Breeder's Cup 2013 Odds: Breaking Down Top Horses Scheduled to Race

All the heavy hitters from North America's horse racing community have descended on Santa Anita Park for the 2013 Breeders' Cup, which takes place on November 1 and 2 in sunny Southern California. 

This prestigious 14-race event culminates with the Breeders' Cup Classic Saturday evening—a highly lucrative race in which 12 horses will compete over a purse worth $5 million, which is more than all three Triple Crown races combined. 

This race is run on a mile-and-a-quarter dirt track, which is exactly the same as we see every year at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby. Weather won't be a factor, as conditions are expected to be perfect, with zero chance of rain, as noted by Weather.com.

The 12-horse field features many of the usual suspects in terms of jockeys and trainers. Here's a look at the post position and odds for all 12 horses, followed by a closer look at a few favorites to win this race. 

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Last Gunfighter	Javier Castellano	Chad Brown	20-1
2	Paynter	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	12-1
3	Planteur	Ryan Moore	Marco Botti	20-1
4	Moreno	Joseph Talamo	Eric Guillot	15-1
5	Declaration Of War	Joseph O'Brien	Aidan O'Brien	10-1
6	Mucho Macho Man	Gary Stevens	Kathy Ritvo	5-1
7	Fort Larned	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Ian Wilkes	6-1
8	Palace Malice	John Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	10-1
9	Game On Dude	Mike Smith	Bob Baffert	8-5
10	Will Take Charge	Luis Saez	D. Wayne Lukas	12-1
11	Ron the Greek	Jose Lezcano	William Mott	8-1
12	Flat Out	Joel Rosario	William Mott	12-1

Game On Dude

For the second year in a row, Bob Baffert sends Game On Dude out to compete in this race. After finishing in seventh place a year ago, this horse is the overwhelming favorite to win Saturday in Santa Anita. 

It's not hard to see why, either. 

Since finishing in seventh place in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic, Game On Dude has rattled off six straight wins, including three Grade 1 races. 

The last race Baffert entered this horse into was at Del Mar at the end of August, and he's been careful to spread them out in preparation for this big one, as noted by Lee Hacksaw Hamilton of The Mighty 1090:

Mucho Macho Man

Though not as hot as Game On Dude, Mucho Macho Man is being considered by oddsmakers as a serious contender to win this race. 

In four starts this year, Mucho Macho Man has won just one race, but the victory came here in Santa Anita just one month ago. Two other top-three finishes highlights this horse's season.

Legendary jockey Gary Stevens, who rode long-shot Oxbow to victory in the Preakness Stakes earlier this year, will take a seat atop Mucho Macho Man Saturday. He rode the horse a month ago for the victory, causing Steve Haskin of Blood-Horse to call the duo an "awesome" fit.

Combined with the fact that Mucho Macho Man finished this race in second place a year ago, there's a lot of buzz about another strong showing this year. 

Fort Larned

Fort Larned won this race last year, so it's no surprise that the horse is being given favorable odds to repeat. 

Since winning the Breeders' Cup Classic last November, Fort Larned has been up and down, however, with two wins, two fifth-place finishes and one did-not-finish. 

Both wins this year were claimed as a result of Fort Larned setting the pace and staying ahead of the pack, which could be a problem in this one. With so many speedy horses, this horse's preferred style could prove to be its downfall. 

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