by Tom Law

David Hofmans knows a thing or two about longshot victories on the Breeders’ Cup World Championships program and he delivered another stunner on Saturday when Tarabilla Farms’ Desert Code scored a shocker in the $1,094,620 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita Park.

Desert Code won the inaugural Turf Sprint with a powerful late run inside the final furlong at odds of 36.50-to-1, a victory that came a month after the four-year-old E Dubai colt finished a non-threatening seventh in the Morvich Handicap (G3) on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course.

Desert Code won by a half-length from Diabolical, who looked like a winner with one furlong to run under jockey Frankie Dettori. Storm Treasure finished another length back in third. The final time for the about 6 1/2-furlong distance on firm turf was 1:11.60.

Jockey Richard Migliore, who did not ride Desert Code in the Morvich, was back aboard for his first career Breeders’ Cup win. Hofmans picked up his third Breeders' Cup victory, adding to previous scores with Alphabet Soup, who upset Cigar in the 1996 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at odds of 19.85-to-1, and Adoration at odds of 40.70-to-1 in the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) at Santa Anita.

“His last race he really needed it badly and the track was really too hard for him,” Hofmans said. “And he’s a horse that loves this downhill course.”

The win was Desert Code’s fourth in six career starts on the hillside layout, along with wins in the 2007 Baldwin Stakes (G3) and the '08 Joe Hernandez Stakes. Migliore was aboard for both stakes victories.

“He was so far back today, that’s usually not his style, so I’ve got to give all the credit to Richard,” Hofmans said. “I trained him here, but Richard got him home.”

Bred in Kentucky by ClassicStar and out of the Lost Code mare Chatta Code, Desert Code was a $150,000 purchase at the 2005 Keeneland September yearling sale and has now won six of 19 career starts.

For a video replay of the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, click here.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

Tom Law is managing editor of Thoroughbred Times