Senor Buscador

Senor 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
Senor 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 Senor 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 Senor 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. Senor 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.

Two-year-old season
Both of Senor 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 very first start came on November 6, 2020. They wanted to run him longer but they were forced to settle for a 5 1/2 furlong Maiden Special Weight.

He had a slow beginning at one point being 10 lengths behind the leading horse but he would go on to win the race by 2 1/2 lengths. This would be the first time he'd show off his trademark strategy of detaching himself from the rest of the field and closing late to try and pass everyone.

Only one month later and he would end 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 but crossing the finish line 5 3/4 lengths clear of his nearest opponent. The race would've awarded 10 Kentucky Derby points to the winner however, Senor Buscador did not earn points for the race because he was on Lasix.

Three-year-old season
After winning the Springboard Mile the plan was to take him down 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 same 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 would take 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 himself again, this time injuring 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 finally returning 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, he won his first race back at Lone Star Park starting in fifth but only getting stronger throughout to win by 2 lengths. Later that same 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 and finishing 9 3/4 lengths behind the 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 place. His third start would be at Churchill Downs for the Ack Ack Stakes. He was able to come from behind on a very fast early pace being sixth early on but making ground on the outside and being second at the top of the stretch. There he faced a serious challenge from Injunction to his inside but he was able to successfully hold 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 would be his Grade 1 debut in the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile. The Ack Ack stakes is a part of the Breeders Cup Challenge series giving Senor Buscador an automatic paid birth into the race. He broke the 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 would be 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 holder half-brother Sheriff Brown who was also coming off a win two starts back and an underwhelming effort on Breeders Cup day. Senor Buscador was unhurried early on only being ahead of Sheriff Brown in the first quarter of a mile. Senor Buscador preferred a fast pace to close into but in the Curibot Handicap Limonite took the lead immediately and made a very slow pace. Running the first quarter in 25.52 and the half in 49.67. Despite this Senor 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 out at the start forcing him to trail the field early on. By the time he caught up he was forced to go 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 brief moment but Senor 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 and 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 he went six wide into the far turn and only rallied fast enough to finish fourth. He did one better in the Awesome Again getting his first grade 1 showing when he navigated in and out of horses on a sloppy racetrack. This would be his final prep before he raced in the Breeders Cup Classic his second participation in a Breeders Cup race. The best he could do was seventh place.

His final start of the year would be 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 was going to run a one-turn race. It resulted in a second-place finish, despite going wider than he had ever before going eight wide in this race he was unable to catch the runaway leader Hoist The Gold who had opened up five lengths at the top of the stretch and Senor Buscador was unable to reach him.

Six-year-old season
Senor Buscador arrived early for the 2024 Pegasus World Cup in order to be better prepared. 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 Senor Buscador was able to rally from 12 1/2 lengths off the pace while staying on the rail until the top of the stretch saving ground that he usually lost thanks to his need to avoid traffic to make his best run late. He past 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 only 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 horses time in the Middle East and only included the earnings he acquired during his time racing and did not include breeding rights On raceday he was considered an outsider at 13-1 with the 6-5 favorite being another American horse White Abarrio who had defeated Senor Buscador by 5 1/4 lengths in the Breeders Cup Classic. Other horses had finished ahead of Senor Buscador that were back for Saudi Cup included 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. Senor 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 Senor 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 Senor Buscador. With 50 yards to go Senor Buscador was fourth and Ushba Tesoro was second with Saudi Crown still in front. Ushba Tesoro would quickly surge past Saudi Crown and take the lead for a brief moment but to his outside was Senor Buscador who was now traveling the fastest. In the final strides Senor Buscador had his head in front right on the finish line winning the Saudi Cup by the smallest margin in the races history. It was also the fastest Saudi Cup ever run setting a new 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 saying "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 would be 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 would have 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 was able to run the race at his own pace and only got further and further away from the pack until it was impossible to catch him at the top the stretch. At the wire, he won the race by 8 1/2 lengths with Ushba Tesoro passing Senor Buscador on the outside to claim a distant second-place finish while Senor Buscador finished third. Finishing no worse than third in three multimillion-dollar horse races in two months.

Pedigree

 * Senor 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.