Beloved Horse Racing Legend D. Wayne Lukas Hospitalized, in Home Hospice Care

This story has been updated with additional information.

One of the most iconic names in American horse racing — who has stabled a barn on the backside of Churchill Downs since 1989 and has racked up a list of achievements and honors that, if laid out on the track, would likely reach a mile-and-a-quarter distance — will not return to the site of the twin spires.

D. Wayne Lukas, 89, is at home after being hospitalized in Louisville. A severe MRSA blood infection caused significant damage to the thoroughbred trainer's heart, digestive system and worsened preexisting chronic conditions, according to a statement from the Lukas family.

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"The doctors proposed an aggressive treatment plan, involving multiple surgeries and procedures over several months," the statement said. "Given the extensive pain and the challenging path ahead, the doctors have recommended considering home hospice care."

Lukas declined the aggressive treatment plan. He is now home with his wife Laurie, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The family has requested privacy.

Longtime assistant trainer Sebastian "Bas" Nicholl will continue operations for Lukas Enterprises Inc., but will maintain the Wayne Lukas name, "until the family can smoothly transition the company to Bas's full control."

"Wayne is proud of his many former assistants who achieved greatness," the Lukas family statement said. "He is confident that Bas will follow in their footsteps, carrying his unwavering support and endorsement."

Nicholl began in horse racing after leaving the British Army. He joined Lukas' barn in January 2002.

"Wayne built a legacy that will never be matched," Nicholl said in a press release from Churchill Downs. "Every decision I make, every horse I saddle, I'll hear his voice in the back of my mind. This isn't about filling his shoes — no one can — it's about honoring everything that he's built."

Lukas was enshrined into the sports Hall of Fame in 1999, won the Kentucky Derby four times, the Kentucky Oaks five times and 15 Triple Crown races, the second only to Bob Baffert's 17.

"A special man, he's been a great friend and very much a father figure to me," trainer Kenny McPeek told The Courier Journal. "He raised the standards for our sport to the highest level. An amazing man."

In 1988, jockey Gary Stevens, a staple of the Lukas barn, rode the filly Winning Colors to a Derby victory, only the third time a filly accomplished the feat.

"He literally changed my life, he changed my career, and he changed the sport of thoroughbred racing," Stevens, who also rode Thunder Gulch for Lukas to a Kentucky Derby win in 1995, told The Courier Journal. "He made me who I am.

"There was no excuse for failure. When I walked out in the paddock, we had to win. There was no alternative. And if we did happen to lose the first race of the day, we were going to win three more later on in the day, so we won the battle. That was just his attitude. He's the best motivator that I ever rode for. He taught me to go out in the paddock before a race with that attitude, with every race that I rode, regardless of what the prize money was — it didn’t matter if it was a $10,000 claimer or a $5 million race."

Lukas has also won four Eclipse awards, the highest honor for a horse trainer. He also trained three Horse of the Year Champions: Charismatic (1999), Criminal Type (1990) and Lady's Secret (1986). Charismatic won the Derby and Preakness in 1999. Lady's Secret won the Breeder's Cup Distaff in 1986.

Lukas was known for more than just training horses — he also coached future trainers. His training tree includes top trainers such as Kiaran McLaughlin, Todd Pletcher, Michael McCarthy, Dallas Stewart and Brad Cox.

"The way Wayne's organization and training methods changed the game has set the stage for all the trainers following in his footsteps," Cox told The Courier Journal. "As a young trainer, I watched how he expanded to multiple strings under different assistants, shipped across the country for well-chosen races and continued to train and compete at the highest level until his last days. His record of success speaks for itself.

"He is and will always be a legend in our sport."

For his work beneath the twin spires at the most famed track in America, Lukas ranks third in career stakes victories (78), fifth in career earnings ($39.2 million) and sixth in total wins (562).

"There will never be another D. Wayne Lukas. Not even close," a statement from Kentucky's Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association said. "He single-handedly changed horse racing by combining a marketing approach with horsemanship. The Lukas 'coaching tree' is just one component of a legacy that will endure as long as there is horse racing.

"Even as he approaches his 90th birthday, we long viewed The Coach as indestructible, including getting on his pony for morning training, winning the Preakness Stakes at age 88 and — every year — looking forward to seeing his new crop of 2-year-olds race.

"We will be keeping his wife Laurie, grandson Brady and granddaughter Kelly in our hearts during this difficult time and hope they take comfort in knowing how many lives D. Wayne touched. That includes the owners he put on a magical ride but also the little kids he invited into the winner's circle when he won a race..."

His famed Barn 44 is covered in motivational quotes, including The Cowboy Code where No. 1 is "Live each day with courage." And the gap near his barn, at the six-furlong pole, is known by those on the backside as the Lukas Gap.

"One of the most iconic trainers through the '80s and '90s," horse trainer Tom Van Berg told The Courier Journal. "Wayne introduced the high dollar/sales topper power stable to U.S. racing. A truly generational spokesperson for racing throughout his illustrious career."

In 2024, Lukas set the record for the oldest trainer to win a Triple Crown race when Seize the Grey won the Preakness Stakes.

"He is an icon," said fellow trainer W. Bret Calhoun, "and the best ambassador this sport may have ever seen."

S tephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise and investigative sports reporter with a focus on the health and safety of athletes. She can be reached at skuzydym@courier-journal.com . Follow her for updates at @stephkuzy .

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Legendary horse racing trainer D. Wayne Lukas gravely ill, in home hospice care