Trainer Jeff Lukas Pulls Out of Coma

Jeff Lukas, recovering from injuries suffered when he was knocked down by a runaway horse in the barn area at Santa Anita on Dec. 15, is no longer in a coma and has been shifted from intensive care to a private hospital room, a spokeswoman for the Wayne Lukas Racing Stable said Tuesday.

“Jeff has been improving daily,” Peggy Yost said. “He has been recognizing voices and there has been considerable movement of his hands. He is not talking. His condition was upgraded from serious to fair a week ago, and that’s what it is now.”

Yost also said that Lukas’ pneumonia is under control and is no longer considered a threat. His body temperature has been stabilized.

Lukas, 36, is the son of trainer Wayne Lukas and the stable’s No. 1 assistant. Tabasco Cat, a stakes-winning colt, got away from his handlers and ran into the younger Lukas, who suffered multiple skull fractures as he tried to flag the horse down.

Airlifted from Santa Anita to Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena shortly after the accident, Lukas was listed in critical condition for more than two weeks. There was an upgrade to serious before the further upgrade to fair last week.

“They moved him out into a hallway last Saturday, and he wasn’t used to the commotion,” said trainer Randy Bradshaw, a former assistant to Wayne Lukas. “But when they asked Jeff if he wanted to go back to his room, he waved his arm to indicate no. So he’s becoming aware of some things.”

Wayne Lukas has continued to train during his son’s hospitalization. Bradshaw helped Lukas saddle a few horses during the closing days of the Hollywood Park meeting, shortly after the accident.

“I’ve noticed the change in Wayne the last few days,” Bradshaw said. “It’s been amazing. He’s been much more upbeat. You could tell that he’s been encouraged by Jeff’s progress. It’s been great to see, because about a week ago, Wayne was about as depressed as I’ve ever seen him.”

Wayne Lukas said during the weekend that one of the well-wishers inquiring about his son had been President Clinton’s mother, Virginia Kelley, who died of complications from cancer last Thursday.

“That was something,” Wayne Lukas said. “She must have called only four days before she died.”

The Lukases have frequently raced at Oaklawn Park, the track in Hot Springs, Ark., where Kelley was a regular visitor. They had back-to-back winners of the Arkansas Derby, with Althea in 1984 and Tank’s Prospect in 1985.