Oaklawn president Lou Cella and the late Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas will both be inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame on Friday night. The ticketed ceremony will be held in the Event Center at Oaklawn. Cella has continued to expand Oaklawn – which now boasts a hotel – and grown purses since taking over operation of the family’s track from his late father, Charles Cella, in 2017. He is the fourth generation of his family to helm Oaklawn, which for more than 120 years has been the premier sports facility in Arkansas. “It’s such an honor,” Lou Cella said of entering the Arkansas Hall. “Dad was inducted in 2008, and it’s hard to believe that those years have gone by and they’ve had such great success and it’s grown and now they’ve included me and I’m truly humbled by it. That is just remarkable. “And then when you add Wayne Lukas in the same class, it’s unbelievable. I became numb. ‘What in the world am I [doing], being in a group that includes Wayne Lukas?’ It’s fun. I will say Dad was a pal with Wayne and I became close with Wayne. He would sit between races on a bench by the paddock, and every time I’d be racing to a meeting and I’d see him, I’d sit down next to him. And the meeting would just have to start without me, or they’re going to have to wait for me, because I was going to cherish those moments with Wayne.” :: Live racing action at Oaklawn Park! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Cella will have a large group of family and friends in attendance, and so will Lukas, who died last June. The group for Lukas will include 10 family members, led by wife Laurie and his grandson, Brady Lukas. “To have the Arkansas community honoring him, it would just mean so much to him,” Laurie Lukas said. “He’d be so proud to be a part of this.” Lukas will again be feted on Saturday. The “Dawn at Oaklawn” program will be a “Remembering the Coach” edition, said host Nancy Holthus. It runs from 8:30 a.m.-9 a.m. on the apron and will include a video presentation and fun stories and commentary about Lukas by a panel of guests. Following the event, a memorial service for Lukas will be held in the Oaklawn chaplaincy building across from the track kitchen. It will run from 9:45 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Lukas's family is scheduled to attend both events, which are free and open to the public. The Lukas family also will make the trophy presentation after the first race Saturday, and horsemen are invited to join them in the winner’s circle. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.