“From the first time I saw his team pull into a Quarter Horse track with his gleaming chrome trailers, I knew one thing–I wanted to be D. Wayne Lukas when I grew up,” said none other than two-time Triple Crown winner Bob Baffert, as a testimonial for 89-year-old D. Wayne Lukas. Not only is that high praise coming from the man who has won it all in horse racing, but it’s proof of the horse trainer’s influence on even the most decorated individuals of the horse racing world.
In fact, Baffert doesn’t put himself on the same level yet. “I’m still trying to get there, and for however long I train horses, he will always be my standard of excellence,” Baffert added in his testimonial. And excellence is something D. Wayne Lukas pursued as recently as the 2025 Kentucky Derby at 89, even after winning 20 Breeders’ Cup titles throughout his career. So you can imagine the news of his retirement affected the horse racing world.
So it was only fitting for NBC Sports writer Tim Layden, who spent 25 years at Sports Illustrated and extensively covered Lukas during his career, to write a truly heartfelt farewell. Layden perfectly laid out what made the horse trainer such a pivotal figure in the horse racing community. “The very best are not just driven, but obsessive. Not just creative, but ingenious. Not just hungry, but voracious,” Layden described the Lukas.
And why wouldn’t he? The Hall of Fame trainer went on one of the most iconic runs in horse racing history between 1994 and 1996. During this period of absolute dominance, Darrell Wayne Lukas became the first trainer to win all three Triple Crown races in a single year with multiple horses from his stable. His horse Thunder Gulch won the ’95 Kentucky Derby and Belmont but lost the Preakness to stablemate Timber Country.
D. Wayne Lukas retired this week at age 89, and entered hospice care. He was unlike anything racing had seen: Audacious, obsessive, unparalleled… determined to make fast horses at the expense of everything else. One of a kind.https://t.co/LJzcfLBhVF
— Tim Layden (@ByTimLayden) June 25, 2025
And although Lukas never won the Triple Crown with a single horse, he reached the unprecedented milestone of winning six consecutive, individual Triple Crown races between ’94 and ’95. So imagine the shock when the 89-year-old suddenly retired and his family made a tragic announcement. “D. Wayne Lukas retired this week at age 89 and entered hospice care,” reported Layden, as the community poured their love and support.
The fan base’s homage to the horse trainer revealed the kind of soul behind the fierce competitor
While winning six Triple Crown races consecutively is truly unprecedented, what made Lukas’ run even more memorable and iconic was how he won those races. Before starting his incredible win streak, the D. Wayne Lukas Racing Stables’ owner was on a two-year Grade 1 Stakes dry spell. Things got even worse when the colt Tabasco Cat ran over his son and top assistant, Jeff Lukas.
The accident left the 89-year-old’s son with a severe brain injury, as per SI. Yet, the iconic horse trainer’s hunger to get back to his winning ways remained intact. “You can strip me naked and drop me off in East L.A. at midnight, and I’ll be back in a month,” SI revealed, quoting Lukas’ response to adversity. And that’ exactly what the trainer did, winning the first of hi six consecutive Triple Crown races just three weeks after his son’s accident.
Yet, behind this relentless competitor was a kind man who took time to interact with those he inspired. “I was waiting to cross Union Ave, and he pulled next to my son and me in a golf cart. My son was only 5 or six at the time, but Lukas chatted him up while the light changed and while we crossed. 10 years later, my son still remembers and still looks for horses on the card,” one fan wrote in an incredibly personal account.
Another fan mentioned cherishing similar memories of interacting with the Hall of Fame horse trainer. “Met him and watched him and his horses at Saratoga many times. So very sad,” wrote the fan. And guess what? Tim Layden wasn’t the only one comparing Lukas to other sporting greats, like Muhammad Ali. One fan compared the horse racing icon with another racing legend.
Credits: Preakness Stakes
“He changed the game. He’s well spoken, [and] his barn area, immaculate. I don’t like to use the word corporate; nonetheless, it was a corporation. His pedigree, a basketball coach, used that successfully, forming a strong team. He’s the Roger Penske of Horse Racing,” the fan commented on Layden’s post. The Founder and Chairman of Penske Corporation, Roger Penske, is an auto racing legend.
Penske’s racing team has won numerous championships in everything from the Indy 500 to NASCAR Cup Series Championships to the 24 Hours of Daytona and others. You name it, and Penske has probably won it with his team. During his prime, the D. Wayne Lukas Racing Stables ran a similar championship-winning operation under the horse trainer. After all, it’s the same “team” that made Bob Baffert follow in Lukas’ footsteps.
So it’s no wonder that fans are grateful to have watched a record-setting icon like D. Wayne Lukas in action. “Boundless respect for the coach,” commented one horse racing enthusiast. Unfortunately, those racing days seem well and truly beyond the horse trainer. Initial reports suggested that the infection caused damage to his heart and digestive system, while exacerbating other health issues.
However, the Lukas family chose not to pursue aggressive treatment. And so fans thanked Lukas for what he has done for horse racing all the way until this year’s Kentucky Derby. “He’s a legend. He did what he loved for as long as he could. Thank you, Mr. Lukas, for all you brought to the sport. Prayers for you and your family,” wrote one fan. Meanwhile, Lukas’ family chose to thank Tim Layden for celebrating the legend during this difficult time.
“Tim, you have an incredible talent. On behalf of the Lukas family, thank you for the stories you have so vividly told throughout the years. Our kids and grandkids will love reading about their great-grandpa Wayne,” wrote David Roy of the D. Wayne Lukas Racing Stables. And no matter what happens next, D. Wayne Lukas will always remain the indomitable horse trainer.
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