A lifelong Thoroughbred owner and breeder, Haggin III managed his family's Sycamore Farm. A great, great grandson of legendary horseman James Ben Ali Haggin, who was also the founder of Elmendorf Farm, Haggin III's grandfather, Hal Price Headley, was among the founders of Keeneland. His father, Louis Lee Haggin II, served as the track's second president and subsequently its chairman.

“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,” read a statement from Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin. “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.

“He joined the Keeneland Board in 1971 and served as a Keeneland Trustee from 1980 until his retirement in 2015. 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.”

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Keeneland's first president, Hal Price Headley, held that position until 1951. The next year, the Alcibiades S. was inaugurated in honor of his exceptional homebred two-time champion. The Kentucky Oaks winner was an even better broodmare than racehorse. Among her best foals were champion and influential sire Menow, while European champion, Epsom Derby winner, and excellent sire Sir Ivor hailed from a line established by her Alabama S.-winning daughter Salaminia.

Headley must have had a proud moment in 1959 when Rash Statement, a granddaughter of Alcibiades bred by his daughter, Alice Chandler, won the race. Another of the mare's granddaughters, Supple, had been third in 1955.

The Alcibiades is in its 20th year of being sponsored by Darley. Four Alcibiades winners have gone on to capture the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, most recently in 2019 (British Idiom).

With 70 previous winners of the Alcibiades, two have already been featured in our “Background Checks” for the GI Test S. and GIII Schuylerville S.; please see those earlier profiles for notes on the sensational Claiborne homebred Moccasin and the instrumental Erdenheim Farms homebred Patelin.

Following are the some of the other most important Alcibiades winners by what impact they have had on the sport through their sons and daughters.

Runway Model (2002, Petionville–Ticket to Houston, by Houston): Her Street Sense son, McKinzie, won four Grade I races and placed in another four. He's a popular new stallion at Gainesway, having bred over 200 mares in his first season at stud, the results of which will first hit the market as weanlings next month. McKinzie's breeder, Summer Wind, had purchased the Everest Stables-bred Runway Model for $2.7 million in 2006 at Keeneland November.

Take Charge Lady (1999, Dehere–Felicita, by Rubiano): Bred by William Schettine, this Broodmare of the Year has been spectacular in her second career. She produced three GISWs–champion Will Take Charge, Take Charge Indy, and As Time Goes By–and her daughters have been tremendous conduits for class. She is the granddam of champion Take Charge Brandi, MGISW and young sire Omaha Beach, and this year's 23-length GIII Dwyer S. winner and GI Florida Derby runner-up Charge It. Take Charge Lady famously sold for $4.2 million in 2004; daughter Lady Take Charge sold for $3.2 million in 2015; daughter I'll Take Charge for $2.2 million in 2013; daughter Charming for $3.2 million in 2006; and granddaughter Take Charge Brandi has sold three times as a broodmare for a combined total of $10,350,000.

Cara Rafaela (1993, Quiet American–Oil Fable, by Spectacular Bid): Mike G. Rutherford bred and sold this lovely gray, whose fifth foal, champion and Classic winner Bernardini, propelled her to Broodmare of the Year honors in 2006. Despite siring a number of top runners, Bernardini's heaviest impact seems as if it will be through his daughters and he currently leads the broodmare sire list in North America. Bernardini died at only 18 in 2021; Cara Rafaela is also the granddam of MGISW Love and Pride.

Eliza (1990, Mt. Livermore–Daring Bidder, by Bold Bidder): An Allen Paulson homebred during his decade or so reign at the top of the sport, Eliza initially didn't have much success as a broodmare, but a growing number of stakes performers trace to her. Most significant is GI Florida Derby winner and current top 30 active North American sire of 2022, Dialed In.

Spinning Round (1989, Dixieland Band–Take Heart, by Secretariat): Her first daughter, Dream Supreme, won the GI Test, GI Ballerina, and more, then made the transition into a lovely producer of three stakes winners, the best of which was 2007 GI Hopeful S. winner Majestic Warrior, now a stallion in Japan. Spinning Round, also granddam of Peruvian champion Kung Fu Mambo (Arg), was bred in Florida by Kinsman Stud Farm.

Reigning 2yo filly champ Echo Zulu traces to the 1956 Alcibiades winner | Coady

Silent Account (1983, Private Account–Ciao, by Silent Screen): Several nice stakes winners trace to this Mill Ridge Farm-bred winner, the best of which is $4.2-million Whisper Hill purchase Plum Pretty, whose wins included the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Apple Blossom H.

Fairway Fun (1962, Prince John–Fast Line, by Mr. Busher): This Elmendorf-bred mare might be the most prolific stakes producer of the Alcibiades aggregate. She produced four black-type winners herself–MGSW Fairway Flyer (who also won the Clark H. as a 3-year-old filly over older males before the graded system kicked in), GSW Torsion, SW & MGSP Fairway Fable, and SW Fun Forever–as well as quite a number of top-notch descendants, including European champion Muhtathir (GB) and GISW and producer Cara Rafaela (above).

Journalette (1959, Summer Tan–Manzana, by Count Fleet): Leslie Combs II and Brownell Combs bred the 1961 winner, whose only two foals were 1972 champion older mare Typecast and additional SW Society Column. The former produced Japanese champion Pretty Cast, while the latter produced G1 Irish St. Leger winner Leading Counsel and has an eye-catching 75 stakes performers tracing to her.

Leallah (1954, Nasrullah {GB}–Lea Lark, Bull Lea): Champion Echo Zulu; Breeders' Cup winner Singletary; MGISW Voodoo Dancer; GISWs Engine One, Sippican Harbor, Pool Play, and Echo Town; and English G1 winner Peter Davies are just a few of the more modern stakes winners tracing to Leallah. Bred by Charlton Clay, the mare's most successful runner among her immediate offspring was MSW Go Marching, who won a trio of turf stakes that would eventually be graded.

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Working at The Blood-Horse at the time, I received a call inquiring if the publication would be interested in any items. As the library there was bursting at the seams, the short answer was no.

But … I would come take a look.

Searching through boxes, I found a set of old, old stud books and decided to take them. Surely I could find a place somewhere.

That somewhere ended up being in my office.

Six months later, I had cause to look up something in one of those books. Sitting down with worn leather bindings in my hands, I noticed writing inside the front cover. There in cursive was the name Hal Price Headley.

I phoned his daughter, Alice Chandler, at her Mill Ridge Farm, and we had a wonderful conversation–one of many over the years–about the books.

Hal Price Headley was a co-founder and former president of Keeneland and we figured they were in his office and later boxed up and put in the library, as were many of his archives.

I could feel Alice's warm smile through the phone lines as we chatted.

I offered to bring the books to her, but in typical Alice fashion, she insisted that I keep them. She said her Daddy–she always called him that–would be happy with them on my shelves.

Years later, the day I learned The Blood-Horse was moving from its longtime home on Alexandria Drive to Beaumont Centre Circle, the first person I phoned with the news was Alice.

It was fun telling her that her Daddy's books were coming home, so to speak. Beaumont Centre is named for Hal Price Headley's Beaumont Farm, which once encompassed 4,000 acres of land outside Lexington.

Today Lexington has grown well past Beaumont.

Alice, who died this week at 95, took part of the old family land and developed Mill Ridge, now overseen by her children and grandchildren.

Alice Chandler was a pioneer in the Thoroughbred industry, as has been beautifully recounted in recent days. Sure, she and I often discussed racing, breeding, sales, industry topics, etc., but most often we loved to chat about the history of the game, the days of Sir Ivor, whom she bred, and when stallions covered maybe 32 mares in a season.

She was a great storyteller. Seems her Daddy taught her well.

And, just as her Daddy was aware of continued industry success by passing along his land to his daughter, she, too, knew the future of her family in the business was secure.

I will miss Alice Chandler, but there is much comfort in that thought.

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Chandler founded Mill Ridge Farm in 1962, and built it into one of Kentucky's major breeding farms. She became one of the most respected figures of her time in the sport of racing.

With many leadership roles in numerous equine organizations, Chandler served as chairperson of the University of Kentucky Equine Research Committee and president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association. She also served as director of the Breeders' Cup, Keeneland Association, and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

In 2009, Chandler received the Eclipse Award of Merit, and in 2006 was recognized by the Kentucky State Senate for her service and contributions to the racing and breeding industry. Most recently, Chandler was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in the category of Pillars of the Turf for 2020, which recognizes people “who have made extraordinary contributions to Thoroughbred racing in a leadership or pioneering capacity at the highest national level” and includes her father, Hal Price Headley.

When Chandler stepped down from her leadership position at Mill Ridge Farm in 2008, she said, “I have lived a blessed life, doing just what I want to do: associate with the finest horses, clients, friends, and an industry that I love.”

Chandler is survived by her husband of 49 years, Dr. John Chandler; her children Patricia, Mike, Reynolds and Headley; eight grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Following is a statement from Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin on Chandler's passing:

“Keeneland mourns the passing of Alice Headley Chandler, Racing Hall of Famer and owner of nearby Mill Ridge Farm who served as a guiding light that helped shape the success of Keeneland. Mrs. Chandler was an exceptional horsewoman who devoted her talents to caring for her beloved Mill Ridge, its horses and clientele, and her dear friends and family. Respected by horsemen internationally, she was a tireless ambassador for the Thoroughbred industry and applied her leadership skills to make extraordinary contributions for the betterment of the sport.

“Mrs. Chandler's life is inextricably linked to Keeneland. Her father, fellow Racing Hall of Famer Hal Price Headley, was Keeneland's co-founder and first president, and she grew up at the track. Following his death in 1962, Mrs. Chandler established Mill Ridge, which she developed into a leading breeding and sales operation grounded by her father's philosophy of making the horse the priority.

“Throughout her life, Mrs. Chandler played a pivotal role in Keeneland's history. She bred 1968 Epsom Derby winner Sir Ivor, whom Mill Ridge sold at the 1966 Keeneland July Selected Yearling Sale for $42,000 to Raymond Guest. The colt's achievements boosted Keeneland's reputation as an international auction house. While operating Mill Ridge, Mrs. Chandler held numerous industry leadership positions and continued her father's service to Keeneland. She was a member of the track's Board of Directors for 23 years. In 2012, Mill Ridge's racing colors appeared on the Keeneland Club button, an honor that recognizes prominent members of the industry.

“Mrs. Chandler was among the 2020 inductees in the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame as a selection in the category of Pillars of the Turf, which recognizes people 'who have made extraordinary contributions to Thoroughbred racing in a leadership or pioneering capacity at the highest national level.'

“Mrs. Chandler also was named the 2005 Honor Guest for the Thoroughbred Club of America's annual Testimonial Dinner.

“Mrs. Chandler was a pioneer in our industry in many ways, and her lifelong motto of 'Take care of the horse, and it will take care of you' represents an important part of her legacy both at Mill Ridge Farm and at Keeneland. Keeneland extends its deepest condolences to Alice's husband, Dr. John Chandler; sons Headley Bell, Mike Bell and Reynolds Bell, and daughter, Patricia “Tish” Bell, and her entire family.”

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And that's not just because of the consolations available in remembrance of a wonderful character or celebration of her wonderful achievements. For this iconic Kentucky horsewoman was always animated by a daily contribution, decade after decade, to a collective endeavor that transcends even lives as impressive in scope and achievement as the one that began in her hometown of Lexington on January 16, 1926. And if the Headley clan has resonated in the breeding of Thoroughbreds for nearly two centuries, few horsemen of any name or background will ever match the personal legacy she created within her allotted stewardship.

As long as the breed continues, Alice Headley Chandler will be honored: explicitly, among those curious to chart its long history; and vicariously, among the many more who will always recognize Sir Ivor as a transformative name in its genetic evolution.

For the two, opposing themes that were uniquely combined in Chandler—cherished simultaneously as a link in a venerable family chain, and as a pioneer for the whole industry—were aptly condensed by this horse. On the one hand, he represented personal legacy: Chandler famously bred Sir Ivor from a mare bequeathed by her father. At the same time, he became an immediate symbol for what a woman could achieve, given the opportunity, in a conservative and patriarchal walk of life. As though born as a pathfinder towards modernity, he became the first American-bred Epsom Derby winner bought at public auction. In the process, he launched the era of international commerce that has sustained the bloodstock industry ever since—a revolution in which Chandler and her family would continue to share, notably when selling a $9.7 million Storm Cat colt, later Group 2 winner Jalil, at Keeneland in 2005.

Lester Piggott on Sir Ivor, led by Princess Caroline Murat after winning the Epsom Derby at Epsom Downs Racecourse, UK, 4th June 1968 | Getty Images

Yet both Sir Ivor and his breeder were also a credit to continuity, to bloodlines and inherited lore that had been patiently cultivated to stand the test of time.

Chandler bred him from Attica, a daughter of Mahmoud's largely forgotten son Mr. Trouble. The stallion had himself been sold in 1962 as part of the dispersal of stock owned by her father Hal Price Headley, who had been a key figure in the foundation of Keeneland and served as its first president from 1936 to 1951. Attica was one of just four mares he had left her, along with a parcel of 268 acres down the road from Keeneland. This, remember, out of a Beaumont Farm estate that had extended past 4,000 acres by the time of his death. Yet this would become the nucleus of an international brand, and a recognized symbol for integrity, heritage and excellence: Mill Ridge Farm.

In 1964, Chandler sent Attica to Sir Gaylord at Claiborne, where Bull Hancock was proving a valuable source not only of sage counsel but also of some early business, sending a few overflow mares to Mill Ridge. Chandler, to that extent, was certainly comfortable with the Bluegrass Establishment. But arguably her success duly made more substantial inroads on its misogynists than could more flagrant feminist campaigns of the 1960s. Because anyone, however set in their ways, could see that this woman owed her success to a tireless work ethic, elite standards of horsemanship, and a rare sensitivity to the rhythms of Nature.

Like the Hancocks, Chandler's father had played an important role in sowing the American breed with European Classic blood. In 1929, he had imported Pharamond II (GB) as a conduit for the core bloodlines of the breed-shaping stud assembled by the 17th Earl of Derby. At the time Pharamond began his Kentucky career, the star of Headley's stable was the champion filly Alcibiades. In 1934, he paired the two to produce Menow, the champion juvenile who later became sire of Tom Fool (and so grandsire of Buckpasser). Two years later, Alcibiades was sent to War Admiral and produced Salaminia, a high-class stayer. When herself mated with Pharamond, Salaminia produced Athenia, the dam of Attica.

In a way, then, the reverse passage of Sir Ivor was just another phase in the constant, mutual regeneration between the transatlantic gene pools. As it happens, it was Bull Hancock who purchased Attica's Sir Gaylord yearling on behalf of Raymond Guest, American Ambassador to Ireland, for $42,000 at the Keeneland July Sale of 1966. “He was a May 5 foal, a tall horse, just a little bit slab-sided,” Chandler remembered later. The colt still had some growing to do, but was sent to Vincent O'Brien in Ireland.

And that was how O'Brien and his son-in-law John Magnier discovered in Sir Ivor a template for the commercial transfer of the speed-carrying dirt genes to the demands of Classic racing on turf. Shortly after Sir Ivor won the Derby, O'Brien came back to America and bought a Northern Dancer colt for $84,000. (His dam, incidentally, was out of a Menow mare.) Two years later, as Nijinsky, he became the last winner of the English Triple Crown.

Besides his role as a pathfinder, Sir Ivor would also have a great genetic influence—notably as a broodmare sire, just like his sire and also his sire's half-brother Secretariat. Daughters of Sir Ivor, for instance, produced Green Desert and El Prado to become breed-shaping sires.

Mill Ridge | Eclipse Sportswire

Happily, Chandler was able to make the journey to Epsom, along with her mother Genevieve Molloy and her son Mike—who ended up dangling from a beam in Guest's box, to see over everyone's heads. After the race, no doubt, they must have remembered how Chandler's father had been forced to quit Princeton as a sophomore in 1908 when news came that his own father, Hal Pettit Headley, had suffered a stroke. Someone was needed to take over the farm, and he had shown a flair for horses even as a 14-year-old, when taking 1897 Kentucky Derby runner-up Ornament and 16 other Thoroughbreds to the World's Fair in St. Louis. He came back with a blue ribbon and $4,600 in prizes.

His, in turn, would eventually be an abrupt and premature departure, following a heart attack. But in the meantime he left an indelible stamp on his daughter, who inherited his reverence for the land and for the nuances of all husbandry. He raised cattle and tobacco, as well as horses, and did so with a respect that has filtered through to his grandson and great-grandson, so pivotal to the development of Horse Country tours.

Chandler's father allowed her to embrace life on the farm to the full. On one occasion she was found asleep with a pony when still a toddler. “He never said 'don't do it, 'cause you might get hurt',” Chandler remembered once. If that meant shooting craps with the grooms on the tack room floor, that was fine—though she had to renounce her winnings when she came home at lunch and announced that she had just won $600 and an automobile from the jockey Smokey Saunders.

“I went with Daddy as much as I could because I loved doing all the things he loved to do,” Chandler recalled. “Herding cattle, and breaking yearlings, all that kind of stuff, checking the tobacco.” The staff connived with her sense of adventure, too. “They let me do anything I wanted, I tried it all,” she said. “We used to sneak onto yearlings before they got broken.”

She missed all that, when sent away to convent school in Cincinnati, and later to schools in Virginia and Connecticut. But for the same reason she loved summers back on the farm; and hunting in winter; and, when Keeneland opened, she would go down there with Daddy at 4 a.m.

Chandler did have some time away from Lexington, raising four children—a daughter Patricia (“Tish”) plus three boys who all found careers in the Thoroughbred industry, in Mike, Headley and Reynolds Jr.—from her first marriages. (One evidently a rather callow wartime engagement; another to Reynolds Bell, himself from a family of horsemen but for a time then working in oil down in Texas.) But she had returned in 1959, and poor Mike was holding a shank when her father collapsed in front of him after breezing horses at Keeneland in 1962. He was 73. “But, boy!” Chandler would say. “A lot of miles! He didn't walk, he ran.”

Her marriage in 1970 to the South African-born veterinarian, Dr. John Chandler, would open up new horizons for Mill Ridge. Having arrived via Newmarket, and himself central to the development of Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte empire, he had an important role in developing an overseas client base. In time Mill Ridge imported Diesis (GB) from Europe to become another important transatlantic influence (three daughters won the Epsom Oaks) alongside a significant indigenous stallion in Gone West.

Emulating her father, Chandler became a respected industry leader. She served on the Keeneland Board for 23 years, and was also a director of the Breeders' Cup, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders' Association. She chaired the University of Kentucky Equine Research Foundation, and was president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, and also served stints with the Equine Drug Council and Gluck Research Center. In 2006, Chandler was recognized by the Kentucky State Senate for her lifelong dedication to the community and to the equine industry; and three years later received the Eclipse Award of Merit.

Chandler's son Headley Bell, and his son, Price, at Mill Ridge | Eclipse Sportswire

Chandler was inducted to the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Racing only last year, as a “Pillar of the Turf” alongside her father, who had preceded her by a couple of years. This distinction had by then become a little poignant, as Chandler had lately been suffering from dementia, though tended devotedly by her caregivers and a large and loving family circle. In the event, of course, the ceremony was postponed anyway because of the pandemic. But her delayed induction will now become a chance to honor one treasured by the whole Bluegrass community, during her long and illustrious prime, as one of the most vivid and accomplished horsewomen in the story of the Thoroughbred.

Breeders will be indebted to her for as long as they continue to puzzle over pedigrees. Remember that Attica's son was not just a mighty broodmare sire himself, but that his daughters appear to have passed a similar potency to their sons. Alzao and Shareef Dancer, for instance, have respectively given us the dams of Deep Impact and Dubai Millennium.

But Alice could be still prouder of her very own genetic bequest. Her son Headley took over the running of Mill Ridge in 2008, and grandson Price was last year named general manager. Adhering scrupulously to her one, non-negotiable axiom—”take care of the horse, and the horse will take care of you”—they have maintained the farm as a thriving presence in the modern industry: it has raised 36 Grade I winners since 2000, including Horses of the Year Point Given (Thunder Gulch) and Havre De Grace (Saint Liam). Headley and Price named their Nicoma Bloodstock for one of the first mares Alice purchased, while they have recently revived the farm's stallion story by launching Oscar Performance (Kitten's Joy). As a top-class turf miler, he has every right to write a new chapter in the farm's international story. Fittingly, he extends the El Prado line—and so the legacy of Sir Ivor as a broodmare sire.

When she handed over the Mill Ridge reins in 2008, Chandler declared: “I have lived a blessed life, doing just what I want to do: associate with the finest horses, clients, friends, and an industry that I love.” Thanks to her, however, countless others have shared that same sense of benediction.

No doubt these will now pay tributes of due eloquence. But it is comforting to recall that many such were offered when Alice could still be touched by them herself, as the honor guest of the Thoroughbred Club of America in 2005. Tellingly, she was only the third female to receive this distinction, at its 74th testimonial dinner, following Mrs. Payne Whitney in 1939 and Isabel Dodge Sloan in 1951. Earlier that year, John Shirreffs had saddled the Mill Ridge graduate Giacomo (Holy Bull) to win the Derby—108 years after Chandler's grandfather had been foiled by just a neck with Ornament. (“Daddy” had tried 13 times, to no avail.) So Shirreffs spoke for many in explaining why he was often seen wearing a Mill Ridge cap, and it feels fitting to leave the last word to one who operates in the same rarefied register of horsemanship.

“Alice Chandler does it right,” Shirreffs said. “Her standards and attention to detail are special. The cap symbolizes for me the finest quality of horsemanship: the price of being a craftsman, the patience of a shepherd, and the creativity of an artist.”

Chandler is survived by her husband of 49 years, Dr. John Chandler; her children Patricia, Mike, Reynolds and Headley; 8 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

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