ARCADIA – As the sun set over the San Gabriel Mountains, Fort Larned made a last stand.

Refusing to lose, the bay colt made every step a winning one Saturday as he led throughout the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic. The victory was the best present ever for his young rider.

Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. celebrated his 27th birthday with the ride of his life, winning his first Cup in his first race at Santa Anita. The Classic's winning jockey earns $270,000.

In the winner's circle, fans serenaded Hernandez with "Happy Birthday."

"It's the greatest birthday that could ever happen," Hernandez said. "Fort Larned is one of the best and showed it (Saturday).

"We didn't think about the money," he added. "The prestige of winning this race in front of the world is incredible."

Billed as a true championship finale, the Classic turned into a virtual match race between Fort Larned and Mucho Macho Man, two horses that received little advance consideration. Throughout the 1 1/4-mile race, they battled one-two, with Fort Larned opening up by three lengths at the top of the stretch.

Mike Smith, who won the 2011 Classic with Drosselmeyer, made one late lunge at the leader with Mucho Macho Man, but Fort Larned held on by half a length and paid $20.80. The final time was a brisk 2:00.11 on Santa Anita's fast main track.

Fort Larned, owned and bred by Janis Whitham, gave trainer Ian Wilkes his first Cup win and a leg up on Horse of the Year honors. The 4-year-old colt finished 2012 with five wins in nine starts, including victories in New York, Florida and the Midwest.

"I knew we were good when we broke sharp," said Wilkes, a former assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Carl Nafzger. "That's where Brian won the race. We broke sharp and Game On Dude broke bad. I trust Brian because the horse trusts Brian."

Whitham won two previous Cups with the great mare Bayakoa, champion in the Ladies' Classic in 1989 and 1990. As an owner, she's now 3 for 4 in Breeders' Cup races.

"We live in West Kansas, and Fort Larned is a little bit east and north of us," Whitham explained of the horse's name.

Santa Anita held no home track advantage for the Californians. The Classic's first four finishers all are based in Kentucky or New York.

The usually front-running Game On Dude, the 6-to-5 favorite and 2011 Classic runner-up, was swallowed up at the start and fought jockey Rafael Bejarano down the backstretch before spitting out the bit. He finished seventh and lost all chance at championship honors, too.

It capped a disappointing Cup for trainer Bob Baffert, who went 0 for 9 over both days. Baffert is now 0 for 10 in the Classic, America's richest race.

"I think the first eighth of a mile cost him the race," Baffert said of Game On Dude. "It was a tough day for me, but I've had tougher."

Other Horse of the Year hopefuls also came up short in the Classic with Flat Out a distant third, Ron the Greek fourth and To Honor and Serve 10th.

Jerry Hollendorfer's Nonios finished a troubled sixth in the Classic.

One race earlier, Wise Dan made his case for Horse of the Year and divisional honors with an eye-popping victory in the $2 million Mile.

Ridden by John Velazquez, the 5-year-old chestnut gelding inhaled pace-setter Obviously on the far turn and ran away from a stellar field in track record time – 1:31.78. It was the fastest Mile in Breeders' Cup history.

Animal Kingdom, the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner, finished second, with Obviously holding on for third.

Wise Dan ($5.60) gave Kentucky trainer Charlie Lopresti and owner Morton Fink their first Cup victory, too. This year, the 5-year-old gelding had previously won Keeneland's Shadwell Mile in Kentucky, Canada's Woodbine Mile and Saratoga's Fourstardave Handicap in New York in a campaign that ping-ponged around North America. Over his career, he's won stakes on turf, dirt and synthetic tracks.

Wise Dan's connections wasted no time in campaigning for more hardware.

Said Lopresti. "Our hat's in the ring."

"He's accomplished an awful lot on any surface you put him on," Fink said. "No change of track ever stopped him. … We look forward to racing him next year."

With an announced crowd of 55,123 on track, this Breeders' Cup spread the love and money around with a different winning trainer in all 15 Cup races.

Kicking off Saturday's races in the Juvenile Turf, Aidan O'Brien won his seventh Cup with George Vancouver ($20.60), a well-traveled Kentucky-bred colt who had raced previously in France, England and Ireland.

Next year's Breeders' Cup will be back at Santa Anita, too. Several winners noted they also hoped to be back.

Said Whitham, "We'd like to try this again."

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

JUVENILE TURF

One mile, purse $1,000,000 2-year-old colts and geldings

3 (3) George Vancouver 20.60 11.00 7.20

9 (9) Noble Tune 6.00 3.80

8 (8) Balance the Books 6.00

$1 Pick 3: (5-3-3) 3 correct paid $303.10. Daily Double: (3-3) paid $86.80. $1 Exacta: (3-9) paid $62.80. $1 Superfecta: (3-9-8-6) paid $2,352.60. $1 Trifecta: (3-9-8) paid $553.10. Winning time: 1:33.780. Jockey: Ryan Moore. Trainer: Aidan O'Brien.

FILLY AND MARE SPRINT

Seven furlongs, purse $1,000,000 3-year-olds and up

9 (9) Groupie Doll 3.40 2.60 2.10

3 (3) Dust and Diamonds 4.20 3.20

10 (10) Switch 3.60

$0.5 Pick 5: (4-5-3-3-9) 5 correct paid $1,275.90. $1 Pick 3: (3-3-9) 3 correct paid $74.50. Daily Double: (3-9) paid $35.40. $1 Exacta: (9-3) paid $6.00. $1 Superfecta: (9-3-10-2) paid $500.70. $1 Trifecta: (9-3-10) paid $43.10. Winning time: 1:20.720. Jockey: Rajiv Maragh. Trainer: William Bradley

DIRT MILE

One mile, purse $1,000,000 3-year-olds and up

8 (8) Tapizar 32.60 13.60 8.20

1 (1) Rail Trip 8.40 5.80

2 (2) Delegation 8.20

$1 Pick 3: (3-9-8) 3 correct paid $380.30. Daily Double: (9-8) paid $59.20. $1 Exacta: (8-1) paid $122.80. $1 Superfecta: (8-1-2-4) paid $12,476.40. $1 Trifecta: (8-1-2) paid $1,950.70. Winning time: 1:35.340. Jockey: Corey Nakatani. Trainer: Steven Asmussen.

TURF SPRINT

Five furlongs, purse $1,000,000 3-year-olds and up

11 (11) Mizdirection 15.80 7.40 5.00

13 (13) Unbridled's Note 5.80 4.40

7 (7) Reneesgotzip 7.00

$0.5 Pick 4: (3-9-8-11) 4 correct paid $1,757.65. $1 Pick 3: (9-8-11) 3 correct paid $390.70. Daily Double: (8-11) paid $364.00. $1 Exacta: (11-13) paid $40.10. $1 Superfecta: (11-13-7-3) paid $8,843.20. $1 Trifecta: (11-13-7) paid $360.50. Winning time: 1:11.390. Jockey: Mike Smith. Trainer: Mike Puype.

JUVENILE

1 1/16 miles, purse $2,000,000 2-year-old colts and geldings

4 (4) Shanghai Bobby 4.60 3.40 2.60

3 (3) He's Had Enough 12.60 7.40

7 (7) Capo Bastone 5.00

$1 Pick 3: (8-11-4) 3 correct paid $730.70. Daily Double: (11-4) paid $43.00. $1 Exacta: (4-3) paid $45.40. $1 Superfecta: (4-3-7-8) paid $1,862.90. $1 Trifecta: (4-3-7) paid $366.70. Winning time: 1:44.580. Jockey: Rosie Napravnik. Trainer: Todd Pletcher

TURF

1 1/2 miles, purse $3,000,000 3-year-olds and up

7 (7) Little Mike 36.60 12.20 7.80

1 (1) Point of Entry 4.20 3.00

3 (3) St Nicholas Abbey 3.80

$1 Pick 3: (11-4-7) 3 correct paid $625.30. Daily Double: (4-7) paid $86.40. $1 Exacta: (7-1) paid $68.20. $1 Superfecta: (7-1-3-12) paid $2,030.30. $1 Trifecta: (7-1-3) paid $301.20. Winning time: 2:22.830. Jockey: Ramon Dominguez. Trainer: Dale Romans.

SPRINT

Six furlongs, purse $1,500,000 3-year-olds and up

9 (9) Trinniberg 29.40 13.20 11.00

7 (7) The Lumber Guy 6.40 5.00

10 (10) Smiling Tiger 12.20

$1 Pick 3: (4-7-9) 3 correct paid $931.50. Daily Double: (7-9) paid $771.60. $1 Exacta: (9-7) paid $101.70. $1 Superfecta: (9-7-10-1) paid $54,432.90. $1 Trifecta: (9-7-10) paid $2,721.50. Winning time: 1:07.980. Jockey: Willie Martinez. Trainer: Shivananda Parbhoo.

MILE

One mile, turf, purse $2,000,000 3-year-olds and up

2 (2) Wise Dan 5.60 3.00 2.80

5 (5) Animal Kingdom 6.60 4.60

3 (3) Obviously 4.20

$1 Pick 3: (7-9-2) 3 correct paid $1,163.80. Daily Double: (9-2) paid $95.60. $1 Exacta: (2-5) paid $27.30. $1 Superfecta: (2-5-3-6) paid $383.50. $1 Trifecta: (2-5-3) paid $124.70. Winning time: 1:31.780. Jockey: John Velazquez. Trainer: Charles Lopresti.

CLASSIC

1 1/4 miles, purse $5,000,000 3-year-olds and up

4 (4) Fort Larned 20.80 9.80 6.80

11 (11) Mucho Macho Man 6.60 4.60

2 (2) Flat Out 5.20

Pick 6: (11-4-7-9-2-4) 6 correct paid $419,245.40, 5 correct paid $2,712.00. $0.5 Pick 4: (7-9-2-4) 4 correct paid $5,647.40. $1 Pick 3: (9-2-4) 3 correct paid $420.10. $1 Super High Five: (4-11-2-10-9) paid $14,024.60. $1 Trifecta: (4-11-2) paid $306.90. Daily Double: (2-4) paid $55.80. $1 Daily Double (Ladies' Classic/Classic 6-4): paid $31.50. $1 Exacta: (4-11) paid $62.70. $1 Superfecta: (4-11-2-10) paid $1,763.30. Winning time: 2:00.110. Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr. Trainer: Ian Wilkes

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