Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas hospitalized, will not return to horse training
Lukas has 'declined an aggressive treatment plan' and will return home to 'spend his remaining time' with his family, the statement said. His assistant, Sebastian 'Bas' Nicholl, will take over responsibility for the horses previously in Lukas' care.
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Lukas, 89, has had one of the most successful careers in horse racing history. Horses trained by Lukas have won 15 Triple Crown races, including six consecutive wins — the current record — from the 1994 Preakness to the 1996 Kentucky Derby. That performance also made him the first and only trainer to sweep the Triple Crown with three different horses in one year. In 1999, Lukas joined the racing Hall of Fame.
'Wayne is one of the greatest competitors and most important figures in Thoroughbred racing history,' said Mike Anderson, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack, in a statement Sunday. '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.'
Since Lukas started training horses in 1968, he has 4,967 documented Thoroughbred wins, with horses earning more than $301 million in 30,607 starts. Those starts include 1, 105 stakes wins, with 637 graded stakes.
'Wayne (Lukas) built a legacy that will never be matched,' said Nicholl, who began working with Lukas in 2002. '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.'
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