D. Wayne Lukas winning horses at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes
1988 Kentucky Derby: Winning Colors
1995 Kentucky Derby: Thunder Gulch
1996 Kentucky Derby: Grindstone
1999 Kentucky Derby: Charismatic
1980 Preakness: Codex
1985 Preakness: Tank's Prospect
1994 Preakness: Tabasco's Cat
1995 Preakness: Timber Country
1999 Preakness: Charismatic
2013 Preakness: Oxbow
2024 Preakness: Seize the Grey
1994 Belmont Stakes: Tabasco Cat
1995 Belmont Stakes: Thunder Gulch
1996 Belmont Stakes: Editor's Note
2000 Belmont Stakes: Commendable
1999 Breeders' Cup Classic: Cat Thief
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Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
4 Lessons From A Trainer Of Legendary Racehorses
Wayne Lukas, (Photo by Michael Reaves) A world-class horse trainer has crossed the finish line. Legendary horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas died on June 28th, just two months short of turning 90. He was one of the most successful horse trainers in history, training 23 world champions, winning four Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakness Stakes, and four Belmont Stakes. Horse racing was always in Wayne Lukas' blood. He raced his pony at local fairs as a child and was buying, selling, and training horses by the time he was eight. Over the course of his career, his horses won nearly 5,000 races and earned over $300 million. It was his unique training approach that made "Coach" Lukas one of a kind. Here are four of his key training principles. Jockey Kevin Krigger with Lukas Wayne Lukas managed horse training the way Robert Kraft runs the New England Patriots—as a system. He employed an integrated team model tightly organized around the resources, responsibilities, and responses necessary to optimize performance on the track. All those associated with his operation were goal-focused rather than task-oriented. They were clear on their jobs; they also focused on their mission. "This is not The Black Stallion," Lukas would say, "You can't just whisper in his ear." Excellent performance is grounded in far more than merely acquiring competence; learning must be rewarded and nurtured. Learning objectives and performance requirements are hardwired together. Learners must have leaders who value and reinforce their newfound expertise .Shaky novices are supported until they can become confident masters. Resources needed for excellence are generously provided, not parceled out, with an emphasis on the bare minimum. Lukas after Preakness win Wayne Lukas was easy to spot at a horserace. He wore a $3,000 suit, a Rolex watch, distinctive aviator sunglasses, and a white Stetson hat. He looked like a winner. But his approach was to encourage his horses to feel that same "on top of the world" confidence. Once asked about what he looked for in a filly, Lukas said, "She should have a head like a princess, a butt like a washerwoman, and walk like a hooker." It was his colorful metaphor for the perpetual pursuit of splendor. Make demonstrated competence a source of evident admiration and unmistakable affirmation. Like the Native Americans who saved their best corn seeds for next year's planting, make your superstars mentors of new associates. Give trainees a chance to receive attention in a way that brings a sought-after spotlight. Showcase learners to valuable clients and essential partners. Lukas with stable pony Goal-oriented training is not a new concept. But great leaders help promote wisdom, not just competence. Competent learners achieve tasks; wise learners solve problems. Competent learners deliver what is expected; wise ones discover new ways to deliver. Lukas wanted more than a winning horse; he wanted a legendary champion. Lukas was also a pioneer in data-based learning. Feedback from countless measures provided the intelligence to refine and invent, not just correct and adjust. It enabled him to innovate the world of horse training. Learning should never become a check-the-box necessity. It should use the organization's mission as its anchor, solidly congruent with its values. It should be measured, monitored, and validated, just as any other crucial organizational endeavor. Great leaders view learning as a powerful force, never as a costly extra; an investment in the future that is inspected with the same scrutiny as all other critical ventures. In the words of cowboy humorist Tex Bender, "You can pretend to care, but you can't pretend to be there." Wayne Lukas trained from atop his horse, not from afar. "I'm on a horse every day for four to five hours," said Lukas. "If I'm working a horse five-eighths, and I have some question about its condition, I want to see how hard it's breathing myself before it gets back to the barn. I learn so much from the horse." Lukas leads Proud Citizen Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kantor wrote, "Leaders are more powerful role models when they learn than when they teach." Lukas was an avid learner, just like his prized horses. He knew what a horse needed by listening intently to what the horse communicated. Some labeled his gift that of a whisperer; those who knew him credited his deep respect and passion for the horse. Lukas's motto was "What have you done today to improve yourself?" His horses were "in school" practically the moment they were born. He knew conditioning was an ongoing, everyday thing. 'To train a racehorse,' he would say, 'You must be very intense and involved.' The world of work is in constant motion, and the requirements for success are constantly changing. Active learners flourish as those who have learned fall behind. It is the progressive leader who recognizes that learning is not the price of entry but the permit to stay in the game. And there is no better nor timely formula than that lived by D. Wayne Lukas. May he rest in peace, and may his memory be a blessing--and a lesson.
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Breaking down every facet of upcoming Saratoga meet
With the new Belmont Park grandstand under construction, New York racing fans have been left with the Aqueduct fall meet, the Aqueduct winter meet, the Aqueduct spring meet, the Belmont at the Big A summer meet, the Belmont at the Big A fall meet and the Finger Lakes at the Big A meet. OK, maybe not that last one, but you get the point. Sure, the Belmont Stakes was run upstate as well as the short and sweet July 4th Racing Festival, but now we get a full 40 days as the Saratoga summer meet commences. Big days Got your calendar ready? The Diana is this Saturday, July 12. The Coaching Club American Oaks and the Vanderbilt on July 19. The Jim Dandy is July 26. Four Grade 1 races on Saturday, August 2 including the Whitney and Fourstardave. The Sword Dancer is Aug. 9. The Alabama is on Aug. 16. There are five Grade 1 races on Travers Day on Aug. 23, including the Forego and the Personal Ensign. The Spinaway is on Aug. 30, the Jockey Club Gold Cup is on Aug. 31 and the Hopeful is on closing day, Labor Day, September 1. It's all about the horses While Preakness winner Journalism may run in the Haskell at Monmouth Park, he still may ship north to challenge arch rival Sovereignty in the Travers. Mindframe, Fierceness, Sierra Leone, White Abarrio and Skippylongstocking make this year's edition of the Whitney a must-see. 5 Sovereignty won the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course last month and is being pointed to run in the Travers Stakes on Aug. 23. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Thorpedo Anna, the 2024 Horse of the Year, was defeated by Raging Sea in May. Thorpedo Anna will attempt to turn the tables when they meet in the Personal Ensign. Trainers Two words. Chad Brown. He ran away (with a little help from his four-legged friends) with the 2024 meet. Brown saddled 45 winners and it was a long way back to Todd Pletcher and Mike Maker who dead-heated for second with 22 winners. While Linda Rice (18) and Bill Mott (15) rounded out the top five, it was Mark Casse who had the higher win percentage (28.3 percent). 5 Chad Brown, who had the most wins at Saratoga in 2024, will be the favorite to win the 2025 meet. Jason Szenes for New York Post Riders up! Irad Ortiz Jr. visited the winners circle 52 times last summer but it was Flavien Prat who set records for most stakes wins (18) and graded stakes wins (14) at a Saratoga meet. Expect Luis Saez, Junior Alvarado, Manny Franco and Dylan Davis to get their fair share of wins and Jose Ortiz may give his brother, Irad, a run for his money. One thing for sure. You will both love and curse every rider before the meet is over. 5 Jockey Flavien Prat had a dominant 2024 Saratoga meet in stakes races. AP On the turf Chad Brown is a smart bet on dirt. And an even safer bet on the grass. Of Brown's 45 winners last summer, 26 were on the lawn. That number was three times larger than the rest of the conditioners. Baby races First impressions are important and there will be plenty of 2-year-olds making their career debuts at Saratoga over the 40-day meet. A look back shows Chad Brown, yes him again, led last year's standings with 10 juvenile wins, but only one more than the nine that Mark Casse trained. Casse's Ewing, a son of Knicks Go, slam-dunked his debut on July 5, winning by a dozen lengths and may reappear in the Hopeful later in the meet. Might as well jump 5 There are a couple of traditional steeplechase races at this Saratoga meet. AP Steeplechase racing has long been a staple of the Saratoga meet. Stakes on this year's schedule include the A.P. Smithwick Memorial on July 23 and the Jonathan Sheppard Memorial on Aug. 20. Freebies Giveaway days this summer: July 11: T-shirt July 20: Hawaiian shirt July 25: Blanket Aug. 8: Pennant Aug. 22: Tote bag Aug. 31: Saratoga quarter zip sweatshirt The forecast Likely more losers than winners but hopefully the weather will cooperate this season more than it has the past two years. 2023 was bad. 2024 was worse. Not only did the 40-day meet shrink to 39, but 45 turf races were taken off the grass and moved to the dirt/slop. Rooting for my picks and Mother Nature as well. 5 Spectators had to battle the rain on Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga Race Course on June 7, 2025. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Turn on the races Fox Sports offers exclusive coverage of all races from Saratoga. If you don't want to pick your own winners, Greg Wolf, Laffit Pincay, Andy Serling, Richard Migliore, Jonathon Kinchen, Maggie Wolfendale, Acacia Clement and Sara Elbadwi will do it for you. That's enough handicappers to field a softball team. Did I forget anyone? Oh yes, Paul Lo Duca will bat cleanup. Post time is 1:10 p.m. May all the photo finishes go your way.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Forbes
Handicapping The Spa: 2025 Saratoga Brings Prime Betting Opportunities
FILE - Horses break from the gate at the start of the Travers Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race ... More Course in Saratoga Springs, Aug. 27, 2016. The 2024 Belmont Stakes will be run at Saratoga Race Course, with the third leg of horse racing's Triple Crown shifting from Long Island to upstate to New York because of the massive renovation of Belmont Park. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the move Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, which has been expected for some time since the New York Racing Association unveiled plans for the $455 million Belmont Park project. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File) The summer spotlight returns to upstate New York as the 2025 Saratoga Race Course meet kicks off July 10 and runs through Labor Day, September 1. For bettors, this 40-day stretch is nothing short of a proving ground — where full fields, high purses, and top-tier horses combine to create some of the year's most exciting wagering opportunities. Saratoga is known for its history and pageantry, but savvy handicappers know it as something more: a meet that rewards preparation, pattern recognition, and bold, well-timed plays. Why Saratoga Is Built For Bettors At its core, Saratoga is a bettor's paradise. The meet features 64 stakes races, including 18 Grade 1s, and is packed with deep maiden special weights, competitive allowance races, and hard-to-predict turf contests. Average field sizes consistently rank among the largest in the country, with multi-race pools frequently topping seven figures. Key angles bettors should consider: Key Betting Days The Saratoga stakes calendar is stacked, and several major race days offer exceptional betting value: Track Biases & Betting Strategy Understanding the track's tendencies is critical. Historically: Live wagering and vertical exotics (exactas, trifectas, supers) offer rich payoffs when you can beat vulnerable favorites. In multi-race plays like the Pick 4 and Pick 5, structure is everything — go narrow when you trust a horse and spread when chaos looms. What Sets Saratoga Apart No other meet combines history, high-class horses, and handicapping complexity quite like Saratoga. From debuting juveniles to seasoned turf routers, every race demands attention. The morning line rarely tells the whole story, and late odds movement often reflects sharp inside money — especially in races with unknown quantities. To stay ahead of the competition, handicappers need sharp tools and consistent insight. For expert picks, tickets, and wagering strategies all meet long, check out where you'll find premium analysis designed to navigate Saratoga's most challenging sequences. Final Thoughts Saratoga isn't just a meet — it's a mindset. Every race is an opportunity, every horse a puzzle. With the right preparation, a willingness to adapt, and a little luck, the 2025 meet offers endless chances to cash in. So whether you're playing from the rail, the backyard, or your favorite ADW, make sure you're locked in for what promises to be another electric summer at the Spa.
