Chelsea Durand Photo

Inspector Lynley rallies to win Fasig-Tipton Lure

by Brian Bohl

Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey had already entered the $100,000 Fasig-Tipon Lure with a special connection to the race, having conditioned the two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner for which race is named. But McGaughey had another reason to visit the winner's circle, as Inspector Lynley went from last-to-first and outkicked Projected to win the Lure by three-quarters of a length on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

After inclement weather forced the race to be rescheduled a week from its original slate on the August 4th card, the sixth running of the Lure was the third stakes on the day, with Sue's Fortune winning the Grade 2, $200,000 Adirondack and Voodoo Song capturing the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap two races prior.

Over a Mellon turf course that was listed as good but has taken consistent rain, Inspector Lynley stayed well off Mr Cub's early fractions of 24.27 seconds for a quarter-mile and the half in 48.32. Last of seven heading into the far turn, jockey Jose Lezcano started picking off rivals one by one, going wide in the stretch to overtake Conquest Panthera.

Projected made a final challenge in the final furlong but Inspector Lynley completed the 1 1/16-mile course in 1:43.30 to improve to 2-for-2 in his career at the Spa, adding to his victory in the 2016 Grade 3 Saranac.

"I wanted to be more forwardly placed, but he broke a little slow," said Lezcano, who added his second stakes on the day after piloting Voodoo Song in the Fourstardave in Race 8. "Sitting in the gates, he was moving a little bit and when the gates opened, he sat back and broke last. But, it worked out good going behind horses.

"When I got to the half-mile pole, I went a little outside and let him pick it up," he added. "When I asked him in the stretch, he just took off. The pace was fast enough and he was moving comfortably. I was very confident."

Off at 3-1, Inspector Lynley returned $8.60 on a $2 win bet. The 5-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid posted his first win since the Grade 3 Tampa Bay in February 2017, improving his career bankroll to $494,099.

"His other three races [this year], he could've won but didn't. I'm glad he won this today," McGaughey said. "He's been doing awfully well and training good. Last week, the weather was a mess and then I saw the turf today and thought maybe we would've been better off we ran last week.

"I was hoping he was going to break good and lay right in behind Mr Cub. He didn't, [but] Jose rode him good, being patient. He had a lot of horse and he was riding with Projected keeping him down there on the inside. He didn't hit the panic button when he didn't break out of there right away and let him get his feet under him and thankfully, Plan B worked out."

Projected, the 2-1 favorite for trainer Chad Brown, finished a half-length in front of the Mark Casse-trained Conquest Panthera in third. Forge, Blacktype, Zennor and Mr Cub completed the order of finish.

Dalarna and main-track only entries Secret Passage and You're to Blame were scratched.

Lure won 14 races in 25 starts in a career that spanned 1991-94, registering 10 graded stakes wins, including the Breeders' Cup Mile in 1993 and 1994.