Lukas was born on September 2, 1935, inAntigo, Wisconsin, where his parents had a farm. He grew up with an interest in horses.[3] As an undergraduate at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison, he was initiated into theKappa Sigma fraternity.[4] He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with amaster's degree in education, then taught atLogan High School inLa Crosse, Wisconsin, where he was a head basketball coach.[3]
Lukas began trainingquarter horses inCalifornia in 1968 and after 10 years of achievement that saw him train 24 world champions, he switched to trainingthoroughbreds. His first win as a thoroughbred trainer was on October 20, 1977, atSanta Anita Park.[5] The first trainer to earn more than $100 million in purse money, he was the year's top money winner 14 times.[6][7] He earned purses of more than $300 million during his career.[3]
Lukas first gained major attention in 1980 when he won thePreakness Stakes withCodex. His horses won theKentucky Derby four times, thePreakness Stakes seven times and theBelmont Stakes four times. His horses won all three of theClassics in 1995 withThunder Gulch (Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes) andTimber Country (Preakness), making him the first trainer to sweep the Triple Crown Classic races with two different horses in a season.[7] In 2013, he surpassedSunny Jim Fitzsimmons for the mostTriple Crown race victories, with 14.[3] In 2024, the 88-year-old Lukas broke Fitzsimmons' record as the oldest trainer to win a Triple Crown race whenSeize the Grey won the2024 Preakness Stakes; it was the fifteenth time he won a Triple Crown race and the seventh time he won the Preakness Stakes.[8]
Lukas earned criticism for his training and racing methods and the resulting attrition rate of his horses.[3][12]
In 2014, at age 78, in his acceptance speech for the 2013 Eclipse Award of Merit, he stated, "[when 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."[2]
Lukas's 4,953rd and final thoroughbred winner was Tour Player, who won atChurchill Downs on June 12, 2025.[7]
Lukas married five times.[13] He had one son, Jeff (1957–2016), with his first wife. Jeff worked for his father as an assistant trainer and was the elder Lukas’s right-hand man until December 1993, when Lukas's Derby contenderTabasco Cat seriously injured Jeff in a shedrow accident atSanta Anita Park. The colt broke loose, Jeff tried to stop him by standing in front of him, and the horse slammed into him, throwing him into the air. Jeff landed on concrete and suffered askull fracture that left him in acoma for several weeks. He suffered permanentbrain damage 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 that 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. He ultimately moved toAtoka, Oklahoma 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.[14][15]
Lukas contractedCOVID-19 in 2020 but recovered from the illness.[16]
On June 22, 2025, Lukas's family andChurchill Downs announced that Lukas had health issues and would not return to training.[7] Lukas was hospitalized for a severeMRSA infection and declined an aggressive treatment plan, instead choosing to return home forhospice care. His thoroughbreds were transferred to his assistant of over 20 years, Sebastian Nicholl,[5][7][17] who remained as their trainer of record until the following month.[18]
^Anderson, Ashley (November 2, 2020)."Breeders' Cup by the numbers".TwinSpires.com. RetrievedJuly 5, 2025.20 The number of Breeders' Cup races won by trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Bob Baffert and Chad Brown are the closest to Lukas's record, with 15 wins each.
