Lukas, "Wayne" (Darrell Wayne)
b. September 2, 1935, Antigo, WI
Lukas dealt in quarterhorses while a student at the University of Wisconsin. He became a high school coach after graduating, returned to Wisconsin as assistant basketball coach while working for his master's degree, and he then coached high school basketball.
He left coaching to go into quarter horse training in 1968. Lukas trained Dash for Cash, quarter horse of the year in 1976 and 1977, and then began training thoroughbreds. He led all trainers in money won from 1983 through 1992 and 1994 through 1997; in races won from 1987 through 1990; and in stakes victories from 1985 through 1992.
Lukas trained two horses of the year, Lady's Secret in 1986 and Criminal Type in 1990. He won the 1988 Kentucky Derby with Winning Colors, only the third filly in history to take that race. He also saddled Kentucky Derby winners Thunder Gulch in 1995, Grindstone in 1996, and Charismatic in 1999.
Lukas has trained five Preakness winners, Codex in 1980, Tank's Prospect in 1985, Tabasco Cat in 1994, Timber Country in 1995, and Charismatic in 1999. Oddly, he's never had a winner in the Belmont Stakes.
In Breeder's Cup racing, Lukas leads all trainers with 16 victories and $17,535,200 in winnings. He has saddled 132 horses in Breeder's cup competition, taking 19 seconds and 14 thirds. In 1988, he became the only trainer to saddle three Breeder's Cup winners in a single day with Gulch, Open Mind, and Is It True.
Lukas won the Eclipse Award as the nation's top trainer from 1985 through 1987 and 1994.