Janis R. Whitham’s Fort Larned led from gate to wire and held off a sustained stretch bid by Mucho Macho Man to win the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic before a crowd of 55,123 at Santa Anita Park, in Arcadia, Calif., on Nov. 3.

The Ian Wilkes-trained Whitney Invitational Handicap winner raced the 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.11 on a fast track and gave jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. a treasured birthday present.

The winner, a 4-year-old son of E Dubai produced from the Broad Brush mare Arlucea, paid $20.80, $9.80, and $6.80. Mucho Macho Man, in a game effort under Mike Smith, finished a half-length behind the winner and returned $6.60 and $4.60. Flat Out, who finished 6 1/2 lengths back in third under Joel Rosario, paid $5.20.

In winning the Classic, Fort Larned earned $2.7 million to increase his bankroll to $3,681,236, and improved his record to 8-2-1 from 19 career starts

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