Inspector Lynley Loved the $100,000 Lure

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY –  A bad start was no problem for Inspector Lynley who loved the muddy turf and flew down the stretch to win Saturday’s $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure Stakes at Saratoga. This was the first win since February of 2017 for the five-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid.

Inspector Lynley broke poorly and immediately dropped to the rear while Mr Cub shot to the front to set the pace with the rest of the field sitting just behind him setting fractions of :24.27, :48.32, and 1:12.30. Zennor and Blacktype sat closest to Mr Cub and were the first to make moves as they hit the second turn. Mr Cub held off all competition around the turn, but into the stretch, he quickly faded giving Inspector Lynley and Conquest Panthera the space they needed to make a move. Both horses shot straight to the front but Inspector Lynley got the best of Conquest Panthera. The favorite, Projected, ran into some problems with traffic but rallied on the outside and got up to challenge the leaders. Projected had enough to pass Conquest Panthera for second but ran out of space as Inspector Lynley finished in first by just under a length. Forge finished fourth.

“I wanted to be more forwardly placed, but he broke a little slow,” said jockey Jose Lezcano. “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. 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.”

“His other three races [this year], he could’ve won but didn’t. I’m glad he won this today,” said trainer Shug McGaughey. “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.”

Inspector Lynley returned $8.60 to win, $4.50 to place, and $3.50 to show. Projected brought back $4.50 to place and $3.00 to show, while Conquest Panthera paid $4.80 to show.

Scratched: Dalarna, Secret Passage, You’re to Blame