Event Hosted By Jeffrey Start slideshow Horsin' Around at Virginia Gold Cup 2006 Written By mIKEY 05/08/2006 click for full size For some reason, Virginia Gold Cup is met with a bit of skepticism every year. Some people think it's a slovenly party, something along the lines of Preakness or the infield at the Kentucky Derby. Others think it's an ultra-highbrow event, something along the lines of a debutante balls, plantation weddings in Charleston, etc. In reality Virginia Gold Cup is an opportunity to get dressed up in fancy clothes, imbibe/ingest, relax with good friends, and...did I mention old-fashioned horse-racing? The day consisted of seven races, each comprised of horses with varying weights/ages and courses with varying lengths/obstacles. Bets were placed for one dollar a horse. Some people placed bets based on clever names: King Lear, Miles Ahead, and Soundblaster being among the few that I can remember. Others placed bets based on their records over the past few years. And still others placed bets based on trainers, jockeys, owners, and farms of origin. Some fared terribly, losing three or four straight races and giving up altogether. Others fared reasonably well, winning three or four races altogether (your braggart author won five of seven). Pulled pork barbecue with corn salad, potato salad, and honey-jalapeno cornbread triangles were served along with mint juleps, mojitos, Yuengling beer, and an assortment of other beverages. Attired ranged from seersucker suits to casual felt fedoras to spring dresses to bowties. And the weather...sunny with a slight breeze, just perrrrrfect for a weekend in May! More Photos

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Comments
Shana	thanks bunches :) Thanks Jeff. The day could not have been more perfect than it was :). Thanks for all your hard work putting this together :).
Joel	what a day Jeff, you've outdone yourself once again, sox fan or not, you're a'ight. Rocklands BBQ comes through again, Melissa thanks for the mint juleps, J'Lo for the Mojito, and everyone who donated money to my two lucky bets. I took a few pictures myself, as well as stole some others: Clicky Here
Kendra	Thank you! Jeffrey, Jeffrey, Jeffrey. This was, by far, the most fun event I've attended in awhile. The car trip there, the weather, the great company, the food, and the betting (C'mon Brimson!) made this event a blast. Thanks for all of your hard work in putting it together and making it look effortless. You & Mark L. were winning a little too often though. It was rigged! ;-) My pics are here in the "MIDC VA Gold Cup '06" folder: http://community.webshots.com/user/kendrahadley
Diana	Awesome time! Thanks Jeff, this was a totally awesome event. It was so much fun getting seeing everyone dressed up! It was great to have a chance to actually wear that hat. The races were awesome, too. Good times, everyone!
Mary	What a Production! Thanks for arranging this little get together! The food, drinks, weather and of course the company could not have been more perfect - my horses on the other hand, could have used a little help. Maybe next year we can bet on the horse that comes in last in each race - I'd be all over that!
Candice	horseys and hats! hooray for a delightful time in gorgeous weather. i saw so many lovely dresses and hats... and it was a real treat being so close to the race. i had my very first mint julep, too! 'twas a great time - i just may have to go next year as well!
Jan Louis®	The Tops! This was an incredible time! Thank you to such a wonderful coordinator, and all the hard work put into this. I had so much fun I was just giving away dollar bills on the horseys (and non horses). Looking forward to next year and a great time! (and yes I did go sans- goatee!)
Alexandra	Horseys! Jeff, you suck! Where do you get off setting the bar so freakin' high? How are all the other event planners supposed to feel? OK, more seriously, woooooooooonderful event!! Let's do it again sometime soon. PS - I accept dollar bills year-round...
Stephanie	Fun and Sun! Thanks again Jeffrey for all your hard work in organizing this. It was a ton of fun and I got a great tan to start summer! Perfect weather, good food, and great peeps, what a day!!! And thanks again from Kevin for the bow tie (or more from me b/c I didn't give him much choice...).
Liz	Great event! Sounds like I picked a good first time for this venerable institution. We had a great spot, the weather was gorgeous, the food delicious, sparkling and witty conversation flowed like... beer and the $1 bets spiced up the action something fierce! Thanks, Jeffrey, for organizing a fantastic day at the races and giving me an excuse to wear a hat in public that wasn't a BoSox cap ;D
W. Dana	Even better than last year With a prime location right on the rail and perfect weather, how could it not be? Thanks Jeff, another great production.
A-L-I-S-O-N	A clean-shaven JLo? Did mine eyes deceive me? Is there a pic in there of JLo sans the goatee? ^.^ Oh my!
Bonnie Ann	a big pat on the back to jeff! thanks for organizing such a flawless event! such a great day. thanks everyone for all the hospitality!
Trish	Good fun & Great weather Thanks Jeff!
mIKEY	what a great event I so wanted to do this last year so i was happy to be able to get to go this year. You can not beat this event. Awesome weather, good food, get to dress nice to boot. Just a really fun time. Thanks for throwing this event.