D Wayne Lukas is a fantastic horse trainer. On September 2, 1935, he was born in Antigo, Wisconsin, USA. D Wayne Lukas was born in the United States. He has won twenty Breeders’ Cup races and five Eclipse Awards, and his horses have won a total of 25 year-end Eclipse Awards. In 2007, he was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.
He received his education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His wives were Janet Lukas (1957-1971) and Laura Pinelli (1998). He won numerous races.
D. Wayne Lukas’s Net Worth 2023
The estimated net worth of Darrell Wayne Lukas is $250 million. He owns numerous training facilities and stables across the country due to his prosperous career as a horse trainer and businessman.
He undoubtedly makes a sizable sum of money from training fees, breeding fees, and other business endeavors. At his peak, he earned $5 to $10 million annually and earned $1 to $2 million annually in his later years.
How did Wayne Get Rich?
D. Wayne Lukas is a wealthy and well-known horse trainer. He is also the first person to win a prize worth more than $100 million. He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2007.
While accepting a 2013 Eclipse Award of Merit, Lukas joked that such an honor might be bestowed upon him in order for him to retire. Despite this, he does not feel old and has warned younger trainers that he will follow them.
Lukas has numerous records to his name and has won the Breeder’s Cup 20 times. He really is one-of-a-kind. Some of his thoroughbreds’ most notable victories include the Preakness Stakes’ Oxbow, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Take Charge Brandi, and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint’s Hightail.
D. Wayne Lukas Awards
His award winners are listed below:
- He won Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer awards in 1985, 1986-87-88-94.
- D Wayne Lukas won the United States Racing Hall of Fame award in 1999.
- He won the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame award in 2007.
What contributed to Darrell Wayne Lukas’ fame?
Famous horse trainer Darrell Wayne Lukas is known for his innovative training techniques and capacity to raise champion horses. In 1967, he started his profession by full-time training Quarter Horses. He swiftly rose to the sport’s top, setting records and siring champions.
After switching to training Thoroughbreds, he proceeded to break records, taking home 92 stakes wins in 1987 and becoming the first trainer to earn more money than the top American jockey. In addition, he was the three-time winner of the Eclipse Award for best trainer.
Major competitions, including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes, were won by his horses in the future. He holds the record for the most Triple Crown race victories with 14, and he is the only trainer to have produced horses who have triumphed in all three of the Triple Crown events.
D. Wayne Lukas was admitted to the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2007 and the National Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame in 1999.
D. Wayne Lukas Family
Four marriages have taken place for Lukas. He had one son, Jeff (1957–2016), and two grandchildren from his first marriage. Jeff Lukas, who worked as his father’s assistant trainer and was the tenacious right-hand man of the older Lukas, was seriously injured by Lukas’ derby hopeful Tabasco Cat in December 1993.
Jeff Lukas attempted to stop the colt at Santa Anita Park, but the horse crashed at him and launched him into the air. When Jeff landed on the pavement, he fractured his skull and spent many weeks in a coma.
He suffered a permanently damaged brain, psychological issues, sight loss, and memory loss. By the spring of 1994, he had recovered enough to try returning to the horse racing industry. However, it became clear in 2003 that he could not work around racehorses safely after a run of less demanding jobs ended.
He also made an effort to live and work close to horse farms, but his impairment made being around horses risky.
He moved to Atoka, Oklahoma, in 2007 to work for David Burrage, the general manager, and accountant of Lukas Racing Stables. At the time, Burrage was a banker and the owner of the First Bank in Atoka, where Lukas worked. Jeff passed away peacefully in March 2016 at the age of 58.
Get to know Darrell Wayne Lukas
The book “The High-Rolling and Fast Times of America’s Greatest Horse Trainer” by Carlo DeVito provides a thorough examination of Darrell Wayne Lukas’ life and work for those who are interested in learning more. Several horse racing periodicals and news websites have also published articles and interviews about Lukas. On websites like YouTube and Vimeo, you can watch both interviews with Lukas and recordings of his horses winning prestigious races.
FAQ
Wife of D. Wayne Lukas
He has been married four times. He was first married from 1957 to 1971 to Janet Lukas. He wed Laura Pinelli in 1998.
The D. Wayne Lukas Kids
One of his sons passed away in 2016. His son’s name was Jeff Lukas. He is living with his ex-wife.
Horses by D. Wayne Lukas
With Winning Colors in 1988, Thunder Gulch in 1995, Grindstone in 1996, and Charismatic in 1999, Lukas’s horses have won four Kentucky Derby races.
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