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John Ben Ali Haggin and the Famous 'Miss Geico' Boats Head to Kentucky for the Kentucky Derby Festival

Posted on: Thursday, 2 April 2009, 08:23 CDT

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla., April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070131/AMFLOGO )

At the Derby's Opening Ceremony, Thunder over Louisville (April 18, 2009), the Miss GEICO boat will fire up its turbine powered engines and streak along the Ohio River in front of over 700,000 eager thrill-seekers immediately following the Thunder Air Show and before the Thunder fireworks. To witness the neon green Miss GEICO boat traveling at speeds in excess of 175 mph will be an experience no one will forget.

In Kentucky, the Haggin family name dates back to 1785 when John Haggin established a racetrack in Harrodsburg, KY. 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 creating some of the finest bloodlines to set foot on American and European tracks. The Haggin family horses such as Ben Ali, winner of the 12th Kentucky Derby, Salvator, 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. John Ben Ali Haggin has now come full circle from "horses to horsepower" and his stable of World Champion Miss GEICO racing boats will also be prominently featured in the Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade on April 30, 2009 and displayed on the infield at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby & Oaks on May 1-2, 2009.

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.

Contact: Scott Colton 561-963-3438

SOURCE AMF Offshore Racing

Source: PR Newswire

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