Photo Essay: D. Wayne Lukas as coach, horseman, and hall of fame legend

As a coach, D. Wayne Lukas would share wisdom and insight with anyone, anywhere. 

Whether in front of large crowds as an ambassador to the sport of horse racing, or to media scrums on the backside barn areas of racetracks across the United States. During the latter part of his career, Lukas would typically invite a randomly chosen child from the grandstand to join him in the winner’s circle after a victory for the winning photo. He would then purchase a winner’s circle photo for that child’s family. Despite his advancing age and still maintaining a vigorous training regimen and schedule, his enthusiasm for attracting new fans to the sport never dwindled. 

Undoubtedly, Coach’s legacy can be seen in a generation of horsemen who grew success from under Lukas’ branches. Sprouting from his roots is a dynasty of household horse racing names. Below are just a few that were heavily influenced by the Coach and his mentoring ways. 

“Wayne is one of the greatest competitors and most important figures in Thoroughbred racing history,” said Mike Anderson, President of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “He transcended the sport of horse racing and took the industry to new levels.”

• Jeff Lukas
• Todd Pletcher
• Dallas Stewart
• Mike Maker
• Kiaran McLaughlin
• George Weaver
• Mark Hennig
• Randy Bradshaw
• Bobby Barnett
• Sebastian ‘Bas’ Nicholl

D. Wayne Lukas, the Coach

Trainers not directly working under Lukas also reflect fondly towards the horseman as not just a mentor, but as much as a father figure; Bob Baffert, Kenny McPeek, Nick Zito, Jerry Hollendorfer, and Steve Asmussen, to name a few.

North America's all-time winningest trainer, Steve Asmussen, told BloodHorse. "There's no doubt that Wayne—coming from coaching basketball and running Quarter Horses to dominating the Triple Crown and all his Breeders' Cup and world champions—made kids from the Midwest dream. It made you realize it was possible."

D. Wayne Lukas, the horseman

D. Wayne Lukas began his Thoroughbred training career in 1977 at age 42, starting with just seven horses in 1978. Known for his sharp eye and flashy style, he built his success by attracting wealthy clients, including Eugene Klein, who purchased Winning Colors, Lukas's first Kentucky Derby winner.

His client roster included notable names such as Mary Lou Whitney, M.C. Hammer, and several sports personalities, including Mike Francesa, Bobby Knight, Pete Newell, Bill Parcells, and Paul Hornung.

Lukas set numerous industry records throughout his career, including winning 92 stakes races in 1987 and 53 graded stakes races that same year - records that stood until his former assistant Todd Pletcher surpassed them in 2006. His 1988 earnings record of $17.8 million remained unbroken until Bobby Frankel exceeded it in 2003.

Lukas' most remarkable achievement came in 1994-96 when he won six consecutive Triple Crown races, a record that remains unmatched. This streak included victories with Tabasco Cat (1994 Preakness and Belmont), Thunder Gulch (1995 Kentucky Derby and Belmont), Timber Country (1995 Preakness), and Grindstone (1996 Kentucky Derby). In 1995, he made history as the only trainer to win all three Triple Crown races in the same year with different horses. His dominance continued when Editor's Note won the 1996 Belmont Stakes, making it seven Triple Crown race victories in eight attempts.

D. Wayne Lukas, the legend