About HERF

Joe De Francis is a board director for the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority. Formerly, he was majority owner and CEO of the Maryland Jockey Club and a senior executive at Magna Entertainment Corporation. De Francis sits on several other industry and charitable organization boards, including the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) and Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter (BARCS), and chairs Humane World's (formerly HSUS) Horse Racing Advisory Council. He has also served the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and the Johns Hopkins Heart Institute.

Craig Bandoroff owns and operates Denali Stud with his son Conrad. Denali Stud, an 800-acre nursery located in Paris, Kentucky, is annually a leading consignor in Thoroughbred auctions in Kentucky and Saratoga. Prior to establishing Denali in 1990, Bandoroff worked at Fasig-Tipton auction house and Barry Weisbord's Executive Bloodstock. Bandoroff was also an apprentice jockey in New Jersey before a serious injury sidelined that career.

Andrew Beyer is an expert on horse race betting who invented the Beyer Speed Figures, the industry standard published in Daily Racing Form. He is the author of four books and was The Washington Post's horse racing columnist from 1978 to his retirement in 2016. He has received many awards including the Eclipse Award of Merit, the highest honor bestowed by the Thoroughbred industry.

Katherine De Francis is an animal welfare activist, filmmaker and former horse racing executive. De Francis was Senior VP of Development at the Daily Racing Form, a founding executive at YouBet.com and The Racing Times, and began her career in the early 1980s at the International Racing Bureau in London. She founded a retired racehorse sanctuary in southern California, has actively advocated for better animal laws for two decades, and has served numerous charitable organizations including Humane World (formerly HSUS).

Sue Finley is the publisher and CEO of the Thoroughbred Daily News. She began her career in the press office at the New York Racing Association, and went on to work at ABC's Wide World of Sports. For 12 years, she was the First Vice President of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, a national organization dedicated to the humane retirement of former racehorses. She won the 2024 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Multimedia Production with her story, “After Saving Two Horses From a Kill Pen, Stewart Aims to do More to End Slaughter.”

Terry Finley is the founder and CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds which is the largest fractional horse ownership company in the world. He's co-owner of the 2017 KY Derby winner Always Dreaming and co-owner of the 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline. A graduate of West Point, Finley was elected to the Jockey Club in 2019. He has served on the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, Thoroughbred Charities of America, TOBA and the Johnny Mac Solidiers Fund. He was appointed to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in 2023.

David Ingordo is a racehorse owner and bloodstock agent. Ingordo previously worked for Robert Frankel Inc., Walmac International and Juddmonte Farms USA. Currently, he is part of Lane's End Farm with the bloodstock division Ingordo Bloodstock, LLC and helps to manage Belladonna Racing, LLC. Ingordo brings deep industry insight from his years of managing racehorses and working hands-on at the racetrack. He previously served on HISA's Horsemen's Advisory Group.

Social media influencer Griffin Johnson has become a prominent figure in Thoroughbred racing, serving as a minority owner and high-profile ambassador for the sport. His first horse was 2025 Arkansas Derby winner Sandman, who competed in the 2025 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Johnson was awarded the 2025 Big Sport of Turfdom Award by the Turf Publicists of America for his significant contributions to growing the sport's popularity.

Ron Moquett is an Oklahoma native and trainer based in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Moquett races in Arkansas, Kentucky, New York and Oklahoma. He has been a trainer since 1997 and trained 2017 Kentucky Derby hopeful Petrov. Moquett has trained multiple stakes winner Far Right, grade 1 winner Seek Gold, 2013 Breeders' Cup Sprint third-place finisher Gentlemen's Bet, and 2020 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Whitmore.

David O'Rourke is the Chief Executive Officer & President of the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), the operator of Belmont Park, home of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of racing's Triple Crown; Saratoga Race Course, home of the most prestigious racing meet in the U.S.; and Aqueduct Racetrack. O'Rourke is a member of the NYRA Board of Directors. He serves on the board of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of America, and the Management Committee of Equibase Company. He is also a board director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC).

Dr. Sue Stover is a HISA industry director from California who chairs the Racetrack Safety Standing Committee. Dr. Stover is a professor of surgical and radiological science at the University of California, Davis, and an expert in clinical equine surgery and lameness. Her research investigates the prevalence, distribution and morphology of equine stress fractures, risk factors and injury prevention, as well as the impact of equine injuries on human welfare.

As HERF's only full-time employee, Mandy Minger manages all day-to-day operations including horse intake, fundraising, communications, strategic partnerships and stakeholder education. She most recently served as Director of Communications for the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA).

Minger's background in racing includes over two decades as Vice President of Marketing at the Daily Racing Form, and publicity for The Racing Times and Atlantic City Race Course. Her love of racing began when she adopted an Off-The-Track Thoroughbred as a teenager and worked as a groom/hotwalker at Keystone Racetrack—now Parx Racing. She remains active in aftercare as a board member of New Vocations. She is a past president of the Turf Publicists of America.

Dr. Karen A. Hassan supports HISA's Veterinary Team and the Directors of Racetrack Safety and Operations, Research & Strategy in advancing equine safety and welfare policies nationwide. As Chair of HISA's Exercise-Associated Sudden Death Working Group, she directs four specialized subgroups and oversees related research initiatives. Her responsibilities include leading veterinary outreach programs, coordinating advisory committees and addressing stakeholder inquiries related to equine health and welfare. Additionally, Dr. Hassan serves as the veterinarian for the Racetrack Accreditation Team, focusing on the implementation of racetrack veterinary protocols.

A Board-Certified Equine Surgeon with nearly 30 years of experience in referral lameness and equine surgery, Dr. Hassan also brings extensive regulatory expertise. She has served as a regulatory veterinarian for 1/ST Racing in California and the California State Fairs, with experience spanning Fédération Équestre Internationale competitions and the Tevis Cup endurance events. For more than 20 years, she has served as an American Endurance Ride Conference Control Judge and treatment veterinarian. She is deeply committed to research, education, outreach and mentoring within the veterinary and equine communities.

Dr. Hassan earned her veterinary degree from the University of California, Davis, completed a surgical internship at Tufts University and completed her surgical residency in surgery at the University of California, Davis.