Complex sentence: He entered the race at odds of 8/1 and finished 9th of the 14 runners, but was not disgraced, finishing 5 & 1/4 lengths behind 40/1 winner, Night Of Thunder.
Split into simpler sentences: He entered the race at odds of 8/1 and could only finish 9th of the 14 runners. However, he was not disgraced, as he only finished 5 & 1/4 lengths behind 40/1 winner, Night Of Thunder.