The Broodmare That Keeps Giving

Rose's Desert is the gift that keeps giving for the Peacock family, and those associated with her at Shawhan Place, near Paris, Ky. The 18-year-old New Mexico-bred daughter of Desert God is delivering her connections to racing's big stage once again after her Mineshaft son Senor Buscador gave them a tremendous thrill by winning the 2024 Saudi Cup (G1) and later retiring with nearly $13 million in earnings. The 8-year-old now stands stud for $7,500 at Lane's End near Versailles, Ky. Rose's Desert's latest rising star is a 3-year-old son by Authentic named The Hell We Did, who is among the entrants in the May 16 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Laurel Park. Like Senor Buscador, The Hell We Did is trained by Todd Fincher, who is based in the Southwest. The colt enters the $2 million Preakness for Peacock Family Racing Stable following a runner-up finish in his first graded stakes foray, the Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland last month. Prior to that, the bay colt won a Remington Park maiden special weight and a Sunland Park allowance race. In between, he notched a second in the Zia Park Juvenile Stakes at Zia Park. Rose's Desert represents a racing and breeding legacy started by the patriarch of the Peacock family, the late Joe Sr., who died in 2020. Senor Buscador was one of the last matings he had planned with his son, Joey Jr., who now manages the family's racing and breeding interests. All of Rose's Desert's seven starters to race are winners and, with the exception of stakes-placed Rose A, have earned at least six figures during their racing careers. Peacock Jr. continues the mindset of his father by breeding the mare to elite sires. On May 4, Rose's Desert gave birth to a Gun Runner filly at Teddy Kuster and Matt Koch's Shawhan Place, where all of Rose's Desert's foals have been born and raised. Peacock said she will be bred to Spendthrift Farm's Vekoma. "She is truly amazing," Peacock Jr. said. "Every single one of her foals have been really nice racehorses. Knock on wood, she's just a gift that keeps on giving. Every time we get one of her horses to the racetrack, they just really blow our minds. So it's something we get to watch and to enjoy. And we're immensely proud of her." Peacock Sr. not only left behind a gem of a broodmare, he had a hand in naming the family's first Preakness starter. "The hell we did" were words uttered by the elder Peacock when he found out that Rose's Desert's Mineshaft colt was named Senor Buscador. He had been hoping for more of a traditional blending of the dam and sire names. Roughly translated in English, Senor Buscador means Mr. Prospector, who was the sire of Mineshaft's dam, Prospectors Delite. "I can hear him say, 'the hell we did,' like it was yesterday," his son chuckled. The Hell We Did's story traces back to New Mexico, where his dam raced exclusively, winning or finishing second in each of her 15 career starts, including seven stakes victories for the elder Peacock and Fincher. Peacock Sr. also bred the second dam, Kentucky-bred Miss Glen Rose, from the Illinois-bred Alysheba mare Snippet, whom he purchased at auction. Snippet was produced by Pert, a daughter of 1967 Horse of the Year Damascus. Peacock Jr., with just a hint of exasperation, said, "I mean, every time we turn around, we hear New Mexico-bred, New Mexico-bred, New Mexico-bred. But if you really look at the pedigrees associated with Rose's Desert, you know, it's a pretty sneaky good pedigree." Given Rose's Desert's far-flung success with her progeny, she can't be pigeonholed... except as a helluva broodmare.