Trainer D. Wayne Lukas is improved after heart procedures, wife says

HORSE TRAINER D. Wayne Lukas felt much better yesterday than Sunday, a day after he was taken to Aria Health (Torresdale Campus) with several heart-related issues that manifested themselves on Friday and got much worse Saturday.

According to the Hall of Fame trainer's wife Laurie, who flew in from Denver on Sunday, Lukas had a temporary pacemaker inserted Sunday and, after several blockages were discovered yesterday during a cardiac catherization, a few stents were implanted.

According to Laurie, Lukas, who was in town to run two horses on Saturday's $3 million card at Parx, is scheduled to get a permanent pacemaker today and more stents tomorrow. If all goes well, he could be out of the hospital and headed back to his Louisville, Ky., home by the end of the week. Laurie was told all the procedures so far were "somewhat routine" and "not invasive."

"Tell everybody he's been operating at half speed," Laurie said. "He's happy to get this out of the way. We've got stuff to do."

Wayne and Laurie have been married for two years after a two-year "long-distance relationship."

Lukas, 80, had a similar, but less significant heart issue at Saratoga last month. Early last week, he spent long hours every day at the Keeneland Yearling Sale in Kentucky before coming to Philadelphia on Wednesday to be with his horses at Parx. His schedule might have exacerbated the problem, which ended up with him in the hospital.