Senor Buscador

Senor Buscador
Senor Buscador before the 2023 Pacific Classic
Breed	Thoroughbred
Sire	Mineshaft
Grandsire	A.P. Indy
Dam	Rose's Desert
Damsire	Desert God
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	May 6, 2018 Kentucky
Color	Bay
Breeder	Joe R Peacock Sr. & Joe R Peacock Jr.
Owner	Joe R. Peacock Jr.
Trainer	Todd W Fincher
Record	20: 7 - 2 - 3
Earnings	US$12,941,427
Major wins
Remington Springboard Mile Stakes (2020) Ack Ack Stakes (2022) San Diego Handicap (2023) Saudi Cup (2024)
Last updated on November 3, 2024

Señor Buscador (foaled May 6, 2018) is an American thoroughbred racehorse most famous for winning the Saudi Cup. He has competed at 13 different racetracks starting with Remington Park in Oklahoma and going as far as Saudi Arabia and Dubai. His name is an homage to his lineage as it roughly translates to Mr. Prospector.

Background

Señor Buscador is sired by 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft. A successful racehorse and stallion whose dam Prospectors Delite was sired by Mr.Prospector whom Señor Buscador gets his name. His dam is Rose's Desert a New Mexico bred who won 10 of 15 races primarily against other New Mexico breds although her career was cut short due to ankle problems. She was bred and owned by Joe Peacock Sr and was the first of Peacock's horses to be trained by Todd Fincher. Joe Peacock Sr had also bred and owned Rose's Desert's dam Miss Glen Rose who was one of the first horses he bred. He acquired her dam Snippet from a dispersal sale for $9,500 and the third horse he bred from the mare was Miss Glen Rose. Making Señor Buscador a third-generation homebred for the Peacock family. all 5 horses Rose's Desert produced were bred by Joe Peacock Sr and trained by Todd Fincher.

Joe Peacock Sr started his career owning Quarter Horses in the 1960s but started breeding Thoroughbreds in 1997. Todd Fincher was once a Quarter horse jockey winning races such as the Ruidoso Futurity before conflicts with weight forced him to switch to being a horse trainer.

They had found success in her previous foals with the highlights being Sheriff Brown and Runaway Ghost both stakes winners in New Mexico who earned more than half a million dollars each. Runaway Ghost being their first thoroughbred to win a graded stakes when he took the G3 Sunland Derby. Señor Buscador was the final horse bred by Joe Peacock Sr before he passed away at the age of 88, He bred the horse along with his son Joe Peacock Jr.

Racing career

Two-year-old season

Both of Señor Buscador's two starts as a two-year-old were run at Remington Park. Their original plan had been to run him at Sunland Park where Todd Fincher and the Peacock family were based, but due to the COVID pandemic Sunland Park was closed. So they shipped him to Remington Park, where his first start came on November 6, 2020, in a 5 1/2 furlong Maiden Special Weight.

He had a slow beginning, being 10 lengths behind the leading horse, but he rallied and won the race by 2 1/2 lengths. One month later, he ended his two-year-old-year unbeaten with a stakes victory in the Remington Springboard Mile in another last-to-first performance but this time from even further back, being 12 1/4 lengths behind at the start and crossing the finish line 5 3/4 lengths clear of his nearest opponent. The race would have awarded 10 Kentucky Derby points to the winner; however, Señor Buscador did not earn points because he was on Lasix.

Three-year-old season

After winning the Springboard Mile, the plan was to take him to The Fairgrounds as a 3-year-old and run him Lasix-free to get him into the Kentucky Derby. But in the Risen Star Stakes, he was sent wide throughout and couldn't muster the late kick that got him first in his previous two races and he finished fifth, just out of range to acquire Kentucky Derby points. His next race was going to be the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park, but his 3-year-old campaign was cut short by a suspensory injury to his right front leg. This took him out of the Kentucky Derby so he was rested for what was expected to be a summer campaign. He was almost ready to return to racing, but he injured his hock in a stall accident, making it so he could barely walk for several months. These injuries kept him off the racetrack for 15 months before he returned in an allowance race at Lone Star Park on July 3, 2021, as a 4-year-old.

Four-year-old season

Despite a long layoff, Señor Buscador won his first race back at Lone Star Park, starting in fifth and winning by 2 lengths. Later that month, he travelled to Del Mar racetrack for the San Diego Handicap. He started slowly and never threatened, finishing eighth in a nine-horse field, 9 3/4 lengths behind winner Royal Ship. He improved in his next start, the Pat O'Brien, but was strung 7 wide into the far turn and was a distant third. His third start that season was at Churchill Downs for the Ack Ack Stakes. He came from behind a very fast early pace, being sixth early and making up ground on the outside to be second at the top of the stretch. There he faced a serious challenge from Injunction to his inside, but he held him off to win by 1 1/4 lengths. This was his first graded stakes victory and put him on equal footing with his older half brother, Runaway Ghost. It was the second graded stakes victory for Joe Peacock Sr and trainer Todd Fincher.

Their final race of the year was his Grade 1 debut in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. The Ack Ack Stakes is a part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series, giving Señor Buscador an automatic paid berth into the race. He broke slowest of the 9 contenders and stayed wide and near the back of the pack the whole way and finished eighth, 13 1/2 lengths behind Cody's Wish.

Five-year-old season

With no injuries, his 5-year-old season was his first full campaign. It began at Sunland Park in the Curibot Handicap, where he was the overwhelming favorite at odds of 1–9. The distant second choice was his older half-brother Sheriff Brown, who was also coming off a win two starts back and an underwhelming effort on Breeders’ Cup day. Señor Buscador was unhurried early, being ahead of only Sheriff Brown in the first quarter of a mile. Señor Buscador preferred a fast pace to close into, but in the Curibot Handicap, Limonite took the lead immediately and set a very slow pace, running the first quarter in 25.52 and the half in 49.67. Despite this, Señor Buscador caught up to him at the top of the stretch and hooked up briefly before pulling away to win by four lengths.

His next two races were the Oaklawn Handicap and the Hollywood Gold Cup with both having similar results. He was pinched at the start, forcing him to trail the field early. By the time he caught up, he went wide into the far turn and flattened out, finishing fourth in the Oaklawn Handicap and fifth in the Hollywood Gold Cup.

Two months later, he tried for a second time to win the San Diego Handicap. He dropped as far back as 11 1/2 lengths behind the leaders early and benefited greatly from a fast pace set by Brickyard Ride, a sprinter who was attempting to stretch out in distance. When Brickyard Ride faded, Slow Down Andy took the lead for a moment, but Señor Buscador was travelling the best and flew past all of them to win by 1 1/4 in his second graded stakes victory and his first Grade 2. One month later, he was back at Del Mar to run in the Pacific Classic, where he trailed as usual and was given a fast pace to close into by Arabian Knight but went six wide into the far turn and only rallied fast enough to finish fourth. He did better in the Awesome Again, getting his first grade 1 on a sloppy racetrack. This was his final prep before he raced in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, his second participation in a Breeders’ Cup race, and was seventh.

His final start of the year was the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct Racetrack, making it his 10th racetrack in 16 starts. It was the first time since his win in the Ack Ack Stakes that he ran a one-turn race. It resulted in a second-place finish, despite going wider than he had ever before, going eight wide and unable to catch the runaway leader, Hoist The Gold, who had opened up five lengths at the top of the stretch.

Six-year-old season

Señor Buscador arrived early for the 2024 Pegasus World Cup. While his connections were confident that he could run well, there was some concern on if he could make enough ground at Gulfstream Park, a racetrack that has a reputation for favouring speed horses and not closers. Despite this, Señor Buscador rallied from 12 1/2 lengths off the pace while staying on the rail until the top of the stretch, saving ground. He passed the exhausted Hoist The Gold to take second, but when he went up to challenge the leader, National Treasure, he was held off in deep stretch by a neck. It was considered one of his best performances of his career and shortly after the race he was given an invitation to the 2024 Saudi Cup, the richest horse race in the world

The Friday before the Saudi Cup, a minority interest lease was bought into the horse by Sharaf Mohammed S. Al-Hariri that was intended to last through the horse’s time in the Middle East and only included the earnings he acquired during his time racing and did not include breeding rights On race day, he was considered an outsider at 13-1 with the 6-5 favorite being another American horse, White Abarrio, who had defeated Señor Buscador by 5 1/4 lengths in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Other horses that had finished ahead of Señor Buscador were back for the Saudi Cup, including 2023 Dubai World Cup winner Ushba Tesoro, 2023 UAE Derby winner Derma Sotogake, and the horse who beat him in his previous start, National Treasure. Señor Buscador, as expected, started the race in last place.

The race was under a very fast pace by Saudi Crown and National Treasure, who stalked in second place. With 300 yards to go, Señor Buscador still had most of the field to pass. He and Ushba Tesoro were both flying from the back of the pack, but Ushba Tesoro was ahead of Señor Buscador. With 50 yards to go, Señor Buscador was fourth and Ushba Tesoro was second with Saudi Crown still in front. Ushba Tesoro surged past Saudi Crown and took the lead for a brief moment, but to his outside was Señor Buscador, who was now traveling the fastest. In the final strides, Señor Buscador had his head in front right on the finish line, winning the Saudi Cup by the smallest margin in the race’s history. It was also the fastest Saudi Cup ever run, setting a stakes record time of 1:49.50.

It was the first Grade 1 win for the horse, trainer, and owner as well as their first victory outside of America. Trainer Fincher was quoted after the race, "I'm about to cry, It's amazing. He's never got the credit he deserves, I'm so proud of the horse. I didn't believe, something always happens to him. He always runs good and hard. We knew he'd run good, we had to hope for the right set-up and we got it.”

His next race was the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse with hopes of becoming the first horse to win both the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup, the first and second richest dirt races in the world. He had a rematch with Ushba Tesoro, who had won the race the previous year. But the race was stolen on the lead by a local horse named Laurel River, who ran at his own pace and was impossible. At the wire, he won by 8 1/2 lengths with Ushba Tesoro passing Señor Buscador on the outside to claim a distant second-place finish while Señor Buscador finished third.

Pedigree

Pedigree of Senor Buscador

Sire Mineshaft dk.b. 1999	A.P. Indy dk.b. 1989	Seattle Slew	Bold Reasoning
			My Charmer
		Weekend Surprise	Secretariat
			Lassie Dear
	Prospectors Delite ch. 1989	Mr. Prospector	Raise a Native
			Gold Digger
		Up the Flagpole	Hoist the Flag
			The Garden Club
Dam Rose's Desert dk.b. 2008	Desert God b. 1991	Fappiano	Mr. Prospector
			Killaloe
		Blush With Pride	Blushing Groom
			Best in Show
	Miss Glen Rose	Peaks and Valleys	Mt. Livermore
			Strike a Balance
		Snippet	Alysheba
			Pert

• Señor Buscador is inbred 3x4 to Mr. Prospector as well as 4x5 to Blushing Groom, meaning both horses' names appear twice on a five generation pedigree.