The 2012 Breeders' Cup Classic

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The 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic

Winner: Fort Larned

 The 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic was worth $5,000,000 and run at Santa Anita Park.

 Game On Dude returned with rider Chantal Sutherland to try and win the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic after finishing second in the 2011 renewal. The oddsmakers gave the gelding 9/5 odds, but many would be challenging the favourite.

 Flat Out was another returning customer after finishing fifth in the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic thanks in large part to a momentum building repeat in the 2012 Jockey Club Gold Cup. The Bill Mott trainee was a close top choice with 5/1 odds, a mark he shared on the board with 2012 Whitney Stakes winner Fort Larned.

 Mucho Macho Man had won the 2012 Suburban Handicap to earn 8/1 odds in the Classic, while Ron The Greek had scored in both the Santa Anita Handicap and the Stephen Foster Handicap but lost badly in the Jockey Club Gold Cup to reduce his odds to 6/1.

 A collection of longshots helped fill out the 12-horse race. These included Richard’s Kid, Brilliant Speed, Handsome Mike, Alpha and Pool Play.

 Game On Dude broke badly out of the gate and couldn’t battle through the traffic to threaten the pace. Instead it was Fort Larned who took the lead right off the bat, and wouldn’t relinquish it for the entire race. Mucho Macho Man had sat in second all the way, and tried his best to put forth a valiant effort in the final lengths, but couldn’t catch the front running Fort Larned. Flat Out would improve his placing from 2011 but still finished a distant third.

 Fort Larned was worth a staggering $20.80, $9.80 and $6.80 with the win. Mucho Macho Man brought back $6.80 and $4.60 in second place while Flat Out delivered $5.20

 Ron The Greek, Richard’s Kid and Nonios rounded out the top-six while Game On Dude finished a disappointing seventh.

 Fort Larned was clocked at 2:00.11, one of the fastest times in the race’s history. The colt’s victory brought trainer Ian Wilkes and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. their first Breeders’ Cup wins. It was an amazing triumph for the four-year-old colt, who had largely gone overlooked in the lead-up to the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic Results – Santa Anita Park