Horseracing Trainer D. Wayne Lukas Retires Amid Illness
- Legendary horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas, aged 89, has been hospitalized in Louisville and will retire from training due to serious health complications.
- Lukas contracted a serious MRSA bloodstream infection that severely affected his heart and digestive system, aggravating existing health issues and leading him to refuse the intensive treatment plan recommended by his doctors.
- His horses transferred to longtime assistant Sebastian “Bas” Nicholl, who will oversee operations under the Lukas name with full family support during the transition.
- Lukas won 15 Triple Crown races, trained a record-tying 20 Breeders’ Cup champions, and four Kentucky Derby winners, while Churchill Downs president Mike Anderson called him one of the greatest competitors in Thoroughbred racing history.
- Lukas’s retirement concludes a remarkable six-decade career that transformed horse racing, with Nicholl praising him as an unparalleled figure in the sport, while Lukas returns home to spend time with his family.
22 Articles
22 Articles

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas hospitalized, retires from training, family says
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hall of Fame horse racing trainer D. Wayne Lukas has been hospitalized and will not return to training, his family and Churchill Downs announced Sunday. Lukas’ family said the 89-year-old has battled a severe MRSA blood infection that has caused significant damage to his heart and digestive system and worsened preexisting chronic conditions. The family said Lukas declined an aggressive treatment plan that doctors proposed invol…
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
Hall of Fame horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas, 89, ends treatment of ‘aggressive’ infection, returns home to family - The Boston Globe
The 89-year-old whose horses have accumulated 15 Triple Crown victories has battled a severe MRSA blood infection that has caused significant damage to his heart and digestive system.
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