sportsman of the year | Horse Racing Free Tips

Oaklawn owner and president Louis Cella has been named the 2020 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sportsman of the Year for his efforts to keep racing going during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The track operated without fans in attendance beginning on March 13, and was able to continue hosting racing through the end of the season. Cella even rescheduled the Arkansas Derby to the first Saturday in May when it was announced that Churchill Downs would postpone the Kentucky Derby.

“In racing, we have an obligation,” Cella told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “It's not like a retail store. You send your employees home and good luck and let's talk next week. We have 500 people in the backstretch. We've got 1,500 horses that have to be fed and cared for. We have our own employees, and at that time, we're ramped up to a thousand people. We can't just turn the lights off and say go home. It's not right, and we can't do it.”

Read more at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The post ‘We Have An Obligation’: Louis Cella Named Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sportsman of the Year appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Louis Cella, the owner and president of Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, has been honored as the 2020 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sportsman of the Year for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. When most of the rest of the country–including live sports–shut down in March, he was one of a handful of racetrack principals who were able to continue live racing and do it safely.

“In racing, we have an obligation,” Cella told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “It’s not like a retail store. You send your employees home and good luck and let’s talk next week. We have 500 people in the backstretch. We’ve got 1,500 horses that have to be fed and cared for. We have our own employees, and at that time, we’re ramped up to a thousand people. We can’t just turn the lights off and say go home. It’s not right, and we can’t do it.”

Oaklawn managed to stay open with limited attendance through closing day on May 2, a novel idea at the time and a move that was embraced by horsemen and fans. Handle numbers soared with closing day–and two divisions of the GI Arkansas Derby–more than doubling wagering at any previous day in the track’s history with $41 million.

The track’s 2021 season will begin Jan. 22 with limited admission.

The post Louis Cella Named 2020 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sportsman of the Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post