Looking For More Faces at the Gold Cup Races
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By Chip Newcome
om Eshelman, the new executive director of the Virginia Gold Cup, is no stranger to horses. As the general manager of the Shenandoah County Fair, he was charged with managing the grounds and helping to improve the fair. One of the improvements he instituted was to successfully recruit Virginia Harness Racing to come to the fair and race. “We met with the Virginia Equine Alliance and the Virginia Harness Horsemen’s Association,” he said. “There was a basic track at the fairgrounds, but it needed quite a bit of improvement. We agreed to a 20-year lease with the Virginia Tom Eshelman, the new executive Harness Horsemen’s Association. My job director of the Virginia Gold Cup. as general manager was to oversee the outfitting (of the track). It needed electrical upgrades, a new sound system, and basically improved the entire experience.” He was also involved in marketing the harness racing events. “We named it Shenandoah Downs, and I really enjoyed doing that,” he said. Lasting seven weekends a year in the fall, Eshelman saw the races grow and become an extremely popular event. Now, he hopes to have the same Midas Touch once again. In late October, Eshelman completed his first International Gold Cup weekend at Great Meadow in The Plains. About 8,000 people attend the event, and he’s now looking forward to his first Virginia Gold Cup weekend, slated for Saturday, May 4. He’s charged with the marketing of the two Gold Cup events, and hopes to bring new sponsors to the table and many more fans through the gates. With the help of Barb Shannon, the Gold Cup events director, Eshelman believes the huge pre-pandemic crowds that often exceeded 25,000 will come back to The Plains. And he also understands there is heritage and tradition deeply ingrained in both Gold Cup events. “I’m not one to make a lot of changes. I just want to help things improve,” he said, adding that there are many entities that come together to host and manage Gold Cup events, including the National Steeplechase Association and The Great Meadow Foundation. All those moving parts must work together to produce successful race days. In fact, Gold Cup and Great Meadow just signed a new lease that will keep the events at Great Meadow for the next five years. “Gold Cup has a long standing tradition,” he said. “This will be the 99th year, and we already are planning for the 100th Virginia Gold Cup in 2025.” Eshelman said he wants to pay tribute to the heritage of the Gold Cup and also hopes to make the two events more accessible to a new generation of attendees. “There’s a misconception out there that Gold Cup is a little too uppity or too expensive,” he said. “But I can go to Gold Cup for a lot cheaper than I can a football game.” Another message for those who once attended Gold Cup events but have stayed away in recent years? “If you used to be here,” he said, “it’s time to come back and check it out.”
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