Born Darnell Wayne Lukas on Sept. 2, 1935, in Wisconsin as the second of three children, he rose to prominence in the sport with quarter horses in races that are effectively sprints. He moved into thoroughbreds in the late 1970s and won his first Preakness with Codex in 1980.

D. Wayne Lukas, the Hall of Famer who won 15 Triple Crown races, including seven Preakness victories, has died.

"Wayne Lukas reinvented the game," Lanny Kohnhorst, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association's Director of Horsemen's Relations. "Wayne produced champions, from Grade 1 winners to stallion prospects to next generation of trainers, and defined American Thoroughbred racing."