Todd Fincher

The Saturday graded stakes action across North America offers several options, but the Big A earns the spotlight as the venerable NYRA track plays host to some strong races. Even though the Cigar Mile Handicap was downgraded a tick from its top level status by the American Graded Stakes Committee in 2023, connections still consider the race to possess a certain cache and the rigor in this year's edition is evident. "It [Cigar Mile] came up pretty salty," said Book'em Danno's trainer Derek Ryan. "It is a Grade II now...

Power Connection (Authentic) strolled home in the Manzano Stakes at Albuquerque on Saturday evening and in the process hand-delivered the first stakes winner to his freshman sire (by Into Mischief). The dark bay was sent by his New Mexico-based trainer Todd Fincher to Southern California where she was the runner-up in her debut at Los Alamitos June 30. At Del Mar, the filly was a well-beaten third Aug. 10 and finished a distant fourth Aug. 25. Shipping back to the capitol of her home state and off as the 3-2...

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...

A mandatory evacuation in the area surrounding New Mexico's Ruidoso Downs was issued Tuesday after the South Fork Fire was reported by government officials at nearly 14,000 acres with zero percent containment. Officials were alerted Monday morning to the fire, which is burning on Mescalero Tribal land, U.S. Forest Service land, and in the areas surrounding Ruidoso. Ruidoso Downs is located within the Village of Ruidoso. "The racetrack right now is in great shape," said New Mexico-based trainer Todd Fincher, who has 70 head on the premises. "Huge fire destroying...

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...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- To coin a phrase uttered by the actor John Houseman from the Smith Barney television commercials of the mid-1980s, Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) has really 'earrrrrned it' as he approaches his second straight appearance in an eight-figure horse race, Saturday's $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse. "Yeah. I mean, it's been pretty crazy," admits owner and breeder Joey Peacock, Jr. Peacock, a resident of San Antonio, and his family have been in the horse business for the better part of 5 1/2 decades, but...

What started out as a normal, busy Saturday in February at Shawhan Place quickly turned into an unforgettable day for the Paris-based farm when two horses foaled and raised at Shawhan celebrated breakout victories. First, fan favorite Senor Buscador (Mineshaft)--owned by Shawhan's longtime client Joey Peacock Jr.--won the $20 million G1 Saudi Cup. A few hours later Lemon Muffin (Collected) broke her maiden in the GIII Honeybee S. The entire Shawhan crew was ecstatic, but two team members in particular were especially over the moon. Let's start with Teddy Kuster,...

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

Todd Fincher, a standout on the New Mexico circuit, picked the perfect time and place to pick up his first Grade I win. His stable star Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), who was overdue to collect a big win, got the job done in the GI Saudi Cup. With a purse of $20 million, it is the richest Thoroughbred race in the world. Fincher joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to discuss his popular horse, the reasons why he likes training in New Mexico, what are the prospects...

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...

After running home bravely to just miss reeling in National Treasure (Quality Road) in last month's $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., it did not take long for the human braintrust around Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) to accept an invitation to the world's richest race, the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup half a world away. And why not? The 6-year-old admittedly had a bit to find on form with each of his four fellow American participants, but it wasn't as if he'd been dreadful in defeat in those efforts. Not when...