LITTLE ROCK — Charles Cella belongs.
Most should be surprised he isn't already in the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Make no mistake, there is always a large number of qualified individuals who deserve to be voted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, but none more than Cella.
All of the members' votes have been tabulated, and this week, the board of directors of the ASHF will meet for lunch and the final vote to decide the next class of honorees.
Those members, and membership is open to any and all, know the list has some who are more deserving than others, but there is no shortage of qualified candidates.
Cella, who for some reason was moved to the senior list this year,is the man who has kept Oaklawn Park and Arkansas a viable part of the racing community.
At a time when many tracks are selling out to either Churchill Downs Inc. or Magna Inc., Cella has made family-owned Oaklawn Park a household name in the thoroughbred racing world.
Forget that for years he was ranked No. 1 in the country in squash, or that he used to challenge visitors to a race around the Oaklawn oval, and hewas undefeated, or that for years he was a much sought-after golf partner.
Forget that his horse, Northern Spur, won the Breeders' Cup Turf race and his first Eclipse Award.
Incidentally, Cella borrowed a chapter from Seabiscuit history and challenged the owners of Cigar to a match race that year.
Forget that when the National Thoroughbred Racing Association dropped its sponsorship of the Grantland Rice-Fred Russell scholarship to Vanderbilt, he quietly assumed the financial responsibility for one of the most sought-after scholarships at the school.
All of that should be enough to qualify for his nomination to the Hall of Fame, but why he should already be inducted is what he has done as owner of Oaklawn Park.
Which has nothing to do with the time he bought new Christmas lights for Hot Springs, the years he put on fourth of July fireworks displays or the millions of dollars he has donated - always anonymously - to charities and organizations.
Don't even think about the fact that Oaklawn is the longest running professional franchise owned by one family in the United States, although that has something to do with why he stands tall when the vote is taken this week.
In a time when tracks are becoming malls or just standing empty, Cella's focus and courage for almost 40 years has led Oaklawn from good, to surviving the 1990s when racing suffered because of casinos, to great in the 21st century.
To celebrate Oaklawn's 100th birthday, Cella offered a $5 million bonus for any horse who could win the Rebel Stakes, Arkansas Derby and Kentucky Derby.
While he negotiated insurance policies, he received no financial assistance from any sponsor or organization.
Along came Smarty Jones at a time when the country was needing a sports hero that wasn't written about in the police beat or on steroids.
Smarty Jones almost died as a 2-year-old, but the horse with the heart of a champion fought back and went into the Kentucky Derby, with the Southwest, Rebel and Arkansas Derby on his resume, undefeated and romped to the winner's circle.
He won the Preakness and captured the imagination ofAmerica, and many hearts were broken when he came up short in the Belmont Stakes.
Cella kept the Arkansas Derby at $1 million - picked up another Eclipse Award (think first-team All-American for comparison) for his contributions to thoroughbred racing - and Afleet Alex came to Arkansas and won that and then the Preakness and Belmont.
Lawyer Ron, now a candidate for top older horse, won the Arkansas Derby, and Curlin raced at Oaklawn, won the Preakness and Jockey Gold Club and is a strong candidate for top 3-yearold colt or gelding.
Charles Cella is a horseman's horseman, a great sportsman and a commanding figure in the world of thoroughbred racing, and he deserves to be in the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Sports, Pages 17 on 10/23/2007