Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas retires from racing amid serious health issues

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a towering figure in American horse racing for more than four decades, has officially stepped away from the sport because of serious health complications, his family announced in a letter to many of his associates and connections.

Lukas, 89, has been battling a severe infection that has worsened several chronic conditions. Doctors have proposed an aggressive course of treatment, but he refused, according to the family statement.

"After thoughtful discussions, Wayne has chosen to decline the aggressive treatment plan and return home to spend his remaining time with his wife Laurie, his grandchildren, and great-grandchildren," the statement reads.

Lukas’ training stable will continue operations under longtime assistant Bas Nicholl, who has worked with Lukas since 2002. The stable will continue to operate under the Lukas name during the transition, with the family offering full support and endorsement of Nicholl’s leadership.

Over a career that reshaped the landscape of horse racing, Lukas trained four Kentucky Derby winners, seven Preakness Stakes winners, and four Belmont Stakes champions — becoming the first trainer in history to sweep the three Triple Crown races in a single season with different horses. He won 15 Triple Crown races and has trained a record 20 Breeders’ Cup winners.

He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1999 and remains the only person to be enshrined in both the Thoroughbred and American Quarter Horse halls 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. “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.”

Even into his late 80s, Lukas remained a daily fixture at Churchill Downs, rising at 3:30 a.m. and riding his stable pony to the track in the predawn hours. As recently as the 2025 Kentucky Derby, he had a horse in the field — Just Steel, a colt by Justify — and was honored that same spring with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kentucky Derby Museum.

In 2022, at age 86, he won the Kentucky Oaks with Secret Oath -- 40 years after winning the race for the first time, and 32 years since his most recent Oaks win.

His retirement marks the end of an era in American horse racing. Lukas pioneered the idea of national training operations, flying horses across the country to compete in major stakes races. His disciplined, businesslike approach to training reshaped the way elite stables operated and launched the careers of dozens of top assistants, including Todd Pletcher, Dallas Stewart, Kiaran McLaughlin and Mike Maker.

Lukas’ name will remain on the barn, but the man himself — sharp, relentless, often in his cowboy hat and aviator sunglasses — will no longer be walking his horse to the track.