D. Wayne Lukas

Trade remained buoyant at the Keeneland September Sale in Lexington, with statistics continuing to increase over one year ago. With this year's gross having already exceeded figures for the entire sale in 2024, the sale generated $472,224,000 for 1,771 yearlings (through the ring) sold, which is 23.47% higher than the corresponding period last year when 1,740 horses brought $382,469,500. Average price of $266,643 is 21.31% above $219,810 from 2024, and the median of $180,000 is 20% over $150,000 last year. During Tuesday's session, Keeneland sold 276 yearlings (through the ring)...

Graded races at Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park have been renamed in honor of the late trainers D. Wayne Lukas and Christophe Clement, 1ST, which operates both racetracks, announced Wednesday. Beginning in 2026, the GII Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita will be renamed the D. Wayne Lukas Stakes, while the GIII La Prevoyante Stakes at Gulfstream Park has been renamed the Christophe Clement Stakes. "D. Wayne Lukas and Christophe Clement were not just generational horsemen, they were top-class people," said 1/ST President Aidan Butler. "Santa Anita and Gulfstream were...

Former D. Wayne Lukas assistant Sebastian 'Bas' Nicholl, who assumed care of the late trainer's stable in late June in a succession plan put in place by Lukas Enterprises, Inc., will no longer serve as a head trainer. The story was first reported by Daily Racing Form. Nicholl told DRF the last horses formerly trained by Lukas left the barn Tuesday and are being sent to other trainers. Nicholl, a former captain in the British Army and Lukas's assistant for more than 20 years, is in the midst of helping...

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) has established the D. Wayne Lukas Award, to be given annually to a New York-based assistant trainer who demonstrates the qualities that the late Hall of Fame trainer himself exemplified-- dedication, a strong work ethic, and a high commitment to excellence--the organization said in a press release on Wednesday. Owners and trainers will be invited to nominate an assistant trainer for the $10,000 award, which will be presented each year on Sept. 2, D. Wayne Lukas's birthday. "'The Coach' mentored countless young people,...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - And now for the main event. With nine days of racing already in the books--a proper warmup by any measure, topped by the GI Belmont Stakes--the 157th season of racing at Saratoga begins Thursday with a 10-race program. It is the earliest-possible start in the calendar-driven schedule for the 40-day season that closes on Labor Day Sept. 1. With one exception in 1982, in the 45 years after racing resumed at Saratoga in 1946 following World War II, Saratoga was what eventually came to be known...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton July Selected Yearling Sale kicks off, not just the yearling sales season, but also a bidding-packed day of action at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington Tuesday. The auction, with 261 head catalogued, begins at 10 a.m. and will be followed immediately by the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale, with 70 catalogued ready-to-race offerings. Buyers were out in force at the sales barns on a steamy day in the Bluegrass Monday, with temperatures inching over the 90- degree mark. "We have been slammed all...

The following is a note from Dauna Moths, the sister of the late D. Wayne Lukas, to TDN's Christina Bossinakis. I just watched the TDN tribute to Wayne. I wish I could talk with each of those who commented--I consider us all "family." Also, thank you for your recent comments on his life.  My heart overflows to read all the remembrances to him. I have been overwhelmed by calls and e-mails from my friends and I am still trying to accept this reality. My heartfelt wish is to thank those...

Romeo (Honor A. P.) (hip 370), winner of the June 29 Bashford Manor Stakes, is among five additional supplemental entries to the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale, which will be held Tuesday in Lexington. The 2-year-old, a 10 1/4-length debut winner at Laurel in May, was third in the June 5 Tremont Stakes before his front-running 3 3/4-length victory in the Bashford Manor for owner Joseph Lloyd and trainer John Robb. The colt is consigned by Paramount Sales. The latest supplemental entries to the auction also include:...

Some of the most influential people in the life of Wayne Lukas-and some of the people for whom he was the most influential--took part in a special TDN Writers' Room podcast in order to pay tribute to `the Coach,' who passed away Saturday night at the age of 89. Lukas worked almost up until his last days in the sport which he revolutionized upon his arrival in the early 1980s. Before it was over, he would win 20 Breeders' Cups, 15 Triple Crown races, five Eclipse Awards as leading trainer,...

On this week's TDN Writers' Room, we pay tribute to D. Wayne Lukas. Friends and mentees, including Todd Pletcher, Bob Baffert, Kiaran McLaughlin and Gary Stevens, share their favorite memories and stories of 'The Coach.'

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - There was far more than a simple change of address for trainer Cherie DeVaux when she was assigned Barn 83--for decades the Saratoga base for legendary D. Wayne Lukas--for this summer's racing season. In addition to dealing with the daily demands of managing her large stable, DeVaux, a rising star in the sport, has embraced her new roles: historian and preservationist of an important corner of the barn area on the sprawling Saratoga Race Course grounds. Within a day or two of DeVaux moving her stable...

The initial draft of supplemental entries added to the upcoming Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age includes offerings from Estate of D. Wayne Lukas, according to a release Wednesday. In total, Fasig-Tipton has catalogued an additional 11 entries to the July Selected HORA sale, which will be held on Tuesday, July 8 in Lexington, Kentucky. Mulholland Springs will serve as agent for the five Lukas Estate offerings. The offerings include two unraced 2-year-olds by Essential Quality and Liam's Map that were selected and purchased by Lukas. The new supplements...