Trainer D. Wayne Lukas has become the old sage of racing, a delicious irony of the one-time young turk who tweaked the old men of the game by beating their horses, stealing their spotlight and banking their purse money.
Lukas battled the best from Woody Stephens to Charlie Whittingham in the 1980s, backing backstretch bravado by taking his first Preakness Stakes in 1980 with Codex. He would win four more along with four Belmont Stakes and three Kentucky Derbies.
“They’re like olives in the jar,” Lukas said. “Once the first one comes out, the rest come easier.”
Thanks, Forrest.
Lukas, 71, now runs a smaller stable that still occasionally shines. Flying First Class enters Saturday’s 132nd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico off his Derby Trial victory. Lukas has a speedster who’ll probably gas out entering the Preakness stretch, but Charismatic won the 1999 Preakness at 8-1, about the same odds Lukas figures Flying First Class might draw. The infield crowd knows one thing — Lukas has paid for their beers a fistful of times.
“I think we’ll get a little more respect than people think,” Lukas said. “We’ve had good luck here. We have a chance to be under double figures. We’re too dangerous not to. I think we’ll have something to say about the outcome.”
Lukas always has something to say. And he’s usually worth listening to if you want to learn the sport. But Lukas needed to quit listening to himself to win the Derby after an 0-16 start. Ironically, Derby blues fueled his Preakness success.
“For years, I thought I might have used the Derby as a prep,” he said. “I had such grandiose ideas I could win the Triple Crown. I thought if I could get by the Derby I could win the next two [legs of the Triple Crown]. I learned after being in denial for that for 10 years you can’t go to the Derby soft. When I came [to Pimlico], I was a little better [rested]. It might have been a little bit of catching smaller, softer fields.”
Lukas’ legacy on racing is ensured. Nothing like $135 million in earnings and 24 Eclipse Award champions in his barn along with a combined 12 spring classic wins to validate his Hall of Fame induction eight years ago. There’s no telling when it will stop, either.
“I still have a passion,” he said. “I like this arena and getting in there when the whole world is watching.”
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
