LOUISVILLE, Ky. - D. Wayne Lukas is homeless no more.

Lukas, the Hall of Fame trainer who for nearly two decades has lived in Louisville hotels during most of any given year, has purchased a home in the prestigious Lake Forest neighborhood some 15 miles east of downtown.

"The nature of the training game, when you do it like I do, has been living from hotel to hotel," said Lukas. "I evaluated where I am most of the time, and it's something like 7 1/2 months when I have to be here or in Lexington. I finally made the decision that I'm probably better served just getting a home here, so that's what I've done."

For most of his training career, Lukas, 68, owned a home in Arcadia, Calif., about two miles from the Santa Anita stable gate. He eventually moved to Glendora, Calif., with his then-wife Laura, but after the couple divorced, he began living in hotels near whichever track he was working.

"When I'm not in Louisville, it's been Saratoga in the summer or splitting time between California and Florida in the winter," he said.

In Louisville, he became locally famous for his unpretentious lifestyle at the Holiday Inn in blue-collar Shively and the Residence Inn near the airport. By moving to Lake Forest, he is joining some of the wealthiest members of Louisville society, including a handful of jockeys.

Lukas said that for the first time he will have a display room for all of his racing prizes and mementos. He said he plans to have custom-made shelving built into the finished basement in his new house to accommodate all his racing loot.

"I've got more than 1,200 trophies and what-not with all my stuff," said Lukas. "They're spread out over four or five storage units." Lukas said he jokingly told B. Wayne Hughes, the prominent California horse owner who owns Public Storage Co., "that I think I'm supporting his habit."

Lukas said he is unsure exactly where his Hall of Fame plaque is located. He was inducted as a first-ballot entry in 1999. "The ushers took it from me, and I don't know where it ended up," he said.

Lukas said he is scheduled to take possession of the new house in January but that it will be sometime in the spring until he will fully move in.

"I'll have full stables at both Santa Anita and Gulfstream this winter," he said. "I've still got some time to spend in hotels."