Claiborne’s association with William Haggin Perry (The Gamely Corporation) spanned more than three decades and produced some 30 major stakes winners, but one of the most exciting horses the partnership campaigned was two-time Breeders’ Cup Mile-G1 winner Lure.
A son of Claiborne stallion Danzig out of Hempstead H. winner Endear, Lure was a standout from the beginning. In fact, when Queen Elizabeth II visited Claiborne, she was shown only two foals from the entire foal crop – one of them was Lure. He was talented enough to win a graded stakes on dirt, but when switched to turf, Lure was a virtuoso. In 17 consecutive races, he won 11 times, was second 6 times, and earned 16 triple digit Beyer Figures. His victories include: the Dixie H., the Turf Classic, the Elkhorn, the Kelso, the Bernard Baruch H., and the Caesers’ International. Lure won both the 1992 and 1993 Breeders’ Cup Mile-G1 by daylight, thus becoming one of only a handful of horses able to win back-to-back runnings of a Breeders’ Cup race.
Sadly, Lure was virtually infertile as a stallion. He made some progress with treatment and stood briefly, siring Irish Champion 2-Year-Old Orpen (sire of 18 GSWs) and U.S. Grade 1 stakes winner England’s Legend. After it was evident that his career at stud was finished, Lure returned to Claiborne on September 29, 2003. Lure lived out his days on the farm where he was born and raised as an honored pensioner.
Lure died the morning of November 15th, 2017, and was buried at Claiborne Farm. He was elected into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2013.