Midway through 2025, the racing world has already lost several titans of the training game. Following the deaths of Peter Easterby and Barry Hills, the 28th of June brought news that legendary US handler D Wayne Lukas had passed away at the age of 89.
As spectacular as the careers of Easterby and Hills were, D Wayne Lukas had an even greater impact on racing in the United States. Starting out as a high school basketball coach, the Wisconsin native transitioned to the equine world with truly spectacular results. An inspiration to trainers around the world and a record breaker at the track, he leaves an incredible legacy and a significant hole in the US training ranks.
Declines Treatment to Spend His Final Days in Peace
D Wayne Lukas was hospitalised in June due to a severe MRSA infection, which severely damaged his heart and digestive system and exacerbated pre-existing health conditions. Declining the option of aggressive treatment, the man known as “coach” headed home to spend his final days with his loved ones. Those days came to an end on Saturday 28th of June.
Following his death, a statement from the Lukas family succinctly summed up Wayne’s attitude to the sport he held so dear:
“Wayne brought heart, grace and grit to every part of the game”
Fine attributes for any walk of life, and ones which brought D Wayne Lukas immense success at the track.
A Master Horseman
Commencing his training career in 1968, Lukas excelled with the American Quarter Horse, just about the fastest of all breeds over short sprint distances. In only 10 years, he trained 24 world champions before turning his sights to the thoroughbred scene.
Lukas’s superb record with the Quarter Horse soon carried over into the major leagues of US Racing. Grabbing a first Classic with Codex in the 1980 Preakness Stakes, by the mid-1990s, Lukas had grown to become the dominant force in US racing. At the time of his passing, he had mastered almost every significant event on US soil, with selected highlights including:
- Kentucky Derby Wins – 4
- Preakness Stakes Wins – 7
- Belmont Stakes Wins – 4
- Breeders’ Cup Festival Wins – 10
Five of the Best
Compiling a concise list of all-time great D Wayne Lukas is no easy task, but the following quintet deserves a special mention:
Lady’s Secret
Earning the nickname “Iron Lady”, as a nod to her striking grey coat and unbreakable will to win, Lady’s Secret won 25 times at the track. A sensational eight Grade 1 wins in 1986 saw the daughter of the great Secretariat crowned US Horse of the Year.
Criminal Type
Whilst not as prolific as Lady’s Secret, Criminal Type produced the single greatest performance of any Lukas-trained runner when mastering Sunday Silence in the 1990 edition of the Hollywood Gold Cup. Winning seven of 11 starts that year, he became the second Lukas runner to win Horse of the Year honours.
Today in Thoroughbred Racing History, June 24, 1990: Criminal Type became the first horse to win consecutive $1 million races after capturing the Hollywood Gold Cup. He had previously won the $1 million Pimlico Special on May 12.
📹: @partymanners2 pic.twitter.com/vcHOm2AZeX— NTRA (@NTRA) June 24, 2025
Winning Colours
Going in the hands of Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens, this flying filly handed Lukas his first Kentucky Derby success in 1988. Wins in the Santa Anita Oaks and Santa Anita Derby secured her place in the US Hall of Fame.
Tabasco Cat
No horse on this list had such an impact on the Lukas family. Breaking loose in 1993, Tabasco Cat left Wayne’s only son, Jeff, with severe injuries, from which he never fully recovered before passing away in 2008. However, at the track, Tabasco Cat claimed two legs of the US Triple Crown when coming home in front in the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
Thunder Gulch
Sporting the famous Michal Tabor silks, Thunder Gulch caused a shock when powering to a 1¼-length victory in the Kentucky Derby. Only third in the Preakness Stakes, he bounced back to winning ways in the Belmont Stakes. A huge success at stud following his racing career, he was the leading sire in North America in 2001.
Trainers Pay Tribute
As an inductee to both the Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred Halls of Fame, D Wayne Lukas inspired admiration and respect in his fellow trainers, many of whom were quick to pay their respects to the all-time great.
Aidan O’Brien, who matched Lukas’s record-setting tally of 20 Breeders’ Cup wins in 2024, stated:
“He was second to none as a trainer, and he was an example to trainers all over the world with the way he did things with his people and his horses. He will be greatly missed.”
Over in the US, Bob Baffert paid an emotional tribute to his long-time rival and close friend, when stating:
“Behind his famous shades, he was a tremendous horseman, probably the greatest who ever lived. He was the epitome of excellence, and I’ll miss him every day for the rest of my life.”