OAKLAWN PARK
By: Tom Ferry
Maybe it’s because a National Park and 50 natural hot springs are located near the track in scenic seclusion. Or perhaps because it has been owned by four generations of the same family since it opened 114 years ago. More likely, it is the southern charm of its people and the tradition of incredible horses and competition. Regardless the reason, in the world of horse racing, it is a special place and one of a kind.
If Saratoga Springs is the sport’s “Summer Place to Be,” then spring belongs to Oaklawn. During the first four months of each year, this racetrack surrounded by a mix of busy residential neighborhoods and small-town commercial districts, captures the hearts and imaginations of racing fans across North America.
Located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Oaklawn Racing & Gaming has been a racing tradition since 1904. And while it is a racetrack that has never forgotten its glorious past, the one constant through the many years has been change — and consistent growth. What has not changed, however, is the track’s unparalleled habitat in western Arkansas. So much of the appeal of Oaklawn is rooted in this town located in the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas. Native Americans called the area “The Valley of the Vapors.” Naturally thermal spring waters flow out of the ground at an average temperature of 143 degrees and produce almost one million gallons of water each day. More than two million annual visitors come to Hot Springs for the lakes, hiking, bike trails, museums, restaurants and shopping. And you can also find America’s oldest and smallest national park. Visitors come to soak in the warm waters at up to eight Victorian-style bathhouses from the 19th and 20th centuries on Bathhouse Row and the hot springs are also present in several downtown hotels, spas and public fountains.
The Cella family. Five men, four generations, and a life-long love affair with horse racing and Oaklawn. They have been described as innovators and pioneers. By 1911, Louis A. Cella, his brother Charles and partners owned racetracks in major cities across the U.S. While Oaklawn opened in 1904, it didn’t really operate as a major racetrack until 1934. After Louis died in 1918, Charles assumed management of Oaklawn. He soon transformed the track into a desirable alternative to Florida for winter training and racing. It was the only track for hundreds of miles and fans would come from across the Midwest. When Charles died in 1940, the baton was passed to his son John who established a management style that not only empowered the track and racing officials he engaged with for the overall track operations, but he also mixed with horsemen, track employees and fans in order to seek out and hear their ideas and suggestions for how to enhance Oaklawn. The family has continued that style to this day.
In 1968, John Cella died suddenly and his son Charles took over as president. Across the next 50 years, Cella helped turn the Arkansas track into a major racing destination, bringing an increased level of innovation. In 1990, Oaklawn pioneered full-card interstate simulcasting. Sixteen years prior in 1974, Cella and team launched something new that would change racing at Oaklawn and American horse racing forever. It was named the Racing Festival of the South. The Festival showcases anywhere from three to five days of top quality racing and its centerpiece is the $1,000,000 Arkansas Derby (G1). In 2004, fan-favorite Smarty Jones used triumphs in Oaklawn’s Southwest Stakes (G3), Rebel Stakes (G2) and Arkansas Derby en route to classic wins in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1). Three years later, Curlin won the Rebel and Arkansas Derby at the beginning of a Hall of Fame-road that led to two Horse of the Year honors and four Eclipse Awards.
In March of 2015, trainer Bob Baffert shipped American Pharoah from California to Oaklawn for the beginning of his three-year-old campaign. After a 6-1/4-length triumph in the Rebel, American Pharoah challenged a field of seven others in the Arkansas Derby and established himself as the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby after an easy eight-length victory. A Triple Crown trail had begun on a one-mile dirt oval track in Arkansas, a 37-year drought would soon end, and the rest is history.
In addition to the Arkansas Derby, the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) is one of the marquee races in the Racing Festival of the South and annually draws the finest fillies and mares in America. In 2008 and 2010, the great Zenyatta continued the growth of her legend with Apple Blossom triumphs.
Much like Saratoga Springs, New York and Lexington, Kentucky, the entire town of Hot Springs embraces racing. Oaklawn is Arkansas’ number one tourist destination and everyone benefits. The experience includes watching Thoroughbreds from the Oaklawn infield, a beautiful park-like setting, which opens during springtime Saturdays in mid-March. Infield patrons will discover a petting zoo, live music, a craft beer garden and a Kids Zone.
When Charles J. Cella died in December of 2017, after nearly 50 years as president of Oaklawn, a fourth generation of the Cella family took over the leadership role when son Louis was named successor. A century-long tradition of innovation and evolution continued when in November of 2018, Oaklawn Racing & Gaming announced plans to build an expansion project in excess of $100 million, which included the construction of a high-rise hotel on the premises, a multi-purpose event center, and a larger gaming area.
Spend any length of time at Oaklawn or in Hot Springs and you will notice it right away. The people - they are different. Perhaps it is just southern hospitality, but it feels like something more. It feels like…family. And a family atmosphere is very real at the track. As one of the state’s top employers, it is only natural to find husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and mothers and children working together within the same company.
To understand Oaklawn and its appeal, the words of the late Charles J. Cella may explain it best. “I’m a racetrack guy. I truly love racing. It’s my life. I’ve devoted my adult years to it. I am proud of the way Oaklawn has worked to present the right atmosphere of horse racing — the tradition, the basic values, the pageantry of the sport.”