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sea and sardegna American businessman Thomas Barrack speaks to Emma Tucker about his love of sailing and his mission to bring the sport of polo to the Costa Smeralda As recently as a few years ago, the Mediterranean island of Sardinia had never heard of a chukka, let alone hosted a polo tournament. Today, thanks largely to one determined player, the island surrounded by Corsica, Italy, Spain and Tunisia now has a fledgling polo scene with its very own Costa Smeralda Cup. The man behind introducing polo to the island is Thomas Barrack, chairman and chief executive of Los Angeles-based private equity firm Colony Capital. Barrack, a sports enthusiast from the west coast of America, was brought up riding horses with the junior Rodeo Cowboy Association. But he only discovered polo 12 years ago, having previously dismissed it as a game for rich kids. ‘I have always been a
horse fanatic,’ he explains. ‘Jumpers, roping, hunting. A friend of mine invited me to stick-and ball one day 13 years ago and it was over – I was addicted.’ Now he’s a fully paid-up ambassador for the game who likens the sport’s dedication, commitment and teamwork – those required for success in polo – to the rough and tumble of the business world. ‘I have always looked at polo as a sharpening of my life skills,’ he says. Barrack was already familiar with Sardinia through his other passion: ‘Yachting,’ he says, ‘is another great addiction. Everything that is fast and beautiful fascinates me. I had been coming through on boats for 21 years and just falling in love with the island and the people.’
It was no surprise then that in 2003 Barrack bought the Costa Smeralda, a luxury resort stretching 65 miles along the island’s northern coast that was founded by the Aga Khan in the early 1960s. It was only a matter of time before Barrack embarked on an ambitious dream to bring polo to Sardinia. ‘Sardinia is an island with an amazing heritage,’ Barrack says. ‘It has a very long and loving history with horses. The environment is perfect for raising and breeding them.’ And it wasn’t just the horses that made Sardinia an ideal destination. The island already offered the key combination of sport (sailing) and glamour that are critical to attracting polo lovers and their families. Over a number of summers spent holidaying in Europe with his wife and children, Barrack admired the success of polo Above Cala di Volpe, one of four Colony Capital hotels on the Costa Smeralda Right Barrack in action
