned partly by Coleman, was moved to Rob Atras's barn over the summer. The half-sister to Slammed recently won the Weather Vane S. at Pimlico. Fincher said he was pleased.
“The right choices early in a horse's career mean everything, as far as I am concerned, so we start them out on the right foot,” he explained.
Managing equine form during training also requires a steady dose of forbearance. Back in early 2021, when Senor Buscador sustained an injury along the Derby trail after the GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds, Fincher and owner Joey Peacock Jr., did everything in their power to give the budding star a chance to recuperate.
“There was nothing easy about that time up until this past summer, and it was supremely frustrating to see him have a couple of major setbacks, but he is the best he can be, right now.”
Fincher continues to forge strong bonds with clients. After the GIII Rancho Bernardo H. at Del Mar in August, he sold his share in Slammed to Barbara Coleman.
“She and her husband, who has now passed, sent me a number of really good horses over the years, and me and Brad King bought Hennesey Smash from her when she got out of the breeding and racing business, so it was the right thing to do,” Fincher said.
He might have missed out on the filly's future earnings, but he said he doesn't see it that way.
“I'm a trainer,” he said. “I have to pay the bills, so ownership isn't at the forefront of my mind.”
What is on Fincher's mind? Getting his filly and colt ready for the biggest races of their lives, and probably his own. As for Rose's Desert, she is currently in-foal to Authentic, while Hennesey Smash visited City of Light. The next generation of New Mexico-breds are coming.
In the meantime, another showdown looms. Luckily for Todd Fincher, Slammed and Senor Buscador don't have to race one another.
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