Charles Cella

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...

Owner and breeder John Kerber estimates that he purchased his first broodmare in 1960, three years into his tenure as a junior high school science teacher. Some six decades later, undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Ain't No Elmers (Goldencents) is the filly the affable octogenarian calls "the one I've been waiting for my whole life." "At my age, how many more like this can I expect?" wondered Kerber, 83, who resides in the small town of Emmetsburg, Iowa, in the northwest quadrant of the state. Kerber acquired the filly's dam, Voussoir...