HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.  - Watching his Senor Buscador get within 2 1/2 lengths of the 5-2 favorite National Treasure at the eighth pole after having trailed by more than a dozen lengths in the run down the backstretch, trainer Todd Fincher admitted he was feeling pretty good about his chances of pulling off the upset in Saturday’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational. But by the sixteenth pole, he acknowledged he wasn’t quite as confident and in the end, Fincher had to settle for second money after National Treasure dug in gamely and was able to withstand the challenge from Senor Buscador, who ran the race of his life only to come up a neck short in the Grade 1 Pegasus. “At the eighth pole, there was no doubt in my mind we were going to win by daylight the way he was running,” Fincher said. “At the sixteenth pole, I could see National Treasure was starting to dig in and I wasn’t as sure. And in the end, he just didn’t get up.  We had no excuses. He ran a great race, Junior (Alvarado) rode a very good race, and I have to give a lot of credit to National Treasure. He was up to the challenge. The two of them really rose above the rest of the field, to say the least.” :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Both National Treasure and Senor Buscador were awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 105 for their performances. The number was the best ever for the latter, whose previous top was the 101 he earned on two previous occasions, first for his victory in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap last summer at Del Mar and then again for his second-place finish behind Hoist the Gold in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile in his 2023 finale. Even in defeat, Senor Buscador’s effort was noteworthy enough to catch the attention of officials from the $20 million Saudi Cup, who issued Fincher an invitation to bring his horse to the rich event shortly after the race on Saturday. “I got a call from them a couple of weeks ago and it sounded like they were going to issue him an invitation then, but I never heard another word until I received the call after the race yesterday,” Fincher said Sunday morning. “It looks like he came out of the race well so far, and I love the fact that the Saudi race is a mile and one eighth, but around one turn. I think that suits him perfectly. So, at the moment, I’d say that’s the direction we’re going to head.” Fincher said Senor Buscador will remain at Gulfstream Park, where he spent the previous six weeks training up to the Pegasus, before catching a flight to Riyadh that is scheduled to depart South Florida on February 13. It was too early for National Treasure's connections to decide on what would be next for their horse in the wake of his second Grade 1 victory in the Pegasus that validated his huge performance in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, when he was beaten a nose by Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish in his 3-year-old finale. Trainer Bob Baffert said he would wait until getting National Treasure back home before talking to the ownership group to map out a schedule moving forward, although did indicate it is almost certain they will bypass both the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup to continue campaigning in the U.S. the remainder of the year.  “We were trying to decide where to go with him to start the year, maybe Saudi, but I thought let’s keep him here and be a good horse in America,” Baffert said. “It’s very important (supporting) races like the Pegasus. It’s very important we run our good horses in America. We need to bring our good horses and keep those races going."    Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. reported that Skippylongstocking was doing well on Sunday after being eased and vanned off at the conclusion of the Pegasus World Cup. Skippylongstocking, forced to break from the extreme outside in post 12, was hustled along immediately after the break to race within striking distance of the early leaders before plummeting through the field in the run down the backstretch and being pulled up by jockey Tyler Gaffalione on the second turn. “He came back to the barn overheated and very tired, but he will be okay to race again,” Joseph said during training hours on Sunday. “He (Tyler) had to use him very hard from the 12 post. Obviously he wasn’t himself, but he seems to have come out of it well, that’s the most important thing, to fight another day.” Skippylongstocking was one of two horses Joseph ran in the Pegasus along with O’Connor, who finished a somewhat disappointing fifth, a dozen lengths behind National Treasure. “I thought O’Connor made a good move between the three-eighths and quarter pole,” Joseph said. “It was a little tough to watch him because I was so concerned about ‘Skippy’ at that point. He made a little run and just flattened out. He ran okay, but I still think he’s better than that.” Handle up 7 percent Total handle for the 13-race Pegasus World Cup card was $47.06 million, according to charts of the races, a 7.2 percent increase over total handle of $43.89 million on the card last year. The total number puts the World Cup card at the top echelon of race dates on the North American calendar, behind only the cards supporting the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, both days of the Breeders’ Cup event, and the Travers Stakes. Handle for the event rose despite a decline in wagering on the featured event, the Pegasus World Cup. Handle for the race this year was $12.66 million, down 5.1 percent from the $13.34 million handled on the race last year, according to charts. Both editions of the World Cup had a full field of 12 horses. The total handle was boosted by strong fields in most of the races, with 142 horses competing this year, compared to 134 horses last year. Average field size this year was 10.9 horses per race, compared to 10.3 horses last year. –additional reporting by Matt Hegarty :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.