D. Wayne Lukas

There are very few things that D. Wayne Lukas failed to accomplish during his distinguished career in American Thoroughbred racing. As of June 2025, Antigo, Wis., native is tied as the leading trainer in Breeders' Cup history with 20 victories, earning more than $20 million in purses. In 2013, he surpassed "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons for the most victories in the Triple Crown series with 14, and he added one more Triple Crown series win in 2024, finishing with 15 (two behind Bob Baffert). Lukas was the first trainer to reach $100 million and $200 million in earnings; has trained 25 champions, three of them Horse of the Year (Lady's Secret in 1986, Criminal Type in 1990 and Charismatic in 1999); led North American trainers in earnings 14 times; and was elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 1999.

Lukas earned a master's degree in education at the University of Wisconsin, where he worked as an assistant basketball coach for two years. He became a teacher and head basketball coach in high school for nine years, including a seven-year stint in LaCrosse, Wis. During the summers, he trained and raced horses in South Dakota before turning to training Quarter Horses full time. He trained some Thoroughbreds during the years he was principally involved with Quarter Horses. Before turning to Thoroughbreds in 1978, he developed 23 Quarter Horse champions.

Along with his remarkable success at the races, Lukas was known for the many fine young assistant trainers he has mentored and have gone on to become great successes in their own right: Todd Pletcher, Kiaran McLaughlin, Dallas Stewart, Mark Hennig, Randy Bradshaw, Mike Maker, George Weaver and Bobby Barnett. 

Lukas won the 2012 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint with Hightail to extend his record-setting mark to 19 wins in the championship event. In 2013, Lukas qualified two horses for the Kentucky Derby and had a 1-2 finish in the Rebel Stakes with Will Take Charge and Oxbow. After finishing eighth and sixth respectively, Lukas campaigned both horses in the Preakness Stakes, where Oxbow proved a huge upset when he crossed the finish first. Lukas sent both horses to the Belmont Stakes from there, finishing second in the race with Oxbow.

At the end of the year, D. Wayne Lukas was awarded an Eclipse Award of Merit while his trainee Will Take Charge won champion 3-year-old honors after an amazing fall campaign.

Lukas won his 20th Breeders' Cup race with Take Charge Brandi in the 2014 Juvenile Fillies and she became his 25th Eclipse Award winner when she took home the award as 2014 champion 2-year-old filly.

During the late 2010s, Lukas continued to train and also serve as one of the sport’s most welcoming and gregarious ambassadors. His best runner from this period, Bravazo, finished second to Triple Crown winner Justify in the 2018 Preakness Stakes.

Lukas fell ill with COVID-19 during 2020 but recovered, and by 2022 was back in the headlines at age 86 via multiple stakes-winning filly Secret Oath. She won two stakes races during the spring Oaklawn Park meet and then ran third against males in the Arkansas Derby before giving “The Coach” a record-tying fifth win in the Longines Kentucky Oaks, and first since 1990.

At the age of 88 years old, D. Wayne Lukas proved he is just a relevant as ever in the sport of horse racing when he sent out Seize the Grey to win the 2024 Preakness Stakes with his Pat Day Mile winner Seize the Grey. The Preakness win was the 15th victory in a Triple Crown race in the career of D. Wayne Lukas and his seventh career Preakness win. Seize the Grey won the Pennsylania Derby that fall.

On June 22, 2025, a press release was issued by the Lukas family via Churchill Downs announcing that the Hall of Fame trainer would retire immediately due to health concerns, and he died on June 28 at age 89. Lukas finished up a career spanning six decades with 4,953 wins, over $300 million in earnings, and an impact on the sport of Thoroughbred racing too vast be measured.