Johnson recalls training for Cella
Trainer Mike Johnson, who sent out the final winner for the late Charles Cella, recently recalled his time working for Oaklawn’s longtime president.
Johnson said his post-race follow up with Cella normally included a phone call to the owner the next day to outline how his horses performed. Even though Johnson had watched Unmoored win an allowance race by 8 ½ lengths Dec. 1 at Turfway Park, the tone was much, much different Dec. 2, the trainer said.
Unmoored turned out to be the final starter, and winner, for the 81-year-old Cella before his death five days later from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Regarding that work-related phone call, Johnson said a weakened Cella needed an aide to relay his final words to the man who trained for Oaklawn Park’s longtime president for a decade.
“I could hear him the background,” Johnson said. “He couldn’t actually hold the phone up to talk. He was at home, and he said, ‘Well, if you want to, tell that boy I’m proud of him.’ He said, ‘I want to make sure you tell him that; tell him I’m proud of him.’ That was better than ‘Congratulations,’ or anything like that.”
Unmoored is among six horses Johnson has at Oaklawn for Cella, who made a big splash as an owner, campaigning, among others, 1995 male grass champion Northern Spur, with Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally, and 2013 Oaklawn Handicap winner Cyber Secret, with the late Lynn Whiting.
Johnson’s biggest career victory to date came with Drogue, a Cella homebred who was a ninelength winner of the $100,000 Fifth Season Stakes in 2014 at Oaklawn. Cyber Secret was second.
“He was such a strong man,” Johnson said of Cella. “He was a fighter, a fighter to the end.”
Cella’s horses in training, who are all with Johnson, will now run under the name of his sons, Louis and John.
Louis Cella, who was named Oaklawn’s president Dec. 20, said his family plans to continue owning horses.
“We’ve always been a part of racing with Dad,” Cella said. “Dad was at the forefront with that, and I see us transitioning into that position as well.”