G1 Saudi Cup

3rd-SA, $54K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 5:00 p.m. ET. Joey Peacock's productive New Mexico mare Rose's Desert (Desert God) can already claim several stakes winners, including G1 Saudi Cup champ Senor Buscador (Mineshaft). Her latest homebred to hit the track is ROSE A (Hard Spun) and just like all the others she is trained by Todd Fincher. Rose's Desert, who is also responsible for GIII Sunland Derby hero Runaway Ghost (Ghostzapper), has a current yearling colt named The Hell We Did (Authentic) and a weanling filly by Into Mischief. Set...

For a horse that has won the richest race in the world, Saturday's $250,000 GII Pat O'Brien S. at Del Mar might not seem like an overly difficult spot. But when Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) heads to the post for Saturday's race, he probably won't be the favorite and there will no doubt be some wiseguys who throw him out altogether. The problems are threefold: He's not a seven-furlong horse; he will not have run for 147 days; he'll be facing the best sprinter on the West Coast in the California-bred...

Owners Karl and Cathi Glassman, this week's Green Group Guests of the Week on the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, bought their first horse in 2015 and initially didn't have much to show for it. But they understood patience and that good fortune would eventually come their way. Did it ever. The Glassmans have their first star, the GI Whitney winner Arthur's Ride (Tapit). Making his stakes debut at age 4, he was a 2 1/4-length winner on a rainy day in Saratoga. The win gave Bill Mott his...

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico--Todd Fincher cuts an easy path along the apron through the Sunday crowd at Sunland Park, giving nods and an occasional smile as he goes. It's closing day at the track and a homebred owned by Kirk and Judy Robison from his shedrow just won the Island Fashion S. Sporting his standard duds, including a ball cap, creased jeans and shades, Fincher has his modular phone slung on his belt, ready to be drawn from its holster. "Busy," replies the New-Mexico based trainer when asked about how...

Edited Press Release Now sitting atop the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings on 121, National Treasure (Quality Road) and Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) both began their 2024 campaigns in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. in January, which saw the former defeat Senor Buscador by a neck. Following that effort, they both travelled to the Middle East to compete in the G1 Saudi Cup. Senor Buscador raced in the back of the field before rallying to defeat Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) by a head, who was weighted on 120...

Trainer Todd Fincher joins this week's TDN Writers' Room to recap the win by Senor Buscador in the $20 million G1 Saudi Cup.

Just before the gate load in Saturday's G1 Saudi Cup at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse, if you were an American race fan scouring the circling field looking for the customary light blue and neon green standard carried by Joe Peacock Jr.'s homebred MGSW Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), then you might have been left wondering. The banner wasn't there. That's because jockey Junior Alvarado was sporting royal blue and white aboard the eventual winner. Despite reporting by several Middle Eastern news outlets--namely Arab News and the Saudi Gazette--which either listed Peacock secondarily...

Fasig-Tipton will sponsor a world-record Best Turned Out prize of $2,666 (SAR 10,000) for the world's richest race, the Group 1, $20 million Saudi Cup Feb. 24, the auction house said in a release early Friday. Best Turned Out honors for each of the remaining eight races of The Saudi Cup Saturday card will also be offered, with prizes of $667 (SAR 2,500) to each winning groom. Fasig-Tipton will be represented on site by Anna Seitz (Director of Client Relations) and Michael Adolphson (Middle East Representative), who will help judge...

Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero White Abarrio (Race Day), who leads Team USA in Saturday's 1800-meter $20-million G1 Saudi Cup, drew the rail in a field of 14 during the Saudi Cup draw ceremony in Saudi Arabia Wednesday. Trained by Richard Dutrow, Jr., the gray defeated Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) (stall 13) in the Classic, and will face the starter for the first time since in Saturday's contest at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh in just a handful of days. After the draw, Dutrow said, "He...

Multiple Group 1 winner Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who was slated to make his dirt debut in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup later this month, will not run in the 1800-metre main track affair, according to the latest list of probables released by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia. With Luxembourg's absence, multiple group winner Isolate (Mark Valeski) draws into the main body of the field for trainer Doug Watson and owner RRR Racing. The Coolmore partners' runner, a winner of the 2023 G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, the 2022 G1...

GI Pegasus World Cup runner up Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) got in his final Gulfstream preparation Sunday ahead of an expected start in the G1 Saudi Cup. The release noted that the 6-year-old worked four furlongs in :50.41 under jockey Junior Alvarado who will be aboard the Todd Fincher runner for the Saudi Cup as well. "It went just the way Todd and I wanted," said Alvarado. "He went out there and stretched his legs. We wanted to keep him happy. He went around the track very happy, enjoying his workout...

Brothers Mark and Clint Cornett, who race under the name of C2 Racing Stable, have taken on HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia as a partner in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day). The 5-year-old will make his next in the Feb. 24 running of the G1 Saudi Cup. Mark Cornett said that C2 remains the majority owner, but declined to say how big of a percentage was sold. The story was first reported by the Daily Racing Form's...