Lukas and Bravazo Look to Bounce Back From Surgery

On the mend from back surgery, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas is now back astride his pony at Oaklawn Park, overseeing morning training as he prepares his runners in Arkansas, including Bravazo who is being pointed to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park.

The veteran horseman, speaking to Oaklawn publicity, said his recovery took longer than expected, but he has felt better and is similarly expecting improvement from graded winner Bravazo, who finished eighth in a comeback in the 1 1/8-mile Clark Stakes Presented by Norton Healthcare (G1) at Churchill Downs Nov. 29.

"It's very difficult to get a horse that's been off that long to go a mile and an eighth in world-class company," Lukas said. "I thought I had him pretty tight. When the running started, he was tired."

A homebred for Calumet Farm, Bravazo finished fourth in the 2019 Pegasus before being sidelined following surgery last March to remove a bone chip from a knee. The previous season he had proven to be one of the leading 3-year-olds of 2018, winning the Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots and hitting the board in such races as the Preakness Stakes (G1), Betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), Runhappy Travers Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

A 4-year-old son of Awesome Again, he has 3-4-3 record from 18 starts and earnings of $2,009,528.

Lukas said he's intrigued how the Pegasus will play out following the Dec. 15 announcement of a purse cut and the elimination of race-day medication.

"I'm more interested to see what the Lasix will do," Lukas said, referring to the anti-bleeding medication. "It doesn't affect me at all. All those stakes in a year are going to be probably no-Lasix."  

As for Lukas, he can now be found escorting his horses to and from the track under his stable pony, Scotch, though he admits his back is not 100%.

"It was good until the last couple of days," Lukas said with a laugh following training hours Sunday. "No, it's fine. I've still got a little ways to go. It's a major deal when they put in screws and plates and rods."

Lukas said he underwent a 3 1/2-hour surgical procedure to treat spinal stenosis, a "narrowing of the spaces within the spine, which can put pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine," according to the Mayo Clinic website. Spinal stenosis, the website added, occurs most often in the lower back and neck and patients may experience pain, tingling, numbness, and muscle weakness. Symptoms can worsen over time.

Lukas said he "wasn't getting around very good" last summer at Saratoga Race Course and opted for surgery after "losing power" in his legs and finding it more difficult to stand, walk, and climb stairs.

"I'm 84 years old," Lukas said. "Hell, you get to the point where you have to make a decision on something like that or let it get worse.

"They told me that I had to do something, or it was going to get worse. I would get powerless like our friend Jack Van Berg, driving around in an electric scooter or something. I didn't want to do that. I wanted to keep riding, so I had it done, and I think it really helped me."

Lukas said he resumed riding last week, coinciding with his stable moving from Churchill Downs to Oaklawn, its winter base for more than a decade. 

"Yesterday, a horse jerked me pretty good, so it's bothering me today," Lukas said. "I hope that's temporary. I hope I didn't pull any screws loose."

Among the most iconic figures in racing history, Lukas was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999. He is a four-time Eclipse Award winner as the country's outstanding trainer (1985-1987 and 1994) and won an Eclipse Award of Merit in 2013. Lukas has won 20 Breeders' Cup races and 14 Triple Crown races.