Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Gene Klein. In 2014, at age 78, in his acceptance speech for the 2013 Eclipse Award of Merit, he stated, "[w]hen they start giving you awards...they are trying to get you to retire. Well, you young trainers get ready because I'm not retiring. We're coming after you, so you'd better get up a little more early in the morning from now on. We're coming after you with a vengeance." Personal life Lukas has been married four times. He had one son, Jeff (1957–2016), and two grandchildren, with his first wife. In December 1993, Lukas' derby contender Tabasco Cat seriously injured Jeff Lukas, who worked for his father as an assistant trainer and was the elder Lukas' hard-driving right-hand man. In a shedrow accident at Santa Anita Park, the colt broke loose and when Jeff Lukas tried to stop him, the horse slammed into him, throwing him into the air and when Jeff landed on the concrete, he suffered a skull fracture which left him in a coma for several weeks. He suffered permanent brain damage; he had changes in personality, vision loss, and damage to his memory. By spring of 1994, he had recovered enough that he attempted to return to horse racing, but after a series of less-demanding jobs ending in 2003, it was clear he could not work safely around racehorses. He also tried living and working near horse farms, but his disabilities were too severe for him to be safe around horses at all. He ultimately moved to Atoka, Oklahoma, in 2007 to work for David Burrage, who had been the accountant and general manager for Lukas Racing Stables. By that time, Burrage was a banker and owned the First Bank in Atoka, which employed Lukas. His father bought him a home there and Jeff lived a quiet life until his death at age 58 in March 2016. Lukas suffered with COVID-19 in 2020. However, he later recovered from the illness Thoroughbreds trained with major wins Kentucky Derby Winning Colors (1988) Thunder Gulch (1995) Grindstone (1996) Charismatic (1999) Preakness Stakes Codex (1980) Tank's Prospect (1985) Tabasco Cat (1994) Timber Country (1995) Charismatic (1999) Oxbow (2013) Belmont Stakes Tabasco Cat (1994) Thunder Gulch (1995) Editor's Note (1996) Commendable (2000) Breeders' Cup Classic Cat Thief (1999) Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic Life's Magic (1985) Lady's Secret (1986)