HORSES TO HORSEPOWERS

John Ben Ali Haggin and his three-time World Champion AMF Offshore Racing team have been invited to bring his famous "Miss GEICO" boats to the state of Kentucky for the annual Kentucky Derby Festival.

In Kentucky, the Haggin family name dates back to 1785 when John Haggin established a racetrack in Harrodsburg, K.Y. His grandson, James Ben Ali Haggin, made his fortune in the mining business out west and later returned to his Kentucky roots by purchasing Elmendorf Farm and assembling over 8,000 acres designed solely for breeding and training Thoroughbreds. One of his horses, Ben Ali, became the winner of the 12th Kentucky Derby. Haggin went on to develop some of the finest bloodlines ever to set foot on American and European tracks. The Haggin family horses such as Salvatore, Firenzi, Water Boy, Hamburg Bell, Miss Woodford, and Star Ruby ruled the tracks in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Haggin family bred horses have been racing and winning in Kentucky ever since. The family interest in racing however did not end with horses. Hurd & Haggin engines were showcased and powered the first APBA Gold Cup speedboat races in 1908 and the Haggin influence has also impacted the aviation industry throughout the 1900's.

John Ben Ali Haggin has now come full circle from "horses to horsepower" with his stable of World Champion Miss GEICO racing boats. For the last four years Haggin has been the most successful racer in the sport of offshore racing. Haggin has played such a pivotal role in the recent expansion of offshore racing that he was honored to take a board position with the prestigious WPPA, World Professional Powerboating Association.

However, don't think that horse racing is out of his blood altogether, as John Ben Ali Haggin is the owner of a one-year-old Thoroughbred called Little Miss G and he has high hopes to someday witness his horse race to fame at Churchill Downs. In the meantime, Haggin will watch and enjoy as his world champion offshore racing boats tear up the water in races throughout the year in its quest for a 4th consecutive World Title.

For more information, please visit missgeicoracing.com