Maybe this article will spark some interest in the horse world and clipclop's potential.
The following article was run in Sundays Washington Post 5-7-00 on the
Off to the Races
They might not know a stirrup from a startup, a bridle from bandwidth, but
representatives of Northern Virginia's new economy were out in force
yesterday for the 75th running of the Virginia Gold Cup.
The steeplechase race, held in northern Fauquier County in the lushÿ Virginia
countryside, is a Washington area institution that the region's monied
attend to see and be seen.
But this year, as never before, it was where new money borne of the
region'sÿ technology boom made its appearance, to drink mint juleps and cheer
onÿ riders.
"I think it's amazing. Looking around, you see all this new money--new,
quick money--and it's all out here," said Diego Paldao, a sales manager
forÿ UUNET, an Ashburn-based Internet telecommunications company. "The old
moneyÿ looks at the new money a little differently, I think."
On exclusive Member's Hill, tech executives joined the Duponts,
Rockefellersÿ and Mellons who have populated the event for years. Companies
such as Theÿ Washington Post fork out tens of thousands of dollars for a tent
on theÿ knoll. The many well-known faces in this year's crowd included Ted
Leonsis,ÿ an America Online Inc. executive and owner of the Washington
Capitals, andÿ Steve Case, Dulles-based AOL's chief executive.
New money has shown a taste for Virginia hunt country. Case recently
purchased a mansion in Fauquier County, following several other technology
executives. And breeders in the area say that members of the Internet set
are buying horses.
"They seem to be more willing to part with their money so that they can
tellÿ their friends, 'Hey guys, I've got a horse,' " said Michael Brown, a
Culpeper breeder and trainer who served as an official for the race.
Melville Church III, the president of the Virginia Gold Cup Association,
oneÿ of two organizations that produced yesterday's race and its fall
counterpart, said there were important distinctions between the new crowd
and the old-line families that once exclusively followed the races.ÿ "The
difference between the new money and the old money is that the newÿ money has
more money," he said, chuckling. "Old money's run out."
Just five years ago, virtually no technology companies sponsored the race
orÿ corporate tents, according to records and longtime attendees. Yesterday,
atÿ least seven such companies were represented. They in turn had brought
clients and other guests to the race on buses. Much of wired Northern
Virginia was represented.
Traditional sponsors have includedMercedes-Benz, banks and airlines. Those
firms have been joined by the likes of software maker OneSoft, which took
NationsBank's place this year as a race sponsor when it bowed out.
ÿ On Member's Hill, business cards were exchanged and conversation among the
casually dressed tech crowd ranged from wireless Web systems to
connectivityÿ issues. The older money crowd seemed to focus more on the race.
Some tech executives yesterday said they were at the race not only for the
party scene, but because their presence would improve their image, wow
clients and maybe attract business.
"It's a blue-chip list of sponsors, and we definitely believe we're ofÿ that
caliber," said Fred Diamond, director of corporate marketing forÿ OneSoft.
"It's a great place to get out there and improve our image," said Tom
Young,ÿ a OneSoft sales vice president, who glad-handed clients outside his
tent,ÿ where hats with the company logo were distributed.
Growing tech participation also hinted at a "keeping up with the Gateses"
phenomenon, some race organizers said.
In a part of Virginia where some people trace their lineage to the 1600s,
the old guard greeted newcomers with gentility.ÿ "The Gold Cup's been a long
tradition," said Virginius Randolphÿ Shackelfordÿ Jr., 81, who has attended
the race since his law school days in the 1930s.ÿ "It seems that a lot of the
new people know very little about horses andÿ steeplechasing. . . . But it's
always interesting to see new blood."
Some race fans said they hoped that tech leaders would grow comfortable in
the Piedmont.ÿ "We want them to be aware of what it means to be in the
country," saidÿ Gerald Warren, a former editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune
and a recent
arrival to hunt country. He said that meant respecting horse sports andÿ the
open space they preserve.
Not many of the several tech folks interviewed claimed to know much about
horses or the fashions of the day, though.ÿ "There's a lot of wraparound
sunglasses . . . cell phones and beepers,"ÿ saidÿ Jim Speros, Sideware's
president, referring to the attire thatÿ distinguishedÿ many tech folks from
the old guard, who tended toward seersucker suits andÿ linen. "It's the
high-tech look. We come from a different culture."ÿ Surveying tents that
tended to be more sedate than his raucous one, Sperosÿ said, "We're a horse
of a different color." |
