Doc Sullivan in time to win John Morrissey

By Darby O’Brien

The $150,000 John Morrissey Stakes belonged to Doc Sullivan Thursday at Saratoga Race Course.

“It feels so good,” said Glen Lostritto of winning owner Tristar Farm, stepping down to the winner’s circle after a raucous celebration with his family from their box in the clubhouse. “We lost my dad a month ago, and this was his whole life. It’s been a very emotional day today. We’re so proud, so excited. It’s simply amazing.”

The Solomini colt raced wide early, third behind Light Man and The Wine Steward. He angled wide entering the stretch as The Wine Steward began to lengthen his lead, but a determined Doc Sullivan wasn’t ready to quit. He rallied in the final furlong and dug in, racing close to the outside of The Wine Steward as they approached the wire and caught him in the final jump to score by a head.

“I thought for a second the other horse was going to get there,” said Joel Rosario, who piloted the 4-year-old to victory. “But he kept getting in there, and I kept riding and riding him, and he got there. He ran well. I never thought he’d get to the other horse, but he did.”

Previously trained by Michael Miceli, Doc Sullivan showed up in his first start for trainer John Ortiz. His brother and assistant, Daniel Ortiz, represented the team Thursday and was overjoyed by the gritty triumph.

“Honestly, we came into today very, very confident,” Daniel Ortiz said. “He hasn’t missed a single beat in training since he came in. We’re very happy. Amazing ride by Joel. We couldn’t be more appreciative to the owners, Mr. Glen and the whole family. I knew the horse was coming in prepared, and regardless of if he had won or lost, he was going to perform his eyes out. He ran big. He ran his heart out. I’m very happy with him.”

Doc Sullivan was bred in New York by Seamus Coughlan, at his Sleepy Hollow Farm 10 minutes from Saratoga Race Course. He first first sold at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale in 2022 for $58,000.

Tristar Farm’s Glen Lostritto acquired the colt as a 2-year-old for $59,000 at the OBS June sale in 2023. He’s out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Queen Frostine and is a half-brother to four-time winner Seaver, 12-time winner Fix Me A Sandwich and the 2-year-old New York-bred Lookin At Lee filly Last Of My Kind, who broke her maiden July 21 at Finger Lakes.

Doc Sullivan improved to 5-5-2 from 15 starts, adding the Morrissey to his victory in last year’s Mike Lee Stakes at Saratoga, and boosted his earnings to $497,090.

Solomini, a 10-year-old son of Curlin out of the Storm Cat mare Surf Cat, stands for $7,500 at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs. He came into the day ranked third on the New York general sire list with progeny earnings of more than $1.9 million.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/07/31/doc-sullivan-in-time-to-win-john-morrissey/

---

Wecanonlyimagine victorious in Debutante at Assiniboia Downs

Wecanonlyimagine delivered in her debut and again Thursday night, running her record to 2-for-2 with a front-running victory in the 36th running of the $36,489 Debutante Stakes at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Owned by her trainer, Jared Brown, and John Ganas, Wecanonlyimagine took the lead shortly after the start from The Wright Way and never looked back in the 5-furlong stakes for 2-year-old fillies. The daughter of Omaha Beach won by 1 ¼ lengths under Neville Stephenson in 1:01.12 on the fast track.

Bred by Cypress Creek Equine, foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson and out of the winning Scat Daddy mare Swimsuit Issue, Wecanonlyimagine was purchased by Brown for $14,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale.

She’s the fourth foal out of the $48,825-earner Swimsuit Issue, who also produced winners La Funda (by Connect) and Smart With Heart (The Factor).

Cypress Creek Equine also bred the dam’s yearling colt by Keepmeinmind and her New York-bred weanling colt by Jackie’s Warrior.

Bet down to even-money in the field of six, Wecanonlyimagine came out well and took over from The Wright Way to lead through the opening quarter-mile in :23.86. She continued on the lead around the far turn toward the stretch, running a half in :47.38.

Wecanonlyimagine opened up a 3-length lead to that point and held off a late run rom Neytiri for the win. The Wright Way finished third. That result matched Wecanonlyimagine’s victory in her debut July 16 at Assiniboia, when she won by 4 3/4 lengths over Neytiri as the 3-2 favorite.

Wecanonlyimagine picked up $22,220 for the victory, boosting her bankroll to $30,965.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/07/31/wecanonlyimagine-victorious-in-debutante-at-assiniboia-downs/

---

My Mane Squeeze dominates in Saratoga return

By Alec DiConza

Reigning New York-bred Horse of the Year My Mane Squeeze made owner and breeder William “Buck” Butler proud when the 4-year-old filly dominated Wednesday’s $150,000 Johnstone Stakes at Saratoga Race Course by 6 1/4 lengths.

“She did a hell of a job,” said Butler, who owns My Mane Squeeze with WinStar Farm. “She did what she was supposed to do. Onward and upward.”

My Mane Squeeze, named for Butler’s wife Loretta, broke on top and established a comfortable 1-length cushion over Tricky Temper while running the opening quarter-mile in :23.42. The daughter of Audible cruised around the far turn through a half-mile in :46.12, and by the time she entered the stretch, she held an insurmountable lead over her competition.

My Mane Squeeze continued opening her advantage through the lane under Luis Saez and finished the 7-furlong race for New York-bred fillies and mares in 1:22.66. Tricky Temper came home second, followed by Sterling Silver. The Johnstone, originally carded with a field of 11, scratched down to a group of six. That allowed My Mane Squeeze, usually a closer, to use front-running tactics.

“That was perfect for us,” Butler said about the defections. “But, Luis had a plan and looks like he executed it perfectly.”

My Mane Squeeze is a two-time graded stakes winner with victories in last year’s Grade 2 Eight Belles and Grade 3 Dogwood for trainer Mike Maker. In addition to New York-bred Horse of the Year, she was awarded champion 3-year-old filly and champion female sprinter at this year’s New York Thoroughbred Breeders’ Annual Awards dinner. In 2025, My Mane Squeeze added two more graded stakes placings to her resume before her win in the Johnstone.

“She’s super special,” Loretta Butler said. “And you know what, we may be here in front of the cameras, but we’re really riding on the shoulders of everyone who has worked with this horse over the years. The barns, the farms, Mike’s staff, we’re really honored to be a part of it.”

My Mane Squeeze is one of several successful racehorses to come from the Speightstown mare In Spite Of Mama. A three-time winner for Butler, In Spite Of Mama has also produced Rotknee and Mama’s Gold, who runs in Saturday’s Grade 1 Whitney. Both Rotknee and Mama’s Gold won state-bred stakes races in 2024, and the former was awarded champion male sprinter at the New York-Bred Divisional Awards. Needless to say, In Spite Of Mama has rewarded the breeding decisions made by the Butler family.

“She’s had a year and a half as far as 2024,” Buck Butler said about the 13-year-old mare who was also trained by Maker during her racing career. “She had a whole bunch of winners. And, we still have a couple of them and we’re enjoying them.”

In Spite Of Mama has also produced the multiple stakes-placed Lookin For Trouble. She is the dam of an unnamed 2-year-old by Runhappy.

With her win in the Johnstone, My Mane Squeeze won for the seventh time in 17 career starts with earnings of $1,207,785. Maker said he would consider Grade 1 Ballerina, run on Travers Day August 23, for My Mane Squeeze’s next race.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/07/30/my-mane-squeeze-dominates-in-saratoga-return/

---

Leon Blue digs in for Rick Violette victory

Leon Blue fended off odds-on favorite and became the latest headline maker produced by Alana’s Allure in the $145,500 Rick Violette Stakes during Thursday’s New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day at Saratoga Race Course.

Leon Blue, under apprentice Chris Elliott, dug in and fended off several challenges from Smooth Breeze, under reigning Eclipse Award winner Flavien Prat, to win the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-old New York-breds by a neck. Dismissed at 6-1in the field of five, Leon Blue improved to 2-3-1 from six starts with his first stakes victory for trainer Melanie Giddings and owners Paul Braverman, Al Gold’s Gold Square, AWC Stables and Scott Akman.

“It’s a really good group of people that own this horse and they’ve been super patient with him and let us do anything the horse needs – to take the time and be patient with him,” Giddings said.

Bred by Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan, foaled at Shamrock Hill Farm in Fort Edward and named for the late trainer and lifelong racetracker, Leon Blue is the second foal out of the unraced Shackleford mare Alana’s Allure. She’s out of the Group 2-place Chilean-bred Dancing Groom mare Bella Madame.

Alana’s Allure’s first foal, the 5-year-old Central Banker gelding Allure of Money, sports a record of 8-2-1 in 22 starts and $248,345 in earnings. Also bred by Prudhomme and Gallivan, Allure of Money won the 2022 Tin Cup Chalice Stakes to close his 2-year-old campaign and returned to win the New York Derby and Leon Reed Memorial Stakes, both at Finger Lakes, to earn a finalist nod for champion 3-year-old male honors in 2023.

Bloodstock agent Joe Hardoon purchased Leon Blue for Paul Braverman for $100,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. He went winless in three starts last year, but now sports two wins in three starts this year.

Leon Blue came into the Rick Violette off a runner-up finish by a nose to Outsource in a 1 1/16-mile state-bred allowance on the turf June 4 at Saratoga. After a brief duel with Sounds Like a Plan, Leon Blue settled into third behind that foe and Smooth Breeze into the first turn and through the opening quarter-mile in :23.29.

Sounds Like a Plan continued to lead around the turn and into the backstretch, with the field bunching up a bit to the half in :47.31. Sounds Like a Plan stayed in front through 6 furlongs in 1:11.08 with Leon Blue ready to take command in the stretch and Smooth Breeze poised a bit further out.

Leon Blue came wide into the stretch, forcing Smooth Breeze out just a bit and taking over. Smooth Breeze came in on Leon Blue at about the three-sixteenths pole but didn’t stop the eventual winner’s momentum. Leon Blue won in 1:41.34. Smooth Breeze, the 1-2 favorite after a win two starts back in a state-bred allowance April 27 at Aqueduct, finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Sounds Like a Plan with Outsource and I’m Due completing the field. Leon Blue won in 1:41.34.

“That was an unlucky head bob,” Giddings said of Leon Blue’s June 4 race. “Chris rode the horse perfect; the horse was just a little sharp going his first two turns off the layoff. He was bound to be fresh, and I think he got a little tired on him late. We made a couple of equipment adjustments today – cut back the blinkers a little bit and he was fitter today to go the two turns, so we knew we were sitting in a good spot.

Elliott liked where Leon Blue put him every step of the 1 1/16 miles.

“I was really confident in my horse. He was fighting back, he’s a fighter. He really gave me everything he had,” said Elliott, winning his first race at the proper Saratoga meet. “It’s unreal, this is the place to be. I am very fortunate to have gotten all of the support here. I really appreciate all the trainers and everyone who has given me the opportunity.”

Leon Blue picked up $82,500 and boosted his bankroll to $184,200.

Alana’s Allure might have more future winners in the pipeline after her third foal, the New York-bred Vekoma colt now named Kirkwood sold for $300,000 to the late Christophe Clement at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred sale. Kirkwood shows three breezes on his worktab, including a half in :50.01 July 14 on the Belmont Park training track. Alana’s Allure is also the dam of a yearling filly by Tacitus and a weanling filly by Cyberknife, both bred in New York by Prudhomme and Gallivan.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/07/17/leon-blue-digs-in-for-rick-violette-victory/

---

Mommy’s Turn lands first stakes in Suzie O’Cain

By Alec DiConza

Mommy’s Turn isn’t always the easiest horse to handle, but that didn’t matter Wednesday when she ran away from her rivals under Jose Lezcano to win the $150,000 Suzie O’Cain Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

“She’s a challenge to train and to ride,” winning trainer Chad Brown said. “Jose has done a good job with her. I’m really happy for him because she’s one of the more challenging horses I have in my stable to ride. We made a couple little adjustments for this race. I don’t think she’s ever going to be not difficult. I like that she drew inside and Jose did a great job to sort of walk that line between not taking too much out of her, holding her in there and keeping her straight as he held her, but holding his position. Great ride, great performance.”

Breaking from post two in the 1 1/16-mile stakes for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies, Mommy’s Turn sat a ground-saving trip in third through the first turn while slightly keen, tugging at Lezcano throughout. The daughter of Mendelssohn settled more on the backstretch and into the far turn before slicing through early leaders Grace and Grit and Boston’s Phinest in the stretch to take the lead.

Mommy’s Turn dashed home from there and won by 2 lengths in 1:42.28 for owners Team Hanley and Thirty Year Racing.

“She relaxed more today,” Lezcano said. “We made a change on the bit and that helped, too. My filly, she can do anything. She can go inside, outside. I had the chance to go outside, but I had a little space between horses. I said, ‘I’ll go for it’ and she did it.”

Coming off a second in an allowance against New York-breds last month at Aqueduct, Mommy’s Turn successfully stepped up in class, boosted her record to two wins in four starts and increased her career earnings to $143,075. Brown said the filly could run back in another New York-bred stakes race.

“We skipped our conditions today just because she’s eligible,” he said. “You don’t see too many straight 3-year-old New York-bred turf races, so I decided to skip the allowance race and go here. She’s a nice horse for the future if we take care of her, too. Pick our spots this year, take care of her.

“I’ve had some of these New York-bred turf horses through the years where we just run them when their season is in bloom, and we rest them when they’re not. If she stays healthy, that’s what we’ll do with her.”

Mommy’s Turn was bred by Chester and the late Mary Broman, foaled at their Chestertown Farm in Chestertown and sold for $115,000 at the 2024 OBS April sale. She’s the fourth foal out of the two-time stakes-winning More Than Ready mare Hard To Stay Notgo.

Hard To Stay Notgo’s other foals include the stakes-winning Makin My Move and the stakes-placed Gotta Go Mo. Evaluation, another one of her offspring, won on debut at Saratoga last summer. Hard To Stay Notgo is also the dam of an unnamed 2-year-old by Justify and a yearling colt by Yaupon – both bred by the Bromans – and a colt by Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish born April 23 and bred by Chester Broman.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/07/16/mommys-turn-lands-first-stakes-in-suzie-ocain/

---

Train the Trainer delivers in New York Derby

Train the Trainer continued his ascent up the ranks of New York-bred 3-year-olds with a front-running victory in Monday’s $156,000 New York Derby at Finger Lakes.

Alipony Racing’s and Saints or Sinners’ Train the Trainer, the 1-2 favorite making his first start around two turns, won the 1 1/16-mile New York Derby by 4 lengths over second choice Hit the Post. Irad Ortiz Jr., in from Saratoga Race Course on the first dark day of the summer meeting, rode the winner for trainer Rob Atras.

Train the Trainer also improved to 3-for-3 since returning to his home state. He won a 6 1/2-furlong state-bred maiden special weight May 4 at Aqueduct before a 2 3/4-length score over Mike Lee Stakes June 4 to open the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga.

Ortiz rode the Dialed In gelding in both of those starts and employed similar tactics against his three opponents in the New York Derby. Train the Trainer took the lead from the inside post and battled with Hit the Post to and around the first turn. Those two clicked off splits of :23.67 and :47.60 with a 2-length gap over Buttah and King’s Leap.

Train the Trainer continued to lead the way through 6 furlongs in 1:12.24, shaking off Hit the Post in the stretch before drawing off late to win in 1:44.66 over the fast track. Hit the Post finished 2 1/4 lengths clear of King’s Leap with Buttah fourth. Calling Card, fourth last time in the Mike Lee, scratched.

Bred by Hibiscus Stables and foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, Train the Trainer is out of the winning Forestry mare Heavenly Vision. Trainer Mark Glatt bought him for $52,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale and trained Train the Trainer for his first start for the same ownership group. Train the Trainer finished second behind Goal Oriented in an open-company maiden race April 6 at Santa Anita Park before his owners sent him to Atras.

Train the Trainer is a half-brother to six winners out of Heavenly Vision. She’s a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner and sire Cairo Prince and the Grade 1-placed Empire Maker mare Nonna Mia, the dam of Grade 1 winner Outwork.

Train the Trainer picked up $93,600 to boost his bankroll to $260,600.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/07/14/train-the-trainer-delivers-in-new-york-derby/

---

Jak N Burny in time for Leon Reed win

A last-gasp head win at the wire. A steward’s inquiry at the start. For owner/breeder Sherry Washburn and trainer Debra Breed, the Leon Reed Memorial had 1:11.98 of it all.

Ridden by regular rider Joel Cruz, the 5-year-old son of Destin did what he does best, breaking sharply, blitzing to the front and then hanging tough to the line. Sent off the favorite in the 6-furlong stakes, Jak N Burny held off 39-1 Crypto Causeway who rallied late along the rail. Newport Bridge at 93-1 finished third with second-choice Rotknee fading to fourth in the $50,000 sprint stakes.

Breaking from the inside of the field 10, Jak N Burny angled out, initiating a six-horse chain reaction before darting back to the rail. The bay gelding opened a half-length through the first quarter in :22.50 and a half in :45.37. Jak N Burny dispatched Looms Boldly by the quarter pole, widened a 3-length chasm turning for home and looked free until the waning strides. Head rising with each stride, Jak N Burny managed to get to the wire just in time for his second stakes win. Stewards looked at the start but let the results stand. Crypto Causeway was untouched, and Newport Ridge was bothered slightly in the opening strides.

Jak N Burny improved his record to eight wins and two seconds from 11 starts for $184,180. His only off-the-board finish came in the 2023 Reed when he hopped and bobbled at the start and wound up fourth. It was the only time he wasn’t on the engine at the first two calls of a race.

Jak N Burny is the fifth foal out of the winning New York-bred Duckhorn mare Betty’s Chance. He’s a half-brother to 2018 Leon Reed winner Winston’s Chance who earned $495,264 in a 14-win career and Ifihadachance, a 13-time winner and $447,914-earner.

Betty’s Chance, bred by Washburn and Michael Haers, went 2-3-0 in six starts for $23,930 in earnings. She’s also the dam of the 3-year-old New York-bred Cloudy Chance, who was also bred by Washburn. The daughter of Cloud Computing finished third in her career debut in February and followed with a fourth at Belmont Park at Aqueduct and an eighth at Saratoga July 5.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/07/14/jak-n-burny-in-time-for-leon-reed-win/

---

Lottie Margaret slips through inside to win New York Oaks

A hop in the air at the start of Monday’s $75,000 New York Oaks at Finger Lakes proved to be no problem for Madaket Stable’s Lottie Margaret, the convincing winner of the 1 1/16-mile race for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies.

The daughter of Global Campaign settled into stride several lengths behind her three rivals after that start. She saved ground going into the first turn under Manny Franco to put herself in third, within 2 lengths of the lead, through the opening quarter-mile.

Tracking the pace set by Mischief Lady, Lottie Margaret stayed glued to the rail along the backstretch through opening fractions of :24.34 and :48.57. Entering the far turn, Franco sat motionless on Lottie Margaret as the rest of the field started being asked for their runs. Franco guided his filly through an opening on the inside nearing the quarter pole, and the pair had no trouble finishing from there.

Lottie Margaret won by 3 lengths in 1:46.53 as the longest shot in the field at 7-2. Valtellina finished second, followed by Vehemente and Mischief Lady. Practically Summer scratched.

Trained by Brad Cox, Lottie Margaret earned her first stakes victory in the New York Oaks. She entered the race off a fifth in an allowance-optional against open company and a second in the state-bred Maddie May Stakes, both run at 1 mile at Aqueduct. Prior to that, she broke her maiden and won an allowance-optional against state-breds by a combined 20 1/4 lengths. Her victory Monday boosted her record to three wins in six starts with earnings of $165,020.

Bred by Steve Schuster and foaled at Old Saratoga Equine Services in Schuylerville, Lottie Margaret sold for $75,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale in August 2023. She’s the sixth foal and first stakes winner out of the Street Cry mare Passionate Diva, whose other foals include the three-time winner and stakes-placed Mashnee Girl. Passionate Diva has foaled two other winners in Cape Cod Diva and I’m More Ready. She is the dam of the unraced 2-year-old A L Leader, by Code Of Honor.

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/07/14/lottie-margaret-slips-through-inside-to-win-new-york-oaks/

---

In memory of D. Wayne Lukas

By Lynne Snierson/NYRA

The New York Racing Association, Inc. mourns the passing of legendary Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas at age 89, who passed away on Saturday evening after battling serious illness in recent weeks.

“D. Wayne Lukas’ vision and creativity transformed horse racing forever,” said David O’Rourke, NYRA president and chief executive officer. “He achieved success on a scale without precedent and developed a generation of trainers who continue to shape the future of the sport. New York’s racing community and fans will miss Wayne, and we look forward to celebrating his life and legacy this summer at Saratoga Race Course.”

New York is the biggest stage in the world and no one in the sport of thoroughbred racing has been a brighter star at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course than Lukas.

Though recognized for his custom-made Italian suits, aviator sunglasses and an abundance of charisma, he is renowned and revered as the most innovative, influential and prolific trainer in history. For six decades, Lukas has been the dominant force in this sport which he revolutionized.

Before announcing his retirement on June 22 two months before his 90th birthday, “Coach” won 4,953 races and earned purses of $300,548,290. His 15 Triple Crown race victories are second only to fellow Hall of Famer and close friend Bob Baffert, and he long held the record for most Breeders’ Cups wins with 20 until Aidan O’Brien tied him last November. The four-time Eclipse Award-winner and four-time Kentucky Derby-winner trained 26 horses who won divisional championships and three of his charges attained the honor of Horse of the Year.

As a mentor and coach, Lukas leaves behind a long list of proteges, including fellow Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Classic-winner Kiaran McLaughlin, as well as George Weaver, Mark Hennig, Ron Moquett, Mike Maker, Dallas Stewart and Randy Bradshaw.

Horses conditioned by the legendary Lukas won 222 Grade 1s, many of which were contested at NYRA tracks. He won outright or shared 16 leading trainer titles at Belmont and Saratoga in the 1980s and 1990s, and his trophy case holds the hardware from almost all the illustrious top-level races at Belmont and Saratoga. Even better, he took most of those Grade 1 events in New York more than once.

Count among his accomplishments four scores – and three straight – in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes at 1 1/2-miles at Belmont Park with Tabasco Cat [1994], Thunder Gulch [1995], Editor’s Note [1996] and Commendable [2000], and consider his trio of wins in the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga with Corporate Report [1991], Thunder Gulch [1995], and Will Take Charge [2013].

Lukas, who is credited with changing the business model of horse racing, experienced some of his greatest achievements with his Belmont Stakes horses.

After taking the 1994 edition with Preakness winner Tabasco Cat – the colt who had trampled and nearly killed his only child and top assistant Jeff Lukas – in 1995, he planned to run Thunder Gulch. But the Kentucky Derby winner wasn’t his marquee player. That distinction went to stablemate and reigning Preakness winner Timber Country, who was installed as the heavy morning-line favorite once the pair was entered. But then Timber Country spiked a fever and was scratched the day before the Belmont.

Thunder Gulch rose to the occasion and was a two-length winner, and the victory gave Lukas a record fifth straight win in a Triple Crown race [to be extended to six straight when he took the 1996 Kentucky Derby with Grindstone].

“When we got down to one horse today, we knew we had to have it all on this little horse’s shoulders,” Lukas told the Washington Post. “I’m a little bit overwhelmed.”

In 1999, Lukas was on a hot streak with Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Charismatic, whom he had elevated from the claiming ranks earlier in the season. Dispatched as the 8-5 favorite in the field of 12, the colt was leading in the stretch, and it looked as though Lukas would be the first to train a Triple Crown winner since 1978. Shockingly, Charismatic suffered a fractured leg but he still finished third.

“He was a part of our career – a big part of it,” Lukas told Daily Racing Form when Charismatic died in 2017. “You don’t replace Derby winners very easy. I really loved that horse. I was very fond of him. He was a knockout looker. When you get one that’s such an overachiever – I really thought that he might end up in the claiming ranks his entire career and the next thing he’s going for the Triple Crown – it was just a joy to be around him.”

Lukas, who has a record of 26-4-1-1 in the Belmont, was back in 2000 with Commendable. His final Belmont win is arguably his best Triple Crown training job. Commendable not only had finished 17th in the Kentucky Derby, but he was also winless since his debut the previous August at Del Mar and in six successive starts had fared no better than fourth. Yet, in the “Test of the Champion” Lukas had him at his best, scoring the upset at 18-1.

“If any touch of greatness rubbed off on Commendable, it probably came through his trainer, D. Wayne Lukas,” Joe Durso wrote in the New York Times.

No praise was higher than that bestowed by Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, who had sent out the runner-up and favored Aptitude. “Give Lukas credit. I don’t know how he did it,” Frankel said after the race.

Lukas defied the odds in the Travers as well. In 1991 Corporate Report had been unable to catch Strike the Gold in the Kentucky Derby or Hansel in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, but he led all the way in the Mid-Summer Derby. After Thunder Gulch executed the Belmont-Travers double in 1995, it would be another 18 years before Lukas graced the Travers winner’s circle again. To get there, Coach called an audible for Will Take Charge, who had been beaten in all three 2013 Triple Crown races. He gave the mount to a young Luis Saez, and they pulled it off at 9-1.

“I changed up a few things. I took a chance on an up-and-coming young rider. You look terrible if it doesn’t work, but it’s sweet when it does,” Lukas, then 77, told Daily Racing Form’s Dave Grening. “It feels pretty good. It’s been a long time between drinks, but when they come like this they double.”

Lukas wouldn’t return to the Travers until 2018, when he saddled his final and 20th runner, Bravazo, to a third-place finish.

Another of Lukas’ Triple Crown competitors included New York-bred Grade 1 winner Victory Speech. A son of Deputy Minister out of the Alydar mare Ida’s Image, Victory Speech finished third in the Grade 3 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park and third in the Grade 3 Jim Beam Stakes at Turfway Park before a 10th in the Kentucky Derby and fifth in the Preakness Stakes in 1996. He later won four stakes as a 3-year-old, including the Empire Classic Handicap at Aqueduct, and earned his Grade 1 victory in the 1997 Strub Stakes at Santa Anita Park. Victory Speech, who was bred by Robert Entenmann, earned New York-bred Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male honors in 1996. He won nine of 27 starts and earned $1,289,020.

The Coach is the consummate horseman who has been a mentor, motivator, teacher, guide, influencer, inspiration, and most important, a friend to so many. His presence will forever loom large.

Multiple Grade 1 winning trainer Cherie DeVaux, who has been assigned Lukas’ former barn at Saratoga, summed it up best in a recent social media post.

“As I walked the shedrow this morning, I kept thinking about the horses that stood in these very stalls- champions whose names helped shape the sport. And then I sat in the office he left behind, at his desk, and stared at the empty chair. I wondered what he thought about in those quiet early hours. How many dreams began right there with a legal pad and a coffee?,” DeVaux wrote. “Wayne didn’t just train horses. He set a standard. He built a legacy that inspired generations, myself included. And while the tack room may bear a new name this summer, his spirit lingers in every inch of this place. Honored doesn’t begin to cover it. Grateful. Humbled. Inspired. We’ll do our best to honor what he built here – one horse, one morning, one moment at a time.”

Lukas’ Spa ledger includes a record number of wins in the Hopeful [8], Adirondack [7], Schuylerville [6], Spinaway [6, tied with Todd Pletcher], and H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, formerly the King’s Bishop [5]. However, when asked by NYRA’s press office in July 2024 to try and pick out a favorite Saratoga memory, he landed on the first-out maiden score by eventual Hall of Famer Winning Colors in August 1987.

“Any time you win one of these big stakes it’s a good memory. I think maybe it was Winning Colors breaking her maiden up here and going on to win the Kentucky Derby,” Lukas said. “I also remember one year up here I flew up and my son was running the barn and we had 13 individual Grade 1-winners in the barn. That was special.”

Lukas’s presence will be dearly missed by the sport, but his legacy will certainly live on.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/06/30/in-memory-of-d-wayne-lukas/

---