Senor Buscador’s stunning emergence in the $20 million Saudi Cup provides a vivid reminder about one of the keys to racing success. If ever there was a horse that embodies the value of patience, this hard-trying 6-year-old son of Mineshaft is it.

New Mexico-based trainer Todd Fincher spotted Senor Buscador’s immense potential from the outset. He felt even better about it after the colt made an impressive debut on Nov. 6, 2020, at Oklahoma’s Remington Park. Last of eight after the opening quarter of a mile, he went six-wide as part of a furious rally to capture the 5 ½-furlong contest by 2 ½ lengths.

Co-owner Joey Peacock Jr. was thrilled with the performance of the last horse he bred with his father. His excitement grew when he spoke to Fincher after the auspicious start.

“This horse is special. His stride is amazing. He’s just got a ton of talent,” Fincher told him.

Trainer Todd Fincher. (Anne Eberhardt/BloodHorse)

They found themselves on the Road to the Kentucky Derby when Senor Buscador produced an emphatic 5 ¾-length victory in the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes to close his brief 2-year-old campaign.

Then things started to go awry. The youngster ran fifth in the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in his first start at 3. He was preparing for the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park when he sustained a suspensory injury in his right front leg. So much for the Derby.

He was given all of the time he needed to recover from that injury when hopes for a late-summer campaign were dashed. Fincher arrived one morning to find that Senor Buscador had injured a hock in a stall accident. He was barely able to walk, let alone run.

That was one of the tougher calls Fincher ever had to make to an owner. Peacock, in his sixth decade in the industry, understood. He was not about to give up on a runner that had so much to offer. If he had learned anything from his father, it was the value of time. There was no point in rushing any horse.

Senor Buscador did not return from the hock injury until July 3, 2022, when he won an allowance race at Lone Star Park.

 “Our philosophy has always been we would rather have an older, maturer, sound horse running later in his career than trying to win a Grade 1 stakes as a 2-year-old,” Peacock said. “It seems a lot of those early Grade 1-winning 2-year-olds either flame out or have injuries or whatever.

“We’re playing the long game. We’ll be patient and hopefully be rewarded for that patience rather than trying to push a young horse to be something other than what they are really up for.”

Part of the father’s thinking in sending their prized broodmare, Rose’s Desert, to Mineshaft had been that his progeny tend to do their best running later in their careers. He was fine with that.

Alvarado and ‘Senor’ celebrate. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Senor Buscador’s talent gradually came to the forefront. He became a graded stakes winner for the first time when he took the Grade 3 Ack Ack Stakes on Oct. 1, 2022 at Churchill Downs. He added a Grade 2 score to his résumé when he delivered in the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 29, 2023.

Now, after being paired with jockey Junior Alvarado, this closer from the clouds is doing his best running when many other horses his age have long since been retired. He placed second to Hoist the Gold in the Dec. 2 Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct and missed overtaking front-running National Treasure by a neck in the Jan. 27 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by Baccarat at Gulfstream Park to set the stage for the Saudi Cup breakthrough on Feb. 24.

His relentless charge from so far back in the desert was a sight to behold. He flashed across the finish line a desperate head in front of Japan’s Ushba Tesoro in a 14-horse field that featured many of the world’s finest runners.

Peacock is still trying to grasp what occurred that magical night in Riyadh. “It’s been an amazing journey,” he said. “We’re still trying to let it sink in and process it.”

Senor Buscador improved his record to 7-2-2 from 18 career starts. He has won at six different tracks. His bankroll ballooned to $11,496,427 with the winner’s $10 million share of the massive purse.

And now he shares top billing with National Treasure in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse rankings as he goes big-game hunting again. Senor Buscador was shipped to Dubai two days after the Feb. 24 Saudi Cup to begin preparations for the March 30 Dubai World Cup, with its lavish $12 million purse. Meydan Racecourse will mark the 13^th different track at which this road warrior has competed.

Fincher could never have anticipated such a windfall. But he said, “Doing the right thing has paid off. Once you see a horse that has that much talent, you don’t want to have the patience. But we were forced to have the patience. The owner complied and he’s paying him back right now.”