One of the great responsibilities — and privileges — of this job is writing obituaries.

A four-time Kentucky Derby winner and 20-time Breeders’ Cup champion, Lukas didn’t just train champions — he trained the sport itself, reshaping everything from barn management to the way top horses are scouted, shipped, and prepared.

To see how the legacy of the late D. Wayne Lukas will live on in the sport he loved — and helped to change — you only had to watch the final day of Churchill Downs’ spring meet on Sunday.

His passing leaves a gap that stretches from Belmont Park to Santa Anita from Gulfstream Park to any track or sales ring in Kentucky.

Faced with complications from a serious infection and an aggressive and difficult course of treatment, he has decided to go home and spend what time he has left with his family.

Lukas, 89, has been battling a severe infection that has worsened several chronic conditions. 

Move the Preakness to Memorial Day weekend, creating a 3-to-4 week gap between the first and second legs of the Triple Crown.

For more than 23 minutes, the replay of Sovereignty’s rousing, splash through the mud romp to win Kentucky Derby 151 replayed on the TV monitors to Bill Mott’s left in the Churchill Downs interview room Saturday.

It's the Kentucky Derby. You can bet your favorite number, favorite color or favorite jockey. You can pull a name out of a hat.