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A Round-Up of Women’s Polo
Ladies Challenge Cup
Photography by Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club Hesketh Polo Team, winners of the 2020 Ladies Challenge Cup
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The competition was fierce For the second year in a row, Hesketh Polo Team took home the Ladies Challenge Cup at Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club. The event was held in association with Pink Caravan in order to help raise awareness about breast cancer. Four teams competed against each other in two matches; the first match saw Pink Soldiers take a 7½-5 win against the Pink Warriors while in the second match the scores were much closer with Hesketh Polo narrowly securing a 2½-2 win against AM Polo.
AM Polo’s Petra Spanko was selected as Most Valuable Player and Sublime, ridden by Kim Roche, was the Best Playing Pony.
2020 Ladies Challenge Cup Teams:
Pink Warriors: Daniel Herbert, Habtoor Al Habtoor, Mohammed Al Habtoor & Guillermo Cuitinho Pink Soldiers: Khalid Al Omran, Noor Abu Khadra, Raja Abuljebain & Aiti Garros AM Polo: HH Sheikha Alya Al Maktoum, Petra Spanko, Sandra Schneider & Pablo Urquiza Hesketh Polo: Lee Simmons, Lauren Dickson, Kim Roche & Tomas Palacios Bacque
Sublime, ridden by Kim Roche, the Best Playing Pony
Texas Women’s Open
On Sunday 15 November, Polo Gear Coffee Company faced Iconica in the 2020 Texas Women’s Open Final at Houston Polo Club. Iconica had the edge before the first throw in, with four-time U.S. Open Polo Championship winner Kristy Outhier coaching the team and also leading with a half goal handicap advantage. Iconica were the first to add their names to the scoreboard with great teamwork resulting in a score of 2½-1 in their favour at the end of
Photography by Kaylee Wroe
the first half. Hope Arellano continued the offensive for Iconica in the third chukka with another goal, with nothing in reply from Polo Gear Coffee Company. Teammate Maureen Brennan commented, “No matter what was happening on the field, we maintained a very man-based strategy; On offense Kylie [Sheehan] and Hope [Arellano] worked very well together in the back and I alternated between shielding for them and being very dedicated to staying with one of their backs”. The fourth chukka saw Iconica focus on maintaining their lead, which was threatened by a last-minute goal from Dawn Jones for Polo Gear Coffee Company, but it was not enough and Iconica took the title with a final score of 3½-2. Jones was named Most Valuable Player and her pony Picasita, played by Tiffany Busch in the second chukka received the Best Playing Professional award and Law Man’s Dancer was named both Best Playing Pony Amateur and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Best Playing Pony Bronze trophy.
Tiffany Busch on BPP Professional, Picasita
The Texas Open Final Teams:
Iconica (19): Madison Outhier (2), Maureen Brennan (5), Hope Arellano (7) & Kylie Sheehan (5)
Polo Gear Coffee Company (20):
Dawn Jones (6), Danielle Lussi (2), Tiffany Busch (6) & Clarissa Echezarreta (6)
Photography by Kaylee Wroe Most Valuable Player KC Krueger in action This year, saw 12 teams enter the 2020 U.S. Open Women’s Handicap, and on Saturday 14 November it was Aspen Snowmass and Villa Ecleto who faced each other at Houston Polo Club in the Final. Aspen Snowmass quickly took the lead in the first chukka, despite Villa Ecleto’s half goal handicap advantage and by the end of the first chukka were in the lead 2-½. Despite four attempts on goal in the second chukka by Aspen Snowmass, none of them found the goal posts, but despite their inaccurate shooting Aspen Snowmass excelled in their defensive work and Villa Ecleto failed to score any field goals, with just one penalty conversion. After some half-time team talks, Villa Ecleto bounced back in the second half and took the
2020 U.S. Open Women’s Handicap winners, Aspen Snowmass
lead with two goals from Mia Bray giving her team a 3½-2 lead. However, their advantage was short lived as KC Kruger (later named Most Valuable Player) and Massey Colburn scored a goal apiece for Aspen Snowmass to take the title with a final score of 4-3½.
Best Playing Pony Professional was awarded to Chica Buena, played by Mia Bray and owned by Ignacio Saenz, Payasa was the Best Playing Pony Amateur, owned by the Millers from Prestonwood Polo Club and played by Morgan McBride, while The American Quarter Horse Association Best Playing Pony was presented to Stephanie Massey Colburn’s Boon Sugar Whiz.
2020 U.S. Open Women’s Handicap Final Teams:
Aspen Snowmass (12): Morgan McBride (0), Stephanie M. Colburn (2), Anna WinslowPalacios (4) & KC Krueger (6) Villa Ecleto (11): Morgan Tennant (1), Katie George (1), Mia Bray (5) & Alyson Poor (4)
Photograph by ©Mike Ryan Maddie Grant’s arena handicap has been raised from 7 to 8 goals
The United States Polo Association, USPA, has announced their 2020 Annual Women’s Outdoor and Arena Handicap Changes.
Some of the highlights include: In the Outdoor Changes Mia Novillo Astrada and Clara Seppe have both been raised from 7 to 8 goals, Dayelle Fargey from 6 to 7 and Paige Boone from 5 to 6; while in the Arena Changes, Maddie Grant has been raised from 7 to 8 goals and Molly Agee, Sophie Grant, and Lottie Lamacraft have all been raised from 6 to 7.
For the full lists of handicap changes, please visit www.uspolo.org
IV HSBC Women’s Polo Open Teams
As this issue of Polo Times went to print, the IV HSBC Women’s Polo Open teams had been announced, with play due to begin on Monday 7 December and the Finals due to be played on Saturday 19 December in Palermo. El Metejon MJVH (17): Stephanie Haverhals (4), Sofia Sciutto (4), Mercedes Prario (4) & Annabel McNaught-Davis (5)
IV HSBC Women’s Polo Open Teams: Zone 1
El Overo Z7 UAE (33): Clara Cassino (8), Milly Hine (5), Hazel Jackson Gaona (10) & Lia Salvo (10) Don Urbano Nearside (21): Camila Rossi (5), Rebecca Walters (5), Sol Lopez Llames (6) & Maitena Marre (5) Araucaria (17): Marina Galarza (4), Veronica Magnasco (4), Lucy Bowman (4) & Sofia Lorenzo (5)
Zone 2
La Dolfina Brava (28): Mia Cambiaso (7), Milagros Fdez Araujo (7), Candelaria Fdez Araujo (8) & Fatima Balzano (6) Los Sauces Unlimited Trade (25): Milagros Sanchez (7), Jeanine Hugo (5), Jazmin Dupont (5) & Marianela Castagnola (8)
Photograph by Guadalupe Aizaga
