Darrell Wayne Lukas (born September 2, 1935, in

Antigo, Wisconsin Antigo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Langlade County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,100 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Antigo is the center of a farming and lumbering district, and its manufactured prod ...

) is a retired American

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them good behaviors and/or coaching them for events, which ...

and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He has won twenty

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...

races, received five

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division. The trophy is made by a few small selected A ...

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

Born and raised on a small farm, Lukas grew up with an interest in horses. He graduated from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

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 Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig or KSig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international Fraternities and sororities in North America, fr ...

fraternity while an undergraduate.It's the ride of his life
/ref> He began training

quarter horses The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of or less; some have been clocked at speeds up to . ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in 1968 and after 10 years of achievement that saw him train 24 world champions, he switched to training

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

s. His first win as a thoroughbred trainer was on October 20, 1977 at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...

. The first trainer to earn more than $100 million in purse money, he has been the year's top money winner 14 times. Lukas got his big break in 1980 when he won the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

Codex The codex (: codices ) was the historical ancestor format of the modern book. Technically, the vast majority of modern books use the codex format of a stack of pages bound at one edge, along the side of the text. But the term ''codex'' is now r ...

. His horses have won the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

four times, the

on seven occasions, and have claimed victory four times in the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

, including winning all three of the

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

in 1995 with

Thunder Gulch Thunder Gulch (May 23, 1992 – March 19, 2018) was a Eclipse Award, Champion United States, American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for his wins in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes in 1995, which earned him the title of Eclipse Awar ...

(Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes) and

Timber Country Timber Country (foaled April 12, 1992 in Kentucky - February 24, 2016) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the first horse to ever win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States), Am ...

(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

. He has won

races a record 20 times. Fillies Lukas has trained have won the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky Oaks is held on the Frida ...

four times. Three of his horses— Lady's Secret in 1986, Criminal Type in 1990 and

Charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of magnetic charm, persuasion, or appeal. In the fields of sociology and political science, psychology, and management, the term ''charismatic'' describes a type of leadership. In Christian theology, the term ...

in 1999—won the

Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, or simply Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to san ...

. He has a total of 25 horses that have won various Eclipse Awards. He has won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer four times. In 1999, the same year his horse

came within 2 lengths of the Triple Crown, he was inducted into the

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred horse racing, Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and Horse trainer, trainers. In 1955, the museum ...

. He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2007, 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. In 1988, Lukas received the Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

presented by Awards Council member Gene Klein. In 2014, at age 78, in his acceptance speech for the 2013 Eclipse Award of Merit, he stated, " en 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." Lukas' 4,953rd and final thoroughbred winner was Tour Player, who won at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

on June 12, 2025.

Personal life

Lukas has been married five 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

. 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 A skull fracture is a break in one or more of the eight bones that form the cranial portion of the skull, usually occurring as a result of blunt force trauma. If the force of the impact is excessive, the bone may fracture at or near the site of ...

which left him in a

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to Nociception, respond normally to Pain, painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal Circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate ...

for several weeks. He suffered permanent

brain damage Brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating trauma-induced damage. A common ...

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 Atoka is a city in and the county seat of Atoka County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,195 as of the 2020 Census, a 2.4% increase over the 3,107 reported at the 2010 census, which was itself an increase of 4.0 percent from th ...

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. Lukas suffered with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

in 2020. However, he later recovered from the illness.Trainer D. Wayne Lukas back at work at Churchill Downs after battling COVID-19
/ref> On June 22, 2025, Lukas' family and

announced that Lukas had health issues and would not return to training. Lukas was hospitalized for a severe

MRSA Methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA) is a group of gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of ''Staphylococcus aureus''. MRSA is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. ...

infection and declined an aggressive treatment plan, instead choosing to return home for

hospice care Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

. His thoroughbreds were transferred to his assistant of over 20 years, Sebastian Nicholl.

Thoroughbreds trained with major wins

;

* Winning Colors (1988)Trainer Profile
/ref> * Thunder Gulch (1995) * Grindstone (1996) * Charismatic (1999) ;

* Codex (1980) * Tank's Prospect (1985) * Tabasco Cat (1994) * Timber Country (1995) * Charismatic (1999) * Oxbow (2013) * Seize the Grey (2024) ;

* Tabasco Cat (1994) * Thunder Gulch (1995) * Editor's Note (1996) * Commendable (2000) ;

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...

* Cat Thief (1999) ;

Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, three years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United Sta ...

* Life's Magic (1985) * Lady's Secret (1986) * Sacahuista (1987) * Spain (2000) ;

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a conditions races, Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a sod, grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup, Breeders' Cup World C ...

* Steinlen (1989) ; Breeders' Cup Sprint * Gulch (1988) * Orientate (2002) ;

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup W ...

* Capote (1986) * Success Express (1987) * Is It True (1988) * Timber Country (1994) * Boston Harbor (1996) ; Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies * Twilight Ridge (1985) * Open Mind (1988) * Flanders (1994)Champion Flanders Euthanized
/ref> * Cash Run (1999) * Folklore (2005) * Take Charge Brandi (2014) ; Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint * Hightail (2012)

References

External links

D. Wayne Lukas at the United States National Museum of Racing and Hall of FameD. Wayne Lukas AQHA Hall of FameD. Wayne Lukas at the NTRA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukas, D. Wayne 1935 births Living people People from Antigo, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education alumni American racehorse trainers Eclipse Award winners United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees AQHA Hall of Fame (members)

Background and career

Personal life

Thoroughbreds trained with major wins

References

Further reading

External links