 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |  |
Senor Buscador’s win at the US$20 million Saudi Cup was improbable. Not because he didn’t have the talent to succeed but it was surprising because of how wild the Saudi Cup was.
The horse who was favoured to win, White Abarrio, finished 10th in the world’s richest Thoroughbred race. The homebred for Joe R. Peacock ran down pacesetter Saudi Crown and runner-up Ushba Tesoro to win by a head.
“We were all ecstatic,” trainer Todd Fincher said. “It was such an exciting race. The last jump he gets up to win, so it was, you know, that the horse gets so far back and you think he can never catch up. It was very exciting because he was never on the lead, and we just didn’t know if he was going to get up in time and at the last second, he got there. He was fantastic. He’s absolutely powerful.”
The 6YO son of Mineshaft, finished the race in a time of 1:49.50. Beating Ushba Tesoro was another feather in his hat. Ushba Tesoro is the reigning winner at the Gr.1 Dubai World Cup.
“(Ushba Tesoro) had my horse in a bad position and kept him there as long as he could,” Fincher said. “The Japanese horse made a late run, and we had to wait for a later run. It was just amazing that he could give that horse a head starts on a late run like that and still catch him at the wire. That was unbelievable. After I’d watched the race a few times, I thought that. Not only did Junior ride an excellent race, but the Japanese jockey did a great job trying to keep my horse from winning.”
Senor Buscador is a horse whom Fincher can’t help but talk about in glowing terms. One thing that stands out more than anything is his dedication to winning races.
“He just keeps going,” Fincher said. “He wants to win. He’s just a racehorse. He’s exactly what you want in a racehorse. That’s the definition of a racehorse. If you had to put together a definition, then that’s him.”
Seeing the 6YO entire win gave Fincher a major feeling of relief. First off, he was glad to see the horse earn his validation. Winning that race means there is no doubt of his quality.
“It was extreme validation for the horse because the horse is that good,” Fincher said. “He’s the best in the world. He proved that. And I’ve always thought he was right there with the best in the world. People, you know, I don’t think people have ever given him credit for how good he actually is.”
Jockey Junior Alvarado has run several strong races in a row with Senor Buscador. In December, the pair rode to a second-place finish at the Gr.2 Cigar Mile Handicap at the Aqueduct Racetrack. During January, Alvarado and the son of Mineshaft finished second at the US$3 million Gr.1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes.
“I’m so proud of the horse, so happy,” Fincher said. “It’s incredible. Let me tell you, I have the best team in the world, in my opinion. I have the best exercise riders and grooms’ assistants, and everybody that has handled this horse has done a great job.”
Thanks to the win at the Saudi Cup, Senor Buscador has already won US$10,573,000 in prize money so far this year while his career earnings sit at US$11,496,427. The son of Mineshaft has won seven of his 18 career starts. In addition, he has two second and third place finishes as well.
Having such an experienced team has a lot of benefits for Fincher. Senor Buscador reaps the benefits of having a team that can make adjustments based on how their experience.
“I try to do the best I can with an individual horse,” Fincher said. “There are little quirks about and we try to fix those better. We learned a lot from the other subtle things we need to do with him, and we’re all on the same page right now, and it’s showing up on race day.”
What makes Senor Buscador such an easy horse to work with is his versatility. There aren’t many situations where Fincher would be uncomfortable racing him.
“He’s an exceptional talent,” Fincher said. “Basically, he’s as talented as any horse I’ve ever had. Way more talented. He’s big, strong, long jumping, and obviously, he’s got a big heart to fight to win like he does.”
“He’s a perfect racehorse,” Fincher said. “Fight and win on foreign soil. After travelling, he won in Saudi Arabia. It’s not like your backyard. He’s travelled and won, which is incredible. He’s a great traveller, and I think he has total trust in us when we ask him to do something, and we have total trust in him.”
 |  |
Exercise rider Oscar Rojero has spent a lot of time working with Senor Buscador and will continue to stay with the entire during his stay in Dubai.
“He’s (Oscar has) worked for me for over 25 years, and he’s done an outstanding job,” Fincher said. “That’s loyalty. That’s partnership. He is a big part of the team and has been for a very long time. That’s a big number. Twenty-five years is a very big number. You don’t get that kind of loyalty anymore.”
Fincher has appreciated having the entire Rojero family supporting the stable.
“Their children have been part of our family, you know, not only personally but, in the racing too,” Fincher said. “So, it’s been, it’s very good for him to get to experience that as well. So, his loyalty and his dedication is, you know, we appreciate that very much. So, he’s been part of Fincher Racing for almost its entirety.”
Fincher set his eyes on running the 6YO in the Dubai World Cup and the Breeder’s Cup in 2024. As Senor Buscador has already run in Saudi Arabia, Fincher and his team have a plan in place that keeps everyone on the right track.
“Well, we just had a short amount of time once we got over there to try to get him acclimated and set up for a breeze and all that kind of stuff,” Fincher said. “We kind of had to make some adjustments on how far and how hard we worked him, Dubai, we shouldn’t have that problem, because he is going to be there longer.”
Fincher is ready to give Senor Buscador a break from competition. But he believes his story isn’t close to ending either. The main focus right now is trying to win success in Dubai and the Breeders’ Cup.
“It’s a story that’s not finished,” Fincher said. “Hopefully, he can do well in Dubai. The ultimate goal is the Breeders’ Cup Classic win as well. Those at the two biggest races that are left on his agenda to win. I’m sure he’ll run in more than those races, but those are the two major races that we are aiming for.”
There isn’t much that Fincher believes Senor Buscador can’t do. He proved that in Saudi Arabia and now he’s going to try and repeat the feat in Dubai.