Breeders' Cup 2013 Results: Most Disappointing Finishes from Classic

While the 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic was about as exciting of a race as fans could ask for, not everyone in the competition lived up to expectations. 

Mucho Macho Man was the star of the day, as the thoroughbred took over the lead in the final turn and then held off a tough challenge to win the race. Will Take Charge and Declaration of War narrowly missed out on the win and took second and third, respectively.

However, beyond those top finishers, a few horses had disappointing days in their biggest race of the year. Here is a full look at the results, followed by those who should not be satisfied with their showings.

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

Fort Larned

There were a number of repeat winners on Saturday, including Mizdirection, Groupie Doll and Wise Dan. However, Fort Larned was unable to defend his title after winning the 2012 Classic.

Brian Hernandez Jr. actually got his horse out in front about halfway into the race. However, he could not hold onto the lead and quickly fell behind the leaders, finishing in fourth place.

Fans were aware of Fort Larned's inconsistency coming into the race; he finished outside of the money in three of the last five starts. Still, wins at the Homecoming Classic and the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap as well as last year's Breeders' Cup Classic gave everyone hope for another victory.

However, the boom-or-bust style came up short and left a lot of people hanging with nothing to show for it.

Palace Malice

The tale of Palace Malice is a sad one, although many were hoping for a happy ending.

Jockey John Velazquez was supposed to ride the 2013 Belmont Stakes winner, but an ugly spill in an earlier race sent him to the hospital to have his spleen removed, according to NBC Sports. The horse that he rode, Secret Compass, was euthanized after suffering a leg injury.

Rafael Bejarano took over for Velazquez aboard Palace Malice after winning the Dirt Mile aboard Goldencents the day before. It was his fourth different victory at the Breeders' Cup.

Unfortunately, this combination could not keep up with the pack and was never competitive after a poor start. The good news is that he will likely be back in this event and will hope for better luck next time around. 

Game On Dude

A year after posting one of the most disappointing performances of the year at the Classic, Game On Dude did it once again despite coming in as the odds-on favorite.

In virtually every other event of the year, Game On Dude appeared unstoppable. Since losing last year, he had won six straight starts, three of which were Grade 1 races. Additionally, he had won in each of his seven other races at Santa Anita Park.

However, Bob Baffert remains winless at the Classic thanks to another poor showing by his top horse. Game On Dude was neck and neck with the leaders through the final turn, but he could not hold on in the final stretch and faded back to ninth.

While this competitor remains one of the top horses in the United States, he cannot be considered the best without a title at this prestigious event. 

Note: All statistics and odds courtesy of BreedersCup.com.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.