D. Wayne Lukas: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|American horse trainer}}
{{Short description|American horse trainer (1935–2025)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox horseracing personality
{{Infobox horseracing personality
|name  = D. Wayne Lukas
|name  = D. Wayne Lukas
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|caption  = D. Wayne Lukas in the winner's circle of the 2013 Preakness Stakes
|caption  = D. Wayne Lukas in the winner's circle of the 2013 Preakness Stakes
|occupation  = [[Horse trainer]]
|occupation  = [[Horse trainer]]
|birth_place = [[Antigo, Wisconsin]],<br/>[[United States]]
|birth_date  = {{birth date|1935|9|2}}
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1935|9|2}}
|birth_place = [[Antigo, Wisconsin]], U.S.
|death_date  =
|death_date = {{death date and age|2025|6|28|1935|9|2}}
|career wins  = Quarter Horse racing: 739<br/>Thoroughbred flat racing:<br/> 4,930+ (ongoing)<ref name="Back at Work">[https://www.espn.com/horse-racing/story/_/id/29779621/trainer-d-wayne-lukas-back-work-churchill-downs-battling-covid-19 Trainer D. Wayne Lukas back at work at Churchill Downs after battling COVID-19]</ref>
|death_place = [[Louisville, Kentucky]], U.S.
|career wins  = Quarter Horse racing: 739<br/>Thoroughbred flat racing:<br/>4,953<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
|race  = '''[[American Classic Races|American Classics]] wins:'''<br />[[Kentucky Derby]]<br />(1988, 1995, 1996, 1999)<br/>[[Preakness Stakes]]<br/>(1980, 1985, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2013, 2024)<br/>[[Belmont Stakes]]<br/>(1994, 1995, 1996, 2000)<br/> '''[[Breeders' Cup]] wins:'''<br />[[Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies]]<br/>(1985, 1988, 1994, 1999, 2005, 2014)<br />[[Breeders' Cup Juvenile]]<br/>(1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1996)<br/>[[Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint]]<br/>(2012)<br/>[[Breeders' Cup Sprint]]<br/>(1988, 2002)<br/>[[Breeders' Cup Turf Mile]]<br/>(1989)<br/>[[Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic|Breeders' Cup Distaff]]<br/>(1985, 1986, 1987, 2000)<br/>[[Breeders' Cup Classic]]<br/>(1999)
|race  = '''[[American Classic Races|American Classics]] wins:'''<br />[[Kentucky Derby]]<br />(1988, 1995, 1996, 1999)<br/>[[Preakness Stakes]]<br/>(1980, 1985, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2013, 2024)<br/>[[Belmont Stakes]]<br/>(1994, 1995, 1996, 2000)<br/> '''[[Breeders' Cup]] wins:'''<br />[[Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies]]<br/>(1985, 1988, 1994, 1999, 2005, 2014)<br />[[Breeders' Cup Juvenile]]<br/>(1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1996)<br/>[[Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint]]<br/>(2012)<br/>[[Breeders' Cup Sprint]]<br/>(1988, 2002)<br/>[[Breeders' Cup Turf Mile]]<br/>(1989)<br/>[[Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic|Breeders' Cup Distaff]]<br/>(1985, 1986, 1987, 2000)<br/>[[Breeders' Cup Classic]]<br/>(1999)
{{collapsible list|title=Grade 1 Stakes Wins|hlist=true|
{{collapsible list|title=Grade 1 Stakes Wins|hlist=true|
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}}
}}
|awards = [[Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer]]<br />(1985, 1986, 1987, 1994)<br />[[United States Champion Thoroughbred Trainer by wins|U.S. Champion Trainer by wins]]<br />(1987-1990)<br/>[[United States Leading stakes-winning trainer|U.S. Leading stakes-winning trainer]] (1985-1992)<br/>[[United States Champion Thoroughbred Trainer by earnings|U.S. Champion Trainer by earnings]]<br/>(1983-1992, 1994-1997)<br/>[[John W. Galbreath Equine Award]] (1998)
|awards = [[Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer]]<br />(1985, 1986, 1987, 1994)<br />[[United States Champion Thoroughbred Trainer by wins|U.S. Champion Trainer by wins]]<br />(1987-1990)<br/>[[United States Leading stakes-winning trainer|U.S. Leading stakes-winning trainer]] (1985-1992)<br/>[[United States Champion Thoroughbred Trainer by earnings|U.S. Champion Trainer by earnings]]<br/>(1983-1992, 1994-1997)<br/>[[John W. Galbreath Equine Award]] (1998)
|honours  = [[National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame|United States' Racing Hall of Fame]] (1999)<br />[[American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame]] (2007) <br>[[Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer]] (1985, 1986, 1987, 1994)<br>[[Eclipse Award of Merit]]<ref name="Merit">[http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/82930/eclipse-night-filled-with-repeat-winners Eclipse Night Filled with Repeat Winners]</ref>
|honours  = [[National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame|United States' Racing Hall of Fame]] (1999)<br />[[American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame]] (2007) <br>[[Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer]] (1985, 1986, 1987, 1994)<br>[[Eclipse Award of Merit]]<ref name="Merit">{{Cite web |url=http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/82930/eclipse-night-filled-with-repeat-winners |title=Eclipse Night Filled with Repeat Winners |access-date=January 27, 2014 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085413/http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/82930/eclipse-night-filled-with-repeat-winners |url-status=live }}</ref>
|horses  = Trainer of 23 World Champion Quarter horses including [[Dash For Cash]]<br/>'''Other Thoroughbred [[flat racing]] horses:'''<br/> [[Azeri (horse)|Azeri]], [[Blush With Pride]], [[Cara Rafaela]], [[Corporate Report]], [[Criminal Type]], [[Dance Floor (horse)|Dance Floor]], [[Dynaformer]], [[Effervescing (horse)|Effervescing]], [[Farma Way]], [[Go And Go]], [[Golden Attraction]], [[Grand Slam (horse)|Grand Slam]], [[Honour and Glory]], [[Landaluce]], [[North Sider]], [[River Memories]], [[Serena's Song (horse)|Serena's Song]], [[Sharp Cat]], [[Southern Halo]], [[Spain]], [[Star of Cozzene]], [[Tamarisk (horse)|Tamarisk]], [[Terlingua (horse)|Terlingua]], [[Thunder Gulch]], [[Paul Hornung#Off the field|Titletown Five]], [[Will Take Charge]], [[Winning Colors (horse)|Winning Colors]],
|horses  = Trainer of 23 World Champion Quarter horses including [[Dash For Cash]]<br/>'''Other Thoroughbred [[flat racing]] horses:'''<br/> [[Azeri (horse)|Azeri]], [[Blush With Pride]], [[Cara Rafaela]], [[Corporate Report]], [[Criminal Type]], [[Dance Floor (horse)|Dance Floor]], [[Dynaformer]], [[Effervescing (horse)|Effervescing]], [[Farma Way]], [[Go And Go]], [[Golden Attraction]], [[Grand Slam (horse)|Grand Slam]], [[Honour and Glory]], [[Landaluce]], [[North Sider]], [[River Memories]], [[Serena's Song (horse)|Serena's Song]], [[Sharp Cat]], [[Southern Halo]], [[Spain]], [[Star of Cozzene]], [[Tamarisk (horse)|Tamarisk]], [[Terlingua (horse)|Terlingua]], [[Thunder Gulch]], [[Paul Hornung#Off the field|Titletown Five]], [[Will Take Charge]], [[Winning Colors (horse)|Winning Colors]],
|updated = 01-29-2014
|updated = June 22, 2025
}}
}}
'''Darrell Wayne Lukas''' (born September 2, 1935, in [[Antigo, Wisconsin]]) is an American [[horse trainer]] and a [[National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame|U.S. Racing Hall of Fame]] inductee. He has won twenty [[Breeders' Cup]] races, received five [[Eclipse Award]]s for his accomplishments, and his horses have won 25 year-end Eclipse Awards. He was inducted into the [[American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame]] in 2007.


==Background and career==
'''Darrell Wayne Lukas''' (September 2, 1935 – June 28, 2025) was an American [[horse trainer]] and a [[National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame|U.S. Racing Hall of Fame]] inductee. He won twenty [[Breeders' Cup]] races, received five [[Eclipse Award]]s for his accomplishments, and his horses won 25 year-end Eclipse Awards. Lukas was inducted into the [[American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame]] in 2007.
Born and raised on a small farm, Lukas grew up with an interest in horses. He graduated from the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] with a [[master's degree]] in education then taught at La Crosse, WI Logan High School where he was a head basketball coach. He was initiated into the [[Kappa Sigma]] fraternity while an undergraduate.<ref name="Ride">[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-10-20-0210200469-story.html It's the ride of his life]</ref> He began training [[American Quarter Horse|quarter horses]] in [[California]] in 1968 and after 10 years of achievement that saw him train 24 world champions, he switched to training [[thoroughbred]]s. The first trainer to earn more than $100 million in purse money, he has been the year's top money winner 14 times.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}} Lukas got his big break in 1980 when he won the [[Preakness Stakes]] on [[Codex]]. His horses have won the [[Kentucky Derby]] four times, the [[Preakness Stakes]] on seven occasions, and have claimed victory four times in the [[Belmont Stakes]], including winning all three of the [[American Classic Races|Classics]] in 1995 with [[Thunder Gulch]] (Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes) and [[Timber Country]] (Preakness), making him the first trainer to sweep the Triple Crown Classic races with two different horses in a season. In 2013, he surpassed [[James E. Fitzsimmons|Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons]] for the most [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)|Triple Crown]] race victories, with 14. In 2024, the 88-year-old Lukas broke Fitzsimmons' record as the oldest trainer to win a Triple Crown race when [[Seize the Grey]] won the [[Preakness Stakes]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/dan-wolken/2024/05/18/preakness-2024-d-wayne-lukas-trainer-seize-the-grey/73755462007/|title=D. Wayne Lukas isn't going anywhere. At 88, trainer just won his 15th Triple Crown race.|last=Wolken|first=Dan|date=18 May 2024|publisher=USA Today|access-date=19 May 2024}}</ref>


He has won [[Breeder's Cup]] races a record 20 times. [[Filly|Fillies]] Lukas has trained have won the [[Kentucky Oaks]] four times. Three of his horses—[[Lady's Secret]] in 1986, [[Criminal Type]] in 1990 and [[Charismatic (horse)|Charismatic]] in 1999—won the [[Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year]]. He has a total of 25 horses that have won various [[Eclipse Awards]].<ref name="Merit"/> He has won the [[Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer]] four times. In 1999, the same year his horse [[Charismatic (horse)|Charismatic]] came within 2 lengths of the Triple Crown, he was inducted into the [[National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame]]. He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2007,<ref>{{cite web |title=D. Wayne Lukas |url=https://www.aqha.com/hall-of-fame-human-inductees/-/asset_publisher/kz1Wsqd1xkSs/content/d-wayne-lukas? |website=American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame |access-date=June 24, 2019}}</ref> becoming the first person to enter both the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse halls of fame.  In 2013 he was awarded the [[Eclipse Award of Merit]] for his accomplishments.<ref name="Merit"/> In 1988, Lukas received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] presented by Awards Council member [[Gene Klein]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#sports}}</ref>
==Early life and education==
Born and raised on a small farm near [[Antigo, Wisconsin|Antigo]], Wisconsin, Lukas grew up with an interest in horses.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Richard |last2=Hoppert |first2=Melissa |date=June 29, 2025 |title=D. Wayne Lukas, Horse Trainer Who Saddled Winners From Coast to Coast, Dies at 89 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/obituaries/d-wayne-lukas-dead.html |access-date=June 29, 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As an undergraduate at the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]], he was initiated into the [[Kappa Sigma]] fraternity.<ref name="Ride">{{Cite web |last=Milbert |first=Neil |date=October 20, 2002 |title=It's the ride of his life: Meet horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/10/20/d-wayne-lukas-horse-trainer/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250626161804/https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/10/20/d-wayne-lukas-horse-trainer/ |archive-date=June 26, 2025 |access-date=June 29, 2025 |website=[[Chicago Tribune]] |language=en-US}}</ref> He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a [[master's degree]] in education, then taught at [[Logan High School (La Crosse, Wisconsin)|Logan High School]] in [[La Crosse, Wisconsin|La Crosse]], Wisconsin, where he was a head basketball coach.<ref name=":1" />


In 2014, at age 78, in his acceptance speech for the 2013 Eclipse Award of Merit, he stated, "[w]hen they start giving you awards...they are trying to get you to retire. Well, you young trainers get ready because I'm not retiring. We're coming after you so you'd better get up a little more early in the morning from now on. We're coming after you with a vengeance."<ref name="Merit"/>
==Career==
Lukas began training [[American Quarter Horse|quarter horses]] in [[California]] in 1968 and after 10 years of achievement that saw him train 24 world champions, he switched to training [[thoroughbred]]s. His first win as a thoroughbred trainer was on October 20, 1977, at [[Santa Anita Park]].<ref name="usat220625" /> The first trainer to earn more than $100 million in purse money, he was the year's top money winner 14 times.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Angst |first=Frank |date=June 29, 2025 |title=Industry-Shaping Horseman Lukas Dies at Age 89 |url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/285431/industry-shaping-horseman-lukas-dies-at-age-89 |access-date=June 29, 2025 |website=[[The Blood-Horse]]}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=June 22, 2025 |title=Legendary Hall of Fame Trainer D. Wayne Lukas Hospitalized; Horses Transferred to Veteran Assistant Sebastian 'Bas' Nicholl |url=https://www.churchilldowns.com/horses/news/legendary-hall-of-fame-trainer-d-wayne-lukas-hospitalized-horses-transferred-to-veteran-assistant-sebastian-bas-nicholl/ |access-date=June 29, 2025 |website=[[Churchill Downs]] |language=en |archive-date=June 23, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250623035025/https://www.churchilldowns.com/horses/news/legendary-hall-of-fame-trainer-d-wayne-lukas-hospitalized-horses-transferred-to-veteran-assistant-sebastian-bas-nicholl/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
Lukas first gained major attention in 1980 when he won the [[Preakness Stakes]] on [[Codex]]. His horses won the [[Kentucky Derby]] four times, the [[Preakness Stakes]] seven times, the [[Belmont Stakes]] four times. His horses won all three of the [[American Classic Races|Classics]] in 1995 with [[Thunder Gulch]] (Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes) and [[Timber Country]] (Preakness), making him the first trainer to sweep the Triple Crown Classic races with two different horses in a season. In 2013, he surpassed [[James E. Fitzsimmons|Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons]] for the most [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)|Triple Crown]] race victories, with 14. In 2024, the 88-year-old Lukas broke Fitzsimmons' record as the oldest trainer to win a Triple Crown race when [[Seize the Grey]] won the [[Preakness Stakes]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Wolken |first=Dan |date=May 18, 2024 |title=D. Wayne Lukas isn't going anywhere. At 88, trainer just won his 15th Triple Crown race. |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/dan-wolken/2024/05/18/preakness-2024-d-wayne-lukas-trainer-seize-the-grey/73755462007/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |publisher=[[USA Today]] |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519050902/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/dan-wolken/2024/05/18/preakness-2024-d-wayne-lukas-trainer-seize-the-grey/73755462007/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
He won [[Breeders' Cup]] races a record 20 times. [[Filly|Fillies]] Lukas trained won the [[Kentucky Oaks]] four times. Three of his horses—[[Lady's Secret]] in 1986, [[Criminal Type]] in 1990 and [[Charismatic (horse)|Charismatic]] in 1999—won the [[Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year]]. He had a total of 25 horses that won various [[Eclipse Awards]].<ref name="Merit" /> He won the [[Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer]] four times. In 1999, the same year his horse [[Charismatic (horse)|Charismatic]] came within 2 lengths of the Triple Crown, he was inducted into the [[National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame]]. He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2007,<ref>{{cite web |title=American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame: D. Wayne Lukas |url=https://www.aqha.com/hall-of-fame-human-inductees/-/asset_publisher/kz1Wsqd1xkSs/content/d-wayne-lukas? |access-date=June 24, 2019 |website=[[American Quarter Horse Association]] |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927162237/https://www.aqha.com/hall-of-fame-human-inductees/-/asset_publisher/kz1Wsqd1xkSs/content/d-wayne-lukas |url-status=live }}</ref> becoming the first person to enter both the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse halls of fame. In 2013, he was awarded the [[Eclipse Award of Merit]] for his accomplishments.<ref name="Merit" /> In 1988, Lukas received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] presented by Awards Council member [[Gene Klein]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#sports |access-date=June 29, 2025 |website=[[American Academy of Achievement]] |publisher= |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608012051/https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#sports |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
Lukas earned criticism for his training and racing methods and the resulting attrition rate of his horses.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Forde |first=Pat |date=June 24, 2025 |title=D. Wayne Lukas Didn’t Just Train Horses—He Changed the Game |url=https://www.si.com/horse-racing/d-wayne-lukas-retirement-triple-crown-trainer |access-date=June 30, 2025 |website=[[Sports Illustrated]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
 
In 2014, at age 78, in his acceptance speech for the 2013 Eclipse Award of Merit, he stated, "[when they start giving you awards{{Nbsp}}... they are trying to get you to retire. Well, you young trainers get ready because I'm not retiring. We're coming after you so you'd better get up a little more early in the morning from now on. We're coming after you with a vengeance."<ref name="Merit" />
 
Lukas' 4,953rd and final thoroughbred winner was Tour Player, who won at [[Churchill Downs]] on June 12, 2025.<ref name=":0" />


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Lukas has been married five<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nbcsports.com/horse-racing/news/still-training-still-winning-88-year-old-d-wayne-lukas-does-it-again-at-preakness | title=Still training, still winning, 88-year-old D. Wayne Lukas does it again at Preakness | date=19 May 2024 }}</ref> times.  He had one son, Jeff (1957–2016), and two grandchildren with his first wife. Jeff worked for his father as an assistant trainer and was the elder Lukas' hard-driving right-hand man until December 1993, when Lukas' derby contender [[Tabasco Cat]] seriously injured Jeff in a shedrow accident at [[Santa Anita Park]]. The colt broke loose, Jeff tried to stop him and the horse slammed into him, throwing him into the air. He landed on the concrete and suffered a [[skull fracture]] which left him in a [[coma]] for several weeks. He suffered permanent [[brain damage]] and had changes in personality, vision loss and damage to his memory. By spring of 1994, he had recovered enough to attempt a return to horse racing but after a series of less-demanding jobs ending in 2003, it was clear he could not work safely around racehorses. He also tried living and working near horse farms but his disabilities were too severe for him to be safe around horses at all. He ultimately moved to [[Atoka, Oklahoma]] in 2007 to work for David Burrage, who had been the accountant and general manager for Lukas Racing Stables. By that time, Burrage was a banker and owned the First Bank in Atoka, which employed Lukas. His father bought him a home there and Jeff lived a quiet life until his death at age 58 in March 2016.<ref>[http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/98567/jeff-lukas-remembered Jeff Lukas Remembered]</ref><ref>[https://www.si.com/longform/lukas/ Out of the Darkness]</ref>
Lukas married five times.<ref>{{cite web |last=Layden |first=Tim |date=May 19, 2024 |title=Still training, still winning, 88-year-old D. Wayne Lukas does it again at Preakness |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/horse-racing/news/still-training-still-winning-88-year-old-d-wayne-lukas-does-it-again-at-preakness |access-date=June 29, 2025 |website=[[NBC Sports]] |archive-date=May 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250522005400/https://www.nbcsports.com/horse-racing/news/still-training-still-winning-88-year-old-d-wayne-lukas-does-it-again-at-preakness |url-status=live }}</ref> He had one son, Jeff (1957–2016), with his first wife. Jeff worked for his father as an assistant trainer and was the elder Lukas' hard-driving right-hand man until December 1993, when Lukas' derby contender [[Tabasco Cat]] seriously injured Jeff in a shedrow accident at [[Santa Anita Park]]. The colt broke loose, Jeff tried to stop him and the horse slammed into him, throwing him into the air. He landed on the concrete and suffered a [[skull fracture]] which left him in a [[coma]] for several weeks. He suffered permanent [[brain damage]] and had changes in personality, vision loss and damage to his memory. By spring of 1994, he had recovered enough to attempt a return to horse racing but after a series of less-demanding jobs ending in 2003, it was clear he could not work safely around racehorses. He also tried living and working near horse farms but his disabilities were too severe for him to be safe around horses at all. He ultimately moved to [[Atoka, Oklahoma]] in 2007 to work for David Burrage, who had been the accountant and general manager for Lukas Racing Stables. By that time, Burrage was a banker and owned the First Bank in Atoka, which employed Lukas. His father bought him a home there and Jeff lived a quiet life until his death at age 58 in March 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Eric |date=March 24, 2016 |title=Jeff Lukas Remembered |url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/98567/jeff-lukas-remembered |access-date=June 29, 2025 |website=[[The Blood-Horse]] |archive-date=August 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813094654/https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/98567/jeff-lukas-remembered |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Layden |first=Tim |date=November 4, 2013 |title=The Second Life of Jeff Lukas |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/2013/11/04/the-second-life-of-jeff-lukas |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524223212/https://vault.si.com/vault/2013/11/04/the-second-life-of-jeff-lukas |archive-date=May 24, 2024 |access-date=June 29, 2025 |website=[[Sports Illustrated]] |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
===Illness and death===
Lukas contracted [[COVID-19]] in 2020, but recovered from the illness.<ref name="Back at Work">{{Cite news |date=August 31, 2020 |title=Trainer D. Wayne Lukas back at work at Churchill Downs after battling COVID-19 |url=https://www.espn.com/horse-racing/story/_/id/29779621/trainer-d-wayne-lukas-back-work-churchill-downs-battling-covid-19 |access-date=June 29, 2025 |work=[[ESPN]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>  


Lukas suffered with [[COVID-19]] in 2020. However, he later recovered from the illness.<ref name="Back at Work"/>
On June 22, 2025, Lukas' family and [[Churchill Downs Incorporated|Churchill Downs]] announced that Lukas had health issues and would not return to training.<ref name=":0" /> Lukas was hospitalized for a severe [[MRSA]] infection and declined an aggressive treatment plan, instead choosing to return home for [[hospice care]]. His thoroughbreds were transferred to his assistant of over 20 years, Sebastian Nicholl.<ref name="usat220625">{{cite news |last=Williams |first=James H. |date=June 22, 2025 |title=Horse racing trainer D. Wayne Lukas in hospice care after hospitalization |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/horseracing/2025/06/22/horse-racing-trainer-d-wayne-lukas-retires-hospitalized/84311188007/ |access-date=June 22, 2025 |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |archive-date=June 23, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250623033941/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/horseracing/2025/06/22/horse-racing-trainer-d-wayne-lukas-retires-hospitalized/84311188007/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ap220625">{{cite news |date=June 22, 2025 |title=Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas has been hospitalized and will not return to training, family says |url=https://apnews.com/article/d-wayne-lukas-hosptialized-3696adc1800e69d3f7708374bd444d1c |access-date=June 22, 2025 |work=[[Associated Press]] |archive-date=June 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622205006/https://apnews.com/article/d-wayne-lukas-hosptialized-3696adc1800e69d3f7708374bd444d1c |url-status=live }}</ref> Lukas died at his home in [[Louisville, Kentucky]], on June 28, 2025, at the age of 89.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whyno |first=Stephen |date=June 29, 2025 |title=Hall of Fame horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a winner of 15 Triple Crown races, dies at 89 |url=https://apnews.com/article/d-wayne-lukas-dies-kentucky-derby-triple-crown-d09f2c0835ee0765411eeb53c2a6d417 |access-date=June 29, 2025 |website=[[AP News]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kuzydym |first=Stephanie |date=June 29, 2025 |title=A Cowboy's Code: Remembering D. Wayne Lukas, a relentless horseman who changed horse racing |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2025/06/29/d-wayne-lukas-dead-at-89/77721974007/ |access-date=June 29, 2025 |website=[[The Courier-Journal]] |language=en-US}}</ref>


==Thoroughbreds trained with major wins==
==Thoroughbreds trained with major wins==
;[[Kentucky Derby]]
; [[Kentucky Derby]]
*[[Winning Colors (horse)|Winning Colors (1988)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile">[http://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=People&searchType=T&eID=1115 Trainer Profile]</ref>
* [[Winning Colors (horse)|Winning Colors (1988)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile">{{Cite web |title=Trainer Profile: D. Wayne Lukas |url=http://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=People&searchType=T&eID=1115 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331154359/http://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=People&searchType=T&eID=1115 |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |access-date=January 27, 2014 |website=Equibase}}</ref>
*[[Thunder Gulch|Thunder Gulch (1995)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Thunder Gulch|Thunder Gulch (1995)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Grindstone (horse)|Grindstone (1996)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Grindstone (horse)|Grindstone (1996)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Charismatic (horse)|Charismatic (1999)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Charismatic (horse)|Charismatic (1999)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>


;[[Preakness Stakes]]
; [[Preakness Stakes]]
*[[Codex (horse)|Codex (1980)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Codex (horse)|Codex (1980)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Tank's Prospect|Tank's Prospect (1985)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Tank's Prospect|Tank's Prospect (1985)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Tabasco Cat|Tabasco Cat (1994)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Tabasco Cat|Tabasco Cat (1994)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Timber Country|Timber Country (1995)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Timber Country|Timber Country (1995)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Charismatic (horse)|Charismatic (1999)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Charismatic (horse)|Charismatic (1999)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Oxbow (horse)|Oxbow (2013)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Oxbow (horse)|Oxbow (2013)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Seize the Grey|Seize the Grey (2024)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Seize the Grey|Seize the Grey (2024)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>


;[[Belmont Stakes]]
; [[Belmont Stakes]]
*[[Tabasco Cat|Tabasco Cat (1994)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Tabasco Cat|Tabasco Cat (1994)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Thunder Gulch|Thunder Gulch (1995)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Thunder Gulch|Thunder Gulch (1995)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Editor's Note|Editor's Note (1996)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Editor's Note|Editor's Note (1996)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Commendable|Commendable (2000)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Commendable|Commendable (2000)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>


;[[Breeders' Cup Classic]]
; [[Breeders' Cup Classic]]
*[[Cat Thief|Cat Thief (1999)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Cat Thief|Cat Thief (1999)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>


;[[Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic]]
; [[Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic]]
*[[Life's Magic|Life's Magic (1985)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Life's Magic|Life's Magic (1985)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Lady's Secret|Lady's Secret (1986)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Lady's Secret|Lady's Secret (1986)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Sacahuista|Sacahuista (1987)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Sacahuista|Sacahuista (1987)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Spain (horse)|Spain (2000)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Spain (horse)|Spain (2000)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>


;[[Breeders' Cup Mile]]
; [[Breeders' Cup Mile]]
*[[Steinlen (horse)|Steinlen (1989)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Steinlen (horse)|Steinlen (1989)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>


;[[Breeders' Cup Sprint]]
; [[Breeders' Cup Sprint]]
*[[Gulch (horse)|Gulch (1988)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Gulch (horse)|Gulch (1988)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Orientate|Orientate (2002)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Orientate|Orientate (2002)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>


;[[Breeders' Cup Juvenile]]
; [[Breeders' Cup Juvenile]]
*[[Capote (horse)|Capote (1986)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Capote (horse)|Capote (1986)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Success Express|Success Express (1987)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Success Express|Success Express (1987)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Is It True (horse)|Is It True (1988)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Is It True (horse)|Is It True (1988)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Timber Country|Timber Country (1994)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Timber Country|Timber Country (1994)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Boston Harbor (horse)|Boston Harbor (1996)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Boston Harbor (horse)|Boston Harbor (1996)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>


;[[Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies]]
; [[Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies]]
*[[Twilight Ridge|Twilight Ridge (1985)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/><ref>[http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/77262/bc-juvenile-fillies-star-twilight-ridge-dies BC Juvenile Fillies Star Twilight Ridge Dies]</ref>
* [[Twilight Ridge|Twilight Ridge (1985)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Crosby |first=Claire |date=April 2, 2013 |title=BC Juvenile Fillies Star Twilight Ridge Dies |url=http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/77262/bc-juvenile-fillies-star-twilight-ridge-dies |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130519135008/http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/77262/bc-juvenile-fillies-star-twilight-ridge-dies |archive-date=May 19, 2013 |access-date=June 10, 2013 |website=[[The Blood-Horse]]}}</ref>
*[[Open Mind (horse)|Open Mind (1988)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Open Mind (horse)|Open Mind (1988)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Flanders (horse)|Flanders (1994)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/><ref>[http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/55648/champion-flanders-euthanized Champion Flanders Euthanized]</ref>
* [[Flanders (horse)|Flanders (1994)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2, 2010 |title=Champion Flanders Euthanized |url=http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/55648/champion-flanders-euthanized |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517210008/http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/55648/champion-flanders-euthanized |archive-date=May 17, 2013 |access-date=June 10, 2013 |website=[[The Blood-Horse]]}}</ref>
*[[Cash Run|Cash Run (1999)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Cash Run|Cash Run (1999)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Folklore (horse)|Folklore (2005)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Folklore (horse)|Folklore (2005)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
*[[Take Charge Brandi|Take Charge Brandi (2014)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Take Charge Brandi|Take Charge Brandi (2014)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>


;[[Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint]]
; [[Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint]]
*[[Hightail (horse)|Hightail (2012)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>
* [[Hightail (horse)|Hightail (2012)]]<ref name="Trainer Profile"/>


==References==
==References==
Line 171: Line 186:


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
*DeVito, Carlo. ''D. Wayne : The High-Rolling and Fast Times of America's Premier Horse Trainer'' (2002) [[McGraw-Hill]] {{ISBN|0-07-138737-4}}
* DeVito, Carlo (2002). ''D. Wayne: The High-Rolling and Fast Times of America's Premier Horse Trainer''. McGraw-Hill. {{ISBN|0-07-138737-4}}.


==External links==
==External links==
*[https://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/d-wayne-lukas D. Wayne Lukas at the United States National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame]
* [https://www.racingmuseum.org/hall-of-fame/d-wayne-lukas D. Wayne Lukas at the United States National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame]
*[https://www.aqha.com/hall-of-fame-human-inductees/-/asset_publisher/kz1Wsqd1xkSs/content/d-wayne-lukas? D. Wayne Lukas AQHA Hall of Fame]
* [https://www.aqha.com/hall-of-fame-human-inductees/-/asset_publisher/kz1Wsqd1xkSs/content/d-wayne-lukas? D. Wayne Lukas AQHA Hall of Fame]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070804082449/http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=2311 D. Wayne Lukas at the NTRA]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070804082449/http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=2311 D. Wayne Lukas at the NTRA]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukas, D. Wayne}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukas, D. Wayne}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2025 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Antigo, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:American racehorse trainers]]
[[Category:American racehorse trainers]]
[[Category:AQHA Hall of Fame (members)]]
[[Category:Deaths from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus]]
[[Category:Eclipse Award winners]]
[[Category:Eclipse Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Antigo, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:AQHA Hall of Fame (members)]]
[[Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education alumni]]

Latest revision as of 22:56, 30 June 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox horseracing personality

Darrell Wayne Lukas (September 2, 1935 – June 28, 2025) was an American horse trainer and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He won twenty Breeders' Cup races, received five Eclipse Awards for his accomplishments, and his horses won 25 year-end Eclipse Awards. Lukas was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2007.

Early life and education

Born and raised on a small farm near Antigo, Wisconsin, Lukas grew up with an interest in horses.[1] As an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he was initiated into the Kappa Sigma fraternity.[2] He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a master's degree in education, then taught at Logan High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he was a head basketball coach.[1]

Career

Lukas began training quarter horses in California in 1968 and after 10 years of achievement that saw him train 24 world champions, he switched to training thoroughbreds. His first win as a thoroughbred trainer was on October 20, 1977, at Santa Anita Park.[3] The first trainer to earn more than $100 million in purse money, he was the year's top money winner 14 times.[4][5]

Lukas first gained major attention in 1980 when he won the Preakness Stakes on Codex. His horses won the Kentucky Derby four times, the Preakness Stakes seven times, the Belmont Stakes four times. His horses won all three of the Classics in 1995 with Thunder Gulch (Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes) and Timber Country (Preakness), making him the first trainer to sweep the Triple Crown Classic races with two different horses in a season. In 2013, he surpassed Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons for the most Triple Crown race victories, with 14. In 2024, the 88-year-old Lukas broke Fitzsimmons' record as the oldest trainer to win a Triple Crown race when Seize the Grey won the Preakness Stakes.[6]

He won Breeders' Cup races a record 20 times. Fillies Lukas trained won the Kentucky Oaks four times. Three of his horses—Lady's Secret in 1986, Criminal Type in 1990 and Charismatic in 1999—won the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. He had a total of 25 horses that won various Eclipse Awards.[7] He won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer four times. In 1999, the same year his horse Charismatic came within 2 lengths of the Triple Crown, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2007,[8] becoming the first person to enter both the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse halls of fame. In 2013, he was awarded the Eclipse Award of Merit for his accomplishments.[7] In 1988, Lukas received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Gene Klein.[9]

Lukas earned criticism for his training and racing methods and the resulting attrition rate of his horses.[1][10]

In 2014, at age 78, in his acceptance speech for the 2013 Eclipse Award of Merit, he stated, "[when they start giving you awardsTemplate:Nbsp... they are trying to get you to retire. Well, you young trainers get ready because I'm not retiring. We're coming after you so you'd better get up a little more early in the morning from now on. We're coming after you with a vengeance."[7]

Lukas' 4,953rd and final thoroughbred winner was Tour Player, who won at Churchill Downs on June 12, 2025.[5]

Personal life

Lukas married five times.[11] He had one son, Jeff (1957–2016), with his first wife. Jeff worked for his father as an assistant trainer and was the elder Lukas' hard-driving right-hand man until December 1993, when Lukas' derby contender Tabasco Cat seriously injured Jeff in a shedrow accident at Santa Anita Park. The colt broke loose, Jeff tried to stop him and the horse slammed into him, throwing him into the air. He landed on the concrete and suffered a skull fracture which left him in a coma for several weeks. He suffered permanent brain damage and had changes in personality, vision loss and damage to his memory. By spring of 1994, he had recovered enough to attempt a return to horse racing but after a series of less-demanding jobs ending in 2003, it was clear he could not work safely around racehorses. He also tried living and working near horse farms but his disabilities were too severe for him to be safe around horses at all. He ultimately moved to Atoka, Oklahoma in 2007 to work for David Burrage, who had been the accountant and general manager for Lukas Racing Stables. By that time, Burrage was a banker and owned the First Bank in Atoka, which employed Lukas. His father bought him a home there and Jeff lived a quiet life until his death at age 58 in March 2016.[12][13]

Illness and death

Lukas contracted COVID-19 in 2020, but recovered from the illness.[14]

On June 22, 2025, Lukas' family and Churchill Downs announced that Lukas had health issues and would not return to training.[5] Lukas was hospitalized for a severe MRSA infection and declined an aggressive treatment plan, instead choosing to return home for hospice care. His thoroughbreds were transferred to his assistant of over 20 years, Sebastian Nicholl.[3][15] Lukas died at his home in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 28, 2025, at the age of 89.[16][17]

Thoroughbreds trained with major wins

Kentucky Derby
Preakness Stakes
Belmont Stakes
Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic
Breeders' Cup Mile
Breeders' Cup Sprint
Breeders' Cup Juvenile
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

  • DeVito, Carlo (2002). D. Wayne: The High-Rolling and Fast Times of America's Premier Horse Trainer. McGraw-Hill. Template:ISBN.

External links

Template:Authority control

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