Charles Cella (1936–2017)

Charles Cella is best known among American racing enthusiasts as part of the third generation to head the Cella family’s involvement in the thoroughbred horse racing industry. He owned what is now Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs (Garland County). Although Cella had other business interests, such as real estate, he is renowned in Arkansas for developing Oaklawn into one of the top racing facilities in the nation by re-inventing the racetrack through enhancements such as instant racing and electronic games of skill. Those additions led to the track’s ability to offer higher purses, bringing about a revival for Oaklawn.

Charles Joshua Cella was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 27, 1936, to John G. Cella and Eloise Shearer Cella. He had a sister, Eloise. Charles attended St. Louis Country Day School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Cella excelled in baseball, basketball, golf, and especially squash, becoming a nationally ranked squash player and a life member of the U.S. Squash Racquets Association.

He had a passion for horseracing that went back to his father’s involvement with Oaklawn. Although there had been several horse racing tracks in Arkansas during the late 1800s and early 1900s, Oaklawn is the only one still in business in the twenty-first century. The track’s original owners included John Condon and Dan Stuart, who also ran the popular Hot Springs night spot the Southern Club. Oaklawn’s other founding partners included earlier members of the Cella family, brothers Charles and Louis Cella of St. Louis, who operated racetracks in the Midwest. The group formed Oaklawn Jockey Club in 1904. Its inaugural season ran in February and March 1905. To accommodate both local race-goers and visitors from out of town, the Hot Springs Railroad (a.k.a. the Diamond Jo) offered a special race-day service from stops at locations around downtown Hot Springs.

By 1916, Condon and Stuart had died, leaving the Cella brothers in control of the track. In 1968, Charles J. Cella became track president and chairman of the board, taking over after the unexpected death of his father, John G. Cella.

According to Hot Springs’ Sentinel-Record, Charles Cella’s innovative leadership helped turn Oaklawn into one of the nation’s premier racing centers. Cella also owned several thoroughbred horses, including Northern Spur, who won the 1995 Oak Tree Invitational Stakes in California and the 1995 Breeder’s Cup Turf, a race held annually at various racetracks across the country.

In 1975–1976, Cella served as president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), in which Oaklawn is a member track. In 2005, the Cella family’s stewardship of Oaklawn was recognized by receiving the Eclipse Award of Merit, which is awarded by the NTRA in association with the Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers Association. The award was given to Cella and Oaklawn in acknowledgment of increased attendance and wagering at the track.

In addition to his racing pursuits, Cella was president of Southwestern Enterprises and the Southern Real Estate and Financial Company, a property ownership firm that handled commercial properties and shopping centers in the St. Louis area. Among his charitable activities, he was a board member of the Arkansas Easter Seal Society and was also a director of the Arkansas State Fair and Livestock Show, where he was recognized as a lifetime honorary member of the organization’s board of governors.

Cella died on December 6, 2017, in the St. Louis suburb of Ladue of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was survived by two sons, Louis and John, and a daughter, Harriet Marshall. Following their father’s death, Louis was named Oaklawn president and John was named president of the Southern Real Estate and Financial Company.

For additional information:
“About Us: History.” Oaklawn. https://oaklawn.com/about/history/ (accessed March 13, 2025).

Bowden, Bill. “Oaklawn’s Cella Dies; Track Boss Recalled as ‘Bigger-Than-Life’ Figure.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, December 7, 2017. https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2017/dec/07/oaklawn-s-cella-dies-track-boss-recalle/ (accessed March 13, 2025).

Brock, Roby. “Oaklawn Leader Charles Cella Dies at 81.” Talk Business & Politics, December 6, 2017. https://talkbusiness.net/2017/12/oaklawn-leader-charles-cella-dies-at-81/. (accessed March 13, 2025).

“Charles Joshua Cella.” Lupton Chapel. https://www.luptonchapel.com/obituary/5337450 (accessed March 13, 2025).

“Cella’s Son Succeeds Father at Oaklawn.” Sentinel-Record, December 21, 2017. https://www.hotsr.com/news/2017/dec/21/cella-s-son-succeeds-father-at-oaklawn- (accessed March 13, 2025).

Nancy Hendricks
Garland County Historical Society