Va. horse-racing conglomerate assembled through Craigslist
The first time Karl Nobert used Craigslist, it was to sell his old Audi. A teenager from Philadelphia took the train down to Union Station, test-drove the car out to Tysons and paid cash on the spot.
A few months later, emboldened by that success, Nobert, a 35-year-old lawyer from Sterling, joined with a friend to put online ads to a tougher test: They posted a call for strangers to join them in buying two 2-year-old race horses and becoming partners in a racing conglomerate.
In the tradition-laden, high-stakes world of thoroughbred horse racing, ownership groups usually emerge from long-standing friendships or business relationships.
"The most common way is word of mouth, dealing with your friends," said Frank Petramalo, executive director of the Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, which represents owners and trainers who race at Colonial Downs in New Kent. "I don't think I know of any partnership where the partners didn't know each other in advance."
Nobert, who already owned two horses, knew he wouldn't have enough money to train and board two more. He reached out to friends and family, but only one friend and his parents bought shares in his fledgling group.
"When you spend the money, and [the horses are] on their way here, you have no choice but to find a way," said Nobert.
So he did what millions do when they want to unload junk or find a job: He put a post on Craigslist.
Within a few months, he had 50 inquiries from as far away as Delaware and New York. They ranged from retirees who had loved going to the track as children to people who mistakenly thought he owned a farm and was seeking workers.
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