Office Manager
Debbie Smith
Starlight Racing, StarLadies Racing
Debbie Smith has had a lifelong love affair with horses, showing and owning horses for most of her life until 2004. She has competed with hunters and in barrel racing and has, over the years, reformed several former race horses into show hunters. Debbie has a diverse background in the thoroughbred business. In fact, her first job in the thoroughbred industry was with Lee Eaton (Eaton Sales Agency) where she worked in sales, on the farm, and in the office.
She also worked for former trainer, John T. Ward, for 10 years. With Ward’s operation, she broke yearlings, rode sales horses, galloped horses at the track, and oversaw the breaking of yearlings.
In addition to her years of experience riding, she brings with her many years of experience in the office. Her office work has included stallion bookings, brood mare records, sales entries, stakes nominations, office-to-client communications, and bookkeeping, among other duties.
Debbie is also an avid gardener with a fervent interest in daylilies and herbs. In fact, she’s a certified Kentucky Master Gardener and an accredited Daylily Exhibition Judge and Garden Judge. She also works in mutuels at Keeneland during their spring and fall meets. You can find her tending to her mutuels window on the first level, track apron, facing the track!
Debbie has been with Starlight Racing since 2007 and has gone from handling invoicing to overseeing all of the bill payment, invoicing, partnership splits, partner communications with regard to work, race and training updates on the horses, and much more. She makes everyone’s job at Starlight Racing much easier and is an integral member of the Starlight team.