Senor Buscador Upsets Ack Ack As Favorites Flounder

Winner of the 2020 Springboard Mile, looking every bit a horse with a future, Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) was the 5-2 second favorite when pitched in against the likes of 'TDN Rising Star' and future GI Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun (Into Mischief) and Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) in last year's GII Risen Star S. Sidelined off that effort and away nearly 16 months, connections kept the faith, and Saturday, the homebred colt rewarded them with a tough victory in the GIII Ack Ack S. at Churchill, earning a fees-paid berth into the Nov. 5 GI BigAss Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in the process.

Away fairly for Francisco Arrieta, who earned the mount after working the colt locally, the 4-year-old was content to sit a trip just behind midfield while racing in the company of third favorite Untreated (Nyquist) and in the clear as longshot Surly Furious (Upstart) took them along through an opening couple of furlongs in :22.91. Given his cue entering the final 3 1/2 furlongs, Senor Buscador traveled ominously well three and four deep and launched his bid in earnest leaving the quarter pole.  Wide into the lane, he gathered up the pacesetter at the three-sixteenths, dueled into the final eighth of a mile with Injunction and got the better of that final-furlong tussle to score by a bit more than a length. Three Technique (Mr Speaker), winner of the Hanshin Cup S. over this course and distance July 4, was up late for third.

Favored Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) looked to veer to his left at the start and was locked away inside for the opening three-quarters of a mile before fading tamely late. Fulsome (Into Mischief) and Untreated proved no factor.

A handy allowance winner sprinting at Lone Star on his return to the races in July, Senor Buscador was a slow-starting eighth in the July 30 GII San Diego H., but was exiting a promising third to the improving Laurel River (Into Mischief) in the GII Pat O'Brien S. at Del Mar Aug. 27, in which Speaker's Corner disappointed as the 11-10 chalk.

The win was the first at the graded level for Arrieta and second for trainer Todd Fincher, who conditioned Senor Buscador's half-brother Runaway Ghost (Ghostzapper) to win the 2018 GIII Sunland Derby.

Pedigree Notes:

Senor Buscador is the 23rd graded winner for his Lane's End-based sire and one of four full stakes winners from as many to race for his New Mexico-bred dam, winner of 10 of her 15 career starts, including seven black-type races in the Desert Southwest. The winner's unraced broodmare sire, who stood

Saturday, Churchill Downs
ACK ACK S.-GIII, $300,000, Churchill Downs, 10-1, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:34.60, ft.
1–SENOR BUSCADOR, 121, c, 4, by Mineshaft
                1st Dam: Rose's Desert (MSW, $626,035), by Desert God
                2nd Dam: Miss Glen Rose, by Peaks and Valleys
                3rd Dam: Snippet, by Alysheba
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Joe R. Peacock, Jr.; B-Joe R
Peacock Sr. & Joe R Peacock Jr. (KY); T-Todd W. Fincher;
J-Francisco Arrieta. $180,350. Lifetime Record: 7-4-0-1,
$376,677. *1/2 to Sheriff Brown (Curlin), MSW, $506,421;
Our Iris Rose (Ghostzapper), SW, $255,580; Runaway Ghost
(Ghostzapper), GSW, $783,509. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Injunction, 121, g, 4, Skipshot–Valid Valencia, by
Northern Afleet. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-J & J Stables, LLC
& Nicholas Vaccarezza; B-Mikhail Yanakov (KY); T-Carlo
Vaccarezza. $58,500.
3–Three Technique, 121, h, 5, Mr Speaker–Nite in Rome, by
Harlan's Holiday. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($50,000 Wlg '17 KEENOV;
$180,000 Ylg '18 FTKJUL; $47,000 RNA 4yo '21 KEENOV).
O-David E. Miller; B-Omega Farm LLC & Bally Breeders (KY);
T-Jason G. Cook. $29,250.
Margins: 1 1/4, 3HF, NK. Odds: 6.18, 13.96, 9.85.
Also Ran: Surly Furious, Fulsome, Silver Prospector, Speaker's Corner, Untreated. Scratched: Mailman Money, Twilight Blue.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.