Lukas, who died Saturday night in Louisville at age 89, earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1994. He is considered among the great statesmen in horse racing and is credited not only with individual success, but also with the mentorship of countless individuals in the sport.
Below are some of the most poignant statements released by those in and around horse racing about Lukas’ death.
Legendary horse racing trainer D. Wayne Lukas (center) died Saturday at the age of 89 in Louisville. Charles Bertram Herald-Leader File Photo
D. Wayne Lukas’ family
News of Lukas’ death, which occurred Saturday night, was announced Sunday afternoon via Churchill Downs, the Louisville track where Lukas won the Kentucky Derby four times with Winning Colors (1988), Thunder Gulch (1995), Grindstone (1996) and Charismatic (1999).
That announcement came along with a statement from the Lukas family which read, in full:
“Racing community, it is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved husband, grandfather, and great-grandfather, D. Wayne Lukas, who left this world peacefully yesterday evening at the age of 89, surrounded by family.
Wayne devoted his life not only to horses but to the industry — developing generations of horsemen and horsewomen and growing the game by inviting unsuspecting fans into the winner’s circle. Whether he was boasting about a maiden 2-year-old as the next Kentucky Derby winner or offering quiet words of advice before a big race, Wayne brought heart, grace and grit to every corner of the sport.
His final days were spent at home in Kentucky, where he chose peace, family and faith. As we grieve at his passing, we find peace in knowing he is now reunited with his beloved son, Jeff, whose memory he carried in his heart always.
We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers and support from all corners of the racing community — from racetracks across the country to lifelong friends and respected rivals and from fans who never missed a post parade when ‘Lukas’ was listed in the program.
He is survived by his devoted wife, Laurie Lynn Lukas; his grandchildren, Brady Wayne Lukas (Dani) and Kelly Lukas Roy (David); his great-grandchildren, Walker Wayne Lukas, Quinn Palmer Lukas, Jonathan James Roy and Thomas David Roy; his sister, Dauna Lukas Moths; and his brother, Lowell Lukas. He also leaves behind an extended family of horsemen and horsewomen whose lives he shaped, mentored and inspired.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Oaklawn or Churchill Backside Chaplaincy or the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance — two causes that Wayne held close to his heart.”
Churchill Downs
Bill Carstanjen, the CEO of Churchill Downs Inc., also provided a statement as part of the track’s announcement of Lukas’ death.
“A four-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, today we lost one of the great champions of Churchill Downs and one of the most significant figures in Thoroughbred racing over the last 50 years. We will miss his humor, his wisdom and his unmatched capacity to thrill the fans with the performances of his horses on our sport’s biggest days.”
On Monday morning at Churchill Downs, an outrider led Lukas’ pony to the track in a tribute to Lukas.
Keeneland
Shannon Arvin, Keeneland’s President and CEO, described Lukas as a “legend” and a “masterful trainer” in a statement released Sunday.
“D. Wayne Lukas was a legend — a masterful trainer with passion, attention to detail and a tireless pursuit of success, as well as a mentor whose barn produced a number of racing’s most successful trainers. His impact at Keeneland — where he was a presence for nearly 50 years — is not likely to be seen again.
Since buying his first horse here in 1977, he influenced yearling sales through his emphasis on conformation and body type while affecting the way horses were bred and prepped to produce yearlings that would appeal to him. After Wayne won his first Keeneland race in 1980, he set numerous records during our Spring and Fall Meets and across the country with a powerful stable of runners, many of which he and his clients had purchased here.
On behalf of Keeneland, we extend our deepest condolences to Wayne’s wife, Laurie, and his entire family.”
Trainers D. Wayne Lukas, left, and Bob Baffert talk with each other while they wait for their horses to return from a morning training at Churchill Downs in Louisville prior to the 131st Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2005. DAVID STEPHENSON LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER
Bob Baffert
Longtime friend and training rival Bob Baffert forged a distinct relationship with Lukas over their years together in the sport.
On Sunday afternoon, Baffert — who has trained six Kentucky Derby winners and a record 17 Triple Crown race winners — released a lengthy statement that chronicled his relationship with Lukas and the ways in which he benefited from Lukas’ expertise and passion for horse racing.
“I first saw D. Wayne Lukas as a teenager at a small county fair racetrack close to my hometown in Nogales, Arizona. He rolled into town with his gleaming chrome trailer, big, beautifully turned out horses and the most expensive-looking Stetson hat that I had ever seen. He won race after race and made such a huge impression on me that I fell in love with quarter horse racing right there.
Years later, when I transitioned into thoroughbreds, Wayne was the competition and all I wanted was to beat him in the big races. It didn’t take me long to realize how difficult that would be. Wayne was a game changer, transforming horse racing for the better. He made it so the horse’s bloodlines were more important than the owner’s. He created a system of flying his horses coast to coast, establishing a presence at every major racetrack in America. And Wayne didn’t just show up. He dominated. He won so much he became known as ‘D. Wayne off the plane.’ He developed the blueprint the rest of us still follow. He was a true visionary.
The horses were everything to Wayne. They were his life. From the way he worked them, how he cared for them and how he maintained his shed row as meticulously as he did his horses. No detail was too small. Many of us got our graduate degrees in training by studying how Wayne did it. Behind his famous shades, he was a tremendous horseman, probably the greatest who ever lived.
As I grew older and wiser, Wayne remained the competition, but he also became a mentor and one of my best friends. When he beat me, I knew I was beaten by the best. When I beat him, I knew I had done something right.
Wayne had a special aura about him. He had a knack for making others feel seen and valued. He was uniquely charming and an eternal optimist. In one of my last conversations with him, we talked about the importance of looking at the glass half full and continuing to compete in what he called the big arena. To his final days, he was a relentless competitor. He set out with ambitious goals and achieved them all. One of the things that made Wayne so special was the steadfast love and support of his wife, Laurie, an excellent horsewoman in her own right, and his grandchildren.
Wayne impacted the lives of so many people in racing and raised the bar for all of us. He was the epitome of excellence, and I’ll miss him every day for the rest of my life.
I hope somewhere along the way, I made him proud.”
National HBPA, Kentucky HBPA
A pair of leading figures in the current horse racing landscape also both offered tributes to Lukas following his death.
Eric Hamelback, the CEO of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, said:
“No one will match what D. Wayne Lukas did in horse racing. Others — and a few already have — may win more Triple Crown races, more Breeders’ Cup races, train more champions, win more Grade 1 races or seasonal earnings,” the statement began.
“But no one is going to surpass ‘The Coach’s’ intangibles: Mentoring not only those who worked for him but many others who didn’t, providing wise counsel for generations of horsemen. It’s unfathomable that anyone will ever match Wayne’s ‘training tree’ for assistants who went on to be nationally prominent horsemen, who in turn are producing assistants who go on to prominence. He made white bridles a fashion statement. He understood that mainstream media might not understand the intricacies of horse racing, but they would understand analogies to other sports and their star athletes. Wayne also did other things we all should try to replicate. He took the time and effort to interact with the fans, turning those who happened to be at the races into committed racing enthusiasts. Wayne is in a better place now, with his beloved son Jeff. We can best honor his memory by trying to do a fraction of what ‘The Coach’ contributed to horse racing beyond his horses on the racetrack.”
Current horse racing trainer Dale Romans — a Louisville native who won the 2011 Preakness Stakes with Shackleford — also provided a statement in his capacity as the president of the Kentucky HBPA:
“We are heartbroken but also are tremendously grateful that horse racing had Wayne for as long as we did and were able to benefit from his horsemanship, trendsetting, charismatic way of creating new fans as well as his friendship and mentorship for so many of us.”
“I’m sorry to hear about the passing of D. Wayne Lukas,” Pope’s social media post began. “He was a legendary winner and was always good to me! My thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Cameron Drummond works as a sports reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader with a focus on Kentucky men’s basketball recruiting and the UK men’s basketball team, horse racing, soccer and other sports in Central Kentucky. Drummond is a second-generation American who was born and raised in Texas, before graduating from Indiana University. He is a fluent Spanish speaker who previously worked as a community news reporter in Austin, Texas.Support my work with a digital subscription
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