KENTUCKY HORSE RACING AND GAMING CORPORATION

Dr. Mundy, a 1983 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College, is the Equine Medical Director for KHRG. He previously worked for KHRG's predecessor agency from 1990-1997, including a five-year term as Chief Veterinarian, where he oversaw veterinary staff, drug testing programs, and medication compliance. His work between stints with Kentucky's racing regulator included time as General Manager and Resident Veterinarian at Hill 'n' Dale Farms and General Manager and Director of Stallion Administration at Adena Springs Farm. Immediately preceding his current role as Equine Medical Director, Dr. Mundy served as the Equine Safety Officer at Keeneland, where he worked directly with the Vice President of Equine Safety to develop, implement, and oversee all aspects of equine safety at Keeneland's racetrack and training facilities. Dr. Mundy is a past chairman of the American Association of Equine Practitioners Racing Regulatory Committee and has researched and presented on equine issues for decades. He has devoted his career to the health and safety of racehorses.

Phone: 859-246-2040

Email: George.Mundy@ky.gov

Brian Nesselrode (Office Manager)

Phone: 502-782-8534

Email: Brian.Nesselrode@ky.gov

Alicia Ritter (EDRC Executive Administrative Secretary)

Phone: 502-545-3212

Email: Alicia.Ritter@ky.gov

Joey Went (Staff Attorney)

Phone: 859-246-2040

Email: joey.went@ky.gov

Incentives & Development Division

Drew Conners (Director of Incentives and Development)

Phone: 859-246-2847, Press 1

Email: Drew.Conners@ky.gov

Hogan Cole (Standardbred Program Coordinator)

Email: hogan.cole@ky.gov

Melanie Mader (Data Analyst & Administrative Coordinator)

Email: melanie.mader@ky.gov

Racing Licensing Division

Hannah Belitz (Licensing Administrator)

Phone: 859-797-9194

Email: hannah.belitz@ky.gov

Vanessa Magallanes (Racing License Administrator)

Phone: 817-905-0425

Email: Vanessa.Magallanes@ky.gov

Betty Moran (Racing License Administrator)

Phone: 502-782-8565

Email: betty.moran@ky.gov

Brittany Sparks (Racing License Administrator)

Phone: 502-330-6509

Email: brittany.sparks@ky.gov

Van Thang (Racing License Administrator)

Email: van.thang@ky.gov

Enforcement Division

Paul Brooker (Director of Enforcement)

Phone: 859-227-9644

Email: paul.brooker@ky.gov

Daniel Assef (Investigator II)

Email: daniel.assef@ky.gov

Shannon Garner (Investigator II)

Email: shannon.garner@ky.gov

Daniel Hyland (Investigator)

Email: Daniel.Hyland@ky.gov

Bryan Tolson (Investigator II)

Email: bryan.tolson@ky.gov

Gaming Division

Travers Manley (Senior Vice President of Gaming & Media Relations)

Phone: 859-246-2040

Email: Travers.Manley@ky.gov

Melissa Combs-Wright (Director of Pari-Mutuel Wagering)

Email: melissa.combswright@ky.gov

Hannah Simms (Director of Sports Wagering)

Email: Hannah.Simms@ky.gov

Carol Deeble (Gaming Licensing and Administration Coordinator)

Email: Carol.Deeble@ky.gov

Jael Gago (Gaming Compliance Coordinator)

Email: Jael.Gago@ky.gov

Jennifer Moreland (Gaming Compliance Analyst)

Email: Jennifer.Moreland@ky.gov

Tyler Sisk (Gaming Compliance Coordinator)

Email: Tyler.Sisk@ky.gov

Pari-Mutuel Wagering Communications

Email: KHRC.Reports@ky.gov

Sports Wagering Communications

Email: KHRC.SportsWagering@ky.gov

State Stewards

Barbara Borden (Senior Vice President of Racing & Chief State Steward)

Email: barbara.borden@ky.gov

Brooks "Butch" Becraft (State Steward)

Email: brooks.becraft@ky.gov

Beth Bungert (Safety Steward)

Phone: 859-894-5184

Email: beth.bungert@ky.gov

Casey Larson (Presiding Judge & Mare Inspector)

Phone: 270-984-4340

Email: Casey.Larson@ky.gov

Veterinary Services

Dr. Nicholas Smith (Chief Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Smith, a 2007 graduate of Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, has served as Chief Racing Veterinarian for KHRG since 2020, managing daily operations of the Division of Veterinary Services across Kentucky's racetracks and presenting veterinary reports at KHRG meetings. He joined KHRG as a Racing Veterinarian in 2011. His earlier career included stable veterinary work in Dubai, UAE, and ambulatory practice at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, along with part-time service as a Veterinary Medical Officer for USDA APHIS's Horse Protection Program. Dr. Smith serves on the AAEP Racing Committee, the HISA Veterinary Advisory Committee, and is a member of the International Group of Racing Regulatory Veterinarians. He holds veterinary licenses in Kentucky and California, and has previously been licensed in Florida, New York, Maryland, and Ontario.

Email: Nick.Smith@ky.gov

Dr. Brent Cassady (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Cassady, a 2007 graduate of Auburn University, has served as a Racing Veterinarian for KHRG since 2018, following an earlier term from 2010 to 2014. Between his two tenures with Kentucky's racing regulator, he served as a Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer with USDA APHIS Veterinary Services in Atlanta and as an Association Veterinarian at both Del Mar and Golden Gate Fields in California. His experience also includes associate veterinary work in Lexington, Kentucky, and in Scone, New South Wales, Australia. Dr. Cassady holds a B.S. in Equine Science from Colorado State University and brings broad regulatory and clinical experience across multiple racing jurisdictions to his work protecting equine athletes.

Email: brent.cassady@ky.gov

Dr. Emily Crow (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Crow, a 2005 graduate of Kansas State University, has served as a Racing Veterinarian for KHRG since April 2023, following an earlier stint with KHRG from 2013 to 2015. Over the course of her career, she has performed regulatory veterinary duties at eleven racetracks across five states, including postings with the Texas Racing Commission, Virginia Racing Commission, and Arizona Racing Commission. From 2015 to 2016, she served as Deputy and Interim Veterinary Medical Director for the Texas Racing Commission, supervising staff and representing the department in the regulation of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing. She has also served as a veterinary consultant for Breeders' Cup qualifying races at Kentucky Downs. Prior to her regulatory career, Dr. Crow owned and operated a private equine practice in Texas. She is dedicated to improving the safety and integrity of horse racing through consistent, proven protocols.

Email: emily.crow@ky.gov

Dr. Constance Gorman (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Gorman is a 2017 graduate of Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. Before coming to KHRG, she worked as an Associate Veterinarian at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute following a one-year field care internship there. Her practice has spanned reproductive veterinary work at Thoroughbred breeding farms, diagnostic imaging and physical examinations for sales consignors, and backup racetrack coverage, including furosemide administration, lameness examinations, and emergency care. She also has provided treatment veterinarian coverage at FEI, USEF, and USDA-sanctioned events and served as the primary export veterinarian for international shipments. Dr. Gorman previously practiced as an ad locum veterinarian in New Zealand. She currently serves as a Foundation Council Member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and is licensed in Kentucky, New York, Florida, and New Zealand.

Email: Constance.Gorman@ky.gov

Dr. Lyndsay Hagemeyer (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Hagemeyer, a 2021 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, has served as a Racing Veterinarian for KHRG since November 2023. She previously served as an Association Racing Veterinarian at Horseshoe Indianapolis and at Belterra Park in Cincinnati, where she also served as Racetrack Safety Director, chairing the track's Equine Safety and Welfare Committee and overseeing the implementation of HISA regulations into daily operations. Her background includes an ambulatory internship at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital and associate veterinary work at Equine Veterinary Services in Wilmington, Ohio. Dr. Hagemeyer also owns Essential Equine LLC, providing contract regulatory and private equine veterinary services. A longtime member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, she brings a deep commitment to equine welfare and safety on and off the track.

Email: Lyndsay.Hagemeyer@ky.gov

Dr. Louis Johnson (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Johnson, a 1983 graduate of Auburn University, has served as a Racing Veterinarian with KHRG since 2014. He spent the majority of his career as owner of a solo equine veterinary practice in Lexington, Kentucky, from 1997 to 2014, providing general medicine, reproductive services, herd health, and lameness care to farms across Fayette County, including world-class American Saddlebred show horses. He previously served as Resident Equine Veterinarian at Saxony Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, and as an associate veterinarian at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. Earlier in his career, Dr. Johnson was a partner at Blue Ridge Equine Clinic in Virginia and completed a rotating clinical internship at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.

Email: Louis.Johnson@ky.gov

Dr. Yolanda Lopez Macias (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Lopez Macias, a 2016 graduate of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, has served as a Racing Veterinarian for KHRG since 2025, overseeing horses during training and racing to ensure compliance with HISA requirements. She previously held this role with the Virginia Racing Commission beginning in 2022. Her clinical training includes a Large Animal Medicine internship at the University of Minnesota and an equine internship at Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center, along with an externship at Brandon Equine Medical Center. She also trained alongside senior veterinarians in private practice while attending veterinary school in Mexico City. Fluent in both Spanish and English, Dr. Lopez Macias has pursued extensive continuing education in equine lameness and imaging with particular professional interests in sports medicine and internal medicine.

Email: Yolanda.LopezMacias@ky.gov

Dr. Sarah Padilla (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Padilla, a 2007 graduate of Michigan State University, has served as a Racing Veterinarian for KHRG since 2016. In this role, she is responsible for regulatory medicine duties including pre-race examinations, on-track soundness monitoring, emergency response, and test barn oversight, and works closely with trainers and private veterinarians to evaluate horses on the vet's list. Prior to joining KHRG, Dr. Padilla spent eight years as an associate veterinarian with Daryl G. Easley & Associates in Lexington, performing lameness examinations, diagnostic imaging, and generalized racetrack medicine. A graduate of Albion College summa cum laude and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, she brings two decades of experience in equine sports medicine to her work protecting the health and safety of racehorses.

Email: sarah.padilla@ky.gov

Dr. Alison (Kate) Painter (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Painter, a 2000 graduate of Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine, has served as a Racing Veterinarian for KHRG since March 2018. Earlier in her career, she spent over a decade as a Resident Veterinarian, Assistant Trainer, and Farm Manager at Blue Spruce Farm. Her experience also includes relief veterinary work at Charles Town Racetrack and Carroll-Butler Veterinary Services and associate practice at Valley Equine Associates. Dr. Painter holds a B.S. in Animal Sciences from the University of Kentucky.

Email: kate.painter@ky.gov

Dr. John Peloso (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Peloso, a 1987 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College, recently joined KHRG as a Racing Veterinarian following a distinguished career in equine orthopedic surgery. He completed a three-year equine residency and master's program at Michigan State University, becoming a board-certified equine surgeon, and served as a staff surgeon at Texas A&M University before returning to private practice in Kentucky. In 2003, he co-founded the Equine Medical Center of Ocala in Florida, where he practiced for over 20 years as an orthopedic surgeon with a focused research interest in advanced imaging, including standing MRI and nuclear scintigraphy in the Thoroughbred racehorse. Dr. Peloso has spent three decades researching musculoskeletal injury in the racing Thoroughbred, publishing and speaking internationally on strategies to limit racing injuries through early screening and identification.

Email: John.Peloso@ky.gov

Dr. Arielle Stith (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Stith, a 2021 graduate of the Royal Veterinary College in London, has served as a Racing Veterinarian for KHRG since 2025, overseeing race-day Lasix administration, lameness evaluations, and test barn responsibilities. Before earning her veterinary degree, she spent over a decade working directly in Thoroughbred racing as an exercise rider and assistant trainer for major racing stables, and as a veterinary technician supporting pre-race protocols and diagnostics. Following graduation, she practiced as an associate veterinarian with EquiVet and Kentucky Equine Medical Associates, administering treatments, performing pre-purchase examinations at major Thoroughbred sales, and managing emergency care for racehorses. Her unique background spans both the horsemanship and veterinary sides of the industry.

Email: Arielle.Stith@ky.gov

Dr. Emma Adam (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Adam, a 1993 graduate of the Royal Veterinary College with a Ph.D. in cartilage biology from the University of Kentucky, is a board-certified specialist in both internal medicine and surgery, holding Diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. She serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center, where her work spans stakeholder outreach, collaborative research, and continuing education for the equine industry. She has worked as a part-time weekend Racing Veterinarian for KHRG since 2023. Her career includes clinical surgery and internal medicine positions in the United States, France, Australia, and the United Kingdom, along with earlier experience as stable staff and assistant trainer for a champion horse trainer in Newmarket. Dr. Adam currently serves as Vice President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and sits on the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners’ Board and the Horserace Betting Levy Board Veterinary Advisory Committee.

Dr. David Harris (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Harris, a 1982 graduate of Auburn University, has served as a Racing Veterinarian for the KHRG since 2014, overseeing medication compliance, Lasix administration, post-race sample collection, and chain-of-custody documentation. He is also the founder and Resident Veterinarian of Haltere Lab in Paris, Kentucky, where he has manufactured veterinary medical devices since 2008. Dr. Harris began his career as a Resident Veterinarian at Spendthrift Farm and later held the same position at Claiborne Farm. He also has served as Farm Manager and Resident Veterinarian at Vinery Farm. Dr. Harris also spent over a decade in general ambulatory private practice across Central Kentucky.

Email: David.Harris@ky.gov

Dr. Andrew Hirschy (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Hirschy, a 2004 graduate of Purdue University, has served as Racing Veterinarian for Horseshoe Indianapolis since 2019, performing pre-race examinations and treating medical emergencies on the racetrack. He has worked as a part-time Racing Veterinarian at KHRG since 2022. He is also the owner and veterinarian of DayBreak Equine Veterinary Services, which he founded in 2008. A licensed pharmacist as well as a veterinarian, Dr. Hirschy earlier worked as an associate veterinarian at Hollendonner Equine Veterinary Service and spent years as a staff pharmacist, including at the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, where he counseled veterinary students on medication use. He has been a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners since 2000 and previously served as an officer of its Purdue student chapter. Dr. Hirschy is a member of Butler University’s Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the men’s basketball team.

Dr. Molly Metz (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Metz, a 1994 graduate of Michigan State University, has served as a Racing Veterinarian for KHRG since 2020, responsible for pre-race examinations, Lasix administration, and equine safety on and off the track. She spent nearly two decades as a self-employed equine veterinarian in Lexington, Kentucky, and began her career as an ambulatory veterinarian at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. Dr. Metz completed a veterinary internship at Three Chimneys Farm and holds a B.S. from Penn State University. She has also shared her expertise in the classroom, having served as a lecturer on the equine industry at Midway College and presented on equine emergencies at community events.

Email: molly.metz@ky.gov

Dr. Barry Simon (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Simon, a 1978 graduate of Colorado State University, joined KHRG as a part-time Racing Veterinarian in 2025, bringing decades of leadership experience across the animal health industry. From 1998 to 2024, he served as Chief Operating Officer of CreoSalus, Inc. and COO and President for its subsidiary Thorn BioScience LLC, guiding the FDA approval of SucroMate Equine, a controlled release peptide reproductive product. Earlier in his career, Dr. Simon served as General Manager and Resident Veterinarian at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud after spending the 1985 breeding season at Coolmore Stud in Ireland. He also owned Bon Marché, LLC, a Thoroughbred racing and breeding operation, and provided veterinary and business consulting through Equine Veterinary Management, LLC. Dr. Simon served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Equine Orthopedic Research Center at Colorado State University.

Email: Barry.Simon@ky.gov

Dr. William Stone (Racing Veterinarian)

Dr. Stone, a 1983 graduate of Texas A&M University and Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, has served as a Surgical Advisor for KHRG for Breeders' Cup and Kentucky Derby events since 2020. He completed his residency and later served as Clinical Assistant Professor of Large Animal Surgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also earned his M.S. in Veterinary Science. Since 2010, Dr. Stone has served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Surgeon of Katy Equine Clinic in Texas, which he has owned since 2015. His career also includes founding and managing an equine referral surgical hospital in Wisconsin and serving as surgical consultant to multiple equine practices. A prolific researcher, he has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on equine surgery and holds an M.B.A. from Texas A&M University.

Jennifer Engel (Racing Veterinary Coordinator)

Email: Jennifer.Engel@ky.gov

Catherine Riccio (Racing Veterinary Coordinator)

Email: Cathy.Riccio@ky.gov

Kim Coates-Smith (Veterinary Technician)

Email: Kimberly.CoatesSmith@ky.gov

Cameron Friedrich (Veterinary Technician)

Email: Cameron.Friedrich@ky.gov

J Iris (Veterinary Technician)

Email: jiris@ky.gov

Lauren Kasnet (Veterinary Technician)

Patricia Ludwig (Veterinary Technician)