Legendary thoroughbred trainer D. Wayne Lukas, 89, is back home for hospice care after being hospitalized in Louisville.
Lukas had a MRSA blood infection that caused significant damage to his heart and digestive system while also worsening some preexisting conditions, according to a statement released by the Lukas family.
The family stated that Lukas declined an aggressive treatment plan, intending to spend his remaining time with his wife and family at home.
The Hall of Famer’s career spanned more than six decades, working with horses that earned victories at notable race tracks.
A succession plan was implemented by Lukas Enterprises Inc., and all horses previously trained by Lukas have been transferred to veteran assistant Sebastian “Bas” Nicholl.
D. Wayne Lukas’ biography
Lukas made a name for himself in Southern California, earning his first documented win as a thoroughbred trainer at Santa Anita Park on Oct. 20, 1977, at age 42.
He would train thoroughbreds full-time in 1978 with seven horses and became known throughout his career for his trademark barns, which featured a white picket fence, beds of flowers, and painted feed tubs used for decoration.
He had a stable based at Churchill Downs in Kentucky since 1989.
‘A special man, he’s been a great friend and very much a father figure to me,’ Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Kenny McPeek told The Courier Journal. ‘He raised the standards for our sport to the highest level. An amazing man.’
D. Wayne Lukas’ accomplishments
Lukas had 4,967 documented thoroughbred victories (637 of the 1,105 stakes wins were graded) during his career. His horses earned more than $301 million from 30,607 starts, according to Churchill Downs.
The trainer has won the Kentucky Derby four times and the Longines Kentucky Oaks five times during his career. A total of 26 horses trained by Lukas went on to win Eclipse Award championships, including three that were tabbed as Horse of the Year.
Lukas’ 15 Triple Crown races are second only to trainer Bob Baffert, who has 17 in his career.
He was enshrined in horse racing’s Hall of Fame in 1999 and the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2007, becoming the first person recognized as a member of both.
He had success with quarter horses as well during the 1970s at tracks such as Los Alamitos.