"Smart Society", made up of "parvenu" elements, who were considered to lack pedigree but wealthy, now began to command more attention from the leaders in more aristocratic circles of the "beau monde". The Vetsera family occupied this niche, and Hélène von Vetsera held lavish parties in attempts to socialize with the upper echelons of the Austrian court, all in order to introduce her daughter to the most eligible men. Famous for "her elegance and taste in dress", she acquired the nickname "The Turf Angel" for her love of horserace meets at the Freudenau course. It was very apparent to the Imperial family, that Vetsera was being blatantly groomed by her mother for an advantageous marriage; Empress Elisabeth noted in 1877: "Madame Vetsera wants to come to Court and gain recognition for her family." Countess Larisch von Moennich, a niece of the Empress and one of Vetsera's closest friends, claimed she had confided: "Mamma has no love for me... Ever since I was a little girl she has treated me like something she means to dispose of to the best advantage."