With roots deeply embedded in Quarter Horse racing, trainer D. Wayne Lukas crossed into Thoroughbred racing in the late 1970s. Lukas returned to his roots in the late 1990s and never regretted it.
Prior to his racing days, the Wisconsin native coached high school basketball and was a pretty good horseman at Park Jefferson, South Dakota. By 1968, Lukas began training Quarter Horse racehorses full time, leading to 24 world champions over the next decade, including Dash For Cash.
IIn 1979, Lukas saddled his last Quarter Horse winner and went on to train Thoroughbreds. Success followed Lukas into the Thoroughbred circles and the trainer saddled three Kentucky Derby winners, four Preakness winners and three Belmont winners. Lukas was also the first trainer to condition the earners of $100 million. In 1999, Lukas was inducted into the United States’ Racing Hall of Fame.
Lukas bought Sir Ryon, a son of Ronas Ryon, in 1997, just before the final of the Kindergarten Futurity. Lukas soon had a barn at Los Alamitos in California and was conditioning Quarter Horses once again. His horses included First Special Dash, Drop Your Sox and Private Venture.
“My absolute fondest memories, without a doubt, are of my days with Quarter Horses in the Southwest,” said Lukas. “Goliad, Sunland Park, Ruidoso – those were great times; nothing like ‘em.”
Lukas was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2007 and passed away peacefully at his home on June 28, 2025.
Biography updated as of June 2025.