RIP D. Wayne Lukas

[BigJay]

Hell of a horse trainer and heck of a guy

Great American success story

Former basketball coach. Got the nickname “coach” that stuck

D. Wayne Lukas, Hall of Fame horse trainer, dies

D. Wayne Lukas, a Hall of Fame horse trainer who was second all time with 15 Triple Crown race wins, has died at the age of 89.

www.espn.com

 

[BigJay]

Won 15 Triple Crown races and 20 Breeders Cup races

I’m sure @rdalert447 @str @jjgold and a few of our other horse players have an opinion on Lukas’ passing

 

[BigJay]

Another good story by the AP

Hall of Fame horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a winner of 15 Triple Crown races, dies at 89

Hall of Fame horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas has died. He was 89. His family says Lukas died at his home Saturday night.

apnews.com

 

[jjgold]

Jay you knew him??

Heck of a guy??

 

[BigJay]

Jay you knew him??

Heck of a guy??

Knew a couple (worked with the lady for years) who went to all the triple crown races and multiple Breeders Cups and other big race weekends

They had multiple interactions with him and eventually he came to recognize them when they’d come early and watch Derby works, etc.

Said he was a great guy and really down to earth

Exact opposite of Baffert they said

 

[str]

That is a very accurate description Jay.
Very personable and loved telling stories. He had a ton of them.
He did change the game.
Rest in peace coach.

 

[BigJay]

Very personable and loved telling stories.

Like @jjgold but different

 

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[pipe]

He was a poet and didn't even know it. RIP

 

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[pipe]

Last week the man knew he's going.

 

[djefferis]

RIP - one of the last great trainers and one of the few honest ones.

 

[Reload]

Was the best to ever do it

 

[str]

RIP - one of the last great trainers and one of the few honest ones.

I promise you there are more than a few honest ones. But as you know, the cheating trainers overshadow the real ones . And while it has gotten much better over the last 10-15 years, it still exists at lesser venues and W.Va and Louisiana where HISA is not a part of things. Those places are a haven for the criminals to hide in plain sight.
As for Mr. Lukas, he forever changed the game. Heck of a guy.
BTW, it was those cheating trainers and vets that made me decide to leave the game 25 years ago.

 

[jamesy2422]

that is sad news. guy was a legend.

 

[djefferis]

I promise you there are more than a few honest ones. But as you know, the cheating trainers overshadow the real ones . And while it has gotten much better over the last 10-15 years, it still exists at lesser venues and W.Va and Louisiana where HISA is not a part of things. Those places are a haven for the criminals to hide in plain sight.
As for Mr. Lukas, he forever changed the game. Heck of a guy.
BTW, it was those cheating trainers and vets that made me decide to leave the game 25 years ago.

I know - it’s just the problem that the cheaters are succeeding so damn often.

WVA - my god is that damn state corrupt. Many years ago when I was a kid spent my lunch breaks from school and many afternoons down at Wheeling Downs and would frequently drive up to Mountaineer. The shit that happened there was just so out in the open and discussed amongst the community.

You’ll never eliminate cheating from racing - just like poker. But the only way your going to slow it is get buy in from the participants to police their own - and the failure to do that for long has left both with the issues they are facing today.

 

[rdalert447]

I’ve been on a life long quest to catch him at a huge price. Never could time it right. Have countless “almosts” with him.

Great “big game” trainer, storied career, but you are flat broke if you bet him consistently. Terrible ROI.

 

[rdalert447]

PS- He was supposed to win the Triple Crown long before Baffert did. It’s a shame it eluded him.

It’s been interesting how public perception evolved on Lukas. He used to play the bad guy. Big barn, nationwide string, always winning on the big days, one of the first “Super-Trainers” that Beyer warned against.

But then Lukas’ popularity rose as his barn-size shrunk. Small barn Lukas was a lot more fun to chase than big barn Lukas.

 

[sunshine11]

heck of a trainer. RIP