Trainer VanMeter closing his stable after eight years

Trainer Will VanMeter is closing his Lexington, Ky., training operation after eight years in business.

VanMeter made the announcement in a Twitter post Wednesday morning:

In the post, VanMeter also thanked his father -- longtime consignor Tom VanMeter, who this summer came under fire from the industry after a series of racially insensitive social media posts. 

"A sincere thank you to my parents. My dad for initially supporting us with horses and providing us a great reputation within the industry to build a business," Will VanMeter wrote. 

The move to leave training follows the sale of Edgemont Road, a 4-year-old gelding trained by VanMeter, at Keeneland's November Breeding Stock Sale. He was purchased by William K. Werner from VanMeter's Team V for $275,000 after a 10: 4-2-1 record in 2020.

VanMeter's lifetime record is 527: 64-65-62 with $3,309,936 in earnings. This year, his record was 78: 13-12-4, with $717,435 in earnings.