	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 25, 2008

ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA

ERIC WING: We are live in the interview room with the connections of the long-shot winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, Desert Code. On the left, trainer David Hofmans, his third Breeders' Cup victory. Having scored previously with Adoration and Alphabet Soup. And celebrating his first Breeders' Cup victory, and an overdue one, jockey Richard Migliore. I'm going to ask you each a question.
Richard, you had ridden Desert Code previously, and you occasionally had some troubles at the gate, or so it seemed. Last time, when Garret Gomez rode him, it seemed that he really pushed him to get out of the gate, and maybe got him a little speed crazy. And the ability to get him settled and relaxed appeared to pay big dividends today.
RICHARD MIGLIORE: It's not difficult to get a horse settled and relaxed when they go as fast as they were going. I won't take any kudos for that. I actually hustled him away from the gate today to try to have some position. And my horse wasn't comfortable with it. When he wasn't comfortable with it, I said, If I continue to hustle, I'm not going to get anything. So I just listened to my horse, put my hands down and let him find his stride. I was feeling pretty good about the 3/8's, and thinking I could get a good piece of it, and not necessarily win it. I had a brief moment where I thought I would get a little impatient before we got to the dirt. But having the experience of riding over this downhill course a lot the previous two winters, I know when you start making your run before the dirt, you generally get in trouble crossing.
So I just decided to wait and be more patient. Didn't ask him for his best until we were over the dirt. I don't think I hit him until the 8th pole. And David had him ready.
I can't say enough about the job David Hofmans and his crew did getting this horse ready. He was as good as he's ever been today on this day.
ERIC WING: Despite the fast fractions, were you surprised watching the race that Desert Code was so far back?
DAVID HOFMANS: Yeah, I was. I thought he'd be five, six, seven lengths closer of where he was. Even though Gary had him close to the pace, he did stumble in Morvich, also. He pulled his left shoe off at the start. So I kind of took all that into consideration, and thought, he didn't run that bad a race, coming off a layoff. He came out of this race fantastic. I mean, he came out of the Morvich fantastic, wanting to do more, happier horse, more fit, really wanting to train. If anybody's watched him, not too many people have, but he is a different horse after the Morvich than he was before it.

Q. Back in 2005, you were the regular rider for Artie Schiller who went on to win the Breeders' Cup mile, but he did so without you because you were out due to an injury. Is this a hurdle that was a long time coming for you to get over the hump in the Breeders' Cup in your mind?
RICHARD MIGLIORE: Well, my opportunities have been limited. Some of it just the breaks of the game, some of it unfortunately the breaks of my body. Artie Schiller hurt because I was right on the cusp of riding him, and I knew how good he was doing. At the same time, that horse deserved to win. He was that kind of a horse. He was going to win with anybody that day. Not to belittle the ride he got, he was just that good on the day.
Everything happens for a reason in life. I remember walking in Hollywood Park, the first month I got there, and bumping into David Hofmans and reintroducing myself, because I had ridden a horse for him. And I came away feeling that something good's going to happen with this man. I'm going to win a big race for this guy. And here it is, two years later, and I won a big race for this guy.

Q. Why did you go back to New York? Would you consider coming back to California again? And does California still beat the Belt Parkway?
RICHARD MIGLIORE: I went back to New York because I knew it was the right thing to do for my family. I made everybody sacrifice a lot for a year and a half, over a year and a half - me just finding myself again as a rider. After I broke my leg, it was my third consecutive year I'd been injured, and I had a hard time regaining business. I felt like I had to reinvent myself. I knew I had a lot of good riding left in me, it's just I wasn't getting the opportunities at that time back east. I took a shot, and I came out here, and it's worked out well. Then it was time to go home.
If I fail as a husband and a father, there's no coming back from that. I can fail as a jockey, there's nine more tomorrow. You only have one family, one time in your life. So that's why I went back to New York. Would I ever come back? I wouldn't rule it out. I love it here. I love the reception; I love the people. What's not to like, really? But right now, I'm based in New York.
DAVID HOFMANS: He'll be back for next year's Breeders' Cup.
RICHARD MIGLIORE: That's right. One for David, I hope.
ERIC WING: We have the winning owner Ms. Susan Osborne, right here. She will be answering any questions you might have from here if you have anything for her.

Q. I was wondering when you saw him that far back, did you think he could be as effective as he had been when he raced close to the pace?
DAVID HOFMANS: No, I didn't. I thought he was too far back. But I have so much confidence in's Migliore riding this horse. He's won four races down the hill on him. Probably should have won five. But I felt good that Migliore was on him. I would have been concerned if anybody else had been on the horse.

Q. Is that why you wanted the race, because of his success down the hill?
DAVID HOFMANS: Absolutely. We had planned this last year when they announced they were going to have this race. But we ran into some problems at Del Mar with him. And we had to back off some, so...
But we had planned for this race all along.
ERIC WING: Was the large 14-horse field a concern for you going in?
DAVID HOFMANS: Big concern. Very big concern. I thought it was. A bigger concern was when I saw these horses train here, and I saw his opposition in the receiving barn. There are fantastic horses in this race. We were very proud to beat these horses, I tell you.

Q. Why was Desert Code out for so long prior to the Morvich, away from the race?
DAVID HOFMANS: We planned that. We planned it. After his last race, we had run pretty hard. You know, we ran him long, and he tried every time. In his last long race, it took a lot out of him. So Ms. Osborne and I sat down and talked, we thought, Okay, we're going to point him for the Morvich, and the Breeders' Cup race. That's why he was off. Just to freshen him up.

Q. This could not have happened to a nicer guy. Congratulations.
DAVID HOFMANS: I second that motion.
RICHARD MIGLIORE: Thank you.

Q. We have had seven Breeders' Cup races at Santa Anita year. It's very clear that come-from-behind horses are having a field day. All the front-runners are not doing well at all. Was that thought uppermost in your mind as you went to the starting gate?
RICHARD MIGLIORE: Honestly, it wasn't. I just knew there was going to be a fast pace. Again, I just went by what my horse told me to do. He told me to relax, so I relaxed, and it worked out.

Q. When did you decide to bring Migliore out to this race?
DAVID HOFMANS: Oh, when to bring Migliore out? I called him to ask him to please come ride the horse, and he said he would. It was right after the Morvich.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
DAVID HOFMANS: All of them, we'd like to have a 7-2 shot once in a while. But they've all been long shots, I don't know. I like all three of them myself.

Q. Why is Richard such a good fit for this horse, especially on this course?
DAVID HOFMANS: He is exactly what he said. He let the horse tell him. You know, when you have a great rider like Richard, seasoned rider, he doesn't force the horses to do what he thinks they should do. It's like training horses is the same way. You train horses the way the horses want to be trained. You don't want to impose your will on them.
I think that's why Richard's such a good rider. He's a good horseman, and he understands what's going on in the race, and gets a lot of feedback from his horse.

Q. I wonder if you can speculate on the circumstances regarding Fairbanks to have some success in the classic?
RICHARD MIGLIORE: I think he's going to run the exact opposite race of this horse. I think I'll be making the pace. Obviously it's a world-class field and you've got great champions in there. But my horse is in good form, so they're going to have to run where I've been.
ERIC WING: David Hofmans, Richard Migliore, congratulations on a great performance by Desert Code.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297