Wayne Lukas appointed to Kentucky Horse Racing Commission

D. Wayne Lukas, the Hall of Fame trainer, has been appointed by Gov. Steve Beshear to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in a term that expires in mid-2016, according to officials in the governor’s office.

It is the first appointment to a racing commission for Lukas, who continues to train a large racing stable. Lukas replaces Michael Pitino, the son of University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, who resigned earlier this year after moving to Florida.

Beshear also appointed James Richardson to the commission, replacing Frank Kling, whose term expired on July 1. Richardson, an owner and breeder and a surgeon with the University of Louisville School of Medicine, was recently elected to the board of the Breeders’ Cup. He is also the chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s American Graded Stakes Committee.

Beshear reappointed three members to the commission: Burr Travis, a northern Kentucky lawyer and a horse owner; Frank L. Jones, a horse owner and businessman; and Jerry Yon, a Lexington doctor who is the chairman of the commission’s Equine Drug Research Council.