VanMeter Not Resting On Laurels After Sale to Remember

Less than a year into spearheading his own consignment, Headley VanMeter accomplished the dream of every consignor in the business—he sold a seven-figure horse. Only eight hips into the opening session of Book 1 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Sept. 8, the Flightline colt, who was foaled, raised, and prepped at VanMeter's family farm, dropped the hammer for $1.5 million. The dazzling result could be the first of many for the youngest son of longtime breeder and consignor Tom VanMeter, who wrapped up his first Keeneland September sale selling 14 yearlings for an average price of $162,500. VanMeter spoke with BloodHorse about bringing his first consignment to Keeneland September, his transition from the racetrack to the breeding farm, and his ultimate quest to become the best horseman that he can be. BloodHorse: How can you sum up your experience with your first Keeneland September Sale? Headley VanMeter: It's been incredible. It's just been so much fun to be out here and be able to hang up my own shingle and doing it on my own. And to be rewarded with the big horse in book 1 selling for $1.5 million was awesome. I'm just so ecstatic for the client (Randall Lowe, breeder of the Flightline colt out of Lady Shipman). We've only had one RNA; the rest have sold. The horses have been well-received by the market. We put them on the market at a fair price and have gotten them all moved. BH: Your first horse through the ring brings $1.5 million. Can you talk about what that experience was like to sell your first-ever seven-figure horse? READ: Flightline Colt Brings $1.5M at Keeneland September HV: The stars kind of really aligned there. There's so much that goes into getting a horse ready for a sale, starting with breeding the mare, all the thought that goes into that, and then foaling the mare out, and then raising the foal, and then just prepping the yearling and getting them over to the sales grounds safely. And then just having all the right people show up when the horse walks into the ring, even if it is eight hips into the day. You have to get really lucky, but then you also have to bring the right horse over to make that happen. And it was really gratifying to do that for our client Mr. Lowe. BH: Were most of the horses in your consignment born and raised on your family's farm, Stockplace Farm? HV: There were five that were born and raised on the farm, and five that were pinhooks that were bought out of November or January that came to the farm and were prepped out there leading up to the sale. It's cool to bring those horses over that we've been working with for quite a while and know so well. That way, we're able to have all the information on them and talk to the potential buyers about them and point them in the right direction. BH: You began your career on the racetrack working for your brother, trainer William VanMeter; why did you decide to transition to the breeding side of the business? How was it making that transition? HV: Commercial breeding was always the goal for me. That was what my father did, and I grew up on our family farm doing that. After college, I had spoken to some people who had worked on the racetrack, and they just said, 'Look, even if you want to go to the farm, you need to spend some time on the track. You're going to learn how to wrap legs, feel legs, and how to handle tough horses.' So my plan, truthfully, was go to the track for six months to a year. I started with Andrew McKeever for a few months right out of college, but then my brother needed help, so I went over to help him. Then I blinked and woke up one day, and it was 5-6 years later, and I told myself, 'OK, I think it's time to make the transition.' I loved my time on the racetrack, though. It's an addicting lifestyle where there's something big going on every day. I really enjoyed that and helping my brother grow his business. BH: Can you talk about your time at Lane's End? HV: Lane's End is a great spot. I worked with great people, and they raise great horses. I started off as a groom in August of 2019. I groomed and prepped yearlings; I worked all the yearling sales. And after the sales season, I would go over to the broodmare division and work with the mares and foals. I spent a lot of long nights in the breeding shed. I worked with the stallion team, too. Ultimately, I just started working my way up. I became a barn foreman on the mare's side, then I would bounce over to the yearling side. And then years ago, the assistant broodmare manager position popped open, and I took that. And in my final couple years at Lane's End, I became the broodmare manager. BH: When and why did you decide to start your own consignment? HV: I just thought it was time. I had an incredible experience at Lane's End. It was everything and more I wanted out of the experience from the time I started working there. Truthfully, I was really happy over there, and I probably could have stayed over there longer, but I just thought it was time to make the jump and try to do my own thing. Being comfortable doing the uncomfortable. BH: What are some lessons you learned from your time on the racetrack and with Lane's End that you carried with you into your new venture? HV: I would say the best thing about the racetrack and Lane's End is that 1) this is not a 9-5 job. At the racetrack, it was 7 days a week; I never got a day off. And at Lane's End, there's just so many mares and foals and horses out there that the action really never stops. But I think hard work would be one of them, but you also learn what you're capable of and that you can do it. People would always ask me 'How did you never get a day off working at the track? How did you do that?' and I just said, 'Well, you don't expect to get a day off, so you just go in and get your work done and then go about your business.' The one thing that I was always trying to accomplish when I was working and what I'm still trying to accomplish is to create as much of a foundation to become the best horseman that I can be. Between the racetrack and at Lane's End, I was just always thinking about how to be a better horseman; how I can keep learning and surround myself with the right people to help achieve that. I think in this business, we're always just trying to be the best horseman that we can be; that's kind of what it's all about. BH: What are some long-term goals you have for your consignment? HV: I'd love to top Keeneland September one day or try to top one of the Fasig sales one day. And for myself, I just want to continue to learn and grow as a horseman and businessman. I don't know what the future holds. I don't think we'll ever be one of the biggest consignors out here, but hopefully we'll be a strong boutique consignment that can bring a few quality offerings up here every year. We want to represent ourselves and our clients as best we can and just try to achieve top dollar for their horses. BH: Will you be active at the November sales this year? HV: Yes, I have 12 entered in Keeneland November (weanlings, broodmares, and racing prospects) and three weanlings to sell at Fasig-Tipton. We're going to hit all these local sales. We'd love to make it up to Saratoga. And yeah, if we have the right horse, we'll go in a digital sale. We've sold horses of racing age on the digital platform. We're not just sticking to yearlings. We'd like to attack the market from all aspects.