The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) has named Beth Bungert to the role of safety steward, a position created in June to ensure compliance of both Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and KHRC standards and rules.
As safety steward, Bungert will monitor regulatory and safety compliance at all licensed thoroughbred racetracks and training centers across Kentucky and ensure that information is being shared with all parties.
In her 20-year career in racing, she has worked as a groom, exercise rider, veterinary assistant, assistant trainer, racing official and program director at several Kentucky racetracks.
“Safety is the responsibility of everyone involved in racing,” said Jamie Eads, KHRC executive director. “Centralized communication between officials, racing participants and track management is a key aspect of both safety and compliance. We’re excited to have Beth join us, because she is someone who understands daily operations and can identify potential improvements in safety protocol. And, importantly, she is a long-time horsewoman who cares about the safety of the sport.”
“This position is the culmination of a career on the racetrack,” Bungert stated. “I have been involved in almost every aspect of racing and look forward to bringing those experiences together for the safety of both horse and rider.”
The safety steward will make recommendations to racetrack management and regulators for the welfare of horses and riders, integrity of racing and compliance with horse racing laws and regulations.
The position is even more high-profile than usual this year, after Churchill Downs in Louisville saw 12 horses die at the track during their spring meet, including seven leading up to the Kentucky Derby. The track suspended operations on June 7 and moved the remainder of their spring meet to Ellis Park in Henderson, also owned by Churchill Downs, at the request of HISA, while an investigation was launched.
Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen called the deaths “a series of unfortunate circumstances” and said the review “didn’t find anything fundamentally wrong or different about our track from previous years.”
The track will conduct its fall meet as scheduled on September 14.
Kentucky Horse Racing Commission