Keeneland bars VanMeter from race meets and sales, pending review

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland Association, the Central Kentucky not-for-profit company that conducts high-profile race meets and auctions, has barred owner, breeder, and consignor Tom VanMeter from its premises as it conducts a review of VanMeter’s conduct, the association announced Wednesday.

VanMeter and his consignment agency will be barred from all racing and sales activity “while Keeneland further reviews the circumstances related to the recent reprehensible comments VanMeter made on social media,” the association said. The announcement came on the day that Keeneland opened a special five-day race meet.

“Keeneland takes its role in advancing inclusion and diversity seriously,” a statement issued by Keeneland said. “But we know that we as a company, an industry, and a society have much work to do. Only through listening and concrete action can we hope to live up to our values of respect, community, and equality.”

On Monday, screen shots of a Facebook exchange were circulated on social media showing that VanMeter used a shortened form of a racist word referring to black people as a substitute for a word in “National Football League.” In a later exchange on the post, VanMeter responded to criticisms of recent protests by saying, “Put em back in their cages!!!”

Last year, VanMeter, through his consignment company VanMeter-Gentry, was the consignor of 83 horses entered at Keeneland’s September yearling sale and its November breeding stock sale, selling 51 of the horses for gross proceeds of nearly $5 million.

On Tuesday, VanMeter issued a statement saying that his words were “unjustifiable” and that he is “disgusted” by his actions, but he also said that he was “frustrated with the current social situation” in the United States.

“Contrary to what these comments might suggest, in no way do these responses represent my true feelings towards my friends and community members of color,” VanMeter said. “Moving forward I am committed to listening and learning as to how I can be a better ally and advocate in my community and within the racing industry as to how we can better foster inclusivity for all.”

VanMeter said in the statement that he had made a contribution to the local chapter of the NCAAP.

The comments created a swift condemnation from some members of the racing industry. On Monday, OwnerView, a website promoting ownership of racehorses co-owned by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, took down VanMeter’s listing in its directory. Another large auction house, Fasig-Tipton, issued a statement critical of the social-media posts, but the statement stopped short of saying that VanMeter would be barred from entering horses at the companies’ sales. (Keeneland had issued a similar statement Monday before putting the ban in place Wednesday.)

On Tuesday, VanMeter’s son Griffin placed a post on Facebook saying, in part, that “I hope my father can unlearn the racism that was taught to him and that he later taught to me.”

“It hurts my heart for somebody I love to be so misguided,” Griffin VanMeter wrote. “Yet, I understand how he got there. . . . As white people, especially overly privileged white people, we must do our part to change oppressive individuals and systems. Luckily, my dad will have that opportunity, and I will do my part to support him on his anti-racism journey.”

Griffin ended his post with three words: “Black Lives Matter.”