Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, in declining health, won't return to horse racing
In a note to owners and friends on Sunday, Lukas Enterprises announced: 'We regret to inform you that D. Wayne Lukas will not be returning to racing. A severe MRSA blood infection has caused significant damage to his heart , digestive system, and worsened pre-existing chronic conditions. The doctors proposed an aggressive treatment plan, involving multiple surgeries and procedures over several months. Even with the best-case scenario, Wayne would require 24/7 assistance to manage daily activities.'
The note goes on to say that Lukas declined the aggressive treatment plan 'and return home to spend his remaining time with his wife, Laurie, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.'
It also says that he will be under home hospice care.
Lukas is a member of both the U.S. Racing and Quarter Horse Halls of Fame. He has won the to trainer Eclipse Award five times and his horses have won 25 Eclipse Awards.
In his career, which started in 1968, Lukas has run 30,436 races, winning 4,953. His horses have earned $300.534 million. His last significant win was in last year's Preakness Stakes, which he won with Seize the Grey.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hall of Fame horse racing trainer D. Wayne Lukas has been hospitalized and will not return to training, his family and Churchill Downs announced Sunday. Lukas' family said the 89-year-old has battled a severe MRSA blood infection that has caused significant damage to his heart and digestive system and worsened preexisting chronic conditions. The family said Lukas declined an aggressive treatment plan that doctors proposed involving multiple surgeries over the coming months and 24/7 assistance, instead deciding to return home. His horses have been transferred to assistant trainer Sebastian 'Bas' Nicholl, who has been part of Lukas' team since 2002. 'Wayne built a legacy that will never be matched,' Nicholl said. 'Every decision I make, every horse I saddle, I'll hear his voice in the back of my mind. This isn't about filling his shoes — no one can. It's about honoring everything that he's built.' Lukas is one of the most accomplished people in the history of the sport. His 15 Triple Crown victories are second only to good friend Bob Baffert, and Lukas has a record-tying 20 wins in the Breeders' Cup. He won the Kentucky Derby four times since 1988. His most recent victory in the Triple Crown came last year with Seize the Grey in the Preakness, his seventh — one short of Baffert's record. 'Wayne is one of the greatest competitors and most important figures in thoroughbred racing history,' Churchill Downs President Mike Anderson said. 'He transcended the sport of horse racing and took the industry to new levels. The lasting impact of his character and wisdom, from his acute horsemanship to his unmatched attention to detail, will be truly missed. 'The enormity of this news is immense, and our prayers are with his family and friends around the world during this difficult time.' Lukas is affectionately known around barns and racetracks as 'Coach' because he coached high school basketball before his professional career with horses began. Even with only months to go before his 90th birthday, he would get up on his pony in the early morning hours and go out to the track himself, rather than letting his assistants do the day-to-day work. Born Darnell Wayne Lukas on Sept. 2, 1935, in Wisconsin as the second of three children, he rose to prominence in the sport with quarter horses in races that are effectively sprints. He moved into thoroughbreds in the late 1970s and won his first Preakness with Codex in 1980. Lukas has 4,967 documented victories in thoroughbred racing, with his horses earning more than $310 million from more than 30,600 starts.
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Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, in declining health, won't return to horse racing
D. Wayne Lukas, 89, who has been a staple in horse racing since 1968 when he was training quarter horses at Los Alamitos, is leaving the game after contracting a potentially life-ending illness. In a note to owners and friends on Sunday, Lukas Enterprises announced: 'We regret to inform you that D. Wayne Lukas will not be returning to racing. A severe MRSA blood infection has caused significant damage to his heart , digestive system, and worsened pre-existing chronic conditions. The doctors proposed an aggressive treatment plan, involving multiple surgeries and procedures over several months. Even with the best-case scenario, Wayne would require 24/7 assistance to manage daily activities.' The note goes on to say that Lukas declined the aggressive treatment plan 'and return home to spend his remaining time with his wife, Laurie, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.' It also says that he will be under home hospice care. Lukas is a member of both the U.S. Racing and Quarter Horse Halls of Fame. He has won the to trainer Eclipse Award five times and his horses have won 25 Eclipse Awards. In his career, which started in 1968, Lukas has run 30,436 races, winning 4,953. His horses have earned $300.534 million. His last significant win was in last year's Preakness Stakes, which he won with Seize the Grey.
