Owner/Breeder, Keeneland Trustee Haggin Dies at 88

Louis Lee Haggin III, a Thoroughbred owner/breeder known for his commitment to Keeneland and to a multitude of Central Kentucky causes, died March 5. He was 88. Haggin embodied the Central Kentucky "hardboot." He did not miss a day of Keeneland racing and enjoyed hunting, fishing, and golf. His deep affection for the Lexington racetrack 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 its chairman. Great-great grandfather James Ben Ali Haggin was a legendary horseman and entrepreneur who founded Elmendorf Farm on Paris Pike. "Keeneland mourns the loss of Louis Lee Haggin III, a beloved figure in Thoroughbred racing and breeding and a pivotal member of the Keeneland family. Mr. Haggin, who served as both a director and Keeneland's longest-serving trustee, leaves a legacy of leadership and service to Keeneland, the horse industry and the Central Kentucky community," said Shannon Arvin, Keeneland's president and CEO. "Mr. Haggin's roots at Keeneland run deep. He followed his father, former Keeneland president and chairman Louis Lee Haggin II, in his commitment to preserve the best of Keeneland's rich traditions. From his mother, Alma Headley Haggin, daughter of Keeneland co-founder and inaugural president Hal Price Headley, who is credited with developing the 'Keeneland look,' Mr. Haggin developed a love of the land and showcasing its beauty. He spent countless hours walking the grounds with esteemed landscape architects George Betsill and Robert Sanders and worked throughout his life to continue his mother's legacy at Keeneland. We do not make a decision about touching a branch of a tree on our grounds without thinking about Mr. Haggin and whether he would approve," she continued. "Mr. Haggin was truly devoted to Keeneland and had a special love for this institution. He was a dear friend to Keeneland and to me, and we will miss his presence and guidance. Keeneland extends our love and deepest condolences to Mrs. Haggin, Louis, Ben, Gay, and the entire Haggin family." Haggin was born in Bakersfield, Calif., and spent his first six months in the Golden State before his family returned to Lexington. Nicknamed "Lutie," the young Haggin showed athletic prowess from an early age, playing basketball, football, and golf in elementary and high 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' active duty in the U.S. Army reserves at Fort Knox, Ky., and Fort Monmouth, N.J. 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 Lexington's Jefferson Smurfit Corp., where he remained until retiring in 1988. Keeneland was a second home to Haggin. While his father ran the front office, Haggin's mother, Alma Headley Haggin, was instrumental in creating Keeneland's sophisticated interiors and parklike grounds. "Every Sunday of Louis Haggin III's young life, a trip to church meant this: a stop at Keeneland 'on the way there and on the way back so Mother could check on things,' " a 2008 Lexington Herald-Leader article noted. From childhood Haggin nurtured an abiding respect for Keeneland and its traditions. "I've grown up with Keeneland and the concept. I understand why it should stay the way it should stay," he told Keeneland Magazine in 2004. Haggin became a Keeneland director in 1971 and a trustee in 1980, retiring from the latter in 2015. Under the mentorship of Betsill, Haggin made many contributions to the aesthetic of Keeneland, including the alley of maples that lines the drive to the Keeneland Clubhouse and the planting of forsythias that ring the track. He also was involved in the development of the Keeneland nursery, where plants are raised to allow the track "to replace without anyone noticing it has been replaced," according to Keeneland Magazine. Like his parents, Haggin never sought accolades for his contributions, preferring to remain behind the scenes. In addition to his involvement with Keeneland, Haggin managed the family's Sycamore Farm. One of his highlights as an owner/breeder was winning Keeneland's first race on Polytrack Oct. 5, 2006, with a horse named Lordly. Other top horses bred and/or raced by Haggin included multiple stakes winner Lordy Lordy (the dam of Lordly); graded-placed, multiple stakes winner I Can't Believe; multiple stakes-placed winner and homebred Pulpit Talk; and stakes-placed winners Tabadabado and Yippety Yip. Haggin also gave generously of his time and organizational skills to an array of institutions and charities. He served on the boards of Cardinal Hill Hospital, Sayre School (chair), Pikeville College, Child Development Centers of the Bluegrass (chair), First Security Bank, and Bank One. The Child Development Centers of the Bluegrass and the K.I.D.S. Group honored Haggin in 1997 "for his tireless efforts on behalf of the children of Central Kentucky." The groups noted: "Anyone who knows Louis is immediately impressed with his forthright communication style, his leadership ability and his integrity." Haggin's family remembers him as a loving husband, father, and grandfather and a good friend to many. He enjoyed lending a hand to friends old and new, whether or not they asked for assistance. He was a member of The Jockey Club, a 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 numerous 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 Farm. In addition, many thanks to Crystal Sandifer and the care-giving group with Companion Healthcare of Lexington. Graveside services will be held March 8 at 11 a.m. at the Lexington Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Sayre School.