Fincher, Peacock Strike Again With Aye Candy

This column highlights the performances of maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are graded/group winners, or have dams that are graded/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners, in particular, who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners.

Zia Park

A product of an inauspicious mating between New Mexico sire Desert God and the winless Peaks and Valleys mare Miss Glen Rose, Rose’s Desert has bloomed into quite the broodmare for owner/breeder Joe Peacock Jr.

A third-generation homebred for Peacock’s father, Joe Sr., who passed away in 2020, Rose’s Desert has produced four stakes winners from her five foals to hit the racetrack, including this year’s San Diego Handicap (G2) winner Senor Buscador . The 15-year-old mare’s latest runner, the 2-year-old Candy Ride   filly Aye Candy , added to the Rose’s Desert legacy with her debut score at Zia Park Nov. 28.

Keeping it a family affair, Rose’s Desert and her five foals have all raced in the colors of the Peacock family and have been trained by Todd Fincher. The best of her offspring, Senor Buscador, a stakes winner at ages 2, 4, and 5, stands on the cusp of becoming a millionaire after his runner-up effort in last weekend’s Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

A son of Mineshaft  , Senor Buscador has competed twice in the Breeders’ Cup after taking prestigious “Win and You’re In” automatic qualifying events. In 2022, he captured the Ack Ack Stakes (G3) en route to an eighth-place finish in the Dirt Mile, while this year he went last to first to take the San Diego Handicap before running seventh in the Classic.

Fincher has already reported that the hardy Senor Buscador would be back for another campaign in 2024 with an eye on the Jan. 27 Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

In an effort that would surely make her famous stretch-running older brother proud, Aye Candy rolled from off the pace three wide around the turn and charged to a half-length victory. The filly, bet down to even-money favorite in an eight-horse field, clocked the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.40 on a fast main track.