The thoroughbred industry is reacting after racist comments by a local breeder went viral this week. WUKY’s Samantha Lederman has more on this story.
Tom Van Meter, a vet, consignor and breeder, owns Stockplace Farm where American Pharoah was born, and has enjoyed a long, successful career in the racing industry in Kentucky. Over the weekend racist and offensive comments Van Meter made on a private facebook page became public and quickly went viral. Now, three organizations, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Jockey Club and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, have said they are disassociating themselves from VanMeter. Additionally this morning Keeneland announced that effective immediately, “Tom VanMeter will be excluded from the Keeneland premises, including participation by VanMeter and VanMeter-Gentry Sales in sales and racing activities, while Keeneland further reviews the circumstances related to the recent reprehensible comments VanMeter made on social media.” Van Meter has publicly apologized and made a donation to the NAACP as a gesture of goodwill, and says he is hopeful he can be forgiven.