Overview

• Legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas died June 28 at his Louisville home after entering hospice care for a severe MRSA blood infection he declined to treat aggressively.
• Under a formal succession plan for Lukas Enterprises, his stable and remaining horses have been entrusted to Sebastian “Bas” Nicholl at Churchill Downs.
• Over a six-decade career, Lukas’s horses won 4,967 races, earned more than $301 million from 30,607 starts, and captured four Kentucky Derbys, five Kentucky Oaks titles, 15 Triple Crown races and a joint-record 20 Breeders’ Cup victories.
• Enshrined in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1999, Lukas pioneered training methods and mentored generations of horsemen and horsewomen.
• Churchill Downs, Breeders’ Cup Limited and peers across the racing community have issued tributes honoring his transformative impact on the sport.