HPNOW Mag Sept 2015 by Horse Player NOW

DWLegends

Flanders (inside) vs. Serenaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Song 1994 Breedersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cup Juvenile Fillies

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CONTENTS SEPT. 2015 6

From The Publisher

The Teaser

Lukas Through the Years

Lukas’ Top 100 Performers

Dash For Cash & D. Wayne

Galloping Out

DWL timeline from his youth in Wisconsin to the winner’s circle.

Topics that titillate the racing mind.

Back to Night School

‘D. Wayne at 80’ celebration/links and a look at our upcoming lineup.

Jeremy Plonk introduces you to a lineup of superstars who wore the white bridles – and a panelof 28 experts counts down the Elite 8.

Denis Blake reports on the great AQHA performer and his impact on the sport & DWL’s career.

Sun Always Rises for Lukas

Jerry Shottenkirk chronicles how Lukas’ career has overcome hardships to findthe Hall of Fame.

The artof the sale was never lost on Darrell Wayne Lukas.

From the Publisher A decade ago, a reporter walked into the Churchill Downs barn of D. Wayne Lukas with trepidation. News began to leak that Derby hopeful Consolidator had been injured and would be scratched.

As the pool reporter on the official Kentucky Derby notes team, the job was to go back to Lukas’ barn midday and get the scoop to then disseminate to the masses. Lukas’ reputation with the media long had been known as both icy and dicey.

Editor, Publisher, Designer Jeremy Plonk

The reporter peered around the office door in the immaculate DWL stable and cautiously said, “Mr. Lukas, can I have a word with you about Consolidator?” Lukas rose from his chair, invited the reporter in and closed the door behind him.

Research & Copy Editing Candice Hare Brian Nadeau

Over the next half hour, Lukas went into great detail to explain the injury to Consolidator, the outlook and what it all meant to his owners to have a Derby chance pulled out from under them. He did it with grace and candor, not fire and brimstone, and with the care of a teacher. I’ll never forget it. -JP

Contributing Writers Jerry Shottenkirk Denis Blake

Photography Chief Enzina Mastrippolito (Photosbyz) Contributing Photographers Adam Coglianese/NYRA American Quarter Horse Assoc. John DeSantis Breeders’ Cup Ltd. Coady Photography Los Alamitos Racecourse Maryland Jockey Club

THE TEASER:

From d’plane to Todd Pletcher Teaser, definition: A male to Billy White Shoes horse used at breeding farms to determine whether and Kevin Bacon, a mare is ready to receive a stallion. Also, perhaps the eventually it will all most unfulfilling occupation in the universe. make sense. Coach So, D. Wayne Lukas is turning 80. Big deal. Everyone gets old. It’s not actually an achievement. If he were getting younger like that Benjamin Button dude…now that would be something! I suppose, though, when you consider that Lukas is 77 years older than American Pharoah it really does put things into perspective. The thing about ‘Coach’ is that he doesn’t look a day over 75…with or without the Stetson. Seems like just yesterday he was confounding fellow trainers with his unorthodox concepts; driving them nuts by beating them (and the sun) by hours to the barn; whipping them in the afternoon with fast horses expertly plucked out of sales and trained to the minute.

Maybe it’s his Quarter Horse background…maybe not…but Lukas always has had a need for speed in his racehorses. Speed is like a loaded gun, dangerous in anyone’s hands. In his Hall of Fame mitts, it was ‘game over.’

Lukas pioneered and made it fashionable for trainers to ship cross-country and to attack suitable stakes races. They called it, ‘D. Wayne off the plane.’ And it worked.

Shoes-Johnson cool. It also made

Lukas runners easier to follow during races…even though they usually could be found in front. “When trainers see the white bridle they know they’re in for a fight,” he boasted. And he was right.

Despite criticism, he ran proven Lukas didn’t invent horse training, dirt horses on turf and turf lovers but he sure created one hell of a on dirt. And won with them. He brand. raced horses off short rest at varying distances and did so well His green and white paint splashed that other trainers attempted to barns sparkled like an army duplicate his maneuvers. Few barracks on inspection achieved similar day. Shedrows raked results. Lukas ran fillies against colts and proved to perfection, Thank heaven Lukas webbings spit-shined that sex only matters was a mere mortal as and slung before wellif you’re having it. a basketball coach and muscled horses standing knee deep in that Wisconsin grew as tiresome as, well, Wisconsin. straw bedding as inviting as a stack The hoops game and Badger of down pillows. State’s loss was racing’s gain Stop at a DWL barn anywhere – first Quarters and then nationwide and it was the same. Thoroughbreds. Green and white Benjamin Moore galore, flowers, shrubbery and help D. Wayne Lukas shattered conventional thinking. He colored as well-groomed as the horses. outside the lines. Marched to the Lukas labeled the whole process beat of a different drummer. Lukas his ‘Program,’ like some infomercial ran fillies against colts and proved guru peddling a path to inner that sex only matters if you’re peace. Then he replicated his having it. On the racetrack, fastest original Southern California concept home wins—male or female. as a nationwide franchise. Like McDonald’s. White bridles instead He raced his horses in white bridles of golden arches. because they looked Billy-White-

Lukas knows that a coach is only as good as his players, so he always goes after the best—human and equine. His tree of former assistants has more branches loaded with cash than Bank of America. Check ‘em out: Todd Pletcher, Kiaran McLaughlin, Dallas Stewart, Mark Hennig, Randy Bradshaw, George Weaver (an assistant to Pletcher), Bobby Barnett and Mike Maker, etc. His equine tree, including sires and dams of champions, etc. is even way more extensive. Quick, pick a champion, any champion. Now, Kevin Bacon-like, connect D. Wayne Lukas to that star with degrees of separation? Chances are that Lukas either trained the horse, its sire, dam or raced against one of them somewhere, sometime. By all accounts, one of Lukas’ greatest advantages was son Jeff (pictured with Winning Colors), who expertly managed just about every aspect of the racing stable. Jeff’s talent was a glorious mixture of Wayne’s bloodline and training acumen – he

sired Jeff and then showed him how to train horses. Anyone intimate with the '80s Lukas juggernaut swears that Jeff would have emerged as an unstoppable force in his own right if he hadn’t been seriously injured when trampled by runaway Tabasco Cat at Santa Anita in 1993. Undoubtedly heartbroken, Lukas soldiered on minus his right hand man and apple of his eye. Jeff’s recovery has been a long, tedious process and is best recounted / linked in a Sport’s Illustrated piece by Tim Layden. Success on the track at Lukas’ level doesn’t come cheaply. As evidence, there’s the old story about the trainer who points toward an owner and boasts, “I made that guy a millionaire.” After a pause he continues, “When we started he was a billionaire!” Lukas originally paid the way with Texas oil and gas money funneled through deep pockets and bank accounts of some of America’s most successful and sporting ladies and gents. Later, used car, peanut butter, beer, entertainment and technology dollars floated the boat. Currently tobacco, real estate and construction pesos keep prime hides under the DWL shedrow.

As Coach takes a deep breath for enough steam to extinguish 80 candles, here’s a thought to ponder: Without the success of one Darrell Wayne Lukas would we ever have heard of Bob Baffert? Probably. It’s impossible to keep a good man down and Baffert’s Hall of Fame credentials say he was destined for stardom anyway. But, facts are facts, and for guys with a case of the ‘shorts’—aka Quarter Horse

trainers—it was Lukas who paved ‘dirt roads’ between Los Alamitos and big-time Thoroughbred tracks Hollywood Park and Santa Anita. The 405 and 605 freeways, respectfully, may have been there for decades, but before D. Wayne rewrote the book, guys wearing boots, jeans, white dress shirts, sunglasses and cowboy hats seldom made the journey in style. Happy Birthday, Coach!

- THE TEASER

DWLegends

Lukas’ Training “Tree” (L-R) D. Wayne at his Hall of Fame induction with son, Jeff Lukas; Todd Pletcher; Randy Bradshaw; Dallas Stewart; Mark Hennig; Kiaran McLaughlin.

This issue we review classes from:

D. WAYNE AT 80 Since 2011, Night School has been teaching novice and expert handicappers alike in the finer points of playing the races. Through live chats, videos and radio simulcasts, the best in the industry have shared their expertise free with horseplayers. In each issue of Horse Player NOW Magazine, we go “Back to Night School” with a look at some of the high points of past lessons.

In this archive of Back to Night School, we look at our Sept. 1 history lesson: “D. Wayne at 80.” The multi-media Night School event includes a lengthy video sitdown between Lukas and Night School founder Jeremy Plonk, along with video input from Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, one-time DWL stable rider Donna BartonBrothers, former Lukas assistant trainer Dallas Stewart and ESPN.com turf writer Gary West. The Night School team of Steve Byk & Caton Bredar then joined for a 60-minute simulcast on SiriusXM to add their insights to the event.

Radio/Audio Featuring Steve Byk, Caton Bredar, Jeremy Plonk and Podcast special guests. Simulcast on SiriusXM’s “Night School Live on At the Races.” Special unveiling of D. Wayne Lukas’ 8 greatest runners as voted on by our expert panel. Click Video-Only Featuring D. Wayne Lukas with Jeremy Plonk; along with Presentation Dallas Stewart, Jerry Bailey, Donna Barton-Brothers & Gary West. Lukas discusses such topics as his media barbs, drugs in racing, trainer percentages, his health and durability, the game’s best jockeys and his biggest regret. Click

Guest stars in the video include:

“D. Wayne at 80” is Night School’s second mini-documentary, following a 2012 interview series with Andy Beyer. You also can watch the Beyer series free on our Legends page.

COMING THIS MONTH IN NIGHT SCHOOL! TUESDAYS, 8:30 PM ET SEPT 1 D. WAYNE AT 80

SEPT 8 SPEED FIGURES & SHEETS ANGLES

Our first history lesson celebrates the life and career of elite trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

The folks who crunch the numbers explain how to put those digits into wagering motion. SEPT 15 TIMING/RUN-UP & FRACTIONS Each second counts in handicapping, and we’ll sort through the race-timing process.

SEPT 22 TRIP HANDICAPPING

SEPT 29 RAIL POSITION, POST POSITIONS & GROUND LOSS

Expert eyes teach what to look for when you watch a race, and how to apply it.

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See how these elements impact a horse’s trip.

Visit Horseplayernow.com for the racing industry’s FREE national online fan education program.

THE SUN ALWAYS RISES FOR LUKAS

By Jerry Shottenkirk

arrell Wayne Lukas reportedly sobbed, cradling Landaluce’s head as she took her last breath.

The man whose highs have been Mt. Everest also has had some Death Valley lows. It has proven a constant rebound for more than 40 years. When star horses suffered injuries, or Eclipse Award-winning owners became ill, along came others to fill a void.

As bad as it got, Lukas always has recovered. And, along the way, became as good as it gets. On that morning of November 28, 1982, Lukas was handed a loss as significant as any horse trainer could. The unbeaten Landaluce – from the first crop of the great Seattle Slew – was arguably the greatest 2-year-old filly the racing world had ever seen. Her 21-length win in the Hollywood Lassie is one of those races that are ingrained into the racing psyche. It’s not the

‘tremendous machine’ call, but might’ve been the next best thing.

and grizzled race fans often showed little mercy.

After Union City was euthanized A lesser man could’ve walked away after a virus took Landaluce’s life. after breaking sesamoids in his Just a few years removed from his right front in the 1993 Preakness, successful Quarter Horse career some in the media pounced. Lukas and head-long into a later was quoted as tremendous transition saying: “(Reporters) Fate has delivered to Thoroughbreds, expect you stand some crushing shots, Lukas was at the here for two hours but Lukas always bottom of the giving human has gotten back to his emotional interest stories. And feet, dusted off rollercoaster. the first chance they and reloaded. get, they kick you in It proved to be only the groin.” Perhaps momentarily. the criticism was That’s been the Lukas warranted, maybe it modus operandi. Every wasn’t. Regardless, once in a while you it was there. can slip in a left hook, Union City had been but attempting to 15th in the Derby knock him out has been futile. Fate and Lukas was scorned for entering has delivered some crushing shots, him in Preakness. Seven years but Lukas always has gotten back later, Lukas would win the Belmont to his feet, dusted off and with Commendable, who had been reloaded. 17th in the Derby prior and also Because of his rush of success and said to be misplaced in a race in the occasional dose of bad news, which he did not belong. Such has Lukas has had his detractors as been the rollercoaster of criticism, well as his supporters. The media and success in spite of it.

In 1999, Charismatic stunned the racing world with his upset win in the Kentucky Derby and proved it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a fluke as a he annexed the second jewel of the Triple Crown when he finished strongly for a Preakness triumph. He finished 3rd in the Belmont in his bid to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. But Charismatic suffered an ankle injury as jockey Chris Antley held him still, awaiting veterinary assistance. Charismatic was retired and a few years later was sold and sent to Japan, where he sired his share of top-flight winners. Through the thousands of horses Lukas has trained, there have been Eclipse Awards; there have been unfortunate breakdowns; and there has been the adulation of many in the business mixed with some disdain from others. But, overall, the Lukas way proved to be the right way. No better endorsement exists than

his understudies, the likes of Todd Pletcher, Kiaran McLaughlin, Dallas Stewart, Mark Hennig, George Weaver, Mike Maker and others. And then there were the owners, the most successful of whom have passed. Lukas has returned time and again to overcome what may have shut other operations down. What a huge gap the death of owner Eugene V. Klein left. Klein (pictured) was co-founder of the Seattle SuperSonics National Basketball Association franchise and most notably owner of the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to find a better lineup over the years than

his, boasting Lady’s Secret, Winning Colors, Tank’s Prospect, Open Mind, Capote, Success Express, Is It True, Twilight Ridge and Life’s Magic et al. Klein retired in 1989 due to his health and died in March, 1990, at what appeared to be the height of the Lukas reign. But the 1990s brought Lukas to even greater heights, thanks to the rise of owners like Overbook Farm and Robert B. and Beverly Lewis. William T. Young, whose Big Top peanut butter was sold to Procter & Gamble and became known as Jif, was a terrific remedy for Lukas. Young started Overbrook Farm in 1972 and in 1983 bred the great Storm Cat, who became one of the world’s greatest sires. By the ‘90s, Young joined Lukas and the team hummed to big win after big win.

Along with Overbrook Farm came the likes of Flanders, Timber Country (partnership), Tabasco Cat, Grindstone, Boston Harbor and Cat Thief, among others. Breeders’ Cup wins became fairly common and wins in Triple Crown races and Breeders’ Cups were not out of the ordinary. Young retired and then died in 2004. Just 25 months later, the passing of Bob Lewis was another loss that would have brought down a lesser operation. The Lewises owned Timber Country (partnership), Serena’s Song, Charismatic, Commendable, Orientate (pictured) and Folklore among others with Lukas. They also raced Silver Charm with trainer Bob Baffert. Overall, five Lewis-owned horses trained by Lukas won Eclipse Awards. The virtual conveyor belt of topclass owners for Lukas slowed and his success waned. From

Commendable in 2000 until Oxbow’s Preakness win in 2013, he witnessed the longest Triple Crown drought of his career. But the conveyor belt didn’t stop. Arkansan Willis Horton (pictured below) came along earlier in this decade and has had Eclipse Award winners Will Take Charge and Take Charge Brandi under the care of Lukas. Calumet Farm was resurrected under new ownership in Brad Kelley and the billionaire turned to Lukas with the likes of Oxbow and

Skyring. And Zayat Stables, which entered the game in 2005, has found success not only with Triple Crown champ American Pharoah in the Bob Baffert stable, but also with Lukas and runners like Mr. Z, who ironically was sold to Calumet during Preakness Week 2015. The ol’ coach is now 80, and all the way back to his early days when he coached basketball, rebounding never has been a problem. – HPN Jerry Shottenkirk is a Horse Player NOW handicapper and “Dean” of Night School.

LUKAS THROUGH THE YEARS 1935

1959

Born September 2 in Antigo, WI

Asst. basketball coach, University of Wisconsin freshman team

1961-'67

1967

Head basketball coach Logan HS (Lacrosse, WI)

Trained first Thoroughbred race winner

1968 Moved to California to train American Quarter Horses

1974-'75 Leading AQHA trainer nationally by wins

LUKAS THROUGH THE YEARS 1978

1980

Turned to training Thoroughbreds full-time

Won first Triple Crown race with Codex in Preakness Stakes

1985 Scored first 2 Breeders' Cup victories with Juvenile Fillies & Distaff

1988 Won his first Kentucky Derby with the filly Winning Colors

1992

1994

Completed 8-year run as America's leading trainer by earnings.

Honored with his 4th Eclipse Award as champion US trainer.

LUKAS THROUGH THE YEARS 1995 First trainer to sweep same Triple Crown with multiple horses - Thunder Gulch and Timber Country.

1996 Grindstone's Derby win Lukas' record 6th straight in Triple Crown race.

1999

2007

National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame inductee

American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame inductee

2013 Oxbow's Preakness marks DWL's record 14th Triple Crown race winner.

2014

First trainer with 20 Breeders' Cup winners when Take Charge Brandi upsets Juvenile Fillies.

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By Jeremy Plonk, Horse Player NOW In celebration of his 80th birthday on September 2, we take a look back at the career of D. Wayne Lukas and the hundred-best horses who shaped his success on the racetrack. Not only will you find Hall of Fame runners, Triple Crown success stories and Breeders’ Cup champions, but also rare talents who didn’t quite deliver the resumes of their peers. While the list of Lukas’ Top 100 performers is presented alphabetically, over the past month 28 of horse racing’s most influential racing analysts and reporters have been weighing in on the Elite 8

runners from his stable. Each of those are marked with a logo that denotes Elite 8 status. The Elite 8 will be debated and ranked all the way to No. 1 in the September 1 edition of Night School. You can listen to the live presentation or archive broadcast to find out who topped the list! It wasn’t easy to stop at 100 given Lukas has had 115 individual Grade 1 stakes winners in a career that includes 620-plus graded stakes trophies. He’s won a record 20 Breeders’ Cup races and a record 14 events in the Triple Crown. The man needs no introduction, and there are a hundred reasons why on the following pages.

LUKAS AT 80

A Wild Ride 6-time graded stakes-winning mare, she won the G1 Hempstead and Shuvee in New York in ’91, but also scored big in Arkansas & California.

Badger Land Hero of the G1 Flamingo and G2 Everglades in ’86, the son of Lukastrained Codex would go on to be 5th in Ky Derby & 4th in Preakness.

Althea At 2, she swept Del Mar’s Futurity & Debutante vs. both sexes and beat the boys at 3 in the ’84 Arkansas Derby among her 6 graded wins. She was sent off favorite in the Kentucky Derby.

Blush With Pride ’82 Kentucky Oaks winner won 4 graded stakes. As a broodmare, she produced Better Than Honour, the dam of Belmont winners Rags to Riches and Jazil.

“I could have picked 8 more outstanding ones; such is his legacy.” – Kenny Rice, NBC Sports

Azeri After much success with trainer Laura de Seroux, champion Azeri came to DWL and added 3 more G1 victories in ’04 – the Spinster, Apple Blossom & Go For Wand en route to a third straight Eclipse Award as top older mare. She was elected into the Hall of Fame in ‘10.

Boston Harbor (pictured) Son of fellow BC Juvenile winner and DWL alum Capote, he won 6 of 7 starts in ’96 en route to champion honors. Earned a then-record $1.9M during juvenile season.

LUKAS AT 80

Cape Town Captured ’98 Florida Derby & Holy Bull to follow-up Ky Jockey Club score at 2. An Overbrook Farm legacy, he was out of Lukas’ 1990 Ky Oaks victor Seaside Attraction. Capote Seattle Slew colt won 3 straight races in 28-day span in ’86 to take champion 2YO title – including G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile & Norfolk. Cara Rafaela Alcibiades & Starlet heroine, she also placed in BC Juvenile Fillies, Kentucky Oaks, Black-Eyed Susan, Mother Goose et al. She later produced champion Bernardini. Carson City 3-time graded winner at ages 2 and 3, the sprinter would go on to a successful stud career that featured the likes of top dashers Carson Hollow and City Zip. Cash Run Queen of Gulfstream won ’99 BC Juvenile Fillies there as well as Bonnie Miss & Davona Dale at 3.

Cat Thief (pictured) Lukas’ only Breeders’ Cup Classic champ, he won the ’99 event at age 3, a year in which he was 3rd in the Kentucky Derby. 10 times G1-placed from ages 2-4, he was out of DWLtrained graded stakes winner Train Robbery. How strong is the Lukas legacy? This guy only made onto TWO Elite 8 ballots despite winning the country’s richest race.

“Wow! What an absolute incredible list of runners!” – John DeSantis, Xpressbet

DWLegends

Charismatic

LUKAS AT 80 Clabber Girl Hard-luck filly was 8-time major stakes runner-up, including ’87 BC Distaff. She made amends taking ’88 G1 Top Flight.

Charismatic (pictured below) Red-hot 7-week run in ’99 (wins in Lexington, Ky Derby, Preakness & 3rd in Belmont). Lukas’ only shot at a Triple Crown, but injured in final strides at Belmont & retired. Started career 0-5, then entered for $62,500 claiming to graduate before going on tear.

Chimes Band A top sprinter in ’94 at age 3, he won King’s Bishop & then beat elders in Fall Highweight. Added the Deputy Minister at age 4.

Classic Crown G1 winner at ages 2 (Frizette) and 3 (Gazelle), she also placed in G1 Test, Ruffian & Beldame in ‘86. A half-sister to Chief’s Crown.

Codex (click video above) DWL’s first Triple Crown victor in the 1980 Preakness came after a lengthy inquiry vs. Derby winner Genuine Risk. It only now seems fitting that controversy welcomed Lukas to the Triple Crown stage and forecasted more to come. Codex won G1 Santa Anita Derby and Hollywood Derby. At stud, his mere 3 crops included Lost Code, Badger Land and Coup de Fusil.

LUKAS AT 80

Commendable (pictured above) A 1-hit wonder, but what a hit! The 2000 Belmont upsetter at 181 would go on to placings in both the Travers & Super Derby. Consolidator Injured/retired in days leading up to ’05 Ky Derby, he won G1 Breeders Futurity at 2 and G2 San Felipe at 3. Ran top 4 in 7 stakes. Corporate Report ’91 Travers victor over Strike the Gold & Hansel. He ran 1st or 2nd in 8 of 10 starts, including Arkansas Derby, Preakness and Haskell.

Criminal Type (pictured below) He absolutely dominated 1990, taking 6 graded stakes & the Horse of the Year title. French import came to Lukas as a 4YO and earned more than $2.3M. His top wins included Pimlico Special, Met Mile (over Housebuster and Easy Goer), Whitney and the Hollywood Gold Cup. Criminal Type perhaps rates as the top handicap division runner in DWL’s illustrious career.

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LUKAS AT 80 Dance Floor Named by flamboyant owner MC Hammer, he finished 3rd in the ’92 Kentucky Derby and Travers and captured 3 graded stakes in his career. One of the top New Jersey-breds of all-time.

Editor's Note '95 Belmont Stakes winner added Super Derby later that summer. He was Lukas' 5th of 6 straight Triple Crown race winners between 1994-’96. Editor’s Note also placed in the Preakness, Florida Derby and Blue Grass. Family Style 8-time graded stakes winner from ages 2-4, she was ’85 champion 2YO filly despite 2nd in BCJF. G1 winner at 4 in La Canada.

Deposit Ticket Dynamite 1990 freshman season, registering the Hopeful, Hollywood Juvenile & Sapling. He added the Phoenix sprint at Keeneland at 4. Dynaformer Few remember this great sire as a DWL performer. He scored the ’88 Jersey Derby & Discovery Hcp. At stud, best known for his Kentucky Derby-winning son Barbaro & champions throughout Europe & Australia.

Farma Way Ran roughshod in ’91, winning 5 graded stakes including Santa Anita Handicap & Pimlico Special. Bagged $2.5M that season alone. Proved a stellar follow-up in the division to Criminal Type. Feel the Beat Heroine of ’90 G1 Ballerina, she won 4 graded stakes at ages 4,5,6 as a top distaff sprinter. Fiesta Gal Scored back-to-back G1s in 1987 Mother Goose & Coaching Club Oaks, while also placing in Acorn, Alabama & Flower Bowl.

LUKAS AT 80 Gene's Lady Named for owner Eugene Klein of San Diego Chargers fame (pictured below), she won 5 major stakes between 1984-‘87.

Flanders (click video to play) Never beaten on the track in 5 starts, she’s remembered for a 1994 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies battle royale alongside stablemate Serena’s Song (relive the race above). That earned her championship honors and a place among the greatest showdowns in BC history. The ’94 Breeders’ Cup was a Lukas sweep via the 2year-olds as Timber Country added the Juvenile. Folklore Overpowered 2YO filly ranks in 2005, winning BC Juvenile Fillies, Matron & Adirondack en route to the Eclipse Award. The last major stakes winner owned by Bob Lewis before his passing in February of ’06.

Golden Attraction Champion 2-Year-Old Filly of '95, she won the G1 trio of Spinaway, Matron & Frizette in succession. She added Turfway BC at age 3. Grand Canyon Talent DWL called his best Triple Crown hope ever. Won ’89 G1 Norfolk, Hollywood Futurity and 2nd in BC Juvenile. Injured in Feb. ’90 workout & later retired. Grand Slam Belmont Park-loving colt won G1 Futurity & Champagne in '97 and then G2 Peter Pan at 3. Versatile sort also was 2nd in BC Sprint.

LUKAS AT 80 Gulch (pictured above) G1 BC Sprint, Met Mile & Carter champ after moving to Lukas barn at 4 and earned ’88 Eclipse title. His legacy would continue as he sired ’95 Kentucky DerbyPreakness hero Thunder Gulch.

Grindstone (pictured above) Nose victor of ’96 Kentucky Derby retired after his signature score with a leg injury. He was the last of Lukas’ amazing 6 straight Triple Crown race wins (’94 Preakness through ’96 Derby). Grindstone’s 3YO season also included a victory in the Louisiana Derby. That Derby also launched a natural rivalry with rising star trainer Bob Baffert, whose debut in Louisville saw Cavonnier lose the nose bob to Grindstone.

“Knowing the back story for many of my selections makes one realize what a terrific job Wayne did with these sensational runners.” – Dave Johnson, ABC Sports Harlan Sprinted to '94 G1 Vosburgh score in an 18-1 upset. He would go on to sire G1 winner and influential stud Harlan’s Holiday. Hennessy Versatile 2YO of '95 won Hopeful, Sapling & Hollywood Juvenile over 3 tracks and was runner-up in BC Juvenile.

LUKAS AT 80 High Brite Elite sprinter won 4 graded stakes in NY in 1988, including G2 True North. Tallied 15 races overall. High Yield 3-time G1 winner at 2 and 3, he tallied races like the Hopeful, Blue Grass & Fountain of Youth. Honour and Glory '96 G1 Met Mile winner at age 3, later adding G2 King’s Bishop and running 3rd in BC Sprint. He won G2 Breeders Futurity routing at 2. Houston A top 3YO sprinter of '89, he won Bay Shore, Derby Trial & King’s Bishop despite Triple Crown fizzle. Imaginary Lady 4-time GSW in ‘89, including G1 Santa Anita Oaks and G2 BlackEyed Susan. Daughter of DWL’s Santa Anita Derby champ Marfa. Imp Society Versatile handicap performer in ’84-’85 won 8 graded stakes across the country. 6-race win streak topped by Oaklawn Hcp.

Is It True Pulled perhaps biggest surprise in BC history when upsetting Easy Goer in ’88 Juvenile. At 3 went on to win the Riva Ridge, Jim Dandy. Island Whirl An early bicoastal star for DWL, he won ’82 Woodward/Malibu. He would be sent to trainer Laz Barrera in ’83. He earned $1.1M.

Lady's Secret Oklahoma-bred won 15 graded stakes en route to Hall of Fame honors. Named ’86 Horse of the Year the same season she won BC Distaff. Twice won G1s like the Beldame, Ruffian & Maskette in career that saw her rack up 25 wins and $3M in earnings.

DWLegends

Ladyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Secret

LUKAS AT 80

Life At the Top A 6-time GSW in 1986-'87, her top resume includes the G1 Mother Goose and G1 Ladies Handicap. Runner-up in ’86 Kentucky Oaks. Landaluce The dominant 2YO filly of 1982, she never lost in 5 starts and earned the Eclipse Award. West coast whiz won the Oak Leaf and Del Mar Debutante et al.

“I don't think Lukas has ever trained a more talented Thoroughbred than Landaluce. How talented was Landaluce? She never lost in five career starts. Her smallest margin of victory was two lengths and she won the six-furlong Hollywood Lassie by an incredible 21 lengths. Unfortunately, Landaluce died as a 2-year-old after having only started 5 times. She had American Pharoah-like talent.” – Jon White, Santa Anita

Life's Magic (pictured) Tallied 7 graded stakes on both coasts from ’83-’85. Stellar 3YO season saw her capture G1 Beldame, Alabama, Mother Goose. At 4, won Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Earned Eclipse Awards both years. Lucky Lucky Lucky Stellar at ages 2 and 3, the 1984 Kentucky Oaks / Black-Eyed Susan winner was more than just lucky. All 6 of her career wins came in graded stakes, including her maiden breaker.

LUKAS AT 80 Market Booster Perhaps DWL's best distance turf mare, she won Bewitch, Long Island & Sheepshead Bay in ’94’95. Imported from Dermot Weld.

Mountain Cat 5-time juvenile stakes winner in ’92, he failed to win at 3 while finishing 4th in the King’s Bishop. Mt. Livermore Premier sprinter in New York in ’85, winning the Carter, Boojum and Fall Highweight before a 3rd in BC Sprint. Would sire champions like Eliza and Housebuster at stud.

”Man, it was hard to keep it to eight!” – Jay Privman, Daily Racing Form

Marlin (pictured above) 1 of 2 Arlington Million winners for Lukas, he won 6 graded stakes on turf, including 4 G1s in 1996-‘97. Marlin also placed in 4 other turf G1s. Miss Huntington Top distaffer in pre-Breeders’ Cup era, won ’83 G1 Apple Blossom and 2 other graded races. She made 65 starts in 5 seasons.

Muttering Hero of the 1982 Santa Anita Derby and Del Mar Invitational. Fifth in that year’s Ky Derby, he struggled to regain form at 4 & 5. North Sider Well-traveled star filly of 1987 won that year’s G1 Apple Blossom, Santa Margarita & Maskette on her way to the Eclipse Award.

LUKAS AT 80 On the Line His 9 lifetime GSW from ’87-’89 span coast to coast, headed by the G1 Carter and the G1 San Fernando. He won 14 of 37 races for $1.1M.

Open Mind (pictured above) Hall of Famer earned Eclipse titles at 2 and 3. Won ’89 BC Juvenile Fillies; then added G1 Kentucky Oaks, Coaching Club Oaks, Alabama, Acorn et al. Won 10 straight races (7 G1s). Perhaps the most underappreciated of the DWL runners all-time, she made Elite 8 ballots on less than 20% of the submissions.

Orientate (pictured above) Exploded in ’02 when winning 6 major stakes, including the G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Forego. Earned Eclipse Award for top sprinter that year. Orientate possessed pure DWL genes – by Mt Livermore out of Dream Team. Over All Horded 5 graded stakes during ’87 freshman campaign, including G1 Matron after sweeping Saratoga’s summer slate for the 2-year-old fillies.

LUKAS AT 80

Pine Tree Lane One of great filly and mare sprinters of the 1980s, she won 7 graded stakes & came east at age 5 to beat the boys in 1987 Carter. Pine Tree Lane won 19 of 38 and ran 2nd in ’86 BC Sprint to Smile in an era that pre-dated the Filly & Mare Sprint in the BC. Proud Citizen Peaked at right time in 2002, winning Keeneland’s Lexington, then finishing 2nd in the Kentucky Derby and 3rd in the Preakness behind War Emblem. Although he did run 4th in Met Mile at age 4, he never won after the Lexington.

Oxbow (pictured above) Record-breaking 14th Triple Crown race winner for DWL when he upset the ’13 Preakness. Ended TC drought that dated to ‘00 Belmont win by Commendable. Oxbow also 2nd in Belmont. Pancho Villa Son of Secretariat won 4 major sprint stakes in 1985 at age 3 and 2nd in Vosburgh. Full brother to Terlingua, dam of Storm Cat.

River Memories 1989 Flower Bowl heroine going long on turf. Lukas took over later in her career, but she had previously won G1 Canadian International at 3 for French trainer Robert Collet. Roo Art Part of strong 1986 handicap division nationally, he won G1 Suburban and Iselin. Also runnerup that year in G1 Brooklyn and Strub. Millionaire won 10 of 27 lifetime.

LUKAS AT 80 Sacahuista (pictured above) G1 winner at ages 2 and 3, she won ’87 Champion 3YO Filly honors following BC Distaff and Spinster scores. She earned nearly $1.3M. Salt Lake 5-time graded stakes winner was particularly potent at Saratoga, winning G1 Hopeful at 2 and G2 King’s Bishop as a 3-year-old.

Serena's Song (pictured below) Her 17 GSW are most of any Lukas trainee all-time. Hall of Famer won ’95 Eclipse Award for top 3YO filly. Beat boys in that year’s Haskell and won 11 G1s in her career. Agonizing BC defeats in ’94 to barn-mate Flanders & ’96 Distaff to rival Jewel Princess.

Saratoga Six $2.2M yearling buy in 1983, he won all 4 starts in brief career, 3 stakes, topped by ’84 G1 Del Mar Futurity. May have been favorite for inaugural BC Juvy if healthy. Seaside Attraction 1990 Kentucky Oaks heroine didn’t win another major stakes. But she had a stellar broodmare career producing Golden Attraction, Cape Canaveral and Cape Town for Lukas.

Sharp Cat Dominant filly in ’96-’97 won 9 graded stakes (5 G1s). She tallied 15 wins in 22 starts for $2M – including a 4-4 season at age 4.

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LUKAS AT 80 Shy Tom Versatile performer over 4 years on dirt & turf, he went from 3rd in ’89 Haskell & Travers to winning Gulfstream Breeders’ Cup on turf. Slew City Slew Paired G1 wins in ’89 Oaklawn & Gulfstream Handicaps. Runner-up in G1 Donn & Meadowlands Cup. Scored 11 times for $1.1 million. Snow Ridge Sprinted to 4 GSW in ’02 as 4YO, including G1 San Carlos. Son of DWL star Tabasco Cat, he won 10 of 21 starts over 3 seasons. Spain 2000 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner missed repeat bid by a head the following year. She won 7 graded stakes over 3 years, and her $3.5M earned was a then-record for a distaffer upon her retirement. Daughter of Lukas’ classic winner Thunder Gulch. Sports View Handicap division battler won 7 stakes in 1990-’91, including Ben Ali, Discovery and Widener Hcps. 2nd in G1 Donn over 4-year career.

Star of Cozzene Won G2 Kelso and 3rd in ’91 BC Mile for Lukas before moving to DWL protégé Mark Hennig and winning G1 Manhattan, Man o’ War and Arlington Million in ’93.

Steinlen (pictured below) With a dozen GSW (4 G1s) and BC Mile title in 1989, he’s Lukas’ most accomplished grass runner to date. ’89 Champion Turf Male also won Arlington Million in 20for-45 career, earning $3.3M.

LUKAS AT 80 Stella Madrid Scored 4 G1s in NY at ages 2 & 3: Matron, Frizette, Spinaway and Acorn in 1989-’90. Stellar Jayne Big 3YO season led by G1 wins in ’04 Gazelle, Mother Goose. Ran 3rd, 4th in pair of BC Distaff appearances and earned $1.5M.

bittersweet performer for Lukas. The high-strung Tabasco Cat seriously injured Jeff Lukas, son of D. Wayne and his assistant trainer, when the colt trampled him in a barn accident late in 1993. Jeff suffered skull injuries and never returned to training.

Surfside 2000 Champion 3YO Filly was a daughter of DWL star Flanders, following her mama as a titlist. Beat boys in ’00 G2 Clark at 3. G1-placed at ages 2,3,4. Twiceplaced in BCs of ’99 & ’00.

Tabasco Cat (pictured above) 1994 Preakness & Belmont champ also added Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up that year. Third in BC Juvenile at 2, he also beat Best Pal in first Ky Cup Juvenile. He earned $2.3M and became a

Take Charge Brandi (pictured above) Champion 2YO Filly of 2014 after wins in G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies & Starlet. She became DWL’s milestone 20th Breeders’ Cup champion. Talinum 1987 G1 Flamingo winner returned at 4 to win a pair of graded stakes. He earned graded placings at ages 2,3,4 – including 3rd in Florida Derby.

LUKAS AT 80 Tank's Prospect G1 Preakness & Arkansas Derby champ of 1985 also was runnerup in the inaugural BC Juvenile. Injured/retired following Belmont. Tejano Star 2YO of ’87, winning 3 G1s and finishing 3rd in BC Juvenile. Millionaire ran 2nd at 3 in Withers, Peter Pan & King’s Bishop.

“King of the Queens: Winning Colors, Serena's Song, Terlingua.” – Terry Turrell, Horse Player NOW

Terlingua A daughter of Secretariat and eventual dam of the great Storm Cat, Terlingua won 4 graded stakes for Lukas in 1978-’79, including the Del Mar Debutante. She was 5th in the ’79 Santa Anita Derby bid against the boys. Her son, Storm Cat, was bred by Overbrook Farm of William T. Young and would go on to sire such Lukas superstars as Tabasco Cat, Cat Thief and Hennessy.

Thunder Gulch (pictured) Hero of 1995 Ky Derby & Belmont Stakes added Travers that summer to cap championship year. Son of Lukas’ star trainee Gulch, his $2.9M resume also includes wins in G1 Florida Derby et al. At stud, he sired such greats as DWL’s distaff recordsetter Spain and Point Given.

DWLegends

Thunder Gulch

LUKAS AT 80 Victory Speech 3-time graded stakes winner at age 3, he returned at 4 to notch the G1 Strub in 1997. He rates as one to top New York-breds alltime with nearly $1.3M earned.

Timber Country (pictured above) In rare company as a BC Juvenile winner and a Triple Crown victor, the ’95 Preakness champ also won an Eclipse Award at 2. Third in the Kentucky Derby, he denied stablemate Thunder Gulch’s Triple Crown. Twilight Agenda Top handicap division player in ’91-’92, he won G1 Meadowlands Cup among 7 GSW. Runner-up in ’91 BC Classic earned $2.1 million. Twilight Ridge 1985 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner was runner-up at 4 in G1 Santa Anita Oaks before going on shelf and never regaining her form.

Will Take Charge (pictured below) Sophomore season in 2013 was topped by G1 wins in the Travers as well as the Clark Handicap vs. elders, making a late push for the 3YO title. $3.9M earner also won the G2 Oaklawn Handicap at age 4, marking a triumphant return for Lukas to the upper-echelon of the handicap division ranks.

LUKAS AT 80 Winning Colors (pictured right) ’88 Kentucky Derby winner became just the 3rd filly ever to win the roses. The gray also tallied the Santa Anita Oaks & Derby, was 3rd in the Preakness, and 2nd to unbeaten Personal Ensign in a Breeders’ Cup Distaff for the ages. Winning Colors earned the 3YO Filly title in ’88 and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 2000.

“I’m a little biased toward Winning Colors!” – Gary Stevens, Hall of Fame jockey

Yes It's True Earned 6 GSWs sprinting as a 3YO in 1999, including G1 DeFrancis Dash vs. elders. Son of DWL alum Yes It’s True won 11 of 22 for $1M. Yonaguska G1 Hopeful winner at 2, returned in 2001 to win trio of graded stakes in the sprint ranks.

DWLegends

Winning Colors with Jeff Lukas

LUKAS AT 80 Just outside the Top 100: Arewehavingfunyet, Bara Lass, Be Gentle, Cape Canaveral, Cuddles, Dream Team, Dublin, Fantastic Fellow, Formal Dinner, Grand Reward, Graydar, Hamazing Destiny, Jump Start, Katz Me If You Can, Lost Kitty, Love Lock, Mine That Bird (trained at age 4 only), Notebook, Optimizer, Pearl City, Profit Key, Scrimshaw, Shawnee Country, Some Romance, Sovereign Don, Strong Mandate, Stalwart, Success Express, Sun Master, Twilight Ridge, War, Withallprobabilty, Without Feathers.

“The length of this list and its depth of talent are a testament to the horsemanship of one of the greatest trainers in the sport's history -- and it doesn't even include AQHA great Dash For Cash. It also must be said that D. Wayne Lukas has been for many decades one of the great ambassadors, recognizing long before most horsemen did the need for reaching out to fans through the media.” – Gary West, ESPN.com

LUKAS AT 80

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Dash For Cash and D. Wayne Legendary American Quarter Horse helped launch the career of the legendary trainer By Denis Blake

ome of the greatest racehorses of alltime do not have names befitting their status in the pantheon of immortals—the word Secretariat means an administrative office or department, Seabiscuit is a type of cracker, and while American Pharoah’s name is fit for a king, the spelling is not.

There is one legendary horse though with perhaps the most fitting name of all: Dash For Cash. If Thoroughbreds are your game, then you might not be familiar with this American Quarter Horse racing superstar, but he does have a Thoroughbred connection that will surely ring a bell. The 1971 foal, who won 21 of 25 career starts and banked $507,689 before Quarter Horse purses skyrocketed, was trained by D. Wayne Lukas for

a time and was one of the sprinters who contributed to the trainer’s incredible success with Quarter Horses and eventual transition to Thoroughbreds. Lukas, like Bob Baffert, got his start in Quarter Horse racing and has the distinction of being the first person to be inducted into both the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (for Thoroughbred racing) and the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.

A dominant force in Thoroughbred racing in the 1980s and 1990s who remains a major player today, Lukas was perhaps even more of a juggernaut in the Quarter Horse world of the 1970s. He saddled 150 winners in 1975—far and away a record for the time—and horses he trained accumulated 23 championship titles in 1976 and 1977. “My absolute fondest memories, without a doubt, are of my days with Quarter Horses in the Southwest,” said Lukas about his

time in the sport. “Goliad [a small track in Texas], Sunland Park, Ruidoso—those were great times; nothing like ‘em.” The horse who put Lukas on the map as a trainer wasn’t one of his three Thoroughbred Horses of the Year—Lady’s Secret, Criminal Type and Charismatic. No, it was a Quarter Horse named Native Empress, who won 28 of 95 career starts (yes, 95) from 1971 to 1976. “She got us started at Los Alamitos when we moved from Ruidoso,” Lukas said about the 11-time

“He is the only horse that I ever threw a saddle on that I thought would never get beat…” D. Wayne Lukas on Dash For Cash stakes winner upon his induction into the Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. “She changed my lifestyle. She was my Lady’s Secret of Quarter Horses.”

“He is the only horse that I ever threw a saddle on that I thought would never get beat,” said Lukas of Dash for Cash, who never lost a race at Los Alamitos.

And while C.W. “Bubba” Cascio was the primary trainer of Dash For Dash, Lukas did handle the two-time world champion and twotime Champion of Champions winner for a number of races in California.

As spectacular as Dash For Cash was on the racetrack, he achieved even greater glory as a stallion. While seven-figure races and rich six-figure state-bred stakes are commonplace today in Quarter Horse racing, that wasn’t the case during most of Dash For Cash’s time as a breeding stallion. Even so, the son of Rocket Wrangler bred in Texas by Quarter Horse icon B.F. Phillips Jr. racked up 145 stakes winners from 1,155 starters (an amazing 12.6%) from 19 crops to race with lifetime progeny earnings of nearly $40 million. That figure set the standard for the breed for many years until a son of Dash For Cash, First Down Dash, smashed his sire’s records and eventually eclipsed $83 million with 248 stakes winners from 1,919 starters (12.9%). A 1984 foal, First

Down Dash mirrored his sire’s brilliance on the track as a world champion with 13 wins in 15 career starts who went on to rewrite Dash For Cash’s records as a stallion. Even though the births of Dash For Cash and First Down Dash were separated by just 13 years, the landscape of Quarter Horse racing and breeding began dramatic changes shortly after First Down Dash got going as a stallion. The robust purses and growth of Quarter Horse racing across the country undoubtedly helped push the numbers higher for First Down Dash, but to agree on which is the top sire of all-time is akin to comparing sports stars from different eras, like LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Suffice it to

say, there is little argument that Dash For Cash, who died in 1996, and his son First Down Dash, who passed in 2010, are two of the most important stallions in Quarter Horse racing history and two of the best ever to enter a starting gate. And there is little doubt that D. Wayne Lukas’ status as a legendary Thoroughbred trainer can be traced back to his days as a Quarter Horse conditioner and a horse named Dash For Cash. Denis Blake is one of the American Quarter Horse Association’s Wrangler Racing Aces and is also editor of American Racehorse and The Horsemen’s Journal magazines.

D. Wayne Lukas is such a good salesman, he probably could have pulled off New Coke. This is a guy, after all, who bred bunnies to sell at Easter in his youth; pitched and sold Converse on a heavier-weighted practice sneaker when a graduate assistant basketball coach; and even this spring still was finding a way to sell Mr. Z from one of his clients to another during Preakness week. The art of the deal never has escaped Darrell Wayne Lukas. And even now, as we celebrate his remarkable career and life at age 80, the deal on Lukas has not changed. He’s confident, brash, opinionated and a lightning rod. Horse racing industry-types talk about their image problem as a sport for the blue-hairs, which seems telling that the game’s most provocative person will be blowing out 80 candles on his cake this month. They’d love to

find four 20-somethings to add up to DWL’s 80 years and market the heck out of them in horse racing. But therein lies the problem: there’s only one Lukas. The critics line up with ‘beer muscles’ to attack Lukas, saying and writing things that they simply would cover up for other trainers. That’s a fact gleaned from my interaction on the backstretch for more than 20 years. And why do they attack Lukas? One, because he asks for it. And two, more importantly, because he can take it and counterpunch. Lost in the fancy suits, mirrored glasses and toothy grins is a man who remains as tough as nails. He’s on horseback every morning and still not willing to give you an inch when he’s challenged on or off the track. That you can be sold on. - JP

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