Member of the Month-TOBA May

The story of Senor Buscador sounds like a screenplay for a movie. A father and son who produce and race quality horses fall in love with the same sport. After the father dies, the couple's most accomplished runner surpasses herself by having a world-class racehorse. However, this is not a fairytale—rather, it is the real narrative of the Saudi Cup (G1) victor of this year.

Senor Buscador, who was bred by Joe Peacock Sr. and Jr., is being raced by Sharaf Mohammed S. Al Hariri and Peacock Jr. out of San Antonio, Texas. In the 1960s, Joe Peacock Sr. and his family began racing horses in New Mexico, primarily Quarter Horses. "I spent all summers around the barn and the horses and going to the races," Peacock Jr. remarked. In the 1980s, the family switched to Thoroughbreds.

Their best runner before Senor Buscador was champion Rose's Desert, a homebred from New Mexico. The filly was a maternal granddaughter of Snippet, the successful mare Peacock purchased for $9,500 at the 1997 Keeneland January auction. She came from the family of blue hen mare Thorn Apple. Rose's Desert was foaled by Miss Glen Rose, whom Snippet produced. She received $626,035 and won seven stakes thanks to Desert God. Her son Senor Buscador, who was bred by Mineshaft, was the final horse that both Peacocks produced.

Rose's Desert has produced four stakes winners in her role as a broodmare. She gave birth to Runaway Ghost, the $783,509 winner of the 2018 Sunland Derby (G3), and Our Iris Rose, the multiple stakes winner (dam of a 2024 Curlin colt, bred back to Not This Time). These two horses are featured on the cover of Ghostzapper. Sheriff Brown, the stakes champion and $603,681 earner, was sent to Curlin by Rose's Desert. In Paris, Kentucky, at Shawhan Place, Rose's Desert is boarded alongside the other two broodmares of the Peacocks. Aye Candy, her Candy Ride filly, broke her maiden last autumn. Rose's Desert is carrying an Into Mischief filly, due May 1, and is booked to Uncle Mo for 2025.

In November 2020, Senor Buscador won a stake at Remington Park after breaking his maiden. "Todd—our trainer, Todd Fincher—told me after his first race. This horse, he’s special. You don’t get horses like this too often," Peacock said. He was thrust into the Kentucky Derby (G1) race by his performances.

Peacock clarified, “He just had a lot of bad luck in his career,” for instance, a right rear hock injury from a stall accident developed an infection. However, Todd and his staff did an amazing job of sticking with the horse, giving him time when he needed it, and working with him to get him back to peak performance. Peacock Sr. passed away in 2021 after Senor Buscador finished second in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) to cap off a successful year after winning the 2022 Ack Ack Stakes (G3) and 2023 San Diego Handicap (G2). “To be fair, we put him in the deep water, so to speak. We were trying to win grade 1, grade 2 races,” Peacock said. “We were convinced he had the talent; we just needed the right circumstances.”

Senor Buscador, who is now six years old, came in second place behind National Treasure in the Pegasus Handicap (G1) on January 27. "We were very, very pleased with his performance in that race. Again, he just ran out of racetrack,” Peacock remarked. Senor Buscador secured that elusive first-round victory in the Saudi Cup one month later. "He certainly chose the proper race", Peacock remarked. "We were very, very pleased with his performance in that race. Again, he just ran out of the racetrack.” 

The nine-furlong competition being completed in a single turn was something Team Senor Buscador especially valued. Therefore, Peacock added, "There was a lot of speed in the race, which again favours a deep closer, and what we were told by a lot of people in the industry is that that track played fair."

Senor Buscador closed late, as usual. Peacock observed the Jumbotron in the paddock and remarked, “We never even saw the horse; we didn’t know where he was. He was getting no calls, they never called his name until they were 200 metres out from the finish line.” He continued, “We saw him coming down the centre of the racetrack and to be honest, it was hard to tell who won.”

At this point, Senor Buscador has made $11,496,427. “The horse just really hasn’t gotten much credit for his talent,” Peacock noted. “He’s always trying hard. He’s getting close, he didn’t ever really win the big race, and nobody ever really talked about him.” He continued, “So we just felt really, really happy about the fact that now everybody could see what we felt all along he was capable of.”