Ponylines

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

After the worst April since records began, it looked as if May was not going to be any better. However, the weather has at last come good at the time of my writing this, and just in time for the first international of the season and the start of the Queen’s Cup.

There has not been much polo action to date due to the poor weather, although there has been plenty of activity off the field. In the second half of April the HPA was delighted to sign a three-year agreement with Audi for the sponsorship of an International series of three matches, at Beaufort Polo Club, Guards Polo Club (for the Coronation Cup) and Chester Racecourse, a new venue, at the end of the season. Audi is now the most significant sponsor by far for the HPA and one of the major polo sponsors in the world.

Prior to the three-match series, St Regis staged the opening international of the year at Cowdray Park. Bad weather meant the match had to be moved from Lawns, although Ambersham 1 provided as good a setting as any for a great day. We are very grateful to Marc Ganzi who put together the USA team that day and it is hoped that it has been a stepping stone to playing the Westchester here in England in 2013, and to persuading Marc that he should play the English high-goal season.

Once again we saw Audi sponsoring an excellent awards dinner at Coworth during the week leading up to the International. It was great to see Jim Haigh and the late Colonel Alec Harper recognised with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

At Guards, the new chairman Jock Green-Armytage, and chief executive Neil Hobday, are to be congratulated for putting in new drainage and combining with Coworth. This should be good news for Guards as it will eventually provide them with two excellent grounds with which to host more home games.

One of the main changes for the HPA has been the decision to realign the England teams and to introduce Young England as a team for ages 25 and under. The idea is to play such a team at the Suffolk Test Match on 30 June and then again at the Audi International Day at Guards for a new Diamond Jubilee Trophy. Miniatures of the trophy will be awarded to the winners.

In recognition of HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, it was agreed that the Silver Jubilee Trophy would be played for at the St Regis Test match. Congratulations to the England team who ran out the winners by half a goal, the USA having failed to convert a 60 with 15 seconds to go. The Golden Jubilee Trophy will now be played for at the Beaufort Polo Club, and it is hoped to commission a Chester Diamond Jubilee Trophy to recognise that the first international at Chester was played in the Diamond Jubilee year.

On the rules front, it has been decided that little is achieved by the umpires placing the ball for a Penalties 5a or 5b, other than to irritate the players. Players will now be allowed 15 seconds to place the ball themselves for all penalties. So, although we have had a rather faltering start to the season, hopefully we are now set fair for the summer. ^ AUDI INTERNATIONAL POLO SERIES For the forthcoming UK polo season the HPA, supported by Audi, have together created the brand new ‘Audi International Polo Series’. The series will feature three Internationals for the season at different venues across the country. It will include the newly named Audi International at Guards Polo Club, near Windsor (formerly the Cartier International); the Audi International at Beaufort Polo Club, Gloucestershire; and the first-ever Audi International match at Chester Racecourse Polo Club.

David Woodd, chief executive of the HPA, comments: ‘Audi and the HPA have been working very closely together with the England team and its increased involvement with this International Series is fantastic news for polo.’ Jon Zammett, head of PR for Audi UK, adds: ‘This is a very exciting development. Polo delivers an ideal, high-end, yet hard to reach target audience for Audi.’ The investment by Audi in the Polo International Series, together with its existing sponsorship of the England polo team (pictured), will make the car company the biggest supporter of polo in the UK.

\ POLO IN BRITAIN Author, polo player and surgeon Horace A Laffaye, is on the board of directors of the Museum of Polo and is chairman of the polo Hall of Fame nominating committee. His latest book, Polo in Britain: A History, chronicles the sport’s beginnings in the British Isles in the 1860s through to the summer of 2011. It recounts the development of polo clubs, including the rise and fall of once-mighty citadels of the game; describes the major competitions and many of the lesser tournaments in England and Ireland; and gives particular attention to international contests. Biographical sketches of top players, from early innovators to current superstars, and reflections on current issues affecting the game – including the rise of commercialism and the decrease of civility and sportsmanship – make this a vivid panorama of British polo.

^ AUDI POLO AWARDS 2012 On 16 May the Audi Polo Awards were held at Coworth Park, Ascot. Ros Packer, wife of former patron of the Ellerston team, the late Kerry Packer, flew in from Australia to present a new award, the Polofix Outstanding Contribution to World Polo, to Jim Gilmore. Gilmore introduced the Packer/Ellerston set-up to polo and has created what is considered the most influential organisation in polo over the past 20 years. Ros Packer also presented the Kerry Packer Most Outstanding High-Goal Pony Award to Juan Martin Nero’s horse, Chica. Other big winners of the evening were Lyndon Lea’s Zacara team (Lea’s personal performance at the Gold Cup last year, despite playing with a broken hand, earned him The Royal Salute Most Outstanding High-Goal Patron), Facundo Sola, Sebastian Merlos and Brits Ollie Cudmore and James Beim, who was awarded the Audi Most Outstanding British Professional for the second consecutive year. The HPA Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Jim Haigh, chairman at Toulstone Polo Club, Yorkshire, and the late Colonel Alec Harper, HPA secretary from 1971 to 1989. The Thai Polo Club World Dream Team, chosen on the evening of the awards, consisted of (pictured, from left to right) Facundo Pieres, Agustin Merlos, John Paul Clarkin and Juan Martin Nero.

\ SUPA JUNIOR SCHOOLS On 11 March I played my first polo tournament with older boys from different schools. I am nine and in Year 1 at Summer Fields School in Oxford, where we play polo. I learned to play in Argentina. The SUPA (Schools and Universities Polo Association) National Junior Schools Arena Championships are held once a year. Ten teams competed this year at the Division 1 and 2 levels. Because players from Summer Fields were absent, I moved to the A team in Division 1. Most of the boys were in Year 3 to Year 5. I played in both Division 1 and Division 2 games. In Division 1, we won our first game, and then drew the second game putting us in the finals. We were energised and ready. We never thought we could make it so far, but we did! In the final, we played Cothill whose team was made up of Year 5 boys. We did our best, played as a team, but they were the better team. We enjoyed collecting our second-place prizes and look forward to playing again. Someday I would like to play for Eton or even for England. Christian Alexander Oberschneider HOOKED ON POLO

Melissa Ganzi is one of the very few female high-goal patrons in the sport of polo. Her list of championships includes the 2012 Hall of Fame Cup and the Butler Handicap at the International Polo Club in Wellington; Santa Barbara Polo Club’s 2009 Bill Triller 20-goal, the 2007 Western Badge and Trophy 20-goal, and the 2008 Mayors Cup, all of which were played at Santa Barbara. Additional wins include the 2009 WCT Championship in Wellington, Florida; the 2008 Miami Beach Polo World Cup; the Aspen Snow Polo Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2009; and the North America Cup in 2009. She was also the first woman player to capture the Monte Waterbury Cup (2001).

Ganzi was also part of a historic moment in the game last year when she and several other players set a world record for the most consecutive chukkas played, playing 30 chukkas in a benefit match for the Wounded Warriors project in Aiken, South Carolina.

Polo is a family sport for Ganzi, playing with and against husband Marc in both high-goal and medium-goal play. Son Grant and daughter Riley are hooked on the sport, too, and can be found at the forefront of youth polo events throughout the year. The family club, Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Florida, serves not just as a training facility for the Ganzis’ teams, but also for frequent tournament venues for all levels of play, including the spring and autum seasons that attract both locals and visiting players from around the world.

Ganzi’s dedication to the sport comes in many forms, from sponsorship of youth polo events and charitable functions such as Best Buddies, to her support of the Museum of Polo and her instrumental part in bringing the Westchester Cup international competition to the United States in 2009 (she donated over 30 horses for the British team to use). Her recent hosting of the Gay Polo League, its first national polo tournament, on her Grand Champions fields, is yet another example of her passionate commitment to polo. Alex Webbe

CHUKKAS

Harald Link’s Thai Polo leads the RMPA International League (Malaysia) after three tournaments. They have made the last three consecutive finals and are now favourites to win the league, with only one tournament left to go in the 14-goal season. Asad Jumabhoy’s La Sarita was winner of the Thai Polo Open in January this year, but their results have dipped since Argentine Benjamin Araya broke his collarbone during the Royal Pahang Classic in April. The Thai team will be playing in the Cowdray Park Gold Cup for the second year running.

James Mills received the Posthumous Hall of Fame Award in February. He was 8-goals, won the US Open twice, and was a prominent owner and breeder of Thoroughbreds. This tradition has been continued by his daughter Phyllis Mills Wyeth, who bred and owns Union Rags. In the Kentucky Derby, Union Rags started as the second favourite, but had a bad start from an outside gate and never had a clear run, finishing seventh. With no chance of the Triple Crown, Union Rags did not run in the Preakness but went straight to the Belmont on 9 June.

The Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club of Tianjin, China is organising a four team, 24goal invitational with FIP in early October. England, USA, Argentina and Hong Kong are invited. In January 2013 they will stage the second Snow Polo World Cup invitational for 12 teams.

In Florida, the 26-goal is pretty much at capacity with 11 teams. There are seven 10-goalers and nine 9-goalers in the world, and most are on a team. So, for 0- or 1-goal patrons who want to compete, waiting time is a year and they will pay over the odds for a decent team. For patrons who are 2-goals and above, for which there are only a handful in the world, they can put together a team of three 8-goalers, but then the problem is struggling to find players with good enough organisation to play. \ BEACH POLO WORLD CUP Fourteen polo teams returned to Miami Beach for the ninth annual Beach Polo World Cup. The action began on 25 April with a kick-off party at The Raleigh Hotel, introducing the eight women’s teams that would do battle the following day in the Maserati South Beach Women’s Polo Cup. The Heys USA team took the top honours while the Bulgari team finished first in the lower bracket. A press party introducing the six men’s entries was held that evening. Two days of play took place in the 12-goal competition. By virtue of net goals, the Maserati team were eliminated and the Yellow Cab v The Raleigh finals were set when the rains came. The sand arena was flooded and by 11am it was decided to cancel the finals. A Monday match was arranged between Yellow Cab and The Raleigh, but player logistics did not line up and Yellow Cab won by virtue of default. Despite the disappointment of the finals being rained off, players and patrons alike made plans to return in 2013. Alex Webbe

MOTORCYCLE POLO

‘Moto-polo’, a quirky take on traditional polo that substitutes horses for motorbikes, has seen a boom in popularity in East African countries. Reaching speeds of up to 45mph, players race around a field, one driver and another teammate sitting behind with the mallet. The sport is the brainchild of American expats Sam Dargan and Matt Smith, who in 2008 decided to take advantage of Rwanda’s abundance of motorcycles (which are commonly used as taxis). There are few rules, five players per team, opposing goals and 15-minute quarters with cold beers in between. The sport spread to Uganda last year, when a match also served as a fund-raiser to help pay the legal fees of sexually-trafficked Ugandan women.

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SADDLE UP WITH...

Mike Azzaro (pictured, with his son), 7-goals, lives in San Antonio, Texas. He began playing polo in 1971 and won his first US Open championships in 1986. He was named Young Player of the Year in 1987, and went on to win five more US Open titles, attaining a 10-goal rating aged 27 (a rating he held for 13 years). In 2012 he returned to the US Open winners’ circle for the first time in 15 years, picking up MVP honours along the way.

What makes polo special for you? It’s the combination of the sport as an athletic and equestrian discipline, the chemistry you develop with your horse and your teammates. Polo does not celebrate individual accomplishments.

Who do you respect most in polo? As a sponsor I would say Lyndon Lea, not just because I played with him on his Zacara team but because he is a warrior. He played the Gold Cup this year with a broken hand and was injured in the finals of the Open but continued to play. As a patron he sees to it that his players have an extra two or three horses that give them that extra edge when they go to the field. I respect Cambiaso as a professional because of his vast talent and ability.

What is your most memorable polo game? The semi-finals of the 1995 Argentine Open when I was playing on the La Mariana team with Sebastian and Pite Merlos and Milo FernandezAraujo against Chapa II, winning by 22-21. I’ll never forget the standing ovation I received at Palermo and the sound of spectators chanting my name. Although we eventually lost, I will never forget that moment. This year’s US Open win, the first in 15 years, brought that feeling back to me.

What have you been up to lately? Very little. I was geared up to play on the US team in the Westchester Cup in 2009 when an accident sidelined me for most of the season. Last year I suffered a fall. I’ve really only played about three months of polo in the past two years. Maybe my stock will go up after this year’s Open win. Alex Webbe The 11-year-old stallion of Sebastian Merlos, Anselmo, was named Horse of the Year following the 2012 Palm Beach International high-goal season. Anselmo played five seasons at Pilara in Argentina before coming to the United States. During the course of the 2012 season, he was played by Merlos in 20-goal competition and by brother Agustin in 26-goal tournaments.

Anselmo was named Best Playing Pony in the 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup earlier in the year, and then came back to carry Agustin Merlos into the 26-goal tournaments. ‘He’s always been a very

LOVE OF MY LIFE...

PONY’S NAME: ANSELMO SEX: STALLION AGE: 11 ORIGIN: ARGENTINA

intelligent horse,’ said Sebastian Merlos. ‘He’s very calm – he always plays the same. My son plays him in the Avendano Cup and even my daughter rides him.’

The character of this horse and his playing abilities are not his only assets. Four of his daughters are playing in 26-goal action in the United States.

‘This is the first generation of his offspring competing here [at International Polo Club Palm Beach],’ said Sebastian Merlos. ‘It’s very rare to see a father and his daughters playing on the field at the same time, and in the same game!’

Anselmo will be heading back to Argentina after the Palm Beach season where he can get back to work on breeding the next generation of top polo ponies. Alex Webbe

[ POLO MOURNS SBU DUMA In May this year we were greatly saddened to hear of the untimely death of one of Hurlingham’s former cover stars, South African polo player Sbu Duma (read our Summer 2009 issue online). The 25-year old was attacked and fatally injured just days before he was due to travel to the UK to train for the summer. A former stable boy, Duma had climbed his way up the polo ranks through immense talent, passion and dedication, catching the attention of the BBC and the Maybach Foundation who supported and mentored him in his equestrian career. In 2008 Duma was awarded Most Valuable Player after an historic match that saw his team win the All Africa Cup at Inanda, Johannesburg – the first victory for an all-black South African team. He had competed many times abroad since, and had great potential to reach the level of the world’s top polo players. Duma was, and will remain, an inspirational role model to all. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends and mentors in the polo community.