D. Wayne Lukas

Oaklawn President Louis A. Cella and the late Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas will be honored together with inclusion to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame Apr. 10. Lukas was among the first trainers to operate a national racing stable at Oaklawn Park and the Hot Springs track became a regular winter home for his horses preparing for the Triple Crown trail. Oaklawn has been guided by the Cella family for more than a century, with Louis A. Cella representing the fourth generation of leadership. Since becoming president...

Heading back to the rostrum from a break, Ryan Mahan was stopped by Wayne Lukas. "This filly coming up, three hips from now," the great trainer said. "I'm going to put my pen in my pocket. As long as it stays there, keep me in." "Wayne, please don't do this," Mahan replied. "This kind of thing--if my glasses are on, if I take my hat off--it just never works." But Lukas was insistent: that was what they were going to do. "So we get to $400,000," Mahan recalls, decades later....

There is a no-frills air to George Weaver, evident in everything from his worn-in boots to the strictly utilitarian office in his Palm Beach Downs barn. Weaver has little interest in shouting his success from the rooftops. He'd rather let the horses do the talking. "I feel like your horses should do the advertising for you," Weaver said. "When they win, I think it tells everybody what you're about. We let the horses kind of tell us when they're ready to go. That always leads to the best success on...

Serena's Song, the 3-year-old filly champion in 1995 and the winner of 11 Grade I stakes races, passed away peacefully Wednesday at Denali Stud, where she spent her entire post-racetrack career. She died 25 days before her 34th birthday, but was officially considered 34 at the time of her death. Inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2002, she won 18 of 38 starts and recorded 17 grades stakes wins. Her finest hour came when she defeated males to capture the 1995 GI Haskell Invitational...

Among the top trainers on the New York circuit for decades, John Kimmel has announced his retirement. Citing the economic difficulties facing many trainers these days, Kimmel, 71, said he would devote his time to building his business as a bloodstock agent. Kimmel has been doing double duty over the last three or four years, continuing his training operation while acting as a bloodstock agent to outside clients. While training full-time, he was known for having a keen eye when it came to picking horses out at the sales, including...

It was hard not to lament the loss when asked about D. Wayne Lukas in the paddock, but trainer Bob Baffert was given an emotional win in the race named after his longtime friend when Splendora (Audible) kicked home to claim the inaugural running of the GII D. Wayne Lukas Stakes at Santa Anita Park. The clear horse to beat after wrapping her 2025 with a stylish victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint last November, the daughter of Audible entered this contest on a three-race win...

Eleven of the most memorable events from Thoroughbred racing in North America last year have been nominated for the 2025 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year, a distinction determined by fan voting and recognized at the annual Eclipse Awards. Voting is now open on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) website, www.NTRA.com, and via X (formerly Twitter), where every retweet or use of the official hashtag for the moments as presented on the @NTRA account will be counted as one vote. The FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year will be...

His favorite Gary Biszantz line is an instructive one: "You know, I may not be right-but I'm never confused." So while anyone who read our interview with his employer might be unnerved by the sheer force of his personality, Mike Owens himself has always appreciated its clarity and drive. He could hardly have lasted all these years as manager of Cobra Farm, right up to its sale earlier this year, without finding a reliable register for their relationship. Biszantz, to you or me, might seem larger than life; to Owens,...

Two of the most prominent figures in Oaklawn history, executive Louis Cella and the late trainer D. Wayne Lukas, will be part of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame's 2026 class, the ASHOF's 68th overall. "How about that?" Cella said. "That was a little shot out of the dark that surprised me, but I was very honored. A little bit over my skis. But when you're in a category with D. Wayne Lukas, you have to check your pulse and see what the hell is going on." Cella has been...

This week on the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, get ready for a special Best of 2025 episode. Throughout the year, people from all corners of the industry joined us on the show as the Gainesway Guest of the Week to provide candid conversations and insights. In this episode, we roll out the highlight reel of the most compelling interviews of 2025, bringing back the voices and moments that defined the season. This week listeners will hear from: Griffin Johnson: The popular social media star and entrepreneur discusses his...

The TDN Writers' Room saw a host of entertaining and enlightening guests in 2025. Here's a look at few of our favorites: Griffin Johnson, Terry Bradshaw, Junior Alvarado, and a collection of industry veterans who shared stories of the legendary D. Wayne Lukas.

Gary Stevens, the retired Hall of Fame jockey turned jockey agent, said he has purchased a home near Oaklawn previously owned by the late Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and his wife, Laurie, the track said via a press release on Wednesday. "Laurie wanted me to have it," Stevens said. "She said she had some other offers and she said: 'You need to be in that house.' She made it happen." Stevens said the house is more than 80 years old, adding it's "very homey, very warm." Lukas...