Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame

Oaklawn President Louis A. Cella and the late Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas will be honored together with inclusion to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame Apr. 10. Lukas was among the first trainers to operate a national racing stable at Oaklawn Park and the Hot Springs track became a regular winter home for his horses preparing for the Triple Crown trail. Oaklawn has been guided by the Cella family for more than a century, with Louis A. Cella representing the fourth generation of leadership. Since becoming president...

Two of the most prominent figures in Oaklawn history, executive Louis Cella and the late trainer D. Wayne Lukas, will be part of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame's 2026 class, the ASHOF's 68th overall. "How about that?" Cella said. "That was a little shot out of the dark that surprised me, but I was very honored. A little bit over my skis. But when you're in a category with D. Wayne Lukas, you have to check your pulse and see what the hell is going on." Cella has been...