Breeders' Cup 2013 Results: Breaking Down Best and Worst Performances

The 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic was one to remember. Some of the biggest names in horse racing emerged, while others fell to the wayside.

While Mucho Macho Man stole the show with an emphatic finish, he was far from the only name to make headlines in a thrilling showdown at Santa Anita Park.

Let's take a look at the biggest winners and losers from the $5 million race.

Best Performances

Mucho Macho Man

After finishing in second place in last year's Classic, Mucho Macho Man found some familiarity this time around and came out on top of a photo finish.

Led by trainer Kathy Ritvo—who became the first female trainer to win on the big stage—this five-year-old colt saved his best for last and took the lead coming around the final turn.

Despite world-class opponents by his side, Mucho Macho Man galloped to victory thanks to jockey Gary Stevens. The 50-year-old had never won the illustrious event in his career before Saturday.

It was a start-to-finish race of prominence for Mucho Macho Man, but he saved his best for last.

Will Take Charge

As tough as it is to call a performance "best" when that performer didn't win, this situation is about as warranted as it could get.

Will Take Charge lost by a nose—literally—to the winning Mucho Macho Man, and it couldn't be decided until the photo finish was given another look.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas was able to get the best out of his horse after struggling to take advantage of the big stages earlier on in the racing season. And if it weren't for an inspiring run by the winner, we would be talking about Will Take Charge stealing the show.

Worst Performances

Game On Dude

Heading into Saturday's race, it was tough to find coverage of the Breeders' Cup Classic and not hear all about Game On Dude, who entered the race at 5-0 and was looking to earn Horse of the Year honors.

Then, Game On Dude came out and posted a ninth-place finish in the 11-horse race, looking to be out of it early on and squandering all of the early hype.

To make matters worse, the horse was competing on his home track. This inexplicable finish from Game On Dude was one of the stories of the day at Santa Anita.

Flat Out

While nobody's performance proved to be more detrimental and surprising than Game On Dude's, he wasn't alone, as Flat Out disappointed despite nice odds.

Trained by William I. Mott, the seven-year-old horse didn't get much going out of the gate and couldn't find his way back near the leaders. He ended up finishing in eighth place. 

With jockey Joel Rosario—the up-and-coming 28-year-old who won the Kentucky Derby this year—everyone expected Flat Out to post a better performance than he did.

In a field full of formidable contenders, Flat Out had an opportunity to make some noise and didn't put it together.