Louis Lee Haggin III, a thoroughbred owner/breeder known for his commitment to Keeneland and from a multitude of causes in Central Kentucky, he died March 5, at the age of eighty-eight years.
Haggin is the embodiment of the Central Kentucky “hardboot”. He never missed a day of Keeneland racing and enjoyed hunting, fishing and golf. His deep affection for the Lexington track came naturally: His grandfather Hal Price Headley helped found Keeneland while his father, Louis Lee Haggin II, was the track’s second president and later owner. its president. Great-grandfather James Ben Ali Haggin was a legendary horseman and businessman who founded Elmendorf Ranch on Paris Pike.
“Keeneland mourns the passing of Louis Lee Haggin III, a beloved figure in thoroughbred racing and breeding, and a key member of the Keeneland family. Mr. Haggin, who was both a director and is Keeneland’s longest-serving trustee, leaving behind a legacy of leadership and service to Keeneland, the horse industry and the Central Kentucky community,” said Shannon Arvin, president and CEO of Keeneland. know.
“Mr. Haggin’s roots at Keeneland are deep. He followed the example of his father, former Keeneland president and president Louis Lee Haggin II, in his commitment to preserving Keeneland’s richest traditions. From his mother, Alma Headley Haggin, daughter of Keeneland co-founder and inaugural chairman Hal Price Headley, who is credited with developing the ‘Keeneland look’, Mr. Haggin developed a love of the land and embodied the its beauty. He spent countless hours walking the grounds with esteemed landscape architects George Betsill and Robert Sanders and worked all his life to continue his mother’s legacy at Keeneland. They I don’t make the decision to touch a tree branch on my property without thinking about Mr. Haggin and whether or not he would approve,” she continued.
“Mr. Haggin was truly devoted to Keeneland and had a special love for this organization. He was a dear friend to Keeneland and to me, and we will miss his presence and guidance. Keeneland sends his love love and deepest condolences to Mrs. Haggin, Louis, Ben, Gay and the entire Haggins family.”
Haggin was born in Bakersfield, California, and spent his first six months in the Golden State before his family returned to Lexington. Nicknamed “Lutie”, young Haggin showed athletic prowess from an early age, playing basketball, soccer and golf in elementary and middle school.
He attended Sayre School and graduated from Salisbury School in Connecticut, then attended the University of Kentucky, where he received a degree in agriculture. The day after graduation, Haggin married Bettie Boswell Hodgkin, then served six months on active duty in the U.S. Army reserves at Fort Knox, Ky., and Fort Monmouth, NJ.
In 1960, Haggin began his career in industrial packaging, becoming general manager of Alton Box Board Co.’s Lexington plant. In 1970, Mr. Haggin opened Jefferson Smurfit Corporation of Lexington, where he worked until his retirement in 1988.
Keeneland is Haggin’s second home. While his father ran the front office, Haggin’s mother, Alma Headley Haggin, was instrumental in creating Keeneland’s sophisticated interiors and park-like grounds.
A 2008 Lexington Herald-Leader article noted: “Every Sunday in the young life of Louis Haggin III, a trip to church meant something like this: stopping at Keeneland ‘on the way there and on the way home so I can check everything’”.
From childhood Haggin nurtured a lasting respect for Keeneland and its traditions.
“I grew up with Keeneland and the concept. I understand why it should stay the way it is,” he told Keeneland Magazine in 2004.
Haggin became a director of Keeneland in 1971 and a trustee in 1980, retiring in 2015. Under Betsill’s guidance, Haggin made many contributions to the aesthetic beauty of Keeneland, including both the maple-filled alley along the path to Keeneland Assembly Hall and the planting of forsythias surrounding the path. According to Keeneland Magazine, he was also involved in the development of the Keeneland nursery, where trees were planted to allow the track to be “replaced without anyone realizing that it had been replaced”.
Like his parents, Haggin never sought praise for his contributions, preferring to stay behind the scenes.
In addition to his involvement with Keeneland, Haggin also manages the family’s Sycamore Ranch. One of his highlights as owner/breeder was winning Keeneland’s first race on Polytrack on October 5, 2006 with a horse named Lordly. Other top horses bred and/or raced by Haggin include multiple stakes winner Lordy Lordy (dam of Lordly); ranked winner, multiple bets I can’t believe it; multiple stakes winner and thoroughbred Pulpit Talk; and bet winners Tababado and Yippety Yip.
Haggin also generously donated his time and organizational skills to a range of organizations and charities. He serves on the boards of Cardinal Hill Hospital, Sayre School (chairman), Pikeville College, Bluegrass Child Development Center (chairman), First Security Bank and One Bank.
The Child Development Center of the Bluegrass and KIDS Corporation honored Haggin in 1997 “for his tireless efforts on behalf of the children of Central Kentucky.”
“Anyone who knew Louis was immediately impressed with his straightforward communication style, leadership and integrity,” the groups noted.
Haggin’s family remembers him as a loving husband, father, grandfather and a good friend to many. He enjoys helping friends old and new, whether they ask for help or not.
He was a member of the Jockey Club, Life Member of the Keeneland Club, Idle Hour Country Club and First Presbyterian Church.
He is survived by his wife, Bettie Boswell, and three children: Louis Lee Haggin IV (Elizabeth); Margaret Gay Haggin Van Meter; and James Ben Ali Haggin (Mary Wis); grandchildren Louis Lee Haggin V (Charlotte), William Cabot Potter Haggin, Chenault Browning Van Meter Tuck (Michael), George Headley Van Meter (Leonie), James Ben Ali Haggin II; great-grandson John Pehr Haggin; sisters Martha Broadbent, Alma Ethington and Anne Graham; and many nieces and nephews.
The family would also like to thank special friends Darrell Varner, Gary Varner, Vicky Scott, Shirley Holbrook and Loretta Clayton from Sycamore Farms. Also, a big thank you to Crystal Sandifer and the Companion Healthcare of Lexington care team.
Graveside services will be held March 8 at 11 a.m. at Lexington Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Sayre School.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
