Hall of Famer, 2X Breeders' Cup Mile Winner Lure Dies

Lure winning the first of his two Breeders' Cup Miles in 1992 | Horsephotos

Lure (Danzig–Endear, by Alydar), a Hall of Famer and two-time winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, passed away Wednesday morning due to the infirmities of old age. He was 28 years old.

Bred in Kentucky by Claiborne Farm and The Gamely Corp., Lure won his five-furlong debut over the Belmont main track, stopping the timer in track-record time of :56.30, and won three of seven overall on the dirt, sharing the spoils with Devil His Due in the 1992 GII Gotham S. But following an unplaced effort in the GIII Riva Ridge S., Claiborne's Seth Hancock and trainer Shug McGaughey made the decision to try the colt on the turf. He rolled home to take an allowance by better than 10 lengths and a star was born. Two starts later, the bay carried Mike Smith to a front-running, three-length defeat of Paradise Creek in the 1992 Mile at Gulfstream Park (video).

Lure would go on to win six of his eight outings at four in 1993, including a defeat of Fourstardave in the Daryl's Joy S. at Saratoga and of Paradise Creek in the GIII Kelso H. prior to a successful defense of his Mile title from a high draw at Santa Anita (video). His two losses that season came at the hands of Team Valor's Star of Cozzene, who bested Lure in the GII Manhattan S. at Belmont and in the GII Caesars International at Atlantic City.

“In the second Breeders' Cup Mile, when he drew outside, there were a lot of naysayers who said he couldn't do it from there, but everything fell into place for him,” Claiborne's Dell Hancock told Blood-Horse. “He was just brilliant when he was right and he was certainly a wonderful end to a wonderful chapter in Claiborne history. Now he'll be remembered as being in the Hall of Fame. The Breeders' Cup wins helped get him there, and now he has his place in history.”

A potential third clash of those titans in the GI Arlington Million went by the wayside when Lure was scratched on raceday owing to a boggy turf course. Lure would exact his revenge on Star of Cozzene in the '94 Caesars and added the GII Bernard Baruch H., but was second in defense of his Kelso and was unplaced in search of a third straight Breeders' Cup Mile, his lone off-the-board effort on the grass. He retired with a record of 14-8-0 from 25 starts and earnings of $2,515,289.

Retired to stud at Claiborne, Lure sired 119 foals, including G1 Prix Morny victor Orpen from his first crop and GI Beverly D. S. winner England's Legend from his second among his seven black-type winners. Lure was pensioned from stud duties in 2004 due to fertility issues.

A 2013 inductee into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Lure will be buried at Claiborne Farm.

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