D. Wayne Lukas, legendary horse trainer, dead at 89, family says

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D. Wayne Lukas, the legendary horses coach who won 15 Triple Crown races, died, his family announced on Sunday. He was 89 years old,

Lukas had recently been hospitalized with severe blood infection of the SRM which caused significant damage to his heart and his digestive system. The disease has worsened the preexisting chronic conditions.

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D. Wayne Lukas in Pimlico

American Promise Trainer D. Wayne Lukas before the 150th Preakness Stakes race, on May 17, 2025, at the Pimlico Race Race in Baltimore. (AP photo / Julio Cortez)

“Wayne has devoted her life not only to horses, but to industry – by developing generations of horsemen and horses and the growth of the game by inviting without distrust in the circle of the winner,” said his family.

“Whether he boasts of a 2 -year -old girl as the next winner of Kentucky Derby or offering quiet advice before a big race, Wayne brought the heart, grace and grain to every corner of sport. His last days have been at home in Kentucky, where he chose peace, family and faith.”

Lukas won four Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes victories as well as seven victories in the Preakness Stakes. The forms of Lukas seized gray won the Preakness in 2024.

D. Wayne Lukas on a horse

Coach D. Wayne Lukas looks at a training session at Churchill Downs on May 1, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. (AP photo / Charlie Riedel, file)

Belmont Stakes attracts more than 3.8 million viewers while sovereignty won the victory

He also has a record of 20 victories in the Breeders’ Cup.

“All the secret of this game, I think, is to be able to read the horse: to read what he needs, what he does not need, what he cannot do, what he can do,” said Lukas in May before the Preakness. “This is the whole key. Everyone has the blacksmith, everyone has the same available bed, the man of flow. We can all hire a good jockey. We can all hire a very good exercise rider if we have the means, so what is the difference? The horse is the difference and what we do with him by reading it.”

He won 4,967 thoroughbred racing victories, his horses earning more than $ 310 million over more than 30,600 departures.

D. Wayne Lukas in 2025

D. Wayne Lukas talks to the media after arriving at the Pimlico race race in Baltimore, with Preakness Stakes entering American Promised, May 12, 2025. (AP photo / Stephanie Scarbrough, file)

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“Today, we have lost one of the great champions of Churchill Downs and one of the most important figures in the thoroughbred race in the past 50 years,” added the CEO of Churchill Downs Inc., Bill Carstanjen. “We will miss his humor, his wisdom and his unrivaled capacity to vibrate fans with the performance of his horses the biggest days of our sport.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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