D. Wayne Lukas, legendary horse trainer, dead at 89
His family said Sunday that Lukas died Saturday night at his Louisville, Kentucky, home.
Advertisement
Lukas had been hospitalized with a severe MRSA blood infection that caused significant damage to his heart and digestive system and worsened pre-existing chronic conditions.
'Wayne devoted his life not only to horses but to the industry — developing generations of horsemen and horsewomen and growing the game by inviting unsuspecting fans into the winner's circle,' his family said in a statement. 'Whether he was boasting about a maiden 2-year-old as the next Kentucky Derby winner or offering quiet words of advice before a big race, Wayne brought heart, grace, and grit to every corner of the sport. His final days were spent at home in Kentucky, where he chose peace, family, and faith.'
5 Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas
JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Advertisement
5 Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas
JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Lukas won 15 Triple Crown races, including the Kentucky Derby four times. Only good friend Bob Baffert has more Triple Crown victories, and Lukas owns a record-tying 20 in the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
'The whole secret of this game, I think, is being able to read the horse: Read what he needs, what he doesn't need, what he can't do, what he can do,' Lukas said in May before his 34th and final Preakness Stakes. 'That's the whole key. Everybody's got the blacksmith, everybody's got to the same bed available, the feed man. We all can hire a good jockey. We all can hire a pretty good exercise rider if we've got the means, so what the hell is the difference? The horse is the difference and what we do with him in reading him.'
Lukas was affectionately known around the barns and the racetrack as 'Coach' because he coached high school basketball before his professional career with horses began. Even with 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.
Advertisement
5 Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas
JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
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.
'Today we lost one of the great champions of Churchill Downs and one of the most significant figures in Thoroughbred racing over the last 50 years,' Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said. 'We will miss his humor, his wisdom and his unmatched capacity to thrill the fans with the performances of his horses on our sport's biggest days.'
Advertisement
5 Trainer D.Wayne Lukas (left) and jockey Gary Stevens ( center) accept the trophy for the 67th running of the Acorn at Belmont. Trophy presented by Mike Francesa.
BOB COGLIANESE
5 Luis Saez, D. Wayne Lukas, and owner Rob Mitchel loft the trophy in the winners' circle after their horse, Secret Oath, won the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, May 6th, 2022 Horse Racing Kentucky Oaks,
Mark Abraham/UPI/Shutterstock
Achieving something of a career renaissance over the past decade, one he credits to finding the right owners willing to spend money on horses, Lukas won the Preakness last year with Seize the Grey. Asked what motivates him to keep doing his job well into his late 80s, he gave a pep talk fit for a locker room before a big game.
'If you have a passion, you eliminate all the excuses,' Lukas said. 'That's how it works. You get up early. You go without a meal. You drive. You go without sleep — as long as you got the passion. Don't let that sofa pull you down. It's a little easy when that alarm goes off to say, 'Oh my God, I don't know if I really want to do this today.' Erase that. The most important decision you'll ever make in your life is your attitude decision. Make it early, and make the right one.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
NFL's, MLB's Giants poke fun at infamous Mike Francesa radio show phone call with 'annual meeting'
The long-awaited meetup between the San Francisco Giants and New York Giants has finally happened. Back in 2015, "Dan in Warwick" called legendary New York sports radio host Mike Francesa and asked him if "there had ever been a franchise-to-franchise … get-together" between the MLB and NFL teams, since they had the same name and the MLB team used to play in New York. Francesa was absolutely flabbergasted, saying, "That might be the weirdest question in a long time." He then joked that the "Giant picnic" is in Totowa during a weekend together, and the New York and Texas Rangers have similar gatherings in Albeliene. "[Henrik] Lundqvist is particularly close with Yu Darvish," Francesa joked. "There's a kinship there between the two of them." It has gone down as one of the greatest phone calls in radio show history, and it's been a hot topic in the tri-state with the MLB's Giants in New York this weekend to take on the Mets. Well, "Dan in Warick's" wishes have finally been granted. In a video posted on X, Francesa is seen walking through a hall before entering a door. Spotted in the room are New York's Eli Manning and Shaun O'Hara, and San Francisco's Logan Webb and Matt Chapman at the "Giants Giants Annual Meeting" (probably in Totowa). "They really do get together!" Francesa says, before exiting the room. The MLB team posted, "Our turn to host next year." Francesa fell victim to many prank calls in his later years, including if the Mets could go 162-0 after an Opening Day victory, how Mickey Mantle could win the Triple Crown if he was not a horse, that the Mets should call up "Game of Thrones" characters Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister (which he thought was a bad idea), and, well, whatever this is. Francesa retired briefly in 2017 but returned a few months later, but went back off the radio airwaves full-time in 2019 and later started a podcast.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Who should be No. 1 pick in fantasy football? Ranking 5 best options
In the actual NFL draft, NFL teams always want the No. 1 overall pick. In fantasy football drafts, the desire of fantasy managers varies. Some prefer to have the top selection, as it gives them their preferred target atop the draft. Others would rather draft near the end of the snake and get an earlier pick in the second round. As such, the No. 1 overall fantasy pick can be viewed as either a blessing or a curse. But either way, fantasy managers need to make sure they get the pick right. If they don't, their roster depth will suffer as a result. Who are the best options for the top fantasy selection this season? Below is a look at the only five players fantasy football managers should consider taking atop the draft, starting with a running back who was a league-winner for many last season. 2025 POSITION RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | D/ST | Overall No. 1 pick options in fantasy football Barkley was the top fantasy running back last year as he generated just the ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in NFL history. He figures to once again be a highly productive runner after averaging 3.8 yards before contact per carry — a whopping 0.5 yards better than any other running back — behind a stellar Philadelphia offensive line. The only concern with Barkley? He had a league-high 378 touches during the regular season and added another 104 to his ledger in the postseason. Since 2010, running backs with at least 337 touches in a season have seen an average decline of 113.9 PPR points, and 3.9 fewer PPR points per game, the following season. Chase won the receiving Triple Crown in 2024, leading the league in catches (127), yards (1,708) and touchdowns (17). He could certainly do it again, given the chemistry he has shown with long-time teammate Joe Burrow and the Bengals' high-volume passing attack. Receiver production is generally more consistent year-to-year than running back production, so few would fault anyone for taking Chase No. 1 overall, especially in PPR leagues. But in half-PPR or standard formats, it is difficult to pass on a high-end running back given how quickly top-tier talents at the position come off the board in snake drafts. Only two running backs had more catches than Robinson's 61 in 2024: De'Von Achane (78) and Alvin Kamara (68). That gives Robinson one of the highest PPR floors among fantasy running backs, and his on-the-ground production (1,456 yards, 14 touchdowns) is nothing to sneeze at, either. Like Barkley, Robinson surpassed the dreaded 337-touch mark in 2024 with 365. Robinson, 23, is much younger than the 28-year-old Barkley, which might aid him in avoiding a decline. However, he also plays in a more volatile offense that will be entrusting second-year QB Michael Penix Jr. as a full-time starter for the first time. Gibbs showed fantasy managers his potential as a workhorse over the final three weeks of the 2024 NFL season. With David Montgomery out, Gibbs averaged 25.7 touches and 162.3 total yards per game while scoring six total touchdowns. While Gibbs' ceiling is that of the No. 1 overall fantasy running back, Montgomery still figures to eat into his workload. Montgomery's size (5-11, 224 pounds) will likely make him Dan Campbell's preferred goal-line option. That might limit Gibbs' upside, but it's worth noting he had the fewest touches (302) among the consensus top-three fantasy running backs for 2025. Jefferson has only once finished worse than the No. 6-rated wide receiver in fantasy. That came in 2023, when he played just 10 games because of a hamstring injury. As long as Jefferson remains healthy, he should be one of the best fantasy football wide receivers, which puts him in the running for the No. 1 overall pick. Still, Jefferson seems more likely to be an early-to-mid first-round selection. The Vikings are breaking in a first-year starter at quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, so any early growing pains could impact Jefferson out of the gate. So, too, could a mild hamstring strain that is keeping Jefferson out of the early stages of Minnesota's training camp.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Guardians' Shane Bieber drawing interest ahead of trade deadline
While the Cleveland Guardians might not have the strong trade chips that they previously were thought to have, the team does have one player who has been drawing interest and could net a solid return at the deadline. According to Zack Meisel of The Athletic, the Guardians are receiving interest in starting pitcher Shane Bieber. With four days until the trade deadline, teams are calling Cleveland about Bieber's availability. "The Guardians have received calls on Bieber," Meisel writes, "... The starting pitching market is lacking in sizzle - that is, unless the AL Central reshapes the market. Even with Lugo off the board, Bieber and Minnesota's Joe Ryan would be two of the top names on the market." If the Guardians do decide to move on from Bieber at the trade deadline, they might be able to land a strong return. Even though he hasn't pitched since 2024, the Guardians veteran starter is drawing interest from around the league. But, there's a caveat to a Bieber deal: the Guardians would need to receive upside equivalent to a prospect from the first two rounds of the MLB draft. Bieber is expected to hit free agency with his $16 million player option likely being declined. MORE: Guardians make trade deadline decision on 2.33 ERA reliever If he's a free agent, the Guardians can offer a $21 million qualifying offer. In a scenario where he rejects that offer, Cleveland could get a first-round compensatory pick if he signs for over $50 million, and a second-round pick if he signs for under that number. Regardless, if the Guardians envision a prospect they're offered can be the equivalent of a first or second round compensatory draft choice, then they might consider dealing Bieber at the deadline. They're looking for upside and potential. While landing such a player might be hard for an injured pitcher, Bieber has a rehab start in the minor leagues on Tuesday, three days before the trade deadline, which is likely to be full of scouts. It's a long shot, but the potential of a Bieber trade is real and could come to fruition by the trade deadline, especially if his start in the minors goes well. MORE MLB NEWS: Guardians set lofty trade demands in potential Emmanuel Clase deal Padres get good news amid pursuit of Braves' 40 home run slugger Astros GM calls out Cardinals' Nolan Arenado for offseason trade veto Tigers 'make a lot of sense' in trade for $275 million All-Star third baseman MLB insider reveals Padres' Dylan Cease trade deadline update Cardinals' Ryan Helsley receives bold trade deadline prediction from MLB teams
