HURLINGHAM POLO
POLO SUMMER 2017
|
THE AMERICAN SEASON
SUMMER 2017
|
THE AMERICAN ISSUE
HRH THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH: A LIFELONG ENGAGEMENT
RICARDO MOTR AN
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S O N T H E 1 1 3 T H U . S . O P E N C H A M P I O N S H I P A N D T H E T R I P L E C ROW N
_ W I T H T H A N K S TO T H E I N T E R N AT I O N A L P O L O C L U B A N D E N T I R E VA L I E N T E O R G A N I Z AT I O N ! W E L L I N G TO N , F L O R I DA , U S A , A P R I L 2 0 1 7
valiente DPS ad.indd 2
02/06/2017 14:13
M AT I A S C A L L E J O
AWA R D W I N N I N G B R E E D I N G E XC E L L E N C E : 2013 O. M E DA L L Ó N – B P P - U S O P E N F I N A L C H O C O L AT E – L A DY S U S A N TOW N E Y AWA R D 2014 D. K A R I DA D – H O R S E O F T H E Y E A R U S H I G H G OA L S E A S O N D. R E S TA – B P P - Y LV I S A K E R F I N A L
2016 D. L U F T H A N S A – H O R S E O F T H E Y E A R U S H I G H G OA L S E A S O N 2017 SUGAR – BPP - CV WHITNEY FINAL C H O C O L AT E – B P P - U S O P E N F I N A L D. BO E I N G – B E S T A R G E N T I N E P O L O B R E E D US GOLD CUP OPEN FINAL
2015 D. BO E I N G – H O R S E O F T H E Y E A R U S H I G H G OA L S E A S O N
G T M E N TO L A DA – B E S T A R G E N T I N E P O L O B R E E D US OPEN FINAL
FA X C H E RO K E E – B E S T A R G E N T I N E P O L O B R E E D TO RT U G A S O P E N F I N A L
A D O L F O C A M B I A S O B E S T S T R I N G AWA R D S : 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017
F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N , P L E A S E C O N TAC T: ROB E RTO Z E D DA USA + 1 805-6367185 | ARG +54 9 3525 415024 | robertzedda@hotmail.com
valiente DPS ad.indd 3
02/06/2017 14:14
dolfina cuartetera b06 clone 2016 bpp tortugas open final bpp tortugas tournament aaccp cuartetera b06 along with five other clones of the great cuartetera made history in a decisive manner in the 2016 tortugas open final. crestview genetics: bringing life to champions of the future from champions past.
crestviewgenetics.com.ar
HURLINGHAM THE AMERICAN ISSUE
CONTENTS
0 9 _ P O N Y L I N ES The latest polo news, including the HPA chief executive’s column 1 8 _ S EQ U E N TI A L SUC C ESS As cloned polo ponies become more common in the sport, we explore how individuality and emotional connections continue 2 0 _ FA M I LY VA LU ES A look at the hard work and camaraderie behind one of polo’s most famous and successful families, the Obregóns
Lord Patrick Beresford with HRH the Duke of Edinburgh
2 2 _ A TR A D I TI O N AL AP P ROAC H The 94th Ambassadors Cup in Paris was a special event this year, with a wonderful sense of community and top sportsmanship 2 4 _ T H E N E X T G E NE RAT ION RBVN Scholarship recipient, Julia Smith, a recent University of Virginia graduate, talks about what the award and polo mean to her
HURLIN GHAM MAGAZIN E Publisher Roderick Vere Nicoll 5
Executive Editor Peter Howarth Editor Gemma Latham
2 6 _ A L E AG U E O F T H E IR OWN We look at the glamorous transformation of India’s polo scene
Assistant Editor Jemima Wilson Editor-At-Large Alex Webbe
2 8 _ O P I N I O N : A L E X WE B B E The sports journalist discusses the state of high-goal polo in Florida
Art Director Julia Allen Chief Copy Editor Lucy Frith Copy Editors Polly Dennison, Mikey Fullalove, Ceri Thomas, Katie Wyartt
3 0 _ A L I F E LO N G E NGAGE M E NT We celebrate the life-long commitment to polo of HRH The Duke
Picture Editor Amy Wiggin
of Edinburgh, on the eve of his retirement from public duty
Contributing Photographer Tony Ramirez
A tribute to one of the polo world’s best female players, Sunny Hale S H U T T E R STO C K T H I S PAG E : TO N Y R A M I R E Z / I M AG ES O F P O LO.C O M
C O V E R : P R I N C E P H I L I P AT H A M P O L O C L U B , 1 9 6 1; R E G I N A L D D A V I S / R E X /
3 4 _ P I O N E E R WO M AN: RE M E M B E RING SUNNY H AL E
3 8 _ O N TH E M O N EY
S HOW MEDIA Editorial Managing Director Peter Howarth
Founder of White Birch and one of polo’s most prolific patrons,
1-2 Ravey Street, London EC2A 4QP
Peter M Brant discusses his journey to the top with Nekoro Gomes
+ 44 (0) 20 3222 0101 info@showmedialondon.com; showmedialondon.com
4 5 _ ACTI O N Florida 26-goal season, US 20-goal season, Dubai Gold Cup, FIP qualifiers, Dominican Republic Polo Challenge, Gladiator Polo and more 6 6 _ G O L D STA N DARD
HURLIN GHAM MEDIA Sales +44 (0) 771 483 6102 hurlingham@hpa-polo.co.uk; hurlinghampolo.com
Nigel à Brassard traces Argentine polo prominence to the last time the
Colour Reproduction Rhapsody; rhapsodymedia.co.uk
game was an Olympic sport, the 1924 Paris Games
Printing Gemini Press; gemini-press.co.uk
Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. All the information contained in this publication is correct at the time of going to press. The HURLINGHAM Polo magazine (ISSN 1750-0486) is published by Hurlingham Media. The magazine is designed and produced on behalf of Hurlingham Media by Show Media Ltd. The products and services advertised are not necessarily endorsed by or connected with the publisher. The editorial opinions expressed in this publication are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of the publisher. Hurlingham magazine welcomes feedback from readers: hurlinghammedia@hpa-polo.co.uk
follow @hurlinghampolo
5 Contents.indd 5
02/06/2017 14:29
HURLINGHAM
FOREWORD No one has done more for British Polo than the HPA’s patron Prince Philip, who is retiring from public life this coming autumn. In this issue, his former team mate, Lord Patrick Beresford, pays tribute to the Prince's long and distinguished career on and off the playing field. On a personal note, Prince Philip wrote the Foreword for the inaugural issue of Hurlingham in the spring of 2005, for which I am most grateful. In this issue’s One to Watch, we profile Michael Bickford who has made it to the finals in six of the last seven tournaments he has played. This is quite a feat when you consider the matches were in England, France and the USA. In Opinion, Alex Webbe looks at the changing landscape in Palm Beach. There are several big players in South Florida doing good things for the game, and hopefully they can all work together as it's not much fun to play in your sand box alone! In Features, we pay tribute to Sunny Hale, one of the world’s most prominent players. Also, Nekoro Gomes chats to Peter Brant, whose illustrious career in the sport has spanned almost 40 years. Finally, in Action we cover the major tournaments in Palm Beach, as well as the FIP qualifiers and polo in Nigeria, India, New Zealand and the Dominican Republic. For all the latest polo news and action, visit hurlinghampolo.com
RODERICK VERE NICOLL PUBLISHER
6
CONTRIBUTORS
N E K O R O G O M E S is a New
J U L I A S M I T H is from
A L E X W E B B E has been a player
P A T R I C K D E E D E S is originally
York-based writer and new to the
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has
since his teens and a regular on the
from southern Africa but had his
game of polo. His research into the
been playing polo for 15 years.
polo scene for over 50 years. He is
first taste of polo as a boy in Oman.
sport for his feature about White
She recently graduated from the
best known as a journalist, writing
He is currently the Estate Manager
Birch inspired him to sign up for
University of Virginia, where she was
tournament coverage, introductory
of the Château de Courances, 50km
riding lessons during a recent
co-captain of the UVA Women’s
articles about the sport and profiles
south of Paris. A keen polo player,
vacation in the southwest, which
Varsity team and President of
of some of the game's best.
he has helped bring the sport to
have endowed him with an even
Virginia Polo. Julia has also won
He is also the polo columnist for
Courances, thereby reconnecting
greater appreciation for the game.
three USPA US Women’s Opens.
the Palm Beach Daily News.
with its rich polo history.
hurlinghampolo.com
6 Foreword LF KB.indd 6
02/06/2017 14:31
18388 Steinway Hurlingham June - Spirio_Layout 1 09/05/2017 16:34 Page 1
The world’s finest
HIGH RESOLUTION PLAYER PIANO.
Presenting the first high-resolution player piano worthy of the revered Steinway & S ons n a m e . T h e S t e i n w a y S p i r i o i s a m a s t e r p i e c e o f a r t i s t r y, c r a f t s m a n s h i p a n d e n g i n e e r i n g t h a t d e l i v e r s a l l t h e nu a n c e a n d p a s s i o n o f l i v e p e r f o r m a n c e s b y t o d ay ’s m o s t r e n o w n e d mu s i c i a n s f r o m c l a s s i c a l t o j a z z t o r o c k . S T E I N W A Y. C O . U K / S T E I N W A Y- S P I R I O
STEINWAY HALL
L O N D O N Q Q = ã ~ êó ä É Ä ç å É = ä ~ å É I= ä ç å Ç ç å = ï N ì O Ç Ä
Ñ ç ê = ã ç ê É = á å Ñ ç ê ã ~í á ç å = ç ê = í ç = ~ ê ê ~ å Ö É = ~ = é ê á î~í É = ~ é é ç á å í ã É å í = í ç = É ñ é É ê á É å Å É = í Ü É = ë í É á å ï~ó = ë é á ê á ç = ~í = ç ì ê = ä ç å Ç ç å = ë Ü ç ï ê ç ç ã ë I = éäÉ~ëÉ=Å~ääW
0 2 0 7 4 8 7 3 3 9 1 ç ê = É ã ~ á ä = á å Ñ ç ] ë í É á å ï~óK Å ç K ì â
PONYLINES
ONE TO WATCH MICHAEL BICKFORD
Michael Bickford playing for La Indiana at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gold Cup 2016
TONY RAMIREZ/IMAGESOFPOLO.COM
9
American-born businessman Michael Bickford grew up playing polo with his father in Vermont. He started playing competitively at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club in England and has worked his way up from 2-goal to 22-goal tournaments in the past 10 years. ‘England is my favourite place to play,’ he says. ‘The tradition, fields, competition and standard of horses are at the top, with the only exception being Argentina.’
Bickford sources ponies from all over the world, and when choosing looks for allrounders with speed, power and the ability to collect themselves. He prefers the more traditional playing style of hitting the ball with clean back-hands and moving it quickly around the field – an approach he believes has helped him to reach six finals out of the past seven tournaments he has played in England, the USA and Europe.
‘It’s crucial to prepare the horses and my own body and mind to endure long games and a long season, and for the team to stay cool and loose before and during matches,’ he says. ‘Finding the right players who complement each other and play well together is also very important. Pite Merlos was a great mentor and coach last year and, with the help of Ruki Baillieu, I’ve built a very strong organisation of players and horses.’
follow @hurlinghampolo
9 Ones To Watch PD LF.indd 9
02/06/2017 14:33
PONYLINES
C O R O N AT I O N C U P
10
It is always hard to win an international match away from home, especially if it is out of season, but back in February the England team, captained by James Harper, were preparing for extra time when a penalty in the dying moments gave New Zealand victory (page 53). Thanks to support from Nick Porter we managed to field an England 14-goal team in Chantilly for the qualifiers for the FIP World Championships (page 60). The team, which combined youth and experience, managed to win all their games and thus qualify for Sydney in October along with Spain. At the same time an England team took part in the FIP European 12-goal Ladies Championships and managed to beat the eventual winners, Italy, in their first game but came fourth after a penalty shoot-out. In England, the season is now underway with more rain than sun, but the former has been much needed. Although there are only a few less teams in the 22-goal, and entries are up in the 18- and 15-goal, a lot of familiar faces are missing from polo this season due to visa changes, which we reported on in the previous issue. England will once again play Ireland at the Beaufort test match and then face a Commonwealth team in the Coronation Cup at Guards Polo Club on Saturday 29 July. After that match, an inaugural Ladies’ International will be played on The Queen’s Ground.
PGH LA PALMERAIE POLO CLUB, MOROCCO Earlier this year, 15 polo players from California and Rhode Island were welcomed at the PGH La Palmeraie Polo Club on the northern coast of Morocco for a fantastic week of polo. The club and beach-fronted hamlet, built by Patrick Guerrand-Hermès to introduce polo to Morocco, is a stunning polo destination where more than 200 PGH top-bred polo ponies are played from March to October, with a variety of all-inclusive polo vacations available at all levels. To end the week, the Morocco La Palmeraie Team narrowly defeated the San Diego Craig Venter Polo Team and the Newport PGH Polo Team to win the La Palmeraie Tajine Cup with a 1 goal advantage.
10 15 Ponylines PD.indd 10
TONY RAMIREZ/IMAGESOFPOLO.COM
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
The Hurlingham Polo Association has confirmed that England will play a Commonwealth team in a rematch for the Royal Salute Coronation Cup on Saturday 29 July at Guards Polo Club. For the first time, there will be a ladies international, playing for The Diamond Jubilee Trophy after the Coronation Cup. David Woodd, Chief Executive of the HPA said: ‘Women’s polo is growing fast worldwide and the introduction of ladies’ handicaps has been a great boost for ladies’ polo.’ Fred Mannix Jr, left, lifts the trophy after captaining last year’s winning team. For tickets visit: coronationcuppolo.com
02/06/2017 14:37
Photo: EFG Bank – Aravali Team, www.imagesofpolo.com
Playing on our strengths to deliver first-class performance. Comprehensive private banking solutions; solid range of investment and advisory services; delivered one relationship at a time.
EFG International’s global private banking network operates in around 40 locations worldwide, including Zurich, Geneva, Lugano, London, Madrid, Milan, Monaco, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, Singapore, Miami, Bogotá and Montevideo. In the United Kingdom, EFG Private Bank Limited’s principal place of business and registered office is located at Leconfield House, Curzon Street, London W1J 5JB, T + 44 20 7491 9111. EFG Private Bank Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. EFG Private Bank Limited is a member of the London Stock Exchange. Registered in England and Wales as no. 2321802. EFG Private Bank Ltd is a subsidiary of EFG International. www.efginternational.com
PONYLINES
HOOKED ON POLO JARED ZENNI Originally from Chicago, Jared Zenni began to play polo at a young age. He recently won the Glenn Hart Cup, Iglehart Cup and the $100,000 World Cup, without losing a game. He is currently based in Wellington, Florida.
10 15 Ponylines PD.indd 12
BRITISH BEACH POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS Preparations are underway to create the biggest beach polo event in the world to mark the 10th anniversary of the renowned British Beach Polo Championships held at Sandbanks in Poole. On 7 and 8 July the British Beach Polo Championships will stage a four-team main competition, with university and junior matches, international beach volleyball and other spectacles including the polo pony vs 4x4 charity race. Large crowds are expected, and this year sees a larger public viewing area, with live music and a DJ, a retail village and a range of bars and catering options.
CLAIRE LUCAS CUP On 30 April, Oxford University Polo Club (OUPC) partnered with Kirtlington Park Polo Club and Women in Polo to launch the UK’s first-ever university-level ladies’ grass polo tournament, celebrating the achievements of female polo players as part of the Annual Kirtlington Park Polo Club Open Day. Claire Lucas herself – the first-ever female captain of OUPC – presented the prizes for the inaugural Claire Lucas Cup, in which Oxford were crowned victors, followed by St Andrew’s and Cambridge in 2nd and 3rd places respectively.
M AT I A S C A L L E J O , M E L I S S A B A S T I N
12
I started playing polo aged five. I would follow my dad to the barn and while he was practicing, I would ride a little pony that was kept at the farm where we lived. I love horses – man’s connection with them is incomparable. There is no other professional sport played at 35 mph involving racing and bumping competitors while on a half-ton animal with a mind of its own. I love to see how a man and a horse can become a team. I enjoy fast, open games, especially with few to no fouls and well-mounted players. I believe I play better this way, and it is much more exciting for the spectator. But I play any level and just try to play the best available to me; playing the best is what makes you better in the long run. I have had a lot of memorable games, but one that sticks out is a 14-goal game in Lexington, Kentucky. My father and I were on the same team and I started with a few good goals and a critical penalty 4 to put us up by a few more goals. We were up by 4 or 5 at halftime but they seemed to come back through the 4th and 5th chukkas. The 6th chukka was fast and hard-fought and we were up by 1 or 2 with very little time left. I shot another penalty 4 and luckily I sent it high and straight through the middle, which ended up being the goal of the game. It was special to me as the team was family and friends, and we could celebrate together.
02/06/2017 14:37
from the beaches of rio to the shores of san francisco, representing brazil with pride. SaudE! •
San Francisco Wine Spirits Competition •
2017 New Entry Double Gold
2014 New Entry Double Gold
yaguara cachaca
@yaguaracachaca
2017 New Entry Silver cachacayaguara
www.yaguaracachaca.com
Yaguara Hurlingham_advert_awards_version1.indd 1
31/05/2017 15:09
PONYLINES
CHUKKAS The Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic celebrated its 10th anniversary on 3 June. The venue was Liberty State Park in New Jersey with stunning views of Manhattan. Alicia Keys performed at the event, which was live-streamed by the New York Times to an estimated 2 million people.
In early May, Mark Bellissimo submitted plans for a 100-unit condominium hotel and numerous multi-family condominiums on the Isla Carroll East Field. There are also plans for four sand and two grass arenas at IPC, plus stabling to the west
A M B A S S A D O R ’ S C U P S A N TA B A R B A R A
of the current stadium.
In the first week of May, Santa Barbara Polo Club (SBPC) and Bella Vista Polo Club (BVPC) hosted the 93rd Federation of International Polo Ambassador’s Cup. The tournament included 12 international ambassadors and 12 local polo players who provided horses for the international players. The championship match was fought by well-balanced teams representing California Polo Club (CPC) and the SBPC, and while strong performances by Domingo Questel and Jef Graham kept CPC in the match, Antonio Juarez and Ambassador Guillermo Steta of SBPC dominated play. A shootout after the fourth chukka saw SBPC come out on top.
On 8 April, the University of Virginia (UVA) and Texas A&M women’s teams mounted up at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club to fight for the USPA National Intercollegiate Championship. UVA took a 9-7 victory over 14
Texas A&M. It was UVA’s 10th title.
Next year all HPA members will be required to wear an approved helmet. The only one to meet the standard to date is the Armis Helmet designed by Robin Spicer and manufactured by Charles Owen. For a customised helmet contact Polo Splice polosplice.co.uk or RJ Polo rjpolo.com.
The HPA and its UK distributor, King of Games, have launched a line of clothing – HP Active – for on and off the field. Although designed for polo, it is also ideal for active pursuits including hurlinghampolo1875.com.
In the presence of Sunny Hale, five teams made up of 24 international ladies disputed the 2016 Zürich International Ladies Polo Cup last July, in the 17th edition of Polo Park The Argentine Polo Association has recently
Zürich. Team Eterna won the tournament, led by Lucia Podesta playing an open game
announced the six teams for the 2017 Triple
against the very competitive team, Les Jolies Filles. Teams Hato, Aegerter and Piaget
Crown: La Dolfina (40), Ellerstina (39), Alegria (35),
played round-robin for third place, ending in victory for Hato. Irene Gräff of team
La Aguada (32), Cria Yatay (31) and La Irenita (31).
Eterna received the MVP prize – a special saddle donated by Performance Polo.
There are two spots left that will be determined
Polo Park Zürich’s 2017 edition will be held 8-9 July, with two leagues including
by the qualifiers.
an 8-10 goal ladies’ handicap.
10 15 Ponylines PD.indd 14
LIGHT & SHADOW PICTURES CO,
Z Ü R I C H I N T E R N AT I O N A L L A D I E S P O LO C U P
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
leisure riding, walking and running. To order, visit
02/06/2017 14:37
PONYLINES
SADDLE UP WITH... M AT I A S TO R R E S Z AVA L E TA COUNTRY: ARGENTINA H A N D I C A P : 7- G O A L AGE: 26
When did you start to play polo? I started playing polo when I was seven or eight years old on my family’s farm. A groom who works for my family, Antonio Bargas, is like a grandfather to me. He has worked for us since he was 17 and he’s now 80 – I used to stick-and-ball with him, and practice with my father. I played my first tournament in Coronel Suárez and went on to play a lot of tournaments there as a child.
LOVE OF MY LIFE PONY’S NAME: LA TROMPADA SEX: MARE ORIGIN: ARGENTINA La Trompada was born in 2007 to sire Clarin, a successful stallion who played the Triple Crown in Argentina, and dam Nazarena. Trompada was outstanding – fast, agile and resistant. She played the Camara tournament with my son Matias in 2013 and with my other son Pablo for his 2014 Triple Crown string for La Dolfina. Sadly she
15
suffered a severe exposed fracture of the cannon bone when she jumped a fence and broke her leg on landing – an injury that would usually mean she would have to be euthanised. But equine vet Agustin Almanza [above, right] of Redboot designed a prosthetic leg seven months after the accident, and we put it on every morning so she can walk around during the day. She produced 16 embryos before the accident; 3 embryos last year and 14 more of her offspring will be born between September 2017 and March 2018. Jorge Mac Donough [above, left]
What makes polo special for you? My father and grandfather played polo and because of this, and the fact that I lived on a farm, it was natural for me to play. Plus, I like the sport and the horses.
REGENT’S POLO SCHOLARSHIP Regent’s University London has launched the first UK equestrian polo scholarship in memory of student Prince Filippo Corsini, an accomplished equestrian and showjumper whose life was tragically cut short in 2016. To achieve a place, not only must undergraduates have an offer from Regent’s University, they must submit a 500-word statement on what polo means to them, including video footage of them playing, and a reference from a registered polo club.
Who do you respect most in polo? Adolfo Cambiaso is the best player I have ever seen. It’s amazing to play with him – it makes you realize how smart he plays, how he makes the team work. He is a winner on and off the field. What is your most memorable polo game? The US Open final 2017: we won the Triple Crown and I was named MVP. I am thankful to Cambiaso, Diego Cavanagh and Bob Jornayvaz. It was a very important season for me to play with one of the best organisations and the number one team.
follow @hurlinghampolo
10 15 Ponylines PD.indd 15
02/06/2017 14:37
S P O N S O R E D F E AT U R E
ROVINJ BEACH POLO CUP Polo Rovinj, an enthralling new polo tournament in the picturesque Adriatic region, awaits your visit… Clockwise from left: polo on the beach in Rovinj, Croatia; Maistra Hotel Monte Mulini; Maistra Hotel Lone
16
Set against the enchanting skyline of the medieval town of Rovinj, Croatia, the second Rovinj Beach polo tournament took place from 18-21 May 2017. Rated among the 20 most beautiful towns in Europe, the town is characterised by colourful architecture and its unique location on the headland of the Istrian peninsula. Six international polo teams competed at the event, encompassing players from the UK, Hungary, Germany, Brazil, Slovakia, Argentina, Switzerland and Italy. The polo arena, built especially for the occasion, welcomed thousands of spectators and VIP guests from across the globe. International sponsors – including Adris, Bentley, D1 Milano, Jana, Miller and Veuve Cliquot – supported their polo teams, while La Martina was the official sportswear supplier. Guests and players alike enjoyed the beautiful decorations, culinary highlights and world-class entertainment that brought
Croatia Rovinj Polo advertorial LF.indd 16
a party spirit to the event and made it a truly memorable occasion for all involved. The continued success and quality of the tournament, which is in its second year, demonstrates the enthusiasm of its organisers – led by President of the Board of Polo Rovinj, Uwe Zimmermann and his team – to establish an ongoing tradition of polo in Croatia. There are a selection of new five-star Maistra hotels and resorts that provide luxurious accommodation and delectable culinary experiences, set within the outstanding natural beauty of Rovinj and the surrounding archipelago. The glamour of international celebrities and stars who visit the region demonstrates the high level of hospitality that has turned the Adriatic coast of Croatia into one of Europe's top destinations for luxury tourism and unforgettable holidays. croatiapolo.com
22/05/2017 14:56
1958 Florence Knoll and Eero Saarinen, Pedestal “Tulip” Chair 2013 Eero Saarinen Pedestal Collection Photo: Gionata Xerra
Celebrate 75 years of iconic design, from pioneering modernist vision to bold contemporary designs for home and office. Always timeless. Always true. www.knolleurope.com Knoll Showrooms London - Paris - Milan
Knoll_Hurligham_210x285_Saarinen.indd 1
20/01/17 14:15
TA L K
18
SEQUENTIAL SUCCESS (BPP) honours from the US Open Polo Championship. B09 was raised and trained at Crestview Farm in Aiken, South Carolina, but has now jetted off to Buenos Aires to join her fellow clones for the 2017 Argentine high-goal season. The success of B09 comes hot on the heels of the same distinction earned by her fellow clone, B06, who was BPP in the
2016 Tortugas Open final. When the award was announced, crowds cheered. While the Argentine season showed how talented all of Cuartetera’s clones are, Alan Meeker, founder of Crestview Genetics and a partner with Cambiaso in the cloning operation, stood up in amazement as he watched the BPP blanket being draped on B06. ‘Our precious B06 winning the BPP
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
The 2017 US high-goal season at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) proved a landmark year not just for Valiente, who won the American Triple Crown, but also for a primo pony in the organisation’s award-winning string. B09 – the ninth clone of Adolfo Cambiaso’s legendary mare Cuartetera – competed for the first time in high-goal polo and won best-playing pony
TONY RAMIREZ/IMAGESOFPOLO.COM,
As cloned ponies continue to infiltrate high-goal polo, Darlene Ricker discovers there is still space for individuality and emotional connections to occur
hurlinghampolo.com
18 19 Talk Cloning PD LF.indd 18
02/06/2017 14:43
TA L K
Opposite: Adolfo Cambiaso on B06 with La Dolfina at the 2016 Argentine Open final against Ellerstina. This page, left: Cambiaso on B06, BPP, at the Tortugas Open final. Below: At the final of the US Open, B09 was named BPP
19
was especially moving for me. Adolfo is as enamoured with her as I am,’ he said. Meeker’s pioneering cloning enterprise was initially met with a degree of skepticism by some polo pony breeders, but has finally been vindicated. B06’s performance is ‘proof of concept,’ he says. ‘If they didn’t believe it then, they do now.’ After the Tortugas Open final, Cambiaso went on to achieve his long-held dream of playing a high-goal match mounted solely on clones – and at the most prestigious tournament in the world, no less. Cambiaso won the 2016 Argentine Open with La Dolfina, playing B01 through to B06 (all the Cuartetera clones are named beginning with a B and are sequentially numbered in order of their birth). It marked the first time a player had competed in an entire match only with clones.
B04, who made a significant contribution to the victory, closely resembles B06, not just in appearance but also in movement and maneuverability. The two are nearly impossible to distinguish on the field. Yet for Meeker every clone bears its own uniqueness. B04 has been his favourite since her birth at his farm. She spent the first year of her life with him there before she went to Argentina to be prepared as a polo pony through the organisation’s training protocol. ‘I spent a lot of time with B04 and was very sad the day I shipped her to Argentina, but I have kept up with her ever since,’ said Meeker. ‘Something in me always said she was special.’ But how can a clone, which is by definition a replica of the original and its siblings, be special? Meeker explains that although all Cuartetera’s offspring share
the exact same DNA, the white markings on cloned mammals are genetic only in respect to their location on the body, not the shape of the marking. White shapes on the faces of clones, therefore, always turn out differently as the genetic code merely says ‘put white here’, without dictating a specific design. Unlike B06, who has a star, B04 has a white crescent in the middle of her forehead and a short white snip on the bridge of her nose. The distinctive marking on B04’s face spoke to Meeker from the very beginning: ‘It looks identical to the crescent on the F of the Crestview Farm logo,’ explains the normally objective scientist. ‘It seemed to be a sign to me that somehow the grand plan of the universe was just fine with what we were doing [cloning]. I don’t often believe in signs, but I took this as one nonetheless.’
follow @hurlinghampolo
18 19 Talk Cloning PD LF.indd 19
02/06/2017 14:43
TA L K
F A M I LY V A L U E S
20
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
Alex Webbe uncovers the discipline and cameraderie that underpins the astonishing achievements of the Obregón brothers
hurlinghampolo.com
20 21 Talk Obregon Bros PD LF.indd 20
JUAN MARTIN
GERONIMO
02/06/2017 14:45
TA L K
Opposite, clockwise from top left: The Obregón brothers, Marianito, Facundo, Geronimo and Juan Martin
When Mariano Obregón arrived in Colorado in 1990 from Argentina to play for Kurt Kissmann and Bob Jornayvaz, he had no expectations of building a polo dynasty with his sons, but that’s exactly what happened. If the horse is considered to be as much as 80 per cent of the game, how did a struggling 4-goal professional player living in a foreign country manage to discipline, organise, train and promote his four sons to become some of polo’s top players? Mariano Obregón went about his daily routine in workmanlike fashion, shaping the understanding and discipline that his sons would draw upon as their own polo careers developed. Together they pitched in to help their father with the horses, the barn and the tack and, as the boys matured, so did their affinity for the game. Thirty-two-year-old Marianito (Nino) Obregón is the oldest of the four boys and remembers learning to ride at the age of seven, and stick-and-balling two years later. ‘I played in my first tournament at the Eldorado Polo Club [Indio, California] when I was 12,’ recalls the 7-goaler, smiling. ‘It was a 2-goal event.’ Over the ensuing years, Nino learned the trade under his father’s watchful eye and dogmatic instruction. ‘My father gave me the foundation of my game,’ he explains. ‘He taught me about the horse and the importance of proper feeding, exercise, training and preparation. He showed me how to care for the tack, keep the barn organised and the trailers clean.’ Over the years, opportunities opened as his handicap has risen; appearances in 20-goal competitions in Greenwich and the Hamptons led to 26-goal opportunities. Nino was a member of Fred Mannix’s
Zorzal team in the 2013 US Open and played with Peter Brant’s White Birch in the 2016 US Open, where they made their way to the semi-finals before losing to the eventual winner, Orchard Hill, by a single goal. Following closely behind his older brother is 27-year-old Facundo Obregón, who also found himself on a horse at a very early age and took full advantage of the direction offered to him by his father. Facundo quickly climbed the handicap ladder, attaining an enviable 6-goal rating to play in both 20-goal and 26-goal competitions for Orchard Hill, Coca-Cola and Lechuza Caracas, among others. A smart and physical player, Facundo is known for his mallet skills, as well as the signature Obregón ride-off – a disciplined and well-executed skill that Mariano has ingrained well into each of his sons. His knowledge of the game, team play and horsemanship continue to place him in demand on the American high-goal circuit. Probably one of the best kept secrets of the Obregón clan is Juan Martin Obregón. Rated at 5-goals, the 26-year-old kept himself off the main stage until making his 20-goal debut at the International Polo Club this year with an 18-goal Horseware team in the Ylvisaker Cup. There, he displayed flashes of brilliance and a command of the field, scoring 27 goals in four games and accounting for 75 per cent of the team’s
offence. No stranger to the high-goal game, Juan Martin also participates in 24-goal competitions in Argentina, so the odds look good for seeing him on the field more frequently in the coming season. At 21, Geronimo Obregón is the youngest brother, but the Obregón talent pool certainly hadn’t run out by the time he arrived. He played his first game at eight years of age and participated in a 6-goal tournament later that same year. At the age of 14, Geronimo replaced an injured Camilo Bautista on the Las Monjitas roster in both 20-goal and 26-goal competitions, competing in North America’s most prestigious tournaments. The only one of the gang born in America, Geronimo is a member of Team USPA and has been selected to represent the United States in the 2017 FIP World Cup. The evolution of players as their skills progress over the years is not a new story in the world of polo, but the fact that Mariano Obregón managed to do it on a shoestring budget is exceptional. ‘We have very strong family values,’ he says. ‘Everyone always pitched in. Horses were shared, the boys groomed for one another, supported one another, whatever it took.’ The mentality of the Obregón family stands as an inspiring example of what can be achieved through dedication, discipline and pulling together.
21
'E VERYONE PITCHED IN AND SUPPORTED ONE A NO T HER ', M A R I A NO OBREG ÓN
follow @hurlinghampolo
20 21 Talk Obregon Bros PD LF.indd 21
02/06/2017 14:45
TA L K
A TRADITIONAL APPROACH A sense of community and sportsmanship made the 94th FIP Ambassador's Cup a special event, writes Patrick Deedes
22
The 94th Ambassador’s Cup kicked off on 27 April at Paris’s Polo de Paris. Twelve ambassadors flew in for the event, from seven countries, and the foreign players were generously provided with ponies by the French ambassadors. The five teams were presented with their jerseys in the historic clubhouse, at a ceremony presided over by the president of the International Polo Federation, Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers; president of the French Polo Association, Jean-Luc Chartier; and Serge de Ganay, representing the de Ganay family, who hosted the matches at the magnificent Château de Courances.
Play began at 4pm and the teams soon found a natural order with Courances Blue heavily defeated by Courances Yellow in the first match, and Courances Black dominating the round-robin. After the matches, there was a relaxed dinner for players and their partners in the club’s dining room. Play continued on 29 April, against the backdrop of the château’s park wall – the setting could not have been more appropriate for a weekend of friendly matches. Courances Blue took another beating by Courances Black in the first match, and Courances Yellow dominated the round-robin over the Courances Red and Green teams.
After the first day’s matches, as they changed for dinner, the players experienced the luxurious facilities of the estate’s new holiday cottages, managed by historic restoration specialists Pierres d’Histoire. The guests enjoyed drinks on the château’s terrace overlooking the water gardens, joined by members of the de Ganay family (including Norbert and Antoine who recently hung up their mallets) and the Italian Ladies’ Team. Tournament sponsors Hysek, OJ Perrin, Casa Fagliano and Lancelot were also present and champagne flowed courtesy of Taittinger. A black-tie dinner was then held and, amid the good cheer, Serge de Ganay
JACKY MACÉ
This page, from left: Nicholas ColquhounDenvers, Serge de Ganay, Patrick GuerrandHermès at Courances. Opposite, top: Courances Black vs Courances Blue. Opposite, below: Jean-Luc Chartier with the Trophée Paul de Ganay
hurlinghampolo.com
22 23 Talk Ambassadors Cup PDLF.indd 22
02/06/2017 14:47
TA L K
welcomed the Ambassador’s Cup as a part of Courances’s rich polo history. He also expressed his delight at being able to continue the family tradition of polo through such alumni as Paul de Ganay – an ambassador himself, who inspired many with his style and elegance. The family wish to perpetuate this, with its committed desire to make the Château de Courances an important polo venue in Île-de-France. The highly esteemed Trophée Paul de Ganay, with distinguished past recipients such as Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, was awarded to Jean-Luc Chartier, president of both the French Polo Federation and Polo de Paris, for his many years of unwavering service to the sport. He brought the dinner to a close with his words of thanks and guests departed with a special gift from luxury watch and accessories maker Hysek. On the final day, teams gathered on the field at 11am and kicked off with the round-robin matches, which included Courances Red, Blue and Green. Despite great play and valiant efforts, Courances Blue were unable to make a comeback and took fifth place, losing 1–3 to Courances Red. Courances Green took third place, beating Courances Red into fourth place 2–1. The final took place between Courances Yellow and Courances Black, as spectators continued to gather. Despite a tightly contested match until the last chukka, Courances Black, with player of the tournament Moritz Gädeke, finally steamed ahead to a 4–1 victory. As storm clouds gathered overhead, Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers presented FIP medals to each player at prize-giving in the presence of former president Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, and Serge and Lauraine de Ganay. Casa Fagliano presented each player on the winning team with a voucher for a pair of their polo boots and thanks was given to sponsors, including Crédit Agricole, Île-de-France and Axa Insurance Cabinet Ranson, Fontainebleau. As soon as the field emptied of players and spectators, the heavens burst open. Not only had the weekend been rich in the convivial and elegant sportsmanship that Courances seeks to uphold, a guardian angel had clearly been standing by in the wings.
23
I N T H E C H ÂT E AU ’ S PA R K , T H E S E T T I N G C O U L D N O T H AV E B E E N M O R E A P P R O P R I AT E F O R A W E E K E N D O F F R I E N D LY M AT C H E S
follow @hurlinghampolo
22 23 Talk Ambassadors Cup PDLF.indd 23
02/06/2017 14:47
TA L K
THE NEXT GENERATION RBVN Scholarship recipient and recent graduate of the University of Virginia, Julia Smith reflects on the positive influence her polo playing brings, on and off the field
The Raymond Bruce Vere Nicoll Scholarship Fund (RBVN) was created in 1975 to honour the life of its namesake after his tragic and untimely passing in a car accident. Raymond Bruce Vere Nicoll was an avid polo player and the scholarship offers financial support to help players pursue the sport while attending the University of Virginia. The scholarship means individual Virginia Polo members such as myself are
granted the opportunity to be part of the best polo programme in the country. Since its inception, the fund has helped more than 50 students to attend the university and compete in the sport. I started playing polo at the age of eight, with Work To Ride in Philadelphia, PA. Throughout my middle-school and highschool years I played for various teams such as Burnt Chimney, Maryland and Brandywine.
When I played in my first tournament at Virginia Polo Center aged 12, I felt certain that I was destined to be a student at the University of Virginia and a member of Virginia Polo. Virginia Polo is a programme centered on commitment, dedication, sportsmanship and lifelong relationships. It is a programme where, through work responsibilities, we are taught the life skills of management and
ELIZABETH HEDLEY
24
hurlinghampolo.com
24 25 Talk RBVN ScholarshipLF MF.indd 24
02/06/2017 14:48
hurlin
TA L K
Opposite, from left: Jessica Schmitt (RBVN scholar), Mary Collins, Katie Mitcham, Julia Smith (RBVN scholar), Coach Lou Lopez
VIRGINIA POLO IS A PROGRAMME CENTRED ON C O M M I T M E N T, D E D I C AT I O N A N D S P O R T S M A N S H I P
accountability. Individual achievement is encouraged and celebrated by the entire team, giving all members a sense of pride. Now, as a young woman and recently graduated member of Virginia Polo, I credit the programme with contributing much to my growth in becoming a determined, independent and well-respected polo player. For many years now, Virginia Polo has been a powerful and constant force in my life. When I think of Virginia Polo, I think of
home, which is a place where good memories are created. A place where you can walk through the door to a safe, comforting space that allows you to take risks, push limits and develop your personal potential. A home keeps one grounded. It is also a place where you can make mistakes and learn from them with the support of your family. The RBVN Scholarship afforded me this home. What started as something I dreamt of being a part of has instead become a part
of me. Thanks to the RBVN Scholarship, I have had the privilege to co-captain a team that embodies excellence and dedication to their sport and to be president of a club that is welcoming and supportive. The friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime, as will the lessons learned. I am who I am today because of UVA, Virginia Polo and the RBVN Scholarship. As polo continues to take me around the world, home will always be Virginia Polo. rbvns.org
25
BESPOKE SILVERSMITHS Unique Designs Hand Crafted GUTTER CREDIT IN HERE
Special Commissions Replica Trophies
Silver & Bronze Models
SUITE 16 88 - 90 HATTON GARDEN LONDON EC1N 8PN TELEPHONE +44 (0)20 7404 0487 FAX +44 (0)20 7404 6063 MOBILE 07973 824 464 followEMAIL:SANSON@BEZANTLTD.CO.UK @hurlinghampolo WWW.BEZANTLTD.COM 24 25 Talk RBVN ScholarshipLF MF.indd 25 hurlinghamhires.indd 1
02/06/2017 10:46 14:48 16/05/2012
TA L K
26
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN Intricately woven into the culture of India, the game of polo has been played in this part of the world since ancient times, so it is no wonder that the country is often referred to as ‘the home of polo’. Historically, the sport has mainly been played and enjoyed by royalty and the military and has been heavily dependent on royal patronage. But Indian businessman, polo player and patron Chirag Parekh is seeking to change all that, by founding the Champions Polo League – his smart vision to reinvent the royal sport and bravely rewrite its rulebook, to make it more accessible and entertaining for spectators. His plan involves adding huge helpings of entertainment and glamour, to create
a truly thrilling and memorable experience that fans can enjoy with family and friends. It’s hoped this fresh approach will attract new spectators to polo across India, and spark a resurgence of interest in the game. ‘Let’s take this regal sport from its isolation and make polo more diverse and accessible to a wider audience,’ says Parekh. ‘We’ve gone back to the drawing board and changed some things around to increase the appeal of polo to the younger generation without compromising on the real essence, spirit and foundation of the sport.’ The Gujarat Polo Cup took place from 7–9 April in Bhavnagar – a fast-developing industrial town in Gujarat, north of Mumbai. It was organised as a precursor to the
Champions Polo League, to give spectators, sponsors, promoters, partners, broadcasters and players a glimpse of what is in store. The stadium was full to capacity (10,000), which was especially impressive as the tournament was on at the same time as the Indian cricket Premier League. All the leading Indian polo players competed, including Shamsher Ali, Simran Shergill, Samir Suhag, Dhruvpal Godara, Basheer Ali, Gaurav Sahgal and HH Maharaja Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, alongside the leading English player Richard Le Poer and Leroux Hendriks from South Africa. Spectators witnessed a grand polo treat, with six teams of three players each and three polo games on each day of the
RAJ KUMAR SINGH
Polo in India is breaking from tradition and undergoing a vibrant and glamorous transformation to attract new audiences to the game, writes Vikram Rathore
hurlinghampolo.com
26 27 Talk Champions Polo League India PDLF.indd 26
02/06/2017 14:52
TA L K
IT’S HOPED A FRESH APPROACH WILL AT T R A C T N E W S P E C TAT O R S A C R O S S I N D I A
Opposite: Leroux Hendriks of Iscon Hemvijay team going to goal. This page, top from left: Samir Suhag, Leroux Hendriks, Chirag Parekh, HH Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur. Bottom, from left: Vikram Rathore, Maharaj Narendra Singh, Yuvraj Vrishank Singh of Santrampur, Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur and Rajmata Padmini Devi of Jaipur
weekend. The Iscon Hemvijay Stallions, comprising HH Maharaja Singh, Hendrix and Suhag, beat the IPCL Immortals, led by the crowd’s favourite Ali, to win the tournament. Celebrities from Bollywood and showbiz, including Kriti Sanon, Sunny Leone, Lauren Gottlieb, Harshvardhan Kapoor, Shefali Alvares and the superstar Saif Ali Khan, performed to enthralled audiences. Being the Nawab of Bhopal and Pataudi, Khan not only belongs to a legendary polo-playing family, he is also the brand ambassador of the Champions Polo League. Players taking part in the league will be ranked by their star rating, awarded by a committee made up of leading players from across the globe and chaired by the Argentinian Pepe Araya. They will be rated from one to five, gauged by their skills, horsemanship, team play, stick work, ball control and so on. Each team will comprise one 3-star foreign pro, one 3-star Indian pro, one 2-star semi pro and two 1-star novices. Schedule two includes a power chukka, in which only two of the three main players can play, and a talent chukka in which it will
27
be mandatory for the team to play the polo novices. Entertainment and hospitality will include performances by various artists, celebrity appearances, cheerleaders, vintage cars, fashion shows, live DJs, innovative acts, luxury shopping boutiques, food courts, hospitality lounges, royal boxes, purple-carpet arrivals and grand after-parties. With a smaller arena, faster and high adrenaline gameplay, aspirational audiences and participation from top Indian and international players, the new Champions Polo League is set to be the perfect blend of enthralling sport, entertainment and glamour.
follow @hurlinghampolo
26 27 Talk Champions Polo League India PDLF.indd 27
02/06/2017 14:52
OPINION
28
alex webbe The landscape of the US high-goal polo season is changing; sports journalist Alex Webbe comments on the evolution of the Game of Kings I L L U S T R AT I O N : P H I L D I S L E Y
hurlinghampolo.com
28 29 Opinion Polo Profitability PD LF.indd 28
02/06/2017 14:53
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE US POLO A S S O C I A T I O N ’ S H I S T O R Y, T H E S P O R T I S BEING APPROACHED AS A BUSINESS
Summer is here, and the Florida high-goal season is behind us, but there was a different feel this year – the Wellington polo scene was in a state of disarray. Over the years, the high-goal polo community has played under the umbrella of a major club supported by an individual. The Oak Brook Polo Club in Chicago relied on the Butler family; Steve Gose subsidised the game at his Retama Polo Center outside San Antonio, Texas; and in Florida, it was Tulsa oilman John Oxley with his Royal Palm Polo Club in Boca Raton, and Bill Ylvisaker, CEO of Gould Inc, who purchased 10,000 acres and developed Wellington and Palm Beach Polo & Country Club. With the demise of the high-goal game at Palm Beach Polo and Country Club and the Royal Palm Polo Club, the International Polo Club (IPC) emerged under the funding of John Goodman and a Goodman Trust. A stadium was constructed and a clubhouse built, and it served as the home for the United States Polo Association’s Open Championship for the last 14 years. After a group headed by equestrian promoter Mark Bellissimo purchased the club in 2016, the landscape began to change. The new owners assumed the balance of the contract (until 2018) between the club and the USPA to host the 26-goal CV Whitney Cup, the Gold Cup and the US Open. ‘We have another year remaining on the current contract with the club,’ said USPA chairman Joe Meyer. ‘And we are currently working on an extension of that.’ For the first time in the association’s history, the sport is being approached as
a business, but not without ruffling feathers in the local polo community. Today, the major players on the Wellington polo scene are Bob Jornayvaz, Marc and Melissa Ganzi, and Bellissimo. Jornayvaz owns Valiente, a 140-acre polo farm in Wellington with four polo fields, a two-sided stadium and the largest single equestrian barn in the country at 78,000 sq ft. The Ganzis expanded their polo holdings with the purchase of Lyndon Lea’s Zacara Polo Farm; and the lease of three more fields, giving them a total of 11, including five at their Grand Champions Polo Club. Bellissimo’s success in the equestrian community had been limited to the hunter/ jumper and dressage disciplines that he expanded in Wellington before leading a group in purchasing the Colorado Horse Park and developing a major facility in North Carolina. He appears to be poised to attempt to make high-goal polo a profitable entity after his recent purchase of the IPC. CLUB SEASON
A full schedule of games was in place at the IPC this winter, with familiar teams and players for the season, but with an abbreviated list of three 26-goal teams in the opening tournament, the CV Whitney Cup. Jornayvaz made an excited rush into the high-goal game, hiring the top players and setting out to capture every major polo tournament in the world. Victories in Wellington including the CV Whitney Cup, the Gold Cup and the US Open were followed by a trip to Spain where his
Valiente team swept the high-goal season with wins in the Bronze, Silver and Gold cups. Valiente hosted the first All-Pro polo game in North America and a charity match featuring Prince Harry and Nacho Figueras in a festive, three-team round-robin affair. The Ganzis developed an off-season medium-goal league that eventually found a home on five fields that they purchased from Palm Beach Polo and Country Club’s Glenn Straub. They added three more fields to their inventory when they bought Zacara Farm and leased an additional three fields. Both Jornayvaz and the Ganzis were attempting to purchase the 248-acre IPC property but came up short. Offering a full schedule of tournaments, it appears that the Ganzis are shadowing the efforts of the IPC in an effort to wrest control of the high-goal games, but for now it appears the current team owners prefer to play before a stadium full of spectators. Despite being longtime supporters of the IPC programmes, neither Melissa nor Marc Ganzi entered teams in the first 20-goal tournament of the season, The Herbie Pennell Cup. And their absence saw the 26-goal ranks shrink to just three teams in the CV Whitney Cup, before a 26-goal Audi team, which expanded the field to four teams in the Gold Cup. Melissa Ganzi joined the US Open field with a line-up that included Rodrigo Andrade, Gonzalito Pieres and Nico Pieres while her husband Marc entered a foursome that fielded Nic Roldan, Magoo Laprida and Alejandro Novillo Astrada. Teo Calle’s Travieso entry expanded the field to six teams.
29
follow @hurlinghampolo
28 29 Opinion Polo Profitability PD LF.indd 29
02/06/2017 14:53
30
a lifelong engagement As HRH The Duke of Edinburgh retires from royal duties, his former team mate Lord Patrick Beresford – Vice President of Guards Polo Club – pays tribute to the Prince’s pursuit and patronage of the game
hurlinghampolo.com
30 33 Feature Prince Philip PD LF.indd 30
02/06/2017 14:54
Opposite: Prince Philip at the Audi International Polo at Guards Polo Club, 2012 This page: Prince Philip swaps his pony for a bicycle at Windsor Park Polo Club, 1964
TONY RAMIREZ/IMAGESOFPOLO.COM, GETTY IMAGES
31
Guards Polo Club are fortunate enough to have had Prince Philip as an ever-active president since polo was first played on Smith’s lawn in 1955. That year, at His Royal Highness’s instigation, Archie David closed the Henley Polo Club and moved his entire string to the Mews at Windsor Castle, from where he encouraged many young Guards officers to play, either on his ponies or on the 24 which he soon presented to the club. Polo first entered Prince Philip’s horizon when, as a schoolboy at Cheam, he was taken to watch the spectacular Jaipur team claim a clean sweep of the ‘Big Three’: the Ranelagh, Roehampton and Hurlingham Opens. In 1939, following a brief spell at Salem in Germany and his continued education at Gordonstoun, Prince Philip moved for nine months to the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. It was while there that he reputedly first caught the eye of the then Princess Elizabeth who, with her sister Princess Margaret, had accompanied their father on an informal visit. At the
outbreak of war, he was commissioned first to HMS Ramillies in the Indian Ocean, and then moved between various ships in the Mediterranean and Far Eastern waters. It was while based in Malta – under the tutelage of his uncle, Admiral Lord Mountbatten, himself a pre-war 5-goal player – that he first took up polo. Five years after his marriage to Princess Elizabeth in 1947, Prince Philip’s naval career ceased following the death of King George VI. Now based at Buckingham Palace, he needed an active sport in which to participate. Having first tried cricket, he turned to polo, riding three ponies lent by Lord Cowdray, stabled at Cowdray House, under the expert care of stud-groom William
Woodcott, and a young girl by the name of Pam Donoghue. The latter ran Prince Philip’s own stable up to his retirement from polo and then continued with Prince Charles. Initially he formed the team ‘The Mariners’, so called because it consisted of two erstwhile naval colleagues, Robert de Pass and Matt Maunder, and the former Royal Marine General Robert Neville who, due to injury, had to be replaced by former Chindit and Ghurkha Colonel Alec Harper. The name however survived, as did the distinctive square-necked naval ratings’ shirts – white with dark blue edging. Being committed to this team, Prince Philip did not play at Windsor in 1955, apart from competing in the first Royal Windsor
T H E R E A R E N O T M A N Y E N G L I S H A M AT E U R S WHOSE NAME CAN BE FOUND ON THE GOLD CUP THREE TIMES
follow @hurlinghampolo
30 33 Feature Prince Philip PD LF.indd 31
02/06/2017 14:54
Although no one rode harder or more competitively than Prince Philip, after a loss no one was quicker to switch off and forget any rancour that might have been engendered on the ground. His attitude was simply to look forward to the next game and to enjoy whatever après-polo parties were on offer. As well as the many military appointments, in time the Prince became Chancellor of four universities and Patron or President of a string of civilian organisations, such as the WWF (World Wildlife Fund for Nature) and the FEI
(International Equestrian Federation), many of which involved extensive travel abroad. As a result, whenever in a foreign country where polo was indigenous, he generally managed to fit in a game or two. When he visited Jamaica to open the Commonwealth Games in 1966, for example, he took with him a medium-goal Windsor Park team, soon to be joined by Prince Charles returning from school in Australia. And in 1970, he asked the all-English Windsor Park high-goal team – with whom he had won the Gold Cup six months earlier – to accompany him on invitation to Mexico.
A L A M Y, G E T T Y I M A G E S , T O N Y R A M I R E Z / IMAGESOFPOLO.COM
32
Cup, and captaining The Welsh Guards in a match versus The Royal Horse Guards. The following year he formed his own ‘Windsor Park’ team based on pre-war international Humphrey Guinness (mounted as ever by Archie David), whose colours – dark green with red piping – were similar to the cassocks worn by the choristers of the Chapel in Royal Lodge. His colleagues in The Mariners carried on, calling themselves ‘The Ancient Mariners’. Both teams quickly achieved success in 1956, with Windsor Park winning the Harrison Cup and The Ancient Mariners the County Cup. The following year, Prince Philip made his first foray into high-goal. His Windsor Park team contained both Humphrey Guinness and Tito Lalor – an Argentinean professional also mounted and supported by Archie David. Straight away, they took the British Open (The Cowdray Gold Cup), beating Baron Elie de Rothschild's Casarejo in the finals. Apart from the Vestey brothers, there are not many English amateurs, or English professionals for that matter, whose name can be found on the Gold Cup three times. Yet that is what Prince Philip achieved, winning it again with his Windsor Park team in both 1966 and 1969, still playing well up to his 1964 handicap of 5 goals. In those years, there were four other high-goal tournaments: the Cowdray Park Challenge Cup, which he won in 1962; the Warwickshire, which he won in 1966; the Midhurst Town Plate (a subsidiary of the Gold Cup, which he won several times); and the Queen’s Cup, which is notably missing from his wins and probably the one he would have valued most. The nearest he came was in 1964 when, with Argentinean Juan Carlitos Harriot, Windsor Park were run out of it by a half-goal in the finals. Afterwards, when both teams were in the Royal Box, Prince Philip asked Harriot, in the presence of Her Majesty, ‘Juan Carlos, what does that word “carajo”, which I overheard you muttering several times, actually mean in English?’ Juan Carlos had to think pretty quickly, but to his eternal credit, almost without hesitation, he replied: ‘It means well played, Sir.’
hurlinghampolo.com
30 33 Feature Prince Philip PD LF.indd 32
02/06/2017 14:54
NO ONE RODE HARDER OR M O R E C O M P E T I T I V E LY THAN PRINCE PHILIP
An arthritic right wrist forced his retirement from polo in 1971, at the age of 50. With equal enthusiasm, he took up carriage driving – rewriting the International Rules and encouraging Eastern Bloc countries to send teams to compete outside their Communist confines. Polo’s loss proved to be driving’s gain. In the same year he founded the Windsor Park Equestrian Club on Smith’s lawn, embracing show jumping, dressage and driving, and inaugurating classes at all levels, from beginners to superstars. Thus, on a summer weekend, there may be on Smith’s lawn as many as 400 horses competing in the Equestrian Club, and perhaps 300 in the polo, to say nothing of those just hacking around 4,500 acres
Opposite: The Royal Family at a Windsor Park polo game, 1951. This page, below: Lord Patrick Beresford, Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip at Audi International Polo at Guards Polo Club, 2012. Right: Her Majesty the Queen presenting Prince Philip with a trophy, 1957
33
of the beautiful Great Park which, as Ranger, he opened up for any rider who wished to apply for a licence. Prince Philip is now patron or president of nearly 800 organisations, many of them born of his own initiatives. Perhaps the most successful has been the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, created in 1956 to bring adventure into the lives of British youngsters and now active in more than 140 other countries, involving more than six million participants. In addition, he has written ten books, on subjects as diverse as science, wildlife, religion, philosophy and carriage driving. Today, at the age of 96, Prince Philip has certainly earned himself the right to a peaceful retirement. If his track record is anything to go by, however, resting on his laurels seems unlikely.
follow @hurlinghampolo
30 33 Feature Prince Philip PD LF.indd 33
02/06/2017 14:54
Pioneer
34
woman SUNSET ‘SUNNY’ HALE 19 6 8 -2017
GUTTER CREDIT IN HERE
Alex Webbe pays tribute to Sunny Hale, one of the world’s most prominent and audacious polo players, who will be remembered for being the first female to win the US Open and for paving the way for women in the sport
hurlinghampolo.com
34 36 Feature Sunny Hale PD.indd 34
02/06/2017 15:07
handicap was raised to 5-goals, an accolade shared with only one other female player, England’s Claire Tomlinson, and her achievements didn’t end there. Hale grew up on a farm surrounded by horses and followed in the footsteps of her mother, Sue Sally Hale – who became the first female playing member of the US Polo Association in 1972. But Hale had higher aspirations and worked passionately to achieve them. It is said the highest accomplishment an athlete can achieve is to be recognised by their peers, and Hale’s success was certainly acknowledged in the polo world – she was awarded the Polo Excellence Award as the top woman player an unprecedented seven times. As her skills increased, so too did the level of play at which she competed. And as a few of the more accomplished players recognised her talent, high-goal opportunities began opening up for her. But individual accomplishments weren’t the driving force for Hale. In an effort to help highlight the talent and skills of other female players, in 2005 she created the Women’s Championship Tournament (WCT) featuring a series of regional competitions that culminated in a national final. Not
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM, SNOOPY PRODUCTIONS
‘I picked her for the team because she was the best 4-goal player I could find, and she was underrated,’ explains Adolfo Cambiaso (10) on why he chose the Californian to play in the 2000 US Open Championship with Tim Gannon’s Outback team. After losing their opening game, team captain Gannon (1) and Dale Schwetz (5) were replaced by Phil Heatley (2), and Sunny Hale (4). ‘The chemistry of the team just wasn’t right before,’ says Gannon. ‘We brought her in with Phil to play a game in the Gold Cup a week earlier and it seemed to click. She had high-goal experience and Adolfo thought we could win with the combination.’ The new line-up including Hale, Cambiaso, Lolo Catsagnola and Heatley went on to win the next five games, including the 11-8 final over Everglades (Skeeter Johnston, Owen Rinehart, Tomás Fernández Llorente and Tommy Biddle). ‘She plays with the head of a 10-goaler,’ said Cambiaso at the time. ‘She knows the game.’ ‘She was my coach,’ explains Heatley. ‘At the end of the day, she and I would be viewing films and reviewing the horses of opposing teams.’ After becoming the first woman to win the US Open Championship in 2000, Hale’s
only was polo promoted for female players but women became the USPA’s fastest growing demographic, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the association’s membership. So popular was the WCT that Hale took it internationally with tournaments in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, which was hosted by Dubai’s royal family. Hale not only promoted these tournaments, she competed in them. Ultimately, the WCT became the largest women’s polo league in the world. Hale also recognised the need for a central repository where information on the breeding and pedigree of polo ponies could be kept. In 2006, she founded the American Polo Horse Association. Annual APHA horse shows were organised with Cambiaso volunteering to be a judge alongside Dale Smicklas and Mara Hagan. ‘She was a force of nature,’ said longtime friend and former 8-goaler Smicklas, who served as Hale’s WCT Commissioner; his wife Joanne was her constant companion and right-hand girl. In 2013, Hale developed a new women’s polo handicapping system and has to be credited for the surge in female membership in the USPA. Her influence was felt
35
Opposite: Hale playing for New Bridge. This page, from left: Hale, Stephan Kwiatkowski, Eduardo Heguy, Nachi Heguy, Donald Trump, Gale Brophy, Henryk Kwiatkowski and Marla Maples in 1995
follow @hurlinghampolo
34 36 Feature Sunny Hale PD.indd 35
05/06/2017 11:42
Left: Hale for Makarow Farms. Below, from left: Hale, Mattias Magarini, Adolfo Cambiaso, Russ McCall
HALE WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN. SHE LEFT AN INDELIBLE MARK ON THE POLO SCENE
throughout the polo world, not least by her close friend Cambiaso who, in 2015, invited Hale to Argentina to play polo with his daughter, Mia. When asked why he asked her to come he responded, ‘Mia loves to play polo and loves horses and I wanted her to get the opportunity to play polo with the best woman polo player that ever played.’ Hale’s passion and diligence prevailed on and off the field, and she wrote five books:
Let’s Talk Polo, Let’s Talk About Your Handicap: How to Improve Your Handicap in the Sport of Polo, Let’s Talk Polo Ponies, I Want to be a Champion and How to Gain Confidence as a Rider. At the time of her death she was working on her sixth, Conquering the Dream, her story about how she achieved the impossible in the male-dominated game. More recently, Hale had been appearing as a motivational speaker, spreading her
optimism and can-do attitude throughout the sports and corporate world. Sunny Hale died on 26 February in Norman, Oklahoma due to complications from breast cancer. She was 48. ‘Her last words that day were asking me to promise to protect the integrity of the WCT and the American Polo Horse Association,’ says Smicklas. Following the final of the 2017 US Open Championship, Hale was posthumously awarded the Woman Player of the Year award, which Joanne Smicklas accepted on her behalf. Cambiaso announced from the trophy platform – after winning his eighth US Open title and leading Bob Jornayvaz’s Valiente team to a sweep of the 26-goal season – that he was dedicating the game to Hale. ‘We were friends,’ says Cambiaso. ‘We would sit and talk for hours at a time: 90 per cent of the time it was about horses and 10 per cent of the time it was about polo.’ Hale may be gone, but she will never be forgotten. She left an indelible mark on the polo scene and a lasting impression on anyone who had the pleasure to meet her.
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
36
hurlinghampolo.com
34 36 Feature Sunny Hale PD.indd 36
02/06/2017 15:07
thai polo & equestr i a n Club PATTAYA – THAILAND
• pa d d o c k s & s ta b l e s f o r 2 0 0 h o r s e s • i n t e r nat iona l c ro s s c ou n t ry c ou r s e • r ege lu dw ig i n t e r nat iona l polo sc hool • t o u r n a m e n t s u p t o 14 g oa l s
( n ov e m be r - a pr i l)
( n ov e m be r - a pr i l)
• t h a i s pa & s a lt wat e r p o o l
www.thai-polo-club.com
thaipolo.indd 2
09/05/2013 12:02
on the money Nekoro Gomes chats to Peter M Brant – founder of White Birch Polo Team and Greenwich Polo Club and one of the most prolific patrons of the sport – about his achievements and most memorable moments
hurlinghampolo.com
38 42 Feature Peter Brant PDLF.indd 38
02/06/2017 15:08
White Birch’s signature green and white jerseys have become synonymous with high-goal polo in the US. Founded in 1979 by Peter M Brant, the team has garnered a dedicated fan base and amassed an astonishing number of wins in the past 38 years. During the 1990s, White Birch dominated every major tournament at Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in Florida, winning 12 Gold Cups and nine East Coast Open tournaments. In 2005, the team went the entire season undefeated – they won nine tournaments, including the US Open, and laid claim to the illustrious Triple Crown. ‘I don’t think I could have imagined back in 1979 that I would still be playing polo at this level,’ says Brant. ‘I’ve been incredibly lucky to have achieved such longevity in the sport.’ But Brant has always played at the highest levels, whatever his pursuit. Alongside successful endeavours in manufacturing, real estate, film production, art collecting and philanthropy, sport is just one more arena for achievement. Brant came to polo through his love of horse racing, having bred and owned racehorses, including Gulch – winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in 1988. He was co-owner of Swale, the 1984 Kentucky Derby winner. In 1995, with Thunder Gulch’s victory in the Kentucky Derby, he became the only breeder to have bred not only the winner of the Run for the Roses but also the winner’s sire and dam. He recently decided to re-enter the sport by buying several racehorses in 2016 and 2017 and, as with anything he does – from business to art to philanthropy – he goes all in. ‘Ever since
38 42 Feature Peter Brant PDLF.indd 39
39
02/06/2017 15:08
Previous page: Brant at White Birch Farm in Greenwich, CT. This page: from left: Mariano Aguerre, Gonzalo Pieres, Hector Barrantes, and Brant at Saratoga Polo Association, winning the 1987 Palamountain Cup with Anne Palamountain, Will Farish, Mike Azzaro, Memo Gracida and Bill Farish.
40
Brant founded White Birch in 1979 and started to climb the higher-goal rankings rapidly, playing with legends such as Gonzalo Pieres Sr, Hector Barrantes and a then-unknown 16-year-old Mariano Aguerre. ‘Every time we went out there, we went to win – I thought that’s what my team expected from me and that’s what I expected from the guys that I played with,’ says Brant. When asked to identify the main factor in White Birch’s climb to dominance, Brant credits their approach to selecting ponies. ‘We looked at things like the class of the horse, conformation, breeding of the horse, where it was raised, who the breaker was, all of those things,’ he explains. ‘Other teams could see that really made a difference and they started to do the same thing.’
Many of the bloodlines that are in polo today can be traced back to the horses Barrantes bred during that time, many of which he owned in partnership with Brant. There is an endless list of these horses that ended up playing on White Birch and other teams around the world, including the Argentine Open. Brant played some of the sport’s top ponies, including Levicu – the Best Playing Pony of the Gold Cup in 1983, 1989 and 1990, and an inductee into the Museum of Polo’s Horses to Remember circle in 2006. He also names Lechuza, one of Gonzalo Pieres’s horses that eventually became a top broodmare, and Rumba, who Brant purchased as a four-year-old and played for 12 years until her retirement. ‘Rumba never
POLO CLUB, DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
‘EVERY TIME WE WENT OUT THERE, WE W E N T T O W I N , I T H O U G H T T H AT ’ S W H AT MY TEAM EXPECTED FROM ME’
JOELLE WIGGINS, ANGELA PHAM, PHOTO COURTESY OF GREENWICH
I started, I’ve always had great pleasure from playing the sport,’ says Brant, who was once the highest-rated amateur player in the US, attaining a 7-goal handicap in 1989. ‘My aim from the beginning was to take it very seriously. I played nine months a year against top competition all the time – and had good coaching from players who had been playing much longer than I had.’ Legend has it that Brant was introduced to the sport after meeting the American polo legend Tommy Glynn at the Fairfield County Hunt Club one day. Which is sort of true. Although Brant knew Glynn’s daughter Sandy from his time in the racing world, it was another figure who set up the meeting between Glynn and Brant – Allen Jerkens – a Hall of Fame thoroughbred-racehorse trainer who saddled two horses that beat the mighty Secretariat. Glynn – a member of Harvard University’s polo team in the 1920s – taught Brant the finer points of the sport and introduced him to other knowledgeable figures, such as the world-renowned indoor polo instructor and player Tom Goodspeed.
hurlinghampolo.com
38 42 Feature Peter Brant PDLF.indd 40
02/06/2017 15:08
This page above: Brant and his wife Stephanie at The Brant Foundation Art & Study Center. Below: White Birch celebrate the 2005 CV Whitney cup
had an injury and I always played her in the fifth or six chukka,’ says Brant. Although there was no shortage of polo players and ponies in those early years, a dedicated ground for the sport in Brant’s home state of Connecticut was missing. In 1980, he purchased the 1,481-acre Conyers Farm in Greenwich – at the time one of the largest plots of undeveloped land near a major city – for $18 million, in order to realise his vision of creating a world-class venue for high-goal polo that would grow to be a major attraction for the sport in the northeastern US. He worked closely with architects and designers to build out polo fields, create a grandstand, and convert a 1909 coldstorage barn made of stone into a players’ clubhouse, which later became the home of
The Brant Foundation Art Study Center, a museum open to the public, which promotes education and appreciation of contemporary art and design. Many of Greenwich Polo Club’s founding members (and major patrons in their own right) bought property at Conyers Farm, or had farms nearby, including Marty Gruss, Geoffrey Kent, Henryk de Kwiatkowski, Adam Lindemann, Peter Orthwein and Mickey Tarnopol. ‘These were all people that really helped me start Greenwich Polo Club. We all had a really good time playing together and against each other,’ says Brant. ‘My advice to anyone today who is starting a polo club or running a polo club is to have a tight-knit group of reliable sponsors and supporters. We’ve always had some of the best patrons in the game.’
41
follow @hurlinghampolo
38 42 Feature Peter Brant PDLF.indd 41
02/06/2017 15:08
42
He also points out a significant historical development that helped to increase the quality of competition being played at Greenwich Polo Club: the outbreak of the Falklands War in 1982 between the UK and Argentina. ‘During the Falklands War, the Argentine players were no longer able to compete in England due to the tense diplomatic relations between the countries,’ says Brant. ‘So many of the great Argentine players came to play in Greenwich that summer, and have been playing here every season since.’ In 1986, Greenwich Polo Club hosted the America’s Polo Championship – a series of three single matches that pitted the best Argentine players against the best North American players. Broadcast nationally on CBS Sports, it was the highest-handicap polo game played in North America since 1939. The 39-goal Argentine team won a hard-fought, close game against the 38-goal American team, finishing 11–10. More recently, Brant believes that Greenwich Polo Club’s strong relationship with the US Polo Association has been an important factor in growing the club’s footprint. For 2017, Greenwich Polo Club will host three USPA tournaments, including the Monty Waterbury Cup, the Silver Cup
and the East Coast Open (which White Birch won in overtime last year, in a hotly contested match versus Audi, the 2015 East Coast Open winners). The popularity of Greenwich Polo Club continues to rise with last season’s attendance topping 25,000. When asked about the teams and players that were White Birch’s toughest matches, he has no shortage of answers: ‘Any team that Carlos and Memo Gracida were on was tough,’ says Brant. ‘They were very well-managed players. Teams the Heguys put together were quite good. Today, Facundo and Pablo Pieres are great athletes. It’s always difficult to play against Adolfo Cambiaso; he’s the best player I’ve ever seen.’ ‘With his creativity, ingenuity and futuristic mindset, Peter was a true renaissance man in the polo world’ says Memo Gracida. ‘These characteristics helped create a polo dynasty that still stands today. He always had a sincere drive to improve his personal game. This helped set White Birch apart from other high-goal teams, because it created a true four-man team, not just three professionals and a patron. He was an epic adversary and it was always a great challenge to face White Birch in matches, because Peter always created such strong teams. Without a doubt, he helped
raise the bar, and we, the Gracida family, were lucky to be part of the sport’s resurgence. We have the utmost respect for Peter and White Birch.’ White Birch certainly benefited from its own share of immensely talented players, starting with Gonzalo Pieres, who helped power the team to six USPA Gold Cup wins, several 26-goal Sunshine League championships and seven World Cup championships. ‘We were very lucky to have Gonzalo for so many years. He was always the greatest and anybody who came on to the field against him was in for an afternoon of tough play,’ says Brant. However, Brant’s 30-year playing partnership with Aguerre is perhaps the most emblematic aspect of White Birch and Greenwich Polo Club’s ascent. Together, they achieved some of the team’s greatest wins. ‘Peter has been one of the most influential figures in American polo for many years,’ said Aguerre. ‘He really is a pioneer in terms of polo organisations and developing new players. He’s also an incredible friend.’ Aguerre – one of the only left-handed players ever to reach a 10-goal handicap (which he held for almost two decades) – was inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame during a ceremony in February. Brant could not have been happier for his longtime teammate and friend. ‘I was very proud of him,’ says Brant. ‘He’s a great guy, who cares so much about the game and, more importantly, he loves and cares about horses.’ When asked for any takeaway thoughts he might have had over the course of his nearly 40 years playing polo, Brant gives a pretty uncharacteristic answer for someone who’s enjoyed so much success: ‘Sometimes I wish I had eased back a little bit and not been as competitive as I was,’ he says, chuckling at the thought. But that just wouldn’t have been the White Birch way.
K AT E R I N A M O R G A N
Left, from left: Mariano Aguerre with Brant at Greenwich Polo Club
hurlinghampolo.com
38 42 Feature Peter Brant PDLF.indd 42
02/06/2017 15:09
Cappella-Chisholm FIINAL.pdf
1
5/31/17
12:59 PM
info@chisholmgallery.com I 845.505.1147 I www.chisholmgallery.com
DIEGO CAPPELLA American Contemporary Represented by Chisholm Gallery, LLC
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Photography Series
Polo B-Side
Limited Editions
http://chisholmgallery.com/diego-cappella
Polo & Sporting Art Specialists, Established in 1978
What about playing polo in Switzerland ?
invites you to learn to play polo or join us for chukkers or tournaments Plumis one of Navy the oldest Gold Polo Park and Country Club Zürich clubs White in Switzerland and opens this season Pant. 526 U 2768 U 872 U 526 C 2768 C 872 C with a brand new clubhouse. TakePant.your customers, friends or family to watch our games on Sundays. We offer kids and adults polo school - discovery days - low and medium goal club chukkers. LOGO POLO PARK & COUNTRY CLUB ZURICH More than 12 each season. SOLIDtournaments COLOR VERSION
Clubhouse, changing rooms, apartments, stables, everything is ready to welcome you and play the best polo on full size fields in Switzerland. DOG-DESSINS ORIGINAUX ET GENIAUX for POLO PARK & COUNTRY CLUB ZÜRICH
June 3-4: Zürich Championship Low Goal - June 10-11: In Vino Challenge June 17-18: Zürich Championship Medium Goal - July 1-2: Gold Cup
July 8-9: Zürich International Ladies Cup & Polo Park & Country Club Zürich Cup September 2-3: The Luxury Trophy
Polo Park & Country Club Zürich - info@polopark.ch - Join us on Facebook : Polo Park Zürich - www.polopark.ch
PPZ_ADD_Hurlingham.indd 1
23/05/17 18:08
ACTION T H E L A T E S T EPVOELNOT ANCATMI OE N L OF RC OA TMI OA NR ODUA NT DE T H E W O R L D
45
Facundo Pieres in front, at the final of the US Open
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
THE ACTION 46_FLORIDA 26-GOAL SEASON As speculation continues about the IPC, Valiente lead the high-goal season
5 3 _ I N T E R N AT I O N A L P O L O T E S T Kihikihi Polo Club in New Zealand hosted an exciting game to mark International Polo Day
4 9 _ L A G O S I N T E R N AT I O N A L Nigeria’s oldest polo club, Lagos, brings seven teams together for this exciting annual tournament
54_DUBAI GOLD CUP Top players came together for one of the most competitive seasons in Dubai
50_US 20-GOAL SEASON After new ownership and an uncertain start, the International Polo Club Palm Beach tournament eventually took an exciting turn in Florida
56_ENGLAND VS INDIA TEST Over four chukkas of thrilling polo, England ended India’s winning streak 58_$100K WORLD CUP A star-studded crowd flocked to Grand
Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Florida for a series of thrilling matches 60_FIP QUALIFIERS International teams compete for a place at the XI FIP Polo World Championship 62_DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Lechuza Caracas dominate at Casa de Campo to retain their grip on the title 6 4 _ G L A D I AT O R P O L O The pioneering new arena series sees players compete for a purse of $250,000
follow @hurlinghampolo
45 Action Opener.indd 45
02/06/2017 15:12
ACTION FLORIDA 26-GOAL SEASON, WELLINGTON, FLORIDA, USA, APRIL 2017
46
FLORIDA 26-GOAL SEASON In one of the most fractured American high-goal polo seasons in memory, just three teams participated in the 2017 singleelimination 26-goal CV Whitney Cup, with doubts that the field would increase for the USPA Gold Cup or US Open Championship. The International Polo Club was sold, and although the new owner, Mark Bellissimo, affirmed his commitment to polo, a loose management style made patrons and players uneasy about the future. Controversy began with the opening game of the CV Whitney Cup, when a new
rule, initiated by the USPA, eliminated the ‘sudden-death’ feature of the overtime chukka for the first three-and-a-half minutes of play. As a result, instead of scoring the winning goal for Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Julian de Lusarreta, Julio Arellano and Miguel Novillo Astrada) in extra time for a 12–11 win, Orchard Hill was allowed to tie the game and then win it 13–12 on a penalty conversion from Facundo Pieres at 3m45s in extra time. A shattered Coca-Cola team left the field in disbelief after playing Orchard Hill so evenly
throughout the game and scoring what they thought was the winning goal in the extra period. The repercussions were immediate and the rule was quickly discarded at the conclusion of the tournament, but it wasn’t Coca-Cola in the final against Valiente – the eventual winner. Marc Ganzi’s Audi team (Marc Ganzi, Rodrigo Andrade, Gonzalito Pieres and Tomas Pieres) joined Valiente (Bob Jornayvaz, Matias Torres Zavaleta, Diego Cavanagh and Adolfo Cambiaso), Orchard Hill (Polito Pieres, Juan Chavanne, Facundo
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
Valiente sweeps the 2017 high-goal season at the IPC amid speculation and worry in Florida, says Alex Webbe
hurlinghampolo.com
46 48 Action 26 Goal LF.indd 46
02/06/2017 15:13
ACTION
Pieres and Steve Van Andel) and Coca-Cola in the USPA Gold Cup, with Valiente continuing to dominate. Coca-Cola upset Orchard Hill with an extra-time goal, 11–10, before falling to the powerful Valiente line-up, 9–6, in the final. Two more teams materialised for the US Open, with Melissa Ganzi's Flexjet team (Melissa Ganzi, Rodrigo Andrade, Gonzalito Pieres and Nico Pieres) and Teo Calle debuting with his Travieso quartet (Teo Calle, Alfredo Capella, Sebastian Merlos and Mariano Gonzalez). Audi realigned with Nic Roldan, Alejandro Novillo Astrada and Magoo Laprida joining Marc Ganzi. A two-bracket US Open tournament allowed for winners to earn byes to the semi-finals and the four remaining teams facing off in ‘mini quarter-finals’. In effect, this means that after nine games, all six teams are still in contention for the trophy.
Valiente opened the competition against Orchard Hill, in a game many thought would be the final – and they weren’t disappointed, with Valiente winning 12–11 in extra time, on a penalty goal from Cavanagh. After nine games, the field was finally pared down to just four teams, with Orchard Hill dispatching a pesky Audi team that were in search of their first win of the tournament while Travieso shocked Coca-Cola, 12–10. Orchard Hill dashed Flexjet’s hopes in the semi-finals with a 10–9 win in extra time after trailing for much of the game. Valiente had little trouble with Travieso in a 16–6 pummelling, and the final was set. The highly touted horsepower of the Valiente stables was on full display as the US Open final got underway, but the Orchard Hill string was up to the challenge. Polito Pieres's aggressive forward play and the masterful stick work of Facundo Pieres gave
Opposite: MVP Matias Torres Zavaleta, far right, at the CV Whitney final. This page: Adolfo Cambiaso between Gillian Johnston on the left and Julio Arellano on the right in the Gold Cup
Orchard Hill the upper hand early on and had them on top of an 11–8 score in the opening minutes of the fifth. A Valiente rally tied the game at 11–11 in the sixth before winning it on a penalty goal in extra time. Polito Pieres played his best game of the season both offensively and defensively. Facundo Pieres was brilliant, but Valiente was good as ever and Cambiaso had managed to cobble together a combination that not only won the 2017 US Open but swept all three 26-goal tournaments to become only the second team in history to capture the American Triple Crown.
47
follow @hurlinghampolo
46 48 Action 26 Goal LF.indd 47
02/06/2017 15:13
ACTION
Below: US Open winners, from left, Adolfo Cambiaso, Diego Cavanagh, Matias Torres Zavaleta, Bob Jornayvaz
Zavaleta was named Most Valuable Player, while Cambiaso’s Cuartetera clone, B09, won the Willis L Hartman Trophy for Best Playing Pony in the Open. Los Machitos Jazzita was named Horse of the Year, with Cambiaso’s Mentolada being honoured as the Best Argentine-bred Pony of the final. Steve Van Andel had indicated at the beginning of the season that this would probably be his last, and following an injury
to his knee in the final of the East Coast Open last autumn, Peter Brant won’t be returning to 26-goal play either. Visa issues will keep Lechuza Caracas patron Victor Vargas in the Dominican Republic for the winter months while Ali Albwardy restructured his polo priorities after Dubai’s US Open win last year and not only didn’t return to Florida, but opted out of the English season this year as well. Patrons weren’t the only defections. The International Polo Club had already lost 10-goaler Pablo MacDonough to Dubai after being cut loose by Orchard Hill after the 2014 season, and Nico Pieres arrived in Wellington in time to play with Flexjet in the US Open,
48
but only after a full season in Dubai as well. Wellington had gained a reputation as the winter home of polo’s 10-goalers, hosting an annual 40-goal Challenge Cup, but when the final tournament began there were only three present (Gonzalito Pieres is currently rated at 9-goals in the US). Ten-goalers Pelon Stirling and Juan Martin Nero were lost to the Dominican Republic as members of Vargas’s Lechuza Caracas team, leaving a void in the Florida line-ups and marking the fewest number of 10-goalers in competition at the International Polo Club in years. Argentine 10-goalers Sapo Caset and Hilario Ulloa competed in the 20-goal tournaments but, without roster spots on any of the 26-goal teams, departed for home before the start of the CV Whitney Cup. To say that the current future of high-goal polo rests in the hands of a few would be no exaggeration. Bob Jornayvaz’s Valiente teams have been regulars at the International Polo Club for eight years and the Ganzis have been competing at the 26-goal level for even longer. The Coca-Cola high-goal roots can be traced back decades, but that’s about where it ends today. A new 26-goal patron arose in Travieso’s Teo Calle, and a couple of others might be in the wings, with Jeff Hildebrand of Tonkawa, Annabelle Gundlach and her Postage Stamp Farm team, and Michael Bickford and La Indiana on the cusp. Rumours have been running rampant, with speculation placing Facundo Pieres with Alabama’s Curtis Pilot, while Erich Koch has made arrangements for the return of his Jedi team that won the 2006 CV Whitney Cup and lost in the final of the 2007 US Open. Meetings were held regarding lowering the handicap of the CV Whitney Cup, the USPA Gold Cup and the US Open to 22-goals, but it appears the tournaments will remain at the 26-goal level for another year at least. Polo is a fluid and fickle sport, with patrons and players coming and going every year, but the weather and competition offered at the International Polo Club are second only to the Argentine Open, and the facilities (box seats, clubhouse and pavilion) are unmatched anywhere in the world. The game will go on.
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
FLORIDA 26-GOAL SEASON, WELLINGTON, FLORIDA, USA, APRIL 2017
hurlinghampolo.com
46 48 Action 26 Goal LF.indd 48
02/06/2017 15:13
ACTION LAGOS INTERNATIONAL POLO TOURNAMENT, LAGOS, NIGERIA, FEBRUARY 2017
Mohammed ‘Baba’ Dangote of Lagos Balmoral International hits a classic tail back-hand
LAGOS INTERNATIONAL
49
KLEAR PICS PHOTOGRAPHY
Passion, competitiveness and quality polo were at the heart of this year’s historic Nigerian tournament, says Ade Adedeji
Marking 114 years since polo was introduced to Nigeria by British naval officers, teams from seven clubs across the country came together for the Lagos International Polo tournament. For the annual event – hosted by the Lagos Polo Club – the club’s president Ade Laoye promised ‘top class action and entertainment for all polo lovers’. And they certainly delivered. Teams participated from nearby Ibadan Polo Club, along with teams from Kano Polo Club in northern Nigeria and international players from Argentina and South Africa. Charles Seavill from Hurlingham Polo Club was chief umpire. Each weekend of the tournament included a low and high
handicap cup. The first week featured the Silver Cup (-2 to +2) and the Open Cup (+8 to +12). Both were hotly contested and thrilled fans with a total of 10 teams participating in two brackets. The winner of the Silver Cup was Lagos STL as they triumphed over Ibadan Jericho 7-6, while the Open was contested by three teams and won by Lagos Leighton Kings after beating Lagos Lintex 11-5. The thrills of the second week featured the Low Cup (+4 to +7 goals) and the Majekodunmi Cup (+15 goals and above). The Low Cup kicked off the week with a total of 12 teams vying for top honours in the +4 to +7 Handicap category, with Kano-based Agad emerging as champions. The Majekodunmi Cup – which remains the top
prize of the Lagos Polo Club – rounded off the thrilling week. This cup features teams with at least a 15-goal handicap and continues to attract top polo talent from all over the world, reflecting the true international nature of Lagos polo. The cup was donated in 1962 by Dr Majekodunmi, who remains one of the oldest living members of the club. This year, Kaduna-based Fifth Chukker defeated the Lagos-based Centaurs, winning 14-13 to retain the Majekodunmi Cup for the second year running. Segun Agbaje, managing director of GTBank plc, which sponsored the tournament, said, ‘Polo reflects passion, competitiveness and fair play – values that make us a proudly African financial institution.’
follow @hurlinghampolo
49 Action Lagos PDLF.indd 49
02/06/2017 15:19
ACTION IPC 20-GOAL SEASON, INTERNATIONAL POLO CLUB PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, USA, DECEMBER 2016 – MARCH 2017
IPC 20-GOAL SEASON After a stuttering start, things soon began to hot up at the world’s premier polo destination, reports Darlene Ricker
The 2017 high-goal season at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) opened with a big question mark hanging over the fields. With the club under new ownership and management, there was a buzz in the Florida sporting community – including among a number of patrons – about what the acquisition by Wellington Equestrian Partners LLC would bring. Despite repeated assurances from
managing partner Mark Bellissimo that ‘polo is here to stay at IPC’, no one really knew how that would play out. The uncertainty led to some teams delaying their decision about entering the tournaments until a few days before the closing date. Furthermore, top players such as Juan Martín Nero, winner of the 2016 US Open Polo Championship at IPC with Orchard Hill, opted instead to compete
in the Dominican Republic. All of this, of course, caused even more communal angst about whether IPC would remain the premier winter venue for high-goal polo. The 20-goal series started with a field of three teams in the Herbie Pennell Cup, in which minimal participation is not surprising. Every year the tournament opens between Christmas and New Year’s Day, making it a hard sell to both patrons and
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
50
hurlinghampolo.com
50 52 Action 20 Goal MF PD MF.indd 50
02/06/2017 15:20
Opposite, from left: Michael Bickford and Bo Goodman in the Joe Barry Finals. This page, from left: Mike Azzarro, Jeff Hall, Gringo Colombres and Michael Bickford
L A INDIANA PROVED THE QUINTESSENTIAL FOUR-MAN TEAM
spectators. This year, however, the Pennell drew unusually high interest, as the final game was the featured match on the ‘new’ official opening day, 1 January 2017. Ten-goaler Hilario Ulloa, who competed for victorious Villa del Lago Modere in the Pennell, arrived with an edge on the Most Valuable Player award that came his way: 15 superb horses. ‘This season is really competitive in the 20-goal series, so we all worked really hard over the past few months to get better horses, and more of them, so we could have an improved and larger string,’ he said. Because he was not entered in the 26-goal series this season, Ulloa said he was able to play the 20-goal series with all of his best horses, an advantage that was evident on the field. Villa del Lago Modere took the Herbie Pennell trophy 12–9 over Postage Stamp Farm, a new team at IPC, which had an excellent season under patrona Annabelle Gundlach, a fresh face there. The addition of other new teams and the return of Goose Creek after a two-year hiatus began to foster a cautious optimism in the sustained viability of IPC. The lineup of eight strong teams in the next tournament, the Joe Barry Memorial, was seen as a good sign. Besides Villa del Lago Modere, there were Coca-Cola, Goose Creek, Grand Champions Polo Club, La Indiana, Mt Brilliant, Postage Stamp Farm and Tonkawa. As expected, Tonkawa’s young Costi Caset, a member of Team USPA, played with stunning skill. His handicap went up to 5, effective January 2018. Coca-Cola, La Indiana and Postage Stamp Farm rode through bumps in the road during the Joe Barry when each lost a player to injury (Del Walton for Coca-Cola,
51
follow @hurlinghampolo
50 52 Action 20 Goal MF PD MF.indd 51
02/06/2017 15:20
ACTION IPC 20-GOAL SEASON, INTERNATIONAL POLO CLUB PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, USA, DECEMBER 2016 – MARCH 2017
This page, left: Julio Arellano in the Ylvisaker Cup. Right; Winners of the Iglehart Cup, from left, MVP Jared Zenni, Hilario Ulloa, Duilio Diaz, Agustín Obregón
Ruki Baillieu for La Indiana and Kris Kampsen for Postage Stamp). Six-goaler Jason Crowder re-emerged at IPC after a couple of years away and did an excellent job for Mt Brilliant. Off-field, Goose Creek patrona Maureen Brennan served as chair of the USPA High-Goal Committee considering controversial proposals to bring the 26-goal US season down to 22 and move the US Open to alternating venues across the country – as was the case years ago. In what was projected to be an evenly matched final, La Indiana took a 13–10 victory over Mt Brilliant in the Joe Barry. La Indiana came out gunning and dominated throughout the first half. Mt Brilliant opened the scoring with a penalty 2-goal converted by tournament high-scorer Crowder, but after that their scoring chances were few and far between. La Indiana controlled opening play with a fast-paced style, passing forward to their open players. They proved themselves the quintessential
four-man team, with each contributing one of the first four goals. Lingering concerns about the health of IPC further dissipated with the start of the Ylvisaker Cup on 27 January. With a robust roster of 14 teams, the Ylvisaker was the longest and most highly contested tournament in the 20-goal series. Coca-Cola, who had a rollercoaster-ride throughout the season, won the Ylvisaker 9–8 over Tonkawa in overtime on 19 February. Both teams had won their semi-final match-ups against undefeated opponents. The final got off to a quick start, with the first whistle not sounding until five minutes into what turned out to be an extremely clean, fast-paced contest. Julio Arellano sealed the win for Coca-Cola with a golden goal on a penalty 2. Arellano was a leading scorer throughout the entire season. MVP Julian de Lusarreta proved another strong force for Coca-Cola. While staying the course, Coca-Cola seemed to lack their usual mojo without mainstay
Stuart ‘Sugar’ Erskine in the irons. Sidelined by a serious injury last summer, Erskine came through in 2017 with chin-up support for the team and his classic comic relief at precisely the right moment in the tent. A tense Iglehart Cup final (Equine Liquid Biocell defeated La Indiana 11–10) pitted two opposing teams that took markedly different paths to get there. Equine Liquid Biocell went undefeated in the tournament, winning both bracket games and defeating Mt Brilliant in the semi-finals. By contrast, La Indiana lost their first two games and needed a shootout to reach the semis, in which they slid past Tonkawa to become a finalist. In the final, Agustín Obregón ignited the offence. He scored three of the first four goals for Equine Liquid Biocell, again demonstrating the impact he made on the entire tournament (Obregón scored 3.8 goals per game in the Iglehart, compared to 0.7 goals in previous tournaments.) MVP Jared Zenni of Equine Liquid Biocell was raised to a 5 handicap for 2018.
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
52
hurlinghampolo.com
50 52 Action 20 Goal MF PD MF.indd 52
02/06/2017 15:20
ACTION INTERNATIONAL POLO TEST, KIHIKIHI POLO CLUB, NGA RAKAU, WAIKATO, NEW ZEALAND, FEBRUARY 2017
Jack Richardson of England looks back as New Zealand's John Paul Clarkin is chased by James Harper
53
INTERNATIONAL POLO TEST
KIHIKIHI POLO CLUB
Piquet Hill New Zealand triumphed over Fullerton AG England in an exciting game to mark International Polo Day, writes Jemima Wilson
On Saturday 11 February, the International Test Match took place at the Kihikihi Polo Club's Nga Rakau Polo Ground in rural Waikato, New Zealand, a region rich in equestrian sports that has been known as the ‘Home of Champions’ for many years. In a thrilling match, Piquet Hill New Zealand Polo team clinched a win in the dying moments of the six-chukka test match against Fullerton AG England when Craig Wilson converted a penalty ending the game with nine goals to England’s eight. The final chukka had all the spectators on the edge of their seats as England came
out with a two-goal lead. However, Piquet Hill New Zealand – Kit Brooks (4), Craig Wilson (6), John Paul Clarkin (7), Glenn Sherriff (5) – showed determination and shrewd teamwork to pull the score back to a draw. England gave up penalties, which enabled the Kiwis to claw back the two-goal lead, and Sherriff, playing at back for New Zealand, was awarded the Player of the Test. Fullerton AG England – Jack Richardson (6), Ollie Cudmore (5), Max Charlton (7), James Harper (6) – demonstrated great enthusiasm and determination throughout the game, and those who attended the test
match admired their passion, willpower, teamwork, horsemanship and ball skills with great speed. The New Zealand Kihikihi team made every effort to achieve a favourable line-up of ponies for them to play. Everyone anticipated a frenzy behind the scenes with grooms running around ready to present ponies for a 7th chukka when a contentious penalty in the goal mouth was ruled in New Zealand's favour by the third man. Despite concluding the match on penalty goals, New Zealand came out victorious in an exciting and fast-paced game.
follow @hurlinghampolo
53 Action NZ PD MF.indd 53
02/06/2017 15:21
ACTION D U B A I P O L O G O L DE VCE UN PT SN EARMI E SL, O DC UA BT AI OI ,N JDAANTUE A R Y - M A R C H 2 0 1 7
54
DUBAI GOLD CUP SERIES This year’s Dubai season proved more competitive than ever. Players from all over the world flocked to take part in the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series from January to March, which culminates with the 18-goal Julius Baer Gold Cup. Top players such as Pablo MacDonough, Nicolas Pieres, Lucas Monteverde, Alfredo Cappella and Guillermo Terrera chose to spend the first few months of the year in Dubai, a sure sign the season is now a key part of the international polo circuit.
‘These tournaments have helped put the UAE on the world polo map,’ explains Gold Cup founder Mohammed Al Habtoor. ‘This year there are seven teams playing the McLaren Silver Cup and 10 taking part in the Julius Baer Gold Cup, concrete evidence of our continued growth.’ Dubai’s polo success is also marked by the expansion of Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club, to offer equestrian facilities, a polo club with four polo fields and stables for 520 ponies.
The Silver Cup kicked off the 18-goal, and crowds gathered to watch UAE and Desert Palm battle it out; the former took control early, with British talent Jack Hyde scoring four goals. UAE claimed the first win of the competition, defeating their opponents 11-6. This scenario played out in the tournament final, where UAE faced Desert Palm again. Despite UAE suffering many line-up changes due to injuries, Ali Al Merri, Terrera, Matias Benoit and Hyde pulled together and qualified for the final match.
GONZALO ETCHEVERRY
In an unpredictable set of finals, three different teams took the top spots in the Middle East’s premier polo series, says Caroline Beresford
hurlinghampolo.com
54 55 Action Dubai Gold Cup PD.indd 54
02/06/2017 15:24
ACTION
This time, Tariq Albwardy’s team put up a greater fight. Desert Palm were 6-3 ½ up in the third, but UAE showed their power in the fourth, outscoring their rivals 4-0. Ultimately, UAE managed to control the play, claiming a narrow 8 ½-8 win and the coveted McLaren Silver Cup. This was their second title of the year, after winning the President’s Cup at Ghantoot Polo Club earlier in the season. However, UAE were unable to perform as well in the Julius Baer Gold Cup, the most prestigious tournament in the Middle East, where their two losses put them out of the running. The Gold Cup was all about Zedan and 10-goal superstar Pablo MacDonough, as they cruised into the final with four wins under their belt. The only team standing between Amr Zedan and Gold Cup glory was Julius Baer by Habtoor. This season Mohammed Al Habtoor had recruited young blood in the form of 4-goaler Tomas Beresford and 5-goaler Juan Zubiaurre to play alongside Ellerstina’s new 10-goaler, Nico Pieres (still playing off 9-goals in Dubai). Julius Baer by Habtoor had only suffered one loss in the tournament, and were sure to put up a good fight in the final.
Opposite, fourth from left to right: Habtoor Al Habtoor, Daniel Savary and Sultan Al Habtoor. This page, top: Nico Pieres on the ball, watched by teammate Tomas Beresford. Below: MVP Octavio Olmedo leads ahead of Juan Zubiaurre
THE DUBAI POLO GOLD CUP OFFERS A MUCH-NEEDED DOSE OF EXCITEMENT
55
In the end, Zedan’s effective team work and patience were too much for Julius Baer by Habtoor; despite pressure from the two young guns, Zedan was able to claim the 10-8 win and the Gold Cup. 'It was a clean, open final,' said MacDonough, La Dolfina's solid number three. ‘Both teams played well, and we were lucky to get the advantage in the last chukka. I think we were more consistent throughout and that’s why we got the win.’ Octavio Olmedo, in his first season in Dubai, was named MVP of the final, and Gete Pintura, played by Mac Donough, was chosen as Best Playing Pony. The success of the 2017 Dubai season is reflected in the results, as no team has won an 18-goal tournament twice: UAE claimed the Silver Cup, Zedan won the Gold Cup, and Bin Drai became Dubai Challenge Cup champions. When seasons dominated by one organisation are the norm, the unpredictability of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series is a much-needed dose of excitement.
follow @hurlinghampolo
54 55 Action Dubai Gold Cup PD.indd 55
02/06/2017 15:24
ACTION MUMBAI AMATEUR RIDERS’ CLUB INTERNATIONAL TEST MATCH, MUMBAI, INDIA, FEBRUARY 2017
ENGLAND VS INDIA TEST For the first time in recent memory, England held their ground over four chukkas of exceptional polo to stop India winning
56
O R G A N I S E R S U R E S H TA P U R I A H S A I D I T WA S T H E B E S T M AT C H O F I N T E R N AT I O N A L P O L O HE HAD WITNESSED FOR A LONG TIME tactical awareness of Gonzalez and Emerson at the heart of the team would make sure they were competitive, and so it proved from the start of the match. England's tactics were to slow down on the ball and hit to goal as hard as possible. Gonzalez scored from the half-way line in the first minute and later landed an impressive shot five yards short of the goal which was tapped in by McCarthy. India dominated the next chukka with Pathak demonstrating great skill, scoring
two goals in the air. England stuck to tactics with McCarthy and Lent putting pressure on the opposition. This worked well with India giving away a penalty in the third chukka, which saw Gonzalez score for England. The scores were tied 3-3 going into the last chukka and with a tap-in goal by Patel, one would think that India would hold out, but Emerson scored the goal of the game with a neck shot from behind the half-way line to set up an exciting final few minutes. Godara scored a safety 60 with just one
IMAGES COURTESY OF ST REGIS
At the end of the Indian season, the whole polo nation descended on the grounds of Mumbai’s only club, the Amateur Riders’ Club, to play the final tournaments of India’s calendar. This year, to invigorate the occasion with an international event, they asked the HPA to send a 14-goal team to India. James McCarthy (1), Will Emerson (5), Nacho Gonzalez (6) and Terence Lent (2) were chosen to match a similar line-up from India, with two of their country’s leading pros, Abhimanyu Pathak (5) and Dhruvpal Godara (5) and two up-and-coming players, Sunny Patel (1) and Salim Azmi (3). The England team used the days before the match to get to know their horses and the ground, sussing out their tactics for the game. Despite the Indian team’s great hand-eye and superior horsepower, England were confident that the experience and
hurlinghampolo.com
56 57 Action India LF PD.indd 56
02/06/2017 15:25
ACTION
Opposite: Dhruvpal Godara, centre takes on Will Emerson and Terence Lent. This page: The Indian line-up prepare for play
56 57 Action India LF PD.indd 57
minute remaining but England fought on. They won the line-out and Emerson and Gonzalez dribbled the ball slowly together blocking for each other towards the goal. This pressure caused India to foul and Gonzalez scored the 60-yard penalty under immense pressure to equalise on the bell. As the match was so hard-fought in intense heat, it was decided to call it a draw and not play extra time. Organiser Suresh Tapuriah said it was the best match of international polo he had witnessed for a long time. After the match, the teams celebrated with an after party hosted by Millionaire Asia and St Regis at the side of the ground. The packed party demonstrated India’s exemplary hospitality. The England team could not believe their new celebrity status in Mumbai and spent the night in the company of the good and great of the city.
02/06/2017 15:25
ACTION 1 0 0 K W O R L D C U P, G R A N D C H A M P I O N S P O LO C LU B , W E L L I N G T O N , F LO R I D A , U S A , A P R I L 2 0 1 7
58
$100K WORLD CUP Crowds gathered at Grand Champions Polo Club for a series of exciting games that more than lived up to expectations, says Sharon Robb
The $100,000 event took place in Wellington, Florida on 15 April in front of the largest celebrity-filled crowd ever to witness a polo game, as well as a worldwide ChukkerTV audience. The 21-goal Palm Beach Illustrated team captured the winner-takes-all tournament with a 13–7 victory over Valiente I. The young, talented underdog team of Jared Zenni, Santi Torres, Agustín Obregón and Tommy Collingwood finished the
eight-day, 16-team, single-elimination tournament undefeated (4–0). Palm Beach Illustrated’s road to their biggest prize cheque in polo included wins over 16-goal International Polo Club (Grant Ganzi, Jason Crowder, Jesse Bray, Juancito Bollini), 14–8; 17-goal GSA (Henry Porter, Torito Ruiz, Joaquin Panelo, Matias Magrini), 9–8 (OT); and 23-goal Valiente II (Rob Jornayvaz, Matias Torres Zavaleta, Diego Cavanagh, Tomas Garcia del Rio), 17–12.
Obregón scored a game-high of eight goals and was named Most Valuable Player. ‘To beat two Valiente teams is awesome,’ said Obregón. ‘Valiente is one of the best organisations in the world. It’s great to play against them and to win is even better.’ In three of their four games, Palm Beach Illustrated had to dig themselves out of a hole due to their opponents’ handicap ratings. Valiente I, an 18-goal-rated team (Bob Jornayvaz, Roberto Zedda, Pablo Spinacci,
hurlinghampolo.com
58 59 Action Grand Champs MF PD.indd 58
02/06/2017 15:29
ACTION
‘ T W O B R I L L I A N T T E A M S B AT T L E D I T O U T; F A N T A S T I C S P O R T S M A N S H I P AND HORSEMANSHIP’ MARC GANZI Gringo Colombres), saw their three-goal handicap lead quickly disappear at the end of the opening chukka. ‘They were very solid,’ said Zedda. ‘A true four-man team. They are well-deserved winners of the tournament.’ Palm Beach Illustrated were the only team to make it to the World Cup semi-finals and final with the same line-up. ‘This is awesome,’ said Zenni, who played in Argentina with Obregón during the 2016 autumn season. ‘We all came in with the same mindset. We all wanted to win. We understood that none of us are awesome players, so we all had to work for each other,’ he said. ‘It’s not easy to beat two Valiente teams in the same tournament.’
In addition to Obregón’s eight goals, Zenni added three and Torres two. Colombres could manage only a couple – both on penalty conversions – for Valiente I. ‘The World Cup presents an ideal format for teams hungry to win,’ said Palm Beach Illustrated publisher Terry Duffy. ‘The variety of opponent handicaps and rosters required preparation and resilience on the field. ‘The Grand Champions team put together a fantastic tournament. We hope to come back in 2018 as defending champions.’ The $100,000 World Cup was the second of two classic and prestigious tournaments that Grand Champions owners and high-goal polo players Melissa and Marc Ganzi have revived, thanks to the generosity of Glenn
Straub of Palm Beach Polo, where the tournaments were last played back in the late 1990s. The first of the tournaments to be resurrected was the Sterling Cup. ‘I think we showed everyone a terrific tournament,’ said Marc Ganzi. ‘For those of you who were here two weeks ago, it was an exciting draw – you never knew who you were going to get. I think we demonstrated what’s great about polo. Two brilliant teams that battled it out and worked their way through a bracket of 16 teams. Today, you saw fantastic sportsmanship and wonderful horsemanship. I really want to thank both teams for putting out the effort. It was a lot of fun to watch.’ Also in attendance were the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders, and celebrities including Vanilla Ice, actor Sterling Jones and DJ Adam Lipson. There was a VIP tent filled-to-capacity, with live music and Audi’s newest fleet of cars was on display. Wellington mayor Anne Gerwig threw out the ceremonial first ball. 59
RAMON CASARES
Opposite: Winners, Palm Beach Illustrated, with publisher Terry Duffy. This page: Bob Jornayvaz chases Jared Zenni on the ball
follow @hurlinghampolo
58 59 Action Grand Champs MF PD.indd 59
02/06/2017 15:29
ACTION X I F I P P O LO W O R L D C H A M P I O N S H I P, W O R L D W I D E , J A N U A RY – J U N E 2 0 1 7
FIP QUALIFIERS With four out of five qualifying matches played, the standard has been set for a fast and exciting Polo World Championship, says Carolina Beresford
del Este Polo Club in late January. They claimed their place in the championship after beating Brazil, Peru and Uruguay in style. The Argentines boasted experience and skill and cruised through the playoffs undefeated, playing attractive, open polo. Their 2015 performance was underwhelming, to say the least, but this Argentine squad showed they mean business. The final of the Asia-Pacific playoffs saw New Zealand and Malaysia go head to head at the Thai Polo & Equestrian Centre in early February. The match brought up memories of a previous Zone D final, in 2011, where Malaysia beat New Zealand. This time, the Kiwis were ready; they defeated their opponents 9–5½ in a competitive match
to earn a spot in the final stage of the Polo World Championship. Zone A saw a three-team round-robin between USA, Mexico and Guatemala. The Americans were not going to leave anything to chance this time; after a disappointing 2015 loss in Chile, Team USA put together a formidable nine-man team and took to training, travelling to Australia in April to sharpen their skills. With Canada pulling out last minute, USA only had two teams standing between them and the final round of the World Cup. USA faced Guatemala first at Port Mayaca Polo Club in Okeechobee, Florida; they dominated the match and claimed a crucial 10–6½ win. The Zone A playoff final therefore pitted USA against
EVA JAKOVLEVSKAJA
The international polo world came together once again in preparation for this year’s XI FIP Polo World Championship. Qualification matches took place all over, from France to Thailand, Argentina to the USA. The top teams have shown their strength and are ready to travel to Australia in October, in the hopes of claiming the coveted championship. Current title-holders Chile qualified for the tournament directly after their narrow 12-11 OT win over USA in the 2015 Polo World Cup in Santiago, while hosts Australia also received a golden ticket. Only six spots left – so who rose to the challenge? The South American qualifiers were up first. Argentina gave a great performance in their Zone B playoffs at Uruguay’s Punta
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM,
60
hurlinghampolo.com
60 61 Action FIP Qualifiers MF PD.indd 60
02/06/2017 15:31
ACTION
Opposite: The teams of Zone A celebrate after play. This page, left: The Zone C teams in Chantilly. Right: New Zealand's Cody Forsyth.
WE'RE SURE TO SEE E X C I T I N G P L AY A N D T E N A C I O U S TA C T I C S AT T H E X I F I P P O L O WORLD CUP
61
Mexico at Florida’s International Polo Club. It was a captivating match, but in the end the USA’s teamwork came through; they won the final 9–7 and secured a ticket to compete in the prestigious Polo World Cup. Over in Europe, England, France, Germany and Spain took part in the Zone C playoffs in Chantilly to decide which two national teams would participate in the World Championship in Sydney. France had to beat England if they hoped to qualify; while the locals took control of the match early on, the last chukka was all England needed to make a comeback and claim victory. Experienced English pro Will Lucas came into the last with renewed vigour, scoring the three goals needed for the 7–6 win.
The match between Spain and Germany was no less exciting: the Germans played fast and open polo, while Spain tried to slow the pace. The game was very close throughout; Germany had a slight advantage thanks to the goal and a half awarded on handicap, but Spain pulled ahead in the last 30 seconds thanks to a goal by Pelayo Berazadi. Spain qualifies for the final round in Sydney nine years after their last World Polo Championship semi-final in Mexico in 2008. Australia, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, USA, Spain and England have all made it through to the final stage of the World Championships; the eighth team will be announced in July after the Zone E playoffs between Iran, Pakistan, India and South
Africa come to an end in Tehran. For fairness, all qualification matches were played on pooled ponies; this system of horse allocation will continue in Sydney, where teams will draw for their pool of ponies not more than six days before the first match of the championship. This year’s Polo World Cup will see many experienced players take to the field; with Lucas playing for England, Cody Forsyth for New Zealand and Hector Guerrero for Argentina, we’re sure to see exciting plays and tenacious tactics. Players and coaches of every national team are training hard, so get ready – the XI FIP Polo World Championship promises to be the most competitive to date.
follow @hurlinghampolo
60 61 Action FIP Qualifiers MF PD.indd 61
02/06/2017 15:31
ACTION DOMINICAN REPUBLIC POLO CHALLENGE, CASA DE CAMPO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, JANUARY–APRIL 2017
POLO CHALLENGE From the Bronze Cup to the Caribbean Open, most teams found it hard to keep up with Lechuza Caracas, writes Carolina Beresford
Venezuelan titans Lechuza Caracas wholly dominated the second edition of the Dominican Republic Polo Challenge, once again winning every match of the season to claim the 22-goal Bronze, Silver and Gold Cups, as well as the 26-goal Caribbean Open. With Triple Crown Champions, 10-goalers David ‘Pelon’ Stirling and Juan Martín Nero, Lechuza were able to dictate every play and crush every opponent. Just as Lechuza ruled the high-goal season, the 12-goal season was led by one
team: Pitirri-El Palenque. Although they fell against La Potranca in the Bronze Cup final, Pitirri went on to claim both Silver and Gold; then, after defeating Casa de Campo in the Silver Cup final, they beat rivals La Potranca to become Gold Cup champions. The first high-goal final of the season saw the mighty Lechuza take on Dominican debutants Alegría-El Milagro for the Bronze Cup. Brothers Julian and Fred Mannix partnered up with Federico Tomasevich and Ignacio ‘Cubi’ Toccalino. Lechuza had
a comparably tough start as Alegría managed to keep the score tied over the first three chukkas. Both Julian Mannix and Toccalino performed well, but Stirling lived up to his reputation. Lechuza made the difference with their horsepower and took the lead thanks to their 10-goalers. The 9–6 victory gave the Venezuelan team their first title of 2017. ‘The season has really improved,’ says Stirling. ‘Polo Challenge came together last year after only four months of planning and it went very well. But now the fields are better, the teams
M AT I A S C A L L E J O
62
hurlinghampolo.com
62 63 Action High Goal Dom Rep MF-2 Pd.indd 62
02/06/2017 15:39
ACTION
Opposite, from left: Juan Martín Nero, David 'Pelon' Stirling, Victor Vargas and Alfredo Vargas. This page, from left: Ignacio Toccalino hooks Nero
63
L E C H U Z A W E R E A B L E T O D I C TAT E E V E R Y P L AY A N D C R U S H E V E R Y O P P O N E N T
are more competitive and most players have brought two or three new horses over.’ After an underwhelming result in the Bronze Cup, Leo Matos’s Casa de Campo gave a strong performance in the Silver Cup, making it to the tournament final. However, Ramiro Garros, Silvestre Donovan and Francisco Bensadon struggled in the final against Lechuza and any hopes of becoming the new champion began to wane. By half time, the Venezuelan team had established a wide margin; they continued their attack in the remaining chukkas to claim a solid 10–5 victory and their sixth consecutive title. The Gold Cup saw another important high-goal patron join the Dominican season: Ludo Pailloncy. Nacho Novillo Astrada, Lalo
James and Gonzalo Von Wernich donned HB’s red and blue shirts in the hopes of putting an end to Lechuza’s victory streak. HB got as far as the semifinals, where they lost to Cinque Terre. Alessandro Bazzoni’s team struggled in the first half of the final against Lechuza, as the latter gained a 7–3 advantage by the end of the third chukka. Cinque Terre fought back in the second half, but Lechuza stood firm and owner Victor Vargas claimed the coveted cup once again. ‘Lechuza is an amazing organisation,’ beams Stirling. ‘They provide everything so you as a player can perform at your highest level. We are going to Sotogrande together this year, so I’m really looking forward to what’s to come.’ The pinnacle of the Polo Challenge
came with the Caribbean – the only 26-goal tournament outside the US. Lechuza shuffled their line-up, swapping Alfredo Vargas for 5-goaler Lalo James (two different players with the same mission: to win the Open and claim their eighth consecutive title). Cinque Terre – now with Astrada and brothers Cubi and Santi Toccalino – had a fair chance of winning the tournament, but Lechuza shut them down in the final. While both teams worked hard in attack and defence, Lechuza proved their worth once again. They remain undefeated in the Dominican Republic, with no intention of loosening their grip on the season any time soon. Who dares to challenge them?
follow @hurlinghampolo
62 63 Action High Goal Dom Rep MF-2 Pd.indd 63
02/06/2017 15:39
ACTION GLADIATOR POLO LEAGUE, WELLINGTON, FLORIDA, USA, APRIL 2017
GLADIATOR POLO Mark Bellissimo made a name for himself in the equestrian world by purchasing the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington and turning a money-losing proposition into one of the world’s most successful hunter/jumper and dressage competition venues. Not content with staging satellite shows in Central Park or at Mar-a-Lago, Bellissimo put a group together to purchase a property in North Carolina, where he created a facility for equestrian disciplines such as hunter/ jumper, dressage and eventing, which then landed the 2018 World Equestrian Games. His group also acquired the 148-acre Colorado Horse Park in Parker, Colorado, but what’s caught the eye of Wellington’s polo clan this season is his creation of an arena series he calls Gladiator Polo. The inaugural Gladiator Polo Arena League consisted of four teams rated 21 to 25 goals each, all named after top Roman gladiators: Spartacus, Crixus, Priscus and Spiculus. The Equestrian Village’s arena, which had featured top dressage competitions, was transformed into the ‘Colosseum’ and the players were paraded around a crowded stadium in chariots before leaving to mount up for the match. Bellissimo had initially put together four teams of the game’s top players to compete in a three-a-side competition for a record arena-polo purse of $150,000 in a threegame series. The response he received from players and sponsors led him to recalculate the format and expand the series to seven games, upping the purse to the highest in the history of polo – $250,000. And it could grow to as much as $500,000 in 2018. The teams’ line-ups were a who’s who of polo elite, with former 10-goalers Mike Azzaro,
64
DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
The ground-breaking new arena-polo series is drawing crowds to watch top players compete for a record-breaking $250,000, reports Alex Webbe
hurlinghampolo.com
64 65 Action Gladiator Polo PD MF.indd 64
02/06/2017 15:42
ACTION
P L AY W A S C O N S TA N T, T H E PACE FAST AND THE GAMES AT T R A C T E D L A R G E C R O W D S
65
Matias Magrini and Sebastian Merlos joining American arena-polo 10-goaler Tommy Biddle. Jeff Hall, Julio Arellano, Pelon Escapite, collegiate all-American Felipe Viana and brothers Facundo and Mariano Obregón also appeared. The teams competed in a six-chukka format, with each chukka consisting of five minutes; play was constant and the pace fast. More importantly, the games attracted large crowds of enthusiastic spectators. ‘Next year, we are going to have eight teams with team owners,’ says Bellissimo. ‘The ownership will include both individuals and corporate sponsors.’ Bellissimo is looking for a 2018 Gladiator Polo season running from January for 10 to 12 weeks, to become integral to Wellington’s equestrian schedule. ‘We’re working with NBC Sports and trying to develop a televised series as well,’ adds Bellissimo. Games were held in Tryon, North Carolina, on 5 May and will be in Central Park this autumn. Bellissimo also mentioned the possibility of a Gladiator Polo match in Rome. Bellissimo sees arena polo as a chance to bring the game to a broader public. The
Opposite, from left: Team Spiculus Mariano Obregón, Pelon Escapite and Sebastian Merlos took first prize. This page, top: Mariano Obregón leads with Santi Torres behind. Below: Tommy Biddle on the ball ahead of Facundo Obregón
new owner of the International Polo Club has plans to create a polo academy and a ‘Get Into Polo’ initiative to promote interest in and access to the sport. There are plans to utilise training simulators at the polo academy to coincide with the launch of the new World Polo Training Center this autumn. The popular games offer free general admission, while a VIP tent features ringside table seating and an authentic Argentine asado (BBQ) for a fee of $30 per person. The finals saw Spiculus (Mariano Obregón, Pelon Escapite and Sebastian Merlos) upset the unbeaten Spartacus (Jason Crowder, Felipe Viana and Tommy Biddle) 17–10 in a fast-paced contest with eight 2-point goals in a very physical game. The creation of the Gladiator Polo League is one of the most aggressive efforts ever made to promote and grow the game, as indicated by a major financial sponsorship commitment made by the US Polo Association. Bellissimo also hinted the same formula might be introduced to the field game. Blazing the trail for polo’s next phase, an anxious polo community is impatiently awaiting Bellissimo’s next move.
follow @hurlinghampolo
64 65 Action Gladiator Polo PD MF.indd 65
02/06/2017 15:42
ARCHIVE
66
GOLD STANDARD The polo tournament of the 1924 Paris Olympics was significant for Argentina for two reasons. Firstly, it resulted in the country’s first Olympic gold medal win in any sport, and secondly, it marked one of the first steps towards Argentina’s hegemony in international polo. Argentina sent one athlete to each of the 1900, 1908 and 1920 Olympic Games, to compete in fencing, figure skating and boxing respectively, but all three returned without a medal from each of the Games. But in 1924, Argentina entered 77 athletes and, in addition to taking the gold in polo, also won silver and bronze in the triple-jump and boxing.
Although polo was an Olympic event in 1900, 1908 and 1920, Argentina did not send teams. The match between Argentina and the USA at the 1924 Games was the first contest between these countries on an international stage and was, effectively, the Olympic final. Argentina sent Jack Nelson, Arturo Kenny, Juan Miles and Enrique Padilla as its team, and the USA chose Tommy Hitchcock, Elmer Boeseke, Frederick Roe and Rodman Wanamaker. Almost 8,000 spectators – the largest crowd of the tournament – watched Argentina beat the USA by 6 goals to 5. Nelson retrieved the ball, with which he scored the winning goal, and it is now displayed in the AAP’s Palermo office.
At Nelson’s suggestion, an Argentina vs USA polo competition was organised and the Copa de Las Americas (the Cup of the Americas), was inaugurated. In 1928 and 1932, the honours at the Cup went to the USA, but Argentina were victorious on the six other occasions it was played. Argentina also took gold at the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936, having sent Andrés Gazzotti, Manuel Andrada, Roberto Cavanagh and Luis Duggan to see off challengers Great Britain in a conclusive 11-0 final. And as polo has not featured on the Olympic line-up since, Argentina are left to reign as historic world champions, unchallenged in the Olympic arena.
IMAGE COURTESY OF NIGEL À BRASSARD
Nigel à Brassard traces Argentina’s international polo prominence back to their first national gold medal win in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games
hurlinghampolo.com
66 Archive 1924 Olympics.indd PD LF.indd 66
02/06/2017 15:43