SARATOGA SPRINGS — D. Wayne Lukas is known in horse racing circles as “The Coach,” but just after sunrise Wednesday morning ahead of the 156th Belmont Stakes and its first running at Saratoga Race Course, the Hall of Fame trainer was more like a king.
To find him, visitors had to traverse the long, dusty path across Union Street from The Spa.
To the right was a collection of barns, and to the left was Oklahoma’s training oval, its distinctive thick white mist covering the dirt so that it looked almost like a moat.
In the distance, on the far left side of the property, Lucas, 88, sat in a modest office chair in front of Barn No. 83, whose blue and green paint had peeled away from the elements.
But to him, it might as well have been a palatial throne next to the stable of the reigning Preakness champion.
While the exercise rider was getting She’s the Grey ready for training, Lucas invited The Post over for a quick chat.
Three weeks ago, She’s the Gray’s victory at Pimlico Race Course gave Lukas a record 15th Triple Crown victory (four Kentucky Derbys, seven Preakness Stakes and four Belmont Stakes), but in that moment, the legendary horse wanted to start over.
“At first, you think it’s you,” he says. “You get excited and say, ‘I won the Preakness!’ or ‘I won the Derby!’ Then you start to get realistic and [focus on] The customers who supported you and purchased your horses [have] Involved, [stepped] and [backed] you.
“So after the first one, I think this is great for them and I try to push them forward and give them a chance to feel the same thing I felt the first time.”
This time around, Lucas will have no shortage of clients to look after.
She’s the Grey is reported to be owned by 2,570 shareholders through MyRacehorse and was purchased for $300,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Yearling Sale at Saratoga.
At Pimlico the owners were certainly happy.
“I thought I was at a football rally. There were so many people cheering, tugging, jumping, they were everywhere,” Lucas recalled with a smile. “They were all gathered in a long hallway leading to the winner’s circle. … State police were there. [trouble] Once we pulled them away, we couldn’t get our horses into the winner’s circle. It was chaos.”
But to the victors go the spoils, and at a mini-Belmont Stakes meet at Saratoga Race Course, Lucas is showered with roses on all sides: friends, competitors and friends of his competitors.
“Wayne himself, his perseverance over the years and the fact that he was able to compete at such a high level to win the Preakness Stakes at age 88, is what made this race so special,” Todd Pletcher, who trains three of the 10 horses competing in the Belmont Stakes, told The Post. “For him to be able to compete at that level for that long is an incredible accomplishment.”
Added fellow Hall of Famer Bill Mott, 70, trainer of Belmont’s Resilient: “I think it’s fantastic. I’m approaching a veteran horse myself, so I’m all for it.”
“It’s great that he can handle good horses and knows how to win big races. … He’s one of our guys that everyone should look up to for his longevity, durability and knowledge of how to work with horses and people.”
With Seize the Grey set to go, there was time for one final question: “How much are you enjoying this piece yet?”
“I’m having a lot of fun,” Lucas said. “I like the big arenas, I like the competition, and I like competing against good friends like Bill Mott. [trainers in this Belmont] Todd Pletcher and Mike Maker worked for me for many years, so they were always very special to me. I’m 89 years old now. [on Sept. 2 during the Saratoga summer meet] And I’m going to get on my pony soon and do what I’ve always done. [more than] “Forty years.”
The Fox crew then strapped a microphone on Lucas, turned on the camera, and he hopped on his horse, Bucky, to accompany She’s the Grey on a training session.
He wore dark sunglasses that contrasted perfectly with his cream-colored cowboy hat.
Is there a cooler nearly 90-year-old in the world of sports, or anywhere else for that matter?
Long live the King!
