Ignore the numbers; Lure was a horse of a lifetime

When the news broke last week that Lure had passed away due to the infirmities of old age at the ripe old age of 28, it brought back a wave of memories that this son of Danzig provided on the racetrack.

Reviewing Lure’s career just by the numbers doesn’t tell the story. In a career that spanned 25 races, Lure won only three Grade I races and took home no Eclipse awards. But if you followed racing when Lure came around, you would know that a strong case can be made that Lure was the one of the best grass milers to have ever raced. Yes, he was that good.

From the start, Lure was meant for the Kentucky Derby. After setting a Belmont track record in his very first start at age 2, Lure seemed to be on his way. He had the pedigree, by a son of Northern Dancer, and Lure’s dam was Endear, a daughter of Alydar. Trained by Shug McGaughey and racing in the legendary silks of Claiborne Farm, Lure checked all the boxes.

After that sparkling career debut, Lure lost his final two starts that season which included an off the board finish in the Champagne Stakes. Back at age 3, Lure took his first two races that included a dead heat in the Gotham with Devil His Due. Instead of going on to the Wood Memorial, McGaughey opted for the shorter Lexington Stakes.

Lure was sent off a heavy favorite in the field of five but was passed in deep stretch and beaten by a neck. After a sixth-place effort in the Riva Ridge in early June at Belmont Park, it was time for some changes.

The plan was to get Lure onto the turf course at Saratoga to see how he trained. Endear, the dam of Lure, was a half sister to a top turf runner named Tiller, and with Danzig being his sire, it certainly added to the optimism.

Lure reappeared in an 8 1/2-furlong allowance race on the grass in September at Belmont Park, and the result was a textbook case of a racehorse changing his career trajectory for the better with a simple surface change, much like Cigar did two years later.

After winning that allowance race by more than 10 lengths, Lure was sent postward in the Kelso Handicap one month later when he finished second over a soft turf course. Sent to the Breeders’ Cup Mile for his next start at Gulfstream, Lure went off as 5-1 third choice facing 13 others. It was no contest as Lure went to the front and poured it on in the stretch to win by three lengths in 1:32 4/5. Left in his wake was future champion Paradise Creek, who finished second, and the race favorite, Arazi.

It was the first of seven meetings between Paradise Creek and Lure. After being freshened for his 4-year-old season, Lure first took on another rival who he butted heads with in five races, Star of Cozzene. Even though Lure was best at a mile, there were not many options at that distance back in the early 90s, so Lure was stretched out often. After winning his first three starts — which included the Early Times Turf Classic in course record time and Dixie Handicap, both at 9 furlongs over Star of Cozzene — Lure was asked to go even farther. 

In the 10-furlong Manhattan, he was beaten by Star of Cozzene by 3/4 of a length in 1:58 4/5. And then in the 1 3/16 Caesar’s International he was beaten again by Star of Cozzene by a length in 1:53 1/5. Shortened back up for his final three starts, he rattled off three straight open-length wins that was capped off by his brilliant victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita. In winning his second straight Mile, Lure overcame an outside post that had many experts doubting his chances. He overwhelmed an outstanding field that included Paradise Creek, Toussaud, Flawlessly, and Barathea to win by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:33 2/5.

In 1993, Lure didn’t win an Eclipse because the great Kotashaan dominated the longer distance grass racing that season en route to Horse of the Year honors. 

In 1994, Lure took the Elkhorn, Caesar’s International and Bernard Baruch, but was beaten by Paradise Creek in two other races finishing second. Shortened back up for the fall, Lure was upset in his prep for the Breeders’ Cup, finishing second by a nose in the Kelso. Battling a quarter crack the entire season, Lure was back to try for an unprecedented third straight Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs. Lure never got involved and finished ninth. He was preserved in the stretch by jockey Mike Smith. It was Lure’s final career race.

That ninth-place Breeders’ Cup Mile effort snapped a streak of 17 straight starts on the grass of finishing first or second. In those 17 turf races Lure was beaten by four horses: Paradise Creek, Star of Cozzene, Roman Envoy and Nijinsky’s Gold. It was a remarkable run over three seasons. Lure got the better of both his longtime rivals in winning five of the seven meetings against Paradise Creek, and three of the five against Star of Cozzene.

After being sent back to the farm where he was foaled and raised, Lure was to stand for $50,000 in his first season for Claiborne Farm. Fertility problems got in the way, and the farm cashed in an insurance claim. Coolmore purchased Lure from the insurance company in hopes of treating the fertility issues. Lure did go on to sire 119 foals and even had six stakes winners to his credit which included England’s Legend, the winner of the 2001 Beverly D Stakes.

In 2003 Lure was pensioned and returned to Claiborne to live out the rest of his days. Inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2013, Lure is one of those few horses inducted to have never won an Eclipse after racing in the Eclipse Award era. Lava Man, Best Pal, Exceller, and Alydar are the only others.

Lure’s final career mark was 14 wins and eight second-place finishes from 25 starts. As you know now after reading this, those are just numbers. They don’t tell the real story.

I will always remember Lure as the best male grass miler I have ever seen race. For much of his career he raced at distances that were likely beyond his best, but he still won the majority. When given the chance to shine at his best distance, though, there wasn’t a horse in the world that could catch him on his best day.

Rest in peace, Lure. Your memory will live on forever.