a Lifetime Interview: Dillon Bacon

Dillon Bacon

The Queen’s Cup winner tells us about this year’s momentous victory, past achievements, his love of polo… and more

When Dillon Bacon agreed to an exclusive interview with us, the first question we had was – what questions do we ask him? As a guy who likes to keep a low profile, not many people, particularly outside of the high goal circuit know much about him. So, we decided to start at the beginning and ask this charismatic patron some basic questions about what everybody wants to know – about life, polo and, of course, (excuse us please)… bringing home the bacon in the Cartier Queen’s Cup.

Where did you grow up?

I’m half British and half American, but grew up in the UK from the age of six, having spent my school years here.

Where do you call home now?

I have just moved back to the UK from New York, where I was for University and my first few years of work.

Away from polo, do you have a ‘day job’?

As fanatical as I am about polo, I do have a job. I work in finance doing investments in private companies, mostly late stage startup businesses.

When did you start to ride?

First memories on a horse was when I was four. Riding and feeling comfortable on a horse was something that I was brought up with. I even got my first riding accident when I was five, when my small pony Rose bolted; when I tried to emergency dismount, my foot got caught in the stirrup and I got dragged. I remember waking up in hospital and still carry a scar from that today. I was riding again not long after that, so I think I got over any fear of horses from a young age.

Are you from an equestrian background or a polo family?

Fortunately, yes. My father started playing

Photography by ©www.imagesofpolo.com polo when I was young and initially forced me to play when I was 12. I didn’t have a kids pony or lighter mallets, so it was difficult, at first, because of my age. What started off initially as a chore, quickly grew into a passion though – I grew up playing farm polo at our place in Long Island with the Garcia del Rio family, with the father, Felipe and his three sons, Tomas, Gonzalo and Marcos. And when I went to high school, our school had a team and so I got play there as well.

Were there any other sports that had your attention when you were younger?

I grew up playing lots of sports with my family and at school. Rugby was my first great passion in sport as I was good at tackling (maybe why I work well marking in polo!). I also love all racket sports, especially squash though, which I’ve always loved playing. After polo, squash is my favorite sport to play and what I’m most obsessed by. Other sports I love include, skiing, road cycling, tennis, badminton and kite surfing.

Are there any sports that still compete with polo for your attention and time?

Up until the last two years I would say squash. I would play religiously throughout the winter, and have always been obsessive on how to improve every aspect of my game, and likewise with polo in the summer. Squash is an incredible game because of the amount of exercise and focus you can do in a 30 minute match. It takes a lot of fitness, technique and focus to improve as a player, much the same with polo. For the last two years, I have spent more time in the winter training for polo, strength building and Pilates, to ensure I hit the ground running when it came to the polo season. This has meant I haven’t had as much time to play squash.

Where have you played the majority of your polo? What have been your most notable polo achievements so far? Both in the UK and abroad?

I grew up playing polo in the UK until I was 18-years-old, both schools polo (winning the National Schools’ tournament in 2009) and at Guards. From then on, I played mostly in the Hamptons, Long Island.

Q: If you had to sum up winning the Cartier Queen’s Cup in four words?

A: dream come true

Notable seasons were 2009, playing with Sebi Merlos, Tomas and Marco Garcia Del Rio in a 20 goal tournament. We won both the Mercedes-Benz Cup and Hampton Cup against the famed Greenwich team, White Birch. It was my first experience playing high goal and I learnt a lot from it. Tomas and Sebi are both fantastic players and taught me so much that season.

After the 2009 season, my highlight would be winning the three 6 goal tournaments in Sotogrande 2014. This was a super fun season as I was playing with two good friends – Felipe Gomez and Aristide Faggionato – and we played proper four man polo and we had very good horses for the level of polo. It taught me the importance of being well organized for the level you play in and to always try to be over prepared with horse power. We were undefeated for the season and I often joke that I won the Triple Crown! Regrettably for me I won’t ever get close to the actual Argentine Triple Crown, so I am very happy with this as a substitute.

Lastly, playing for La Indiana in the 2019 Queen’s Cup as a substitute for Michael Bickford. It was my first experience in the UK high goal and playing with the best player in the world was an awesome experience. Sadly, we got knocked out in the Semis against Park Place, but it taught me a lot and prepared me for this season’s success.

What is your favourite polo location?

Sotogrande. I only ever played one season there, but it was a fantastic place to play due to the weather, fields and three competitive levels.

Who are the players who inspire you and why?

After watching them the past two years, I would say Jeta and Barto [Castagnola]. They have a winning mentality and are not phased by who they play against. I hope that is not a cliché to say that – given I just played with them!

The other player I have always loved watching play is Pablo Mac Donough. He has an amazing amount of talent, I admire the way he moves around a polo field and what he can do with the ball. He is also a very cool headed player, playing mostly on instinct rather than clear team tactics.

Who has been your biggest polo influence – is there anybody you would like to thank?

In general, my biggest influence would be Tomas Garcia Del Rio. I have played the most high goal tournaments with him, and he really pushed me to think about being a team player and how to work off the ball. Also, his brother Gonzalo has been my manager for the past few years and has really helped me get better mounted. I’ve had a lot of fun playing with Gonzalo over the years.

For this season though, I have to thank John Horswell. It was my first season working with John, but he really helped me think about and improve my technique for hitting the ball. No one really teaches technique in polo; therefore, it’s difficult figuring out what you are doing wrong most of the time. John helped answer the questions I had and taught me how to improve.

In addition, he has helped coach me on the pitch, giving strong encouragement and cool advice when needed. For any player serious about improving, he is a fantastic person to work with and a really lovely guy on top of everything.

What have you done on the UK circuit in the past? What have been your greatest wins and achievements?

To be honest, before The Queen’s Cup, the last tournament I won in the UK was The Committee Cup back in 2009. I’ve only done two other seasons in the UK since then and the level of polo here is so competitive, it means you don’t always have the opportunity to win a trophy.

Why do you choose to play the UK season?

Outside of the Argentina, the UK is the most competitive polo in the world, with the best organizations, horses and players. Not just the high goal, but every single level of polo is super competitive. Therefore, it’s the best place to compete, try to improve and hopefully win a cup. Plus, with two great clubs, Cowdray and Guards, so close to London, there is a lot of good polo to play in.

What do you think has been the reason for your success with Les Lions/Great Oaks this year?

Firstly, that we were a four man team. Four man teams are difficult to play against, even for the best organization and players like Next Gen [Generation] and Park Place. It takes the pressure off each individual player in the team, each player’s

horses and means we can play more classic, position polo. We weren’t the only four man team to do well this season; Thai Polo also had an incredible season, reaching the Quarters and Semis of the Gold and Queen’s Cups respectively.

Secondly, Jeta and Barto are something special in that in the key moments of a match, when the game is on the line, they are able to create that magic to win. It’s an amazing thing to witness and to have been part of, but they consistently did this throughout the season. I lost count of how many games in OT [overtime] we won in, but there were a lot, including the Queen’s Cup Quarters, Semis and Final. It didn’t matter that they were playing against the two best players in the world, Adolfo and Facundo, they kept their cool.

What was the decision behind hiring the Castagnola brothers – how long had that been planned? Did it begin when you saw them win the Gold Cup last year?

This was a last-minute opportunity that came about as their original team fell apart in April due to Covid. We started talking then with Lolo [Castagnola] and quickly agreed to play together. I had been following Barto and Jeta’s success following their 2019 UK season and saw them play live in Argentina against Las Monjitas. That was an historic match to witness, a 28 goal team competing neck-and-neck with a 38 goal team.

I recognized that this team had a strong chance of being able to win a cup and if there was ever an opportunity to step up to play the high goal with the idea to win, this was it. Importantly, I also felt that I was prepared with horsepower to compete at that level. I only ever wanted to compete at that level if I had the horses and this year fortuitously, I was ready.

In this year’s Gold Cup, you missed out to Next Generation in the Finals. What changed to allow you to clinch victory in The Queen’s Cup?

The team as a whole had a bad day that day. It took us too long to get into the rhythm of the game, and we were constantly chasing Next Gen, playing their game rather than ours. We also committed too many foals, especially me. I think personally I was a bit lost that day too, and that had a big impact on the rest of the team as I had been making a difference in defense in previous matches. And all four of the Next Gen team had a fantastic game that

Q: If you had to sum up playing polo in four words?

A: An addictive love affair

day. They deserved the win that day as we did not bring our best on the day.

We relished a rematch though, and the Quarter Finals of The Queen’s Cup was a completely different match. We adapted to the way they played, changed some things around like positions and from the first seconds of the match, we imposed our style of play. I think the tables turned that match and they had to adapt to our style of play.

Who was the opponent in this year’s high goal you were most worried about playing against… and why?

Both Park Place teams. Andrey has built a fantastic organization and the partnership with Ellerstina makes them amongst the top teams, if not the top.

Park Place Vaara with the strong Hilario [Ulloa] and [Juan] Britos partnership is also a formidable team. In fact, they were the only team to beat us in every single match this season. I also lost against the both of them last year playing for La Indiana in the Semis of the Queen’s [Cup], so I haven’t had the best record with them!

How did it feel when you saw Jeta score the winning goal to win the The Cartier Queen’s Cup?

It was an immediate eruption of emotions

like I have never experienced before, accompanied by a lot screaming and shouting! A moment of pure joy, satisfaction and also disbelief. It did not feel real, like somehow reality was lying to me because I could not believe that something I had dreamed of winning, that so many players dream of winning, had actually come to transpire. The Queen’s Cup was my entire bucket list – I grew up watching the tournament as a kid and dreaming of one day playing in the tournament. So, winning with the boys and in the manner that we did, beating both Cambiaso (in the Quarters) and Facundo in OT, well it could not have gotten more perfect than that. It was the happiest moment of my life. I think the next time I’ll feel like that again is on my wedding night!

Personally, how did you prepare for this year’s UK season and how do you think you did?

Personal training and creating a program to prepare for the season is important if you are not able to play all year long. I would also recommend Pilates to keep your riding in shape.

Are you happy with the level of handicap you have achieved? Or are you aiming for a higher rating year on year?

I am happy with my handicap at 2 goals. It’s difficult going further up, because then I have to compete against professional players who play all year long, while I don’t have that luxury. Of course, I always want to improve and get better, so if I could continue to improve and if it is necessary they move me, then great. But, it does make it more difficult as a part-time amateur to be competitive.

After your Queen’s Cup win – after the celebration party – what’s next?

I will be playing The French Open in September with Tommy Beresford, Barto and Aristide Faggionato. It will be fun playing with my friend Aristide again and also Tommy, as we played against each other in The Queen’s Cup. He had a great season this summer and I think together we have a competitive team.

Will you be back next year on the UK circuit?

Yes, I’ll be back playing in the UK. I love the polo season here and hope to be able to continue playing. Hopefully I will be back playing The Queen’s Cup again. We will have to see about handicaps and how plans shake out for next season. If I play, it will be with the Castagnolas again. We get along very well on/off the pitch and they are all a wonderful family to spend time with.