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PQ Staff Publisher
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Editor
Aurora Eastwood aurora@pqinternational.com
Design & Production
Tomás M. Garbers tomas@pqinternational.com
PR and Marketing Director
María Noel Raffo Antin noel@pqinternational.com
Photographs
PoloLine Media Ana Clara Cozzi M&M Productions Images of Polo Alice Gipps Alex Photography Matías Callejo
Contributors
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FRONT COVER PHOTO - Studio work - by David Sinclair © POLOLINE INC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part strictly prohibited without the permission of the publisher. Although the publisher makes every effort to ensure accuracy, we cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or guarantee an advertising insertion, date, position or special position. Views expressed may not necessarily be those of the editor or the publisher. 6 | PQ
T HERE ARE STORIES THAT DESERVE TO BE CAPTURED FOREVER.
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PQ | 7
PQ #75
Calendar Summer 2011
April
May
June
3_La Cañada Open Final Handicap 24 goal La Cañada, Open Door, Bs As, Argentina
5_Thanksgiving Service In memory of Charlie Stisted Guards Chapel, London, UK
12_Queen´s Cup Final Handicap 22 goal Guards PC, UK
15_Easter Tournament Handicap 8 goal Polo Club St Tropez, France
9_Polo Season Opening Party PJ´s Bar, London, UK
15_GCC Day Guards PC, UK
17_US Open Final Handicap 26 goal IPC, Palm Beach, USA
13_Var Tournament Handicap 8 goal Polo Club St Tropez, France
23_Spring Tournament Handicap 2-6 goal Guards PC, UK
15_Queen´s Mother Centenary Cup Final Handicap 12-15 goal Guards PC, UK
24_Memorial Domecq Handicap 10 goal Santa María PC, Sotogrande, Spain
16_Audi Polo Awards 2011 Coworth Park PC, UK
24_II Valentín Caset Cup Kids Competition Santa María de Lobos Polo Ranch, Arg.
17_Queen´s Cup Handicap 22 goal Guards PC, UK
25_The Loyd Cup Handicap 2-6 goal Guards PC, UK
21_British Ladies Open Championship Final England vs South America Coworth Park PC, UK
29_Hippocampus Cup Handicap 8 goal Polo Club St Tropez, France 30_La Martina Queen´s Mother Centenary Cup Handicap 15 goal Guards PC, UK
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27_The Al Habtoor Royal Windsor Cup Handicap 12-15 goal Guards PC, UK 29_Moscow PC vs Ham PC Ham PC, UK
17_13th Polo Club St Tropez Anniversary Tournament Handicap 8 goal Polo Club St Tropez, France 18_Pro Alvear Berkshire Polo Club, UK 19_The Al Habtoor Royal Windsor Cup Final Handicap 12-15 goal Guards PC, UK 21_Gold Cup for the British Open Handicap 22 goal Cowdray Park PC, UK 26_Charity Cup for UNICEF by Ayo Handicap 12 goal Polo Club Chantilly, France 30_International Polo Cup Handicap 15 goal Polo Club St Tropez, France
T HERE ARE STORIES THAT DESERVE TO BE CAPTURED FOREVER.
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PQ | 9
Spring Issue 2011 Price ÂŁ6,00
Tournaments 14
St Moritz World Cup on Snow 4 Nations played the 26th World Cup on snow
26
107th US Open Top marks to organisers
47
Thai Polo Open 2011 Polo in the Kingdom of Thailand
58
Dubai Gold Cup is now in Dubai
74
Argentine Republic Cup La Estrella Enigma were deserving champions
78
El Desafio Polo Cup Polo in San MartĂn de los Andes
86
Nations Cup Argentina vs England
90
UK Arena Handicap Changes HPA Arena Handicaps 2010/2011
92
UK Arena Polo RCBPC - AEPC
96
UK High Goal Season Preview UK coming season
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Lifestyle 126 Boutique House Luxury for sale in Palermo
128 Car Review The innovative Range Rover Evoque
142 Spring Beauty Pages 2011 Looking good off the field
146 Travel - Dubai Wonderland Where the dreams come true
155 Travel - Thailand Thailand, warm and charming land
#75
Contents
Interviews 106 Joaquín Pittaluga The next wave
108 Billy Jackson-Stops Billy doesn´t stop
112 David Sinclair Photography Art meets Polo
Off the Field 66
Dubai Argentine Night “Argentine Day”
102 Lovelocks Polo Stud Lovelocks Polo Stud, El Quemao, Lobos, Arg
116 Horse Care and Injuries Tendon Injury
120 Polo Tips The sultan visualises your swing
132 Polo Equipment - Safety Protecting your brain
136 80th years of Polo passion Reverso. A legend in movement PQ | 11
Spring Issue 2011
Contents
The last quarter in the polo world has seen more snow polo than ever before, as well as a boom of polo in Thailand and the UAE, a historic US Open final and the Nations Cup between England and Argentina at Palermo. The magazine is therefore bigger than ever as we strive to include every major polo event and tournament to bring you the most comprehensive global coverage of polo possible. The lifestyle section has expanded again and has something for everyone - players male or female, wives and girlfriends. This coming UK season looks to be bigger and better than the last two years; the UK economy is on the mend and that is good news for polo and all its sattelite industries. As I write, England has had the driest spring in years; whilst this is good news for some, it is bad news for polo fields and ponies legs - only the very best and most expensive clubs can irrigate, meaning that grounds elsewhere are already rock hard. No problem for the high goal of course; Cowdray and Guards have the best fields in the UK and they have been preparing them for months. There are plenty of test matches and Internationals this summer - at Cowdray in May, Beaufort in June, and of course the Cartier International in July, where England will play the supremely well mounted Brazil, who are flying their ponies in especially for the game. As I am half Brazilian myself I will be happy regardless of the result (though with a little more bias to England of course..). As ever, I look forward to seeing you all on the field or off. Aurora Eastwood Editor
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Photo: Nations Cup, April 21, 2011
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St Moritz World Cup on Snow 2011
Four Nations played the 26th World Cup on snow Photos by Alice Gipps. Francois Le Barazer, Nacho Gonzalez, Oliver Hipwood and Oscar Mancini
There is nothing quite like the sharp, cold air at St. Moritz. A sense of occasion, impeccable organisation and amazing cuisine – this is the premier snow polo tournament anywhere in the world. The format was changed for this year – rather than 22 goal teams playing under the name of sponsors, the teams were 16 goal and played under the flag of the nationality of the patrons: Great Britain, Germany, France and of course Switzerland. Snow polo in St Moritz has changed for the better over the years due to improved “ground” maintenance. In previous years the playing surface got very chopped 14 | PQ
Agustín Martinez, Pablo Jauretche and Philipp Maeder
up by the horses and rode very deep, making life difficult for the horses, slowing them down, and the ball would get stuck in the holes , not run and things were very difficult for the players. Now, the playing surface is extremely well compacted, allowing the ball (and the horses) to run; whereas previously one player taking the ball from one end of the field to the other was unheard of, this year was the norm. Germany were unfortunate throughout the tournament. They narrowly lost their first game, and then lost their other two as well, becoming the only team to lose all four matches.
“For our first time on snow we were extremely happy to get to the final. We knew that against GB we’d be in for a tough game. They are all good players and were on their own horses which is always an advantage. We were careful to minimise Chris Hyde’s control of the game and worked around giving Nacho time and space on the ball” Oli Hipwood PQ | 15
A quirky team shot from Great Britain
St Moritz World Cup on Snow // Teams France Francois Le Barazer Oscar Mancini Oliver Hipwood Nacho Gonzalez
16 0 4 6 6
Germany Thomas Wolfensberger Manuel Cereceda Pablo Jauretche Gonzalo Bourdieu
16 1 3 7 5
Great Britain Vivek Rawal Jonny Good Chris Hyde Tarquin Southwell
Place: St.Moritz, Switzerland Club: St Moritz Polo Club Club Date: January 27-30, 2011
Level: 16 goal Tournament type: Snow // WPT Cup
Winner: France Polo Team
MVP: Nacho Gonzalez
British players featured heavily this year: Tarquin Southwell, Oli Hipwood, Nacho Gonzales, Chris Hyde , Jonny Good and Vivek Rawal all flew the flag for British polo. 16 | PQ
15 0 5 6 4
Switzerland Philipp Maeder Federico Bachmann Bautista Ortiz de Urbina Agustin Martínez
15 0 6 5 4
Winner Points: 60 Finalist Points: 30 Semifinalist Points: 15
Switzerland tried to play polo off the field as well as on, and (erroneously) assuming that they could lose one game and still get to the final, they coasted against France and lost, having not taken into account that if Great Britain won later in the day against Germany, the two finalists would be determined by goal difference, and they didn’t have enough…
Vivek Rawal
Tarquin Southwell
Jonny Good
Chris Hyde
Vivek Rawal, the Great Britain patron, has come a long way in a short time, having only taken up polo 18 months previously. Quite an achievement to reach the final of a medium goal tournament in such a short space of time. PQ | 17
Pablo Jauretche
Oscar Mancini and Tarquin Southwell jostle for the ball
Jonny Good and Chris Hyde are no strangers on the polo field – the two regularly combine in 12 and 15 goal polo and have done so for many years- an effective combination. In this tournament they were joined by Tarquin Southwell, Jonny’s half brother. 18 | PQ
Agustin Martinez Federico Bachmann and Pablo Jauretche
The final between Great Britain and France was a very evenly matched game throughout, goal met by goal. The wind, a major protagonist the day before, was absent, meaning that penalties were going in and big passes up the field were also possible. Chris Hyde was GB’s star player once again, sadly he was defeated by an uneven patch of snow when taking his last, game deciding penalty. It hit the post and GB lost by a goal, 6-5. PQ | 19
Manuel Cereceda Commentator Eve Sievwright
Nacho Gonzalez Dinner inside the igloo
Swiss Fans
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Jonny Good
Pablo Jauretche
VIP area
VIP people
Vivek Rawal and Thomas Wolfensberger
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Urs Scharzenbach and friends
Thomas Rinderknecht and girlfriend, with
Jakob Linquist, Vivek Rawall and wife, and Stefan Sund
Franck Dubarry
Jonny Good, Tarquin Southwell, Pablo Jauretche, Ebe Sievwright and Aurora Eastwood
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Philipp Maeder and Adriano Agosti
People enjoying the final Segway Polo: Javier Herrera and Santiago Garrahan
Trendy chairs in the VIP area The Golden Polo Player
Heinz Reber
Julius Baer Directors
PQ | 23
Snow Cups 2011
Snow Polo Circuit 2011 By Federico Levy Kitzbühel Snow Polo World Cup January 13-16, 2011 Handicap: 12 goal Austria held a new edition of the Valartis Bank Snow Polo World Cup in Kitzbuhel. After the qualifying games, Wintertechnik and A-Rosa, holding 10 and 8-goal handicaps respectively, were the ones who made it through to the final. The decisive match did not flow evenly and very few goals were scored. The game was won by Wintertechnik with a 3-2 result on the scoreboard. Wintertechnik’s team line-up comprised Steffi von Pock (1), Eva Bruhl (3) and Ignacio Tillous (6).
Cortina Winter Polo Gold Cup February 20-26, 2011 Handicap: 19 goal Once again, the Lago di Missurina (Missurina Lake) was the perfect setting for the most important polo event of the Italian winter scene. With the participation of five 19-goal teams, spectators we able to enjoy excellent matches where Audi Polo Team became champions after they defeated Audemars Piguet 5-1. In the 22nd edition of the Cortina Winter Polo Audi Gold Cup there was also room for women as they played an exhibition game, and it was Ruinart Polo Team who won the cup. Audi, the winning team, lined up as follows: Luca E. D’Orazio (2), Matt Perry (3), Alejandro Díaz Alberdi (9) and Julio Coria (5). Total: 19 Photo by Tony Ramirez
Aspen World Snow Polo Championship December 15-18, 2010 Handicap: 12 goal After a year on hold, the Melissa Ganzi, Kris Kampsen and Juan Bollini combination was present again in Aspen, and won the USPA World Snow Polo Championship in Colorado, having achieved a 5-3 victory against Piaget. Bollini, the Most Valuable Player of the game, was the goal-scorer, with goals scored in the final match. Both Audi and Piaget made it through to the last match of the tournament with a perfect 2-victory record and no defeats, and showed why they won their place on the podium.
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107th US Open
Lechuza Caracas: Smiling at last After several years of trying, and having to start all over again following the deaths of 21 horses two years ago, Lechuza Caracas showed that with persistence, organisation and good team play a podium place is possible. By Federico Levy. Photos by Ana Clara Cozzi.
Victor Vargas kissing the US Open trophy
“For the last 9 years we have been working to improve and win, and luckily we managed it” said a happy Victor Vargas when the game ended. Undoubtedly his happiness answered many questions about events that had befallen his dear team. His euphoria was infectious and deserved. Vargas held the most coveted trophy in North America and his team was incredibly successful all season.
Kick Off The temperature was already rising on the morning of Saturday 26th March and at 10 am exactly the tournament was underway. Audi, fresh from winning the Gold Cup, faced Pony Express, a regular fixture with many years of high goal. Marc Ganzi’s team, together with Gonzalo and Nico Pieres and Rodrigo Andrade outclassed thier rivals and took the opening game. During these 18 qualifying games, divided into four leagues, the front runners soon became apparent, and there weren’t too many surprises by the time the 26 | PQ
quarter finals were announced. The high level of organisation, play and horse power by the teams really stood out. The club also provided massive resources at running and organising the games, with matches always running on times and highlighted “Sunday games” as a special feature. In addition, the ability to watch these matches on TV provided fans with another way of following the polo. Initiaves such as changing the time allowed for half time, and introducing “linesmen” at the 60 yard line to help the umpires were good ideas when implemented correctly.
The journey towards a conclusión: The Quarter Finals. Lechuza Caracas vs The International Polo Club was the host venue for the four teams to play the quarter finals for the 107th US Open. The first team to go through was Lechuza Caracas, with victory in the dying seconds. It was a
Sapo Caset and Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade
fast game where Sapo Caset’s speed and Juan Martín Nero’s team organisation made the difference. Caset’s horsepower was impressive and made the difference in each of his attacking plays.
Crab Orchard Vs Las Monjitas The 2nd quarter final saw current champions Crab Orchard play Las Monjitas. The public expected to see 6 good chukkas and that is what they got. The match featured Cambiaso, Hilario Ulloa and Agustin Merlos, and was a back and forth game with Las Monjitas leading the scoreboard throughout; 7-3 by half time. Their key was in controlling Cambiaso’s attacks coupled with accurate assaults on the opposition goal posts. However Crab Orchard suddenly scored 3 goals in the 5th and entered the last only a goal behind. A foul by Eduardo Novillo Astrada conceded a 30 yd penalty that Ulloa converted to equalise. Everyone held thier breath to see what Cambiaso, the master of tied games, would do. However, this time he didn’t deliver,
leaving the ball behind, which was picked up by Camilo Bautista who scored with only 3 seconds to go; 8-7 to Las Monjitas.
[
“I didn’t have much time to think, I just reacted and it wasnt easy. I thought Eduardo was well on the way to goal and when he missed it just popped up in front of me. It was a very tough game, we played very well and its a great achievement to beat Crab Orchard and Cambiaso. “ said Bautista.
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Audi vs Zacara This was a battle of the Pieres brothers; Audi with Gonzalito and Nico, and Zacara with Facundo. A superb game; at half time the score was 3-3. Zacara gained momentum from this point , taking the score to 7-5. However Audi wasn’t to be defeated; progress was then inexorable and Audi overwhelmed Zacara, winning 14-5 and securing a place in the semi finals.
Valiente vs Hawks A “Sunday Game”, the last quarter final was very even but scrappy; not the fast game that had seen Audi win. Valiente just clawed victory in the last chukka after Hawks had led most of the game. A particular highlight was Bob Jonayrvaz’s goal scored from a ball picked up at the half way line, flat out. The last chukka started 8-8; goals from Nacho Novillo Astrada and Pablo Pieres (who celebrated early, knowing there wasnt enough time for the other team to answer) and despite a final goal from Mariano Aguerre, Valiente held on to win 10-9.
All or nothing: four teams but only two finalists
Audi vs Valiente Audi put the first goal on the board to end the first chukka 1-0. Valiente responded with a goal due to Nacho’s efforts, depsite playing at back. Nico Pieres
Carlos Gracida Jr and Gonzalo Pieres Jr Nico Pieres 28 | PQ
Adolfo Cambiaso Jr and Facundo Pieres
107th US Open // Tournament Description Place: Wellington, Palm Beach, Florida, USA Club: International Polo Club Date: March 28 - April 17, 2011 Tournament Director: Jimmy Newman
Level: 26 goal Tournament type: Open WPT Category Ranking: Grand Slam
Winner Points: 150 Finalist Points: 70 Semifinalist Points: 50 Rest of player Points: 25
Winner: Lechuza Caracas Polo Team
MVP: Juan MartĂn Nero (Lechuza Caracas)
BPP: Sultan (Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade) PQ | 29
Ignacio Novillo Astrada
showed his class and scored two more for Audi to start the 3rd chukka. The 3rd chukka was the best of the game. Valiente tied the score with goals from Pieres and Novillo Astrada. From that moment the teams were very even, matching goals with goals. Audi ended the fourth chukka with a goal by Gonzalito; 7-6. Valiente weren’t giving up without a fight and equalised once more with a goal from Pablo Pieres, quickly met by another goal from Nico Pieres to lead 8-7. Into the last; a fast run by Andrade saw another goal for Audi. Despite a last minute penalty converted by Nacho, Valiente had done their best and it wasn’t quite enough. 30 | PQ
Lechuza Caracas vs Las Monjitas Lechuza had to win an extra chukka to secure their place in the final. The game was even better than anticipated; fast and many excellent field goals. Juan Martín Nero was indisputably man of the match, whose birthday it also was, coverted 7 goals and played every inch of his 10 goal hándicap and meshed well together with his teammate Caset. Nero structured his team well, coordinating the attacks and victory was really credit to him. Despite Lechuza leading throughout the match, Las Monjitas played brilliantly and tied the score at the last. The extra chukka was intense and yet again Nero shone, scoring the golden goal and propelling Lechuza Caracas into the final.
Guillermo “Sapo” Caset Jr PQ | 31
Hilario Ulloa and Eduardo Novillo Astrada Jr
The Final: Audi vs Lechuza Caracas
Lechuza Celebrate
Lechuza took the lead straight away with goals from Vargas and Caset to end the first chukka 3-1. The second chukka saw a lot of play making but few goals – notably one from Caset after an impressive play that saw the crowd roar, and by half time Lechuza were leading 6-2. The advantage continued throughout the next few chukkas and Lechuza’s effectiveness at capitalising on opportunities saw them leading 8-3 by the end of the 5th chukka. In the last seven minutes Audi rallied with goals from Nico Pieres and Rodrigo Andrade but it was just too late to catch an already jubliant Lechuza who knew the 107th US Open was theirs.
The elation of the team was palpable – they held the most important trophy in the USA. The players, grooms and every member of the organisation had a part to play in this well deserved victory.
MVP was Juan Nero, who scored three goals and set up every attack for his team. Sultan, played by Rodrigo Andrade won best playing pony and Daniel, Caset’s groom deservedly won best groom of the tournament. 32 | PQ
[
“I am delighted with this win. Its the hard work of everyone within the organisation over a long period of time that got us here. We played really well as a team today and that’s what won us the game”. Nero
Juan Martín Nero and Facundo Pieres
Caset deserves a mention - scoring 26 goals over the season he had a fantastic game, scoring 4 goals. “I honestly can’t describe how happy I am. I burst into tears as soon as the game ended, I just couldn’t believe we’d done it. It’s a victory for the whole Lechuza team; a fantastic organisation with everyone working hard to ensure a good result. Now we are celebrating!” Espain was also exultant after the game “I think we played really well. Maybe at the end of the game we relaxed a little and they came back, but luckily we held on and won”. This is the reality. It’s so simple yet so difficult; an ardous route but with a positive outcome that creates such joy for everyone involved. Lechuza Caracas has seen such sadness and pain but surpassed all of that to gain a sweet victory for all concerned.
[
The evening drew in at Palm Beach and everyone withdrew to Lechuza’s stables for the after party. Amongst the pony lines, trophy in hand, Vargas said “Its a team effort. Ever since the tragedy with the horses we decided to carry on and proved that its possible”.
PQ | 33
Pablo MacDonough
107th US Open // Top Scorers Player Guillermo Caset Jr AgustĂn Merlos Adolfo Cambiaso Jr Gonzalo Pieres Jr Facundo Pieres Ignacio Novillo Astrada Pablo MacDonough Fred Mannix Pablo Pieres Julio Arellano Hilario Ulloa Nachi du Plessis 34 | PQ
Team Lechuza Caracas Las Monjitas Crab Orchard Audi Audi Valiente Orchard Hill Hawks Valiente Bendabout Crab Orchard Crab Orchard
Goals 34 30 28 25 24 20 18 18 17 16 15 10
Adolfo Cambiaso Jr PQ | 35
AgustĂn Merlos 36 | PQ
Marc Ganzi
US Open // Winners 2001-2011 2001 Outback Chris Gannon SantiagoChavanne Fabio Diniz Adolfo Cambiaso Jr
2002 26 1 7 8 10
2005 White Birch Julio Gracida Lucas Criado Mariano Aguerre Del Carrol Walton
26 1 9 9 7
2006 26 3 9 10 4
2009 Audi Marc Ganzi Gonzalo Pieres Jr Facundo Pieres Nicolás Pieres
Coca Cola Gillian Johnston Adam Snow Miguel Novillo Astrada Tommy Biddle
2003
Las Monjitas Camilo Bautista Adam Snow Eduardo Novillo Astrada Jr Ignacio Novillo Astrada
Crab Orchard George Rawlings Julio Arellano Adolfo Cambiaso Jr Hilario Ulloa
26 2 7 9 8
2007 26 0 9 9 8
2010 26 1 10 10 5
C Spear Tommy Boyle Jeff Hall Carlos Gracida Matías Magrini
2004
Crab Orchard George Rawlings Matías Magrini Adolfo Cambiaso Jr David Stirling Jr
Isla Carroll John Goodman Sugar Erskine Francisco Bensadon Guillermo Gracida
26 1 8 8 9
2008 26 0 8 10 8
Crab Orchard George Rawlings Nachi Heguy Adolfo Cambiaso Jr Jeff Blake
26 1 9 10 6
2011 26 0 8 10 8
Lechuza Caracas Victor Vargas Guillermo Caset Jr Juan Martín Nero Martín Espain
26 1 9 10 6 PQ | 37
Pablo MacDonough and Sugar Erskine
107th US Open // Teams Bracket I
Bracket II
Bracket III
Bracket IV
Audi Polo Team Mark Ganzi Nicolás Pieres Gonzalo Pieres Jr Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade
26 1 7 10 8T
Las Monjitas Camilo Bautista Eduardo Novillo Astrada Jr. Agustin Merlos Santiago Toccalino
26 0 10 9 7
Crab Orchard George Rawlings Nachi du Plessis Hilario Ulloa Adolfo Cambiaso
26 0 7 9 10
Piaget Melissa Ganzi Nachi Heguy Lolo Castagnola Juan Bollini
24 0 9 9 6
Bendabout Gillian Johnston Cristian Laprida Jr. Julio Arellano Sugar Erskine
26 1 9 9 7
Orchard Hill Steve van Andel Lucas Criado Pablo MacDonough Hector Galindo
26 0 9 10 7
Lechuza Caracas Victor Vargas Guillermo Caset Jr. Juan Martin Nero Martin Espain
26 1 9 10 6
Zacara Lyndon Lea Sebastián Merlos Facundo Pieres Mariano Uranga
26 1 10 10 5
Valiente Bobby Jounayvaz Paul Pieres Miguel Novillo Astrada Ignacio Novillo Astrada
26 0 8 9 9
Pony Express Bog Daniels Santiago Chavanne Bautista Heguy Agustin García Grossi
26 0 9 9 8
Hawks Fred Mannix Julian Mannix Mariano Aguerre Mariano Gonzalez
26 6 3 10 7
Faraway 25 Hutton Goodman 0 Lucas Monteverde 9 Mike Azzaro 8 Luis Escobar/A. Novillo Astrada(8) 7
38 | PQ
Polo America Expo will return to Las Vegas at the South Point Casino and Equestrian Center on September 30-October 2, 2011. Once again polo players from all over the world will unite in Las Vegas to see the latest in polo equipment, attend seminars, network, purchase horses, watch polo and enjoy the camaraderie of polo. Polo America Expo has two major additions this year. Lamborghini and Bally Switzerland present the finals of the Men’s and Women’s U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship in the 4600-seat South Point Arena on October 1. This is the first time polo has ever been played in Las Vegas. The second addition is a Polo Pony Sale held at the Polo America Expo, and will feature fifty horses. Players will be able to try the horses on September 30 and the morning of October 1 in the South Point Arena. The auction will be at 3:00 PM. The 2011 Polo Village has been increased to 80,000 square feet. This is double the size of the last Expo. The Polo Village has been billed as “one stop polo shopping.” Attendees can find everything from tack, saddles, boots, feed, barns, fences, insurance, clothes, helmets, mallets, real estate, tractors, Ford Trucks, polo clubs, feed, supplements, knee pads, shavings, instruction, barn
interiors, publications, polo vacations, polo schools, immigration information, equine art, polo organizations, photography, arenas, watering systems, arena rakes, goal posts, horses, horse transportation, stall mats, jewelry, trailers, field maintenance, and much more. The number of seminars has increased to 36 throughout the weekend. Seminars topics will range from horse hauling, hiring a pro, polo club management, future of women’s polo, barn management, purchasing a horse, polo instruction, and polo marketing to name a few. On the social side the Black Tie Blue Jeans Awards dinner will be held on September 30 to honor Polo Angels: Chuck Weaver and Sunny Hale, Polo Sponsor of the Decade: Ford Trucks and Polo America Lifetime Achievement recipient Tony Coppola. Throughout the weekend there are numerous cocktail parties, lunches and a Sunday brunch. For the ladies there will be a fashion show on Friday afternoon. Lamborghini will be offering test-drives throughout the weekend. Polo America Expo is sponsored by Lamborghini Las Vegas, Bally Switzerland and Ford Trucks. For Polo America Expo tickets call (803) 652-1181 and for updates go to www.poloamerica.com. PQ | 39
Ines Laprida, Cristian’s wife; Lucas Criado, Cristian Laprida and a friend of Ines, Teresa Zuberbuhler
Bob Daniels with his Argentine girlfriend Virginia Golan and Pony Express trainer, Daniel Martinez Mike Azzaro´s family
Luis Escobar´s family
Violeta and María Pieres
Amy Azzaro with daughter Ali and Loli Lopez Monteverde
Cousins Santos and Miguel Novillo Astrada Jr. with Francisca Bottaro, Sofia Aguerre and Tonia Novillo Astrada
Martin Brown and wife enjoying the sunny weather in Palm Beach
Melissa Ganzi and Tommy Biddle
US OPEN 2011
Bartolomé Castagnola Jr and Segundo Merlos in his buggy
IPC General Manager John Wash and Marketing Director Angela Baker
Jeff Hall, Ruben Gracida, Charles Smith, John Goodman, Martín Estrada, Mike Azzaro, Julio Gracida, Gillian Johnston, Carlos Gracida, Phill Heatley, Sunny Hale and Tim Gannon among others. All US Open winners.
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All Lechuza team group enjoying the first US Open championship
Pat and Ursulla Nesbitt
Victor Vargas celebrating the victory with Sapo Caset and coach Roberto Gonzalez
The Marchiorello sisters, Victoria & Constanza
Victor Vargas and girlfirend MarĂa Beatriz
Juan MartĂn Nero and wife Josefina
Lupe Roldan Valent and Alexis Stein
Caset familiy
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Palm Beach Season
US Polo builds up to the Open
By Alex Webbe. Photos by Alex Pacheco.
Herbie Pennell Cup
Winner: EFG Bank Polo Team
January 2, 2011 Handicap: 20 goals A timid start to the 2011 high goal polo season at the International Polo club in Wellington, Florida had only two teams entered in the Herbie Pennell Cup, the season’s first 20-goal competition. Bob Jornayvaz (0) and his Valiente team of Stewart Armstrong (3), Jeff Hall (8), and Nacho Astrada (9) took the field in what appeared to be mid-season form, but the fluid EFG Bank lineup of Andres (6) Weisz, Kris Kampsen (6), Luis Escobar (7) and Jarod Zenni (1) proved to be a formidable opponent. EFG Bank got on the scoreboard first, but from then on Valiente matches them goal for goal, but EFG Bank took off in the fourth period with four unanswered goals and Valiente trailed 11-6. Valiente rallied in the final two chukkers, outscoring EFG Bank 7-2, tying the game at 13-13 and forcing sudden-death overtime. Escobar wasted little time in the extra chukker, taking the ball from the throw-in and racing 150 yards down the field to score the winning goal for the 14-13 win.
Winner: Faraway Polo Team
Joe Barry Memorial Cup January 8-23, 2011 Handicap: 20 goals Eight teams showed up for the Joe Barry Memorial Cup, a tournament named in honor of one of America’s top players, as the winter season got underway in earnest. Gillian Johnston’s Bendabout team had run through a competitive field in the early going, knocking off Scot Wood’s ERG team, Valiente, Faraway and Lucchese and entered the finals with an unblemished 4-0 record. Faraway, on the other hand, beat ERG and Mt. Brilliant, and limped through the semifinals with an unimpressive 2-2 record. Its losses were to Valiente and Bendabout, and they would be facing Bendabout one more time in the tournament finals. The downside of the equation was the fact that veteran South African 7-goaler Sugar Erskine was sidelined with a hairline fracture of his leg, and a substitute would have to be brought in. Erskine had scored four of Faraway’s goals in the team’s earlier 11-10 loss, and would be sorely missed, but it was felt that Adam Snow would be able to fill the void for the finals. 42 | PQ
Bendabout took a 1-0 lead after the first chukker and managed to hold on to end with first half with a 5-4 advantage over Faraway. Goals from Snow and Julio Gracida (penalty conversion) were countered by a single 4th chukker goal from Chris Nevins, and the game was all even at 6-6. Two goals from Inaki Laprida had Bendabout ahead, 8-6, when Faraway staged a rally. Julio Arellano scored one goal from the field and another on a 60-yard penalty shot to knot it up at 8-8 going into the final period. Bendabout pressed the Faraway defense early, but Arellano picked the ball out of his own goal area and carried it 280 yards down the field for a score, with Bendabout players racing after the streaking 9-goaler. An ensuing penalty conversion by Arellano with 1:29 left to play put Bendabout behind the eight ball as they struggled to get two quick goals. With time running out, Laprida scored his fourth goal of the contest, and Hutton Goodman’s Faraway Farm team celebrated the 2011 Joe Barry Memorial Cup Championship.
Winner: Zacara Polo Team
Ylvisaker Cup January 29 - February 20, 2011 Handicap: 20 goals The field of teams grew to ten, with the addition of Lechuza and Equuleus, and the tempo of the competition continued to escalate. Early favorites emerged in the two bracket format, with Equuleus (Joe DiMenna, Marianito Obregon, Adam snow and Mariano Gonzalez registering early wins over Zacara (8-6), Lechuza (8-7), ERG (12-10) before losing a meaningless 11-10 game to Bendabout. Equuleus rebounded to take an important semifinal game against a Memo Gracida-led Patagones team 11-7 in a contest that was accentuated by the impressive defensive play by Marianito Obregon (who also scored three goals), holding Gracida to a single goal from the field. Zacara had a steeper hill to climb into the Ylvisaker Cup finals. A tournament-opening loss to Equuleus had Zacara walking a fine line if it were to continue in the competition, and despite a 13-9 win over ERG, found them with a 1-2 record after dropping a
second game to Bendabout (15-13). Zacara managed to even its record at 2-2 with a narrow 8-7 win over Lechuza (Victor Vargas, Guille Aguero, Gaston Lisioli, Toto Collardin) and then stunned a veteran Lucchese team 11-8 in the semifinals. Marianito Obregon scored the first goal of the finals on a 60yard penalty shot, but Zacara came back in the second chukker with goals from Jeff Blake, Gonzalo Del Tour and Lyndon Lea. Obregon scored his second goal of the game, but Equuleus trailed 3-2 after two periods of play. The Zacara offense was shut down in the third chukker while Mariano Gonzalez added two goals from the field to give Equuleus a 4-3 halftime lead. Zacara took control of the field in the second half, scoring four unanswered goals in the fourth and fifth chukkers for a 7-4 lead and settling for an 8-6 final score. The balanced Zacara attack had each member of the team, Uranga, Lea, Del Tour and Blake, scoring a pair of goals.
Winner: MT. Brilliant Polo Team
Iglehart Cup February 16-27, 2011 Handicap: 20 goals Mt. Brilliant (Bo Goodman, Ulysses Escapite, Mike Azzaro, Nic Roldan) closed out the 2011 20-goal season at the International Polo Club in Wellington, Florida with a convincing 11-8 win over Bendabout (Gillian Johnston, Inaki Laprida, Lucas Criado, Chris Nevins) in the finals of the fourth and final 20-goal tournament of the season, the Philip Iglehart Cup. Facing a field of nine teams, Mt. Brilliant parlayed wins over Valiente (10-9), Faraway (11-0), Patagones (12-10) before meeting Bendabout in the finals. The Bendabout team found its way to the Iglehart Cup finals by defeating EFG Bank (11-9), and Las Monjitas (13-6), but couldn’t
manage to knock Mt. Brilliant off of its course in the final match. The path to the championship game was a bit more strenuous for Mt. Brilliant than it was for Bendabout in that, by the luck of the draw, it included an extra preliminary match and its star 8-goaler, Mike Azzaro, suffered a bone jarring fall in a previous contest. Bruised from ankle to elbow, and in a great deal of pain, Azzaro took to the field and turned in a truly heroic effort, scoring three goals and playing a truly inspired game. Bendabout went up early, holding a 5-3 halftime lead, but Mt. Brilliant returned to the field in the second half with a renewed focus. A five goal fourth chukker had Mt. Brilliant ahead, 8-6, a lead they wouldn’t give up. Coasting along with a 10-6 lead going into the final chukker, Mt. Brilliant settled for the 11-8 victory and the 2011 Philip Iglehart Cup. PQ | 43
MVPs & BPPs
Winner: Lechuza Caracas Polo Team
CV Whitney Cup February 12-27, 2011 Handicap: 26 goals Three more teams than last year showed up for the 2011 International Polo Club’s opening 26-goal competition of the season, the C.V. Whitney Cup, swelling the single elimination tournament field to eleven. Eight players rated at the maximum 10-goal handicap took to the fields, and the competition was on. Mariano Aguerre (10) led the Mannix brothers, Julian and Freddie, joined by Argentine 7-goaler Mariano Gonzalez. An impressive opening win (13-9) over Orchard Hill followed by a hard fought 11-10 win over Zacara put them in good stead early in the tournament. Marc Ganzi’s realigned Audi team featured brothers Gonzalito (10) and Nico (7) Pieres and Brazilian 8-goaler Rodrigo Andrade but did little to impress the early season crowds as they snuck past Las Monjitas in a 6-5 win before falling to Bob Jornayvaz’s team. An overlooked Lechuza foursome led by 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero and Sapo Caset (9) upset Adolfo Cambiaso’s Crab Orchard team 9-7 to set themselves up as a favorite as competition moved forward. George Rawlings brought back Cambiaso and Hilario Ulloa, but the infusion of the talented South African 7-goaler, Nachi cu Plessis, wasn’t the instant fit that everyone assumed, and after sweeping the high-goal season at IPC last year, Crab Orchard found
Tournament
MVP
BPP
Herbbie Pennel
Jeff Hall
Stretch (L. Escobar)
Joe Barry
Julio Arellano
Parejo (L. Criado)
Iglehart
Nick Roldan
Tulsa (N. Roldan)
Ylvisaker
Mariano Uranga Jeff Blake
Magdalena (L. Lea)
CV Whitney
Martín Espain
Sugar (P. Pieres)
Gold Cup
Nico Pieres
Sativa (G. Caset Jr)
themselves watching from the sidelines. American 9-goaler Julio Arellano scored seven times in leading Gillian Johnston’s Bendabout team to a 12-7 win over an outgunned Piaget quartet while Aguerre continued to orchestrate a talented Hawks team to an 11-10 win over Lyndon Lea’s Zacara squad and 10-goalers Facundo Pieres and Sebastian Merlos. With one win and a second round bye, Bendabout went on to the tournament semifinals where they lost to Valiente despite eight goals from Arellano. A balanced Valiente attack had them ahead 9-6 at the half and outscoring Bendabout 5-3 in the final three chukkers for the 14-9 win. In the tournament’s second semifinal matchup, Lechuza mounted a balanced attack that scored them a healthy 11-7 win over an impotent Hawks offense. Lechuza picked up seven first half goals while shutting out the Hawks in the first and third chukkers for a 7-2 halftime lead before rolling on to the four goal win. With seven of the tournament’s eight 10-goalers watching, Lechuza illustrated the cohesive teamwork that got them to the finals. With Victor Vargas, Caset and Nero each scoring a pair of goals in the first half, Valiente found themselves trailing 6-3 after the first three chukkers. Lechuza held the three goal lead through the fifth chukker, and despite a sixth chukker Valiente rally, held on for a 10-9 win.
USPA Gold Cup
Winner: Audi Polo Team 44 | PQ
February 27 - March 20 Handicap: 26 goals Twelve teams rode onto the field for the 2011 USPA Piaget Gold Cup with the addition of Hutton Goodman’s Faraway team. Boasting American 8-goalers Nick Roldan and Mike Azzaro and veteran 9-goaler Lucas Monteverde, the Faraway team looked to have a shot at the gold, an ever improving Audi team knocked off Faraway to open the tournament and went on to score wins over Orchard Hill (18-12) and the Hawks (13-8) before downing Las Monjitas 12-11 in the semifinals. Lechuza continued to surprise opponents, scoring wins over weaker Piaget and Pony Express teams before falling to Las Monjitas, 11-10. They eliminated Zacara in a hard-fought 14-12 win, but would ultimately fall to the emerging monster on the field, Audi, by a 10-9 score. With only one tournament left to be played, Audi and Lechuza had emerged as the tournament favorites, but no one was going to look past Adolfo Cambiaso’s Crab Orchard foursome in spite of the difficulties they had been experiencing earlier in the 26-goal season.
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46 | PQ
Thai Polo Open 2011
Polo in the Kingdom of Thailand Photos by Ana Clara Cozzi. Five 11 goal teams participated in the latest edition of the Thai Polo Open with PQ International ’s exclusive coverage, at the Thai Polo & Equestrian Club. Thai Polo & Equestrian Club opened in 2005. Set in over 200 hectares, the club has two internationalstandard, full-sized fields, a practice ground, stabling for over 120 horses, paddocks and approximately 80 horses for members’ use. The club’s staff includes an Argentine manager, a vet and a farrier, together with a number of Thai assistants. Over the past few years, Thailand has enjoyed strong growth in equestrian activities, primarily
in Bangkok and the city of Pattaya, which has been a very popular beach resort since the early 60’s. Showcasing a total of five 11 goal teams, Thai Polo & Equestrian Club, located about 150 km to the East on the Gulf of Thailand, hosted the Thai Open. After ten days of competition, Thai Polo defeated T Satrias 9-4.5 in the final and for the first time raised the trophy of this prestigious tournament.
Lucas Labat and Edham Shaharuddin
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The day started with a Kids’ Polo exhibition. It was followed by a round-robin played by Garcha Harilela, GTM and Royal Pahang. In the first game, Royal Pahang defeated GTM 6-3. Then GTM played against Garcha Harilela, the latter dominated the first of the two chukkas of play which they won by a convincing 4-1, and ended up winning 6-3. The last match of the round-robin stage had Garcha Harilela back in action against Royal Pahang. The first
Manuel Cereceda
48 | PQ
chukka ended in a 1-1 tie, but Garcha Harilela took control in the second, and finally achieved a 5-3 win, which meant third place. Thai Polo and T Satrias rode onto the field to play the 4-chukka final. T Satrias held a 1.5-goal handicap, and won the first period 2.5 - 1. In the second chukka, goals were scored by MatĂas Iturraspe (2) and Lucas Labat, giving Thai Polo their
first advantage, 4 – 2.5, leaving T Satrias scoreless. But T Satrias made a comeback in the next frame and narrowed the gap to half a goal – 4.5 - 4 in favour of Thai Polo. With a very tight result, both teams went on to play the last chukka. Everybody expected an evenlybalanced chukka, yet T Satrias was surprised by Thai Polo’s offensive play. Lucas Labat scored a great field goal, to extend Thai Polo’s advantage to 5.4 - 4. From
then on, Thai Polo took control of the match, leaving T Satrias unable to score. Two more goals by Martín Iturraspe and one more by Lucas Labat sealed the result. The final horn sounded, and Thai Polo claimed the Thai Open for the first time. Thai Polo Club continues to work year after year towards organising this event showcasing that Thailand also boasts high quality polo.
Huzani Yunos
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Thai Polo Team at the podium
GTM Polo Team
T Satrias Polo Team
Garcha Harilela Polo Team
Royal Pahang Polo Team
Thai Polo Open // Teams & Tournament Description Thai Polo Caroline Link Martín Iturraspe Lucas Labat Harald Link
11 0 5 6 0
GTM 10 Stefan Louis / Claudia Zeisberger 0 Manuel Cereceda 3 Glen Gilmore 7 Gary Tiernan 0
T Satrias D’Ato Mohamed Moiz Shaik Reismann Saladin Mazlan Edham Shaharuddin
Garcha Harilela Bhawani Kalvi Satinder Garcha Hissam Ali Hyder Aron Harilela
11 3 2 5 1
Royal Pahang Mohammed Zekri Ibrahim Amran Selamat Tengku Shazril Ezzani Huzani Yunos
Place: Pattaya, Thailand Club: Thai Polo Club Date: January 11-22, 2011
Level: 11 goal Tournament type: Handicap
Winner: Thai Polo Team
MVP: Lucas Labat
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10 1 2 3 4
11 1 3 3 4
Thai Polo Team celebrating with their people
Thai Polo Team
Lucas Labat
PQ | 51
Thai Pink Polo
St. Regis Champions Pink Polo for Queen’s Charity St. Regis Hotels & Resorts joined the ongoing fight against breast cancer as title sponsors of the very successful St. Regis Pink Polo 2011 tournament at Thai Polo & Equestrian Club in Pattaya, 120 kms southeast of Bangkok, on Saturday 19 February 2011. Initiated by Ms. Nunthinee Tanner, Thailand’s first lady polo player, the Pink Polo tournament features a contest between ladies’ teams for the honour of winning the Queen’s Cup. More importantly, it is a highly social and charitable event designed to raise funds for the Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer. This year’s event generated £15,000 (fifteen thousand pounds). Hundreds of spectators showed their support by dressing in pink, with many ladies wearing eyecatching fancy hats. The festive occasion included lunch, sponsors’ tents, fashion parade on horseback, kids’ polo and a very special high tea courtesy of St. Regis. This year’s tournament was an 11-goal affair played over four chukkas, with a very international line-up of lady polo players from Germany, Argentina, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Star players were the Argentine pair of Katalina Bunge and Ina Lalor, daughter of Argentine Polo Association President Luis Lalor, both with ladies handicap 6. Not to be outdone, Germany had regal representation from Princess Anna zu Oettingen-Wallerstein and Isabel Victorious Thai Polo team on top of pink Bentley: (l to r) Katalina Bunge, Caroline Link, Claudia Zeisberger and Isabel Von Morgenstern, with Nunthinee Tanner alongside.
52 | PQ
Ina Lalor riding hard
Argentinians Ina Lalor (left) and Katalina Bunge fight for the ball
Thai Polo kids’ polo team ready for action
Von Morgenstern, a former dressage professional. The international line-up also included the Singapore-based duo of Melissa Tiernan and Claudia Zeisberger, Fazila Filippi from Malaysia, Alison Chadwick-Kelley who flew in from the UK to represent sponsors St. Regis, and Caroline Link, daughter of Thai Polo Patron Harald Link. In a closely fought contest, the St. Regis and Thai Polo teams were level at 3-3 at half time. With much back and forth in the second half, neither side could gain advantage until the final seconds when Kata Bunge broke away to tee up the ball for Claudia Zeisberger to tap in, enabling Thai Polo to triumph by 4 goals to 3 and claim the Queen’s Cup amid a deluge of champagne.
Spectator tents and thatched Chukka Bar afford splendid views of the polo
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Royal Jet Cup
Mahra celebrate in Dubai The second edition of The Royal Jet Cup took place at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, in Dubai. PQ International was present and covered the event where Mahra Polo Team won the Cup after a really vibrant final. By Federico Levy - Photos by Ana Clara Cozzi. The Al Habtoor family club welcomed eight 15 goal teams for the ten day tournament. The tournament was played in games of 4 chukkas and under Hurlingham Polo Association’s rules and regulations. The Royal Jet Cup kicked off on Wednesday 16th, with wins from Abu Dhabi and Habtoor, over Rhinos and SXC respectively. There was only one match on Thursday, with Mahra defeating Ghantoot 9-6. Action continued at the Royal Jet Cup, with two games on the Friday. In the opener Abu Dhabi beat SXC 9, 5-5. The game was stopped for a few minutes, after SXC’s Darío Garialdo suffered a fall. He was diagnosed Khalid Bin Drai
54 | PQ
with a broken collarbone, and was substituted by Habtoor member, Alfonso Pieres Jr. Next, Habtoor, led by a great performance by Guillermo Cuitiño,ºclaimed their second win in the competition with a heavy 10-2.5 win over Rhinos. The match had a very even start, but in the following chukkas powerful offensive work by Habtoor, plus a superb string of horses, allowed them to take control of the score. The debut of both Zedan and Dubai Falcons were due on Saturday, but both teams lost their respective games.
Rashid Al Habtoor’s Mahra beat Zedan 7-5. Ghantoot, who came from a debut defeat, recovered with a 10-7 win over Dubai Falcons. Ghantoot took a wide lead early in the game, and despite that Salvador Ulloa’s efforts allowed Dubai Falcons to battle back in the last chukka, time was not on their side. In the first semifinal, Mahra beat Abu Dhabi by a narrow 6-5, in a very balanced match that saw both teams exchanging the leadership during the four chukkas of play. The second semifinal had a name: Dubai Falcons’ Khalid Bin Drai became the man of the day. The 18 year old scored the winning goal in extra chukka, to secure Dubai Falcons a 7-6 win over Habtoor and a spot in the final. Young Khalid also scored four of the seven goals for his team, in a match that Dubai Falcons battled for in the last chukka when Habtoor was leading by two goals. Abu Dhabi and Habtoor would play for the third place, while Mahra and Dubai Falcons would meet to play for the Royal Jet Cup, both games on Friday February 25.
The Finals Day Subsidiary Final Habtoor vs Abu Dhabi. After a 1-1 tie in the first chukka, Mohammed Al Habtoor’s squad took a 4-2 lead in the second period, and widened their advantage to finally claim a 6-5 win.
Final Mahra took the lead in the two first chukkas of play (2-1 and 4-3, respectively), but in the third period, Khalid Bin Drai scored a great field goal to tie at 5-all. The fourth chukka was an epic battle. Dubai Falcons got their first lead in the game, 7-5, with goals by Salvador Ulloa and Tomás Iriarte. Marcos Araya converted a 30yd penalty to close the gap to one goal. Minutes later, the scoreboard read 8-6 in favour of Dubai Falcons, thanks to a great goal by Nicolás Petracchi, who scored after twice tapping the ball in the air. Mahra’s efforts in the last minutes of play resulted in two goals, one from the field by Mario Gómez and a 60yd penalty converted by Nacho Gonzalez, to tie at 8-all. With only 7 seconds to go, a 60yd penalty was
Royal Jet Cup // Tournament info Place: Dubai, UAE Club: Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club Date: February 16-25, 2011 Level: 15 goal Tournament type: Open Tournament Director: Santiago Torreguitar
Winner: Mahra Polo Team MVP Pro: Nacho Gonzalez (Mahra) MVP Amateur: Khalid Bin Drai (Dubai Falcons) BPP: Sibarita (ridden by Salvador Ulloa, owned by Said Bin Drai)
Mohammed Al Habtoor
PQ | 55
Marito Gomez
Royal Jet Cup // Teams Group I SXC Polo Raja Abuljebain Daniel Gariado (Ben McGregor) Guillermo Villanueva Juan Cruz Guevara
15 0 3 6 6
Habtoor Polo Mohammed Al Habtoor Alfonso Pieres Jr. Ignacio Toccalino Guillermo Cuitiño
15 0 2 7 6
Abu Dhabi Tariq Fatheldin Ramiro Dagna Alfredo Barabucci Facundo Sola
14 0 4 4 6
Rhinos Stuart Wrigley Twm Morris Lowe Manuel Fernández Llorente Agustin Lorea
14 0 3 6 5
15 0 4 6 5
Ghantoot Polo Nasser Al Dhaheri Nasser Al Shamsi Gonzalo Azumendi Hugo Barabucci
15 0 2 6 7
Zedan Polo Amr Zedan Juan Chavanne Patricio Cieza Rodolfo Ducós
15 0 5 5 5
Dubai Falcons Khalid Bin Drai Nicolás Petracchi Tomás Iriarte Salvador Ulloa
15 0 4 4 7
Group II Mahra Polo Team Rashid Al Habtoor Mario Gomez Nacho Gonzalez Marcos Araya
awarded to Mahra. Nacho Gonzalez failed to convert and the game went into an extra chukka. Nacho Gonzalez had his comeback, 1min 30 in OT, a 30yd penalty was awarded to Mahra, and that time, Nacho made sure the ball went between the posts. Mahra won 9-8 and took the Royal Jet Cup. 56 | PQ
Mahra Polo Team
Habtoor Polo Team
SXC Polo Team
Rhinos Polo Team
Dubai Falcons Polo Team
Ghantoot Polo Team
Zedan Polo Team
Abu Dhabi Polo Team
Professional Top Scorers Player Ignacio Toccalino Nacho Gonzalez Facundo Sola Salvador Ulloa Juan Chavanne Nicolรกs Petrachi
Team Habtoor Mahra Abu Dhabi Dubai Falcons Zedan Dubai Falcons
Amateur Top Scorers Goals 23 16 15 13 11 11
Player Khalid Bin Drai Nasser Al Dhaheri Nasser Al Shamsi Mohammed Al Habtoor Rashid Al Habtoor Raja Abuljebain
Team Dubai Falcons Ghantoot Ghantoot Habtoor Mahra SXC
Goals 7 4 3 2 1 1 PQ | 57
Dubai Gold Cup
Gold Cup is now in Dubai By Federico Levy. Photos by Ana Clara Cozzi. Following the Royal Jet Cup, the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club hosted its main tournament, the Threadneedle Gold Cup. The tournament showcased eight teams up to 15 goals, and after an exciting final, Abu Dhabi Polo Team took the trophy, after defeating Dubai Falcons 9-7. The contest kicked off on Tuesday, March 2, with Abu Dhabi taking the opening match 6-4 over Zedan. Despite the close result, Abu Dhabi dominated the match and the score, and with only one chukka to go, they were leading 5-1. Zedan battled back in the last, but it was too late for them. The following game debuted the Chile based team,
DCC Sumaya, who defeated Royal Jet Cup winners Mahra 10-8. The Chilean representatives, Alejandro and Matías Vial, led the action. The Gold Cup continued the next day. Dubai Falcons had a heavy 10-4 win over Nigerian team El Amin. In the following game, Hugo Barabucci scored the goal that secured Ghantoot a narrow 8-7 win over Habtoor, in a match that had Mohammed Al Habtoor’s team leading most of the time. Ghantoot made a comeback in the last, to finally win by one goal. On Thursday 4th, Mahra recovered by defeating Zedan 5-4. Mahra battled back a 1-2 deficit in the first, to a 2-all in the second, to take the lead in the two last chukkas.
Facundo Sola: “I decided to come to play to Dubai in November, when these guys came to Argentina. They invited me to play here, which was very good for me. I really didn’t imagine doing so much, going to play in England and here, so I’m very much looking forward to it. The final was very balanced and very hard fought. Dubai Falcons played very well, but I have to say we were luckier… We all played very well, with great team play. I have to say that Matias Vial played fantasticly, as did Mario Gomez, Salva Ulloa and Nacho Gonzalez.” 58 | PQ
Abu Dhabi took another step to secure the lead in Group A, and defeated Sumaya 9-5. Sumaya took an early lead in the first chukka (3-1), but Abu Dhabi quickly battled back, with a 5-3 advantage in the second. From then on, Abu Dhabi expanded their lead, took the two other chukkas and got a 9-5 win. Group A was to be determined on Sunday 6th, with Abu Dhabi, Sumaya and Mahra as serious contenders to get a ticket to the semifinals. Action resumed with Dubai Falcons taking a crucial 10-9 win over Ghantoot, in a very hard fought game, despite Ghantoot leading 8-5 in the third chukka. A great comeback by Dubai Falcons, with goals by Salvador Ulloa, closed the gap to one goal. But with only 40 seconds to go, Ulloa was accidentally hit by a mallet, and was replaced by Abu Dhabi’s Facundo Sola, charged with converting a 30yd penalty, to take the match into over time. The young Sola ended up being the man of the day, as he scored a great field goal in OT to give Dubai Falcons the final 10-9win.
Previously, Habtoor took a heavy 11-1 victory over El Amin. There was much expectation on Sunday March 7th, as Group A would be decided. Sumaya was the first to take a place in the semifinals, as they beat Zedan 6-3. In the next match, Abu Dhabi remained undefeated and edged Mahra 5-4. Salvador Ulloa and Rashid Bin Drai led Dubai Falcons to a 10-8 win over Habtoor, and claimed their spot in the semis. There was a dramatic moment in the match, as Dubai Falcons’ Nicolás Petrachi suffered a fall in the third chukka. Fortunately, there were no consequences for the player, but he had to be replaced by Ramiro Dagna. Meanwhile, Ghantoot became the fourth semifinalist, after a 9-5 win over El Amin.
Semifinals, Wednesday March 9th Abu Dhabi continued their spectacular performance and defeated Ghantoot 7-4, to take a spot in the final.
Salvador Ulloa: “The tournament has been really fantastic. I’ve never been to Dubai before and I like the country a lot. The Gold Cup was amazing, very well organized, and I heard it’s improving. They plan to play 15 goal next year. It’s been a real pleasure playing here. We had a good season with Dubai Falcons. We reached three finals and even though we would have liked to win, it was very important to us. Besides, the Bin Drai boys are absolutely great, such nice boys and well educated, and very good people. Both Rashid and Khalid play extremely well and improve all the time. To have played with them was a pleasure to me.” PQ | 59
In the next match, Salvador Ulloa and Tomás Iriarte led Dubai Falcons to a 9-3 win over Sumaya, that secured them the second place in the final. Nicolás Petrachi, still recovering from the fall, was replaced by Ramiro Dagna. Therefore, the final would be the meeting of the undefeated, as well as the meeting of one of the seven Emirates of the UAE and its capital; Dubai Falcons and Abu Dhabi respectively. The final was much anticipated, as Dubai Falcons would try to complete a great season in Dubai that saw them in three finals: The Cartier Challenge Cup, the Royal Jet Cup and the Gold Cup. Equally, both teams showcased similar lineups, a mix of the young and talented (Salvador Ulloa in Dubai Falcons, Facundo Sola in Abu Dhabi), and two solid players who carry the hard work (Ramiro Dagna and Oscar Colombres, in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Falcons’ Nicolás Petrachi and Tomás Iriarte). Nasser Al Shamsi
On the other side, there was a friendly atmosphere between both teams, as Abu Dhabi had helped Dubai Falcons when it came to replacements: Facundo Sola replaced Salvador Ulloa against Ghantoot, and was the key man, as he secured the team’s win in OT. Ramiro Dagna filled in for Nicolás Petrachi both against Habtoor and in the semifinals and did a great job.
Final, Friday March 11th The two undefeated teams of the competition: With Mario Gómez filling in for Nico Petrachi, Dubai Falcons had to battle a 3-1 deficit, with great goals by Facundo Sola, one from the field and two penalties (60 and 30 yds). Salvador Ulloa scored Dubai Falcons’ single goal. Dubai Falcons balanced the game in the second chukka, as the scoreboard read 4-all. A penalty from the spot and a field goal by Salvador Ulloa, plus a field goal
Dubai Gold Cup // info Place: Dubai, UAE Club: Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club Date: March 2-11, 2011 Level: 15 goal Tournament type: Open Tournament Director: Mohammed Al Habtoor
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Winner: Abu Dhabi Polo Team MVP: Facundo Sola (Abu Dhabi) BPP: Hormiga (played by Facundo Sola) Top Scorers Pro: Facundo Sola (22 goals), Hugo Barabucci (21 goals), Salvador Ulloa (21 goals) Top Scorer Amateur: Nasser Al Dhaheri (7 goals)
Guillermo Cuitiño: “I played the Gold Cup here in Dubai last year, and I think this year the level improved a lot, from 11 to 15 goals. It was very good, very competitive, plus they added two more teams. Among the players, the best without doubt was Facundo Sola, and among the amateurs I liked Nasser Al Dhaheri and the Bin Drai boys. About the organization, I think Mohammed Al Habtoor is very enthusiastic about all this. His goal is take this competition to 18-20 goals. The organization this year was great, with more people, more teams, and more horses, there is much enthusiasm. The Habtoor family is sponsoring the Royal Windsor Cup in the UK, and Mohammed wants to play high goal there. This year we will play the 15-goal tournaments, and in a couple of years he wants to play the 22-goal.” PQ | 61
Hugo Barabucci: “It’s been a great Gold Cup, very well organized, with eight very competitive teams. It will get better and better in years to come. Regarding the players, I like Salvador Ulloa, Facundo Sola… there are many promising young boys, who will be playing high polo in Argentina soon. It’s a couple of years since I’ve been coming to Dubai, and polo here is improving all the time. I spend four or five months here each year, and I feel at home with Ghantoot, I have a great time.
About the future, I have many plans, but nothing’s been decided yet. Anyway, I want to play plenty of polo in Argentina with my nephew Alfredito, and give him a hand.”
Dubai Gold Cup // Teams Group A Mahra Polo Team Rashid Al Habtoor Mario Gomez Marcos Araya Nacho Gonzalez
15 0 4 5 6
Zedan Polo Amr Zedan Juan Chavanne Patricio Cieza Rodolfo Ducós
15 0 5 5 5
Abu Dhabi Faris Al Yabhouni Ramiro Dagna Facundo Sola Oscar Colombres
15 0 4 6 5
DCC Sumaya Faisal Yabroudi Ben McGregor Alejandro Vial Matías Vial
14 0 2 6 6
15 0 2 6 7
Ghantoot Polo Nasser Al Dhaheri Nasser Al Shamsi Gonzalo Azumendi Hugo Barabucci
15 0 2 6 7
El Amin Aminu Alhaji Bello Bubba Ibrahim Mohammed Mohammed Babangida
14 1 5 4 4
Dubai Falcons Rashid Bin Drai Nicolás Petracchi Salvador Ulloa Tomás Iriarte
15 0 4 7 4
Group B Habtoor Polo Mohammed Al Habtoor Alfonso Pieres Jr. Guillermo Cuitiño Ignacio Toccalino
by Mario Gomez complicated things for Abu Dhabi, who scored only one goal courtesy of Facundo Sola. The match then became level and exciting, with both teams exchanging goals all the time. Salva Ulloa gave Dubai Falcons a 5-4 lead, quickly followed by a spot penalty converted by Facundo Sola: 5-all. Mario Gomez then put Dubai Falcons back into the lead, 6-5, but it was young Facundo again who put the score 6-all by the 62 | PQ
end of the penultimate chukka. Facundo Sola owned the last chukka. Abu Dhabi put the icing on the cake, with three goals by the incredibly talented Argentine, who scored no less than three goals to secure Abu Dhabi a definitive 9-6 lead. Tomás Iriarte scored for Dubai Falcons, but there was not enough time, and Abu Dhabi completed a fantastic job, to claim one of Dubai’s most prestigious polo events.
Santiago Torreguitar (Tournament Director): “The tournament was really great; we had two more teams, which means that it is improving. The matches were really hard fought, and very even. I think Facundo Sola is a fantastic player, as well as Salva Ulloa and Mario Gómez. As for the amateurs, I believe the Bin Drai boys are very good players, they play really well. Nasser Al Dhaheri played well, and helped his team a lot. For next year, we plan to stay at 15 goals. Maybe in five years to come we will have better horses, better fields and can extend the matches to five chukkas. We are trying to find two or more fields, for players to show what polo really is. They are also working on doing a Bronze Cup, with the idea of doing a Triple Crown, and improving the level.“ Ex Playboy bunny, DJ Diamond
Chef Director of Dubai Polo Club Francisco Fernández Llanos
The parachute man bringing the Gold Cup Australian Cheerleaders
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1. Angie Toccalino, Teresa and Paz F. Llorente. | 2. Sheikh Mohammed Al Nahyan Bin Nahyan talks to Mohammed Al Habtoor. | 3. Mohammed Babangida. | 4. All the players at the sushi dinner at Bonsai Restaurant. | 5. Raja Abuljebain, Annelie Ines, Tarik Fatheldin, Mohammed Al Habtoor, Josh Morris Lowe, Adam Snowdon, Pat Riordan and Santiago Torreguitar. | 6. Faris Al Yabhouni and Adam Snowdon. | 7. Rennee Childs and Natasha Lee. | 8. Jota Chavanne and man of the tournament, Facu Sola. | 9. Brothers Rashid and Mohammed Al Habtoor with Guillermo Cuiti単o and Sebastian Amaya. | 10. Niels Van Baasbank, Nacho Gonzalez, Marcos Araya, Peti Lucy, Juan Cruz Guevara, Alfonso Pieres jr, Tom, Raja Abuljebain and Guillermo Cuiti単o.
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11. Rashid Al Habtoor with his daughter Mahra. | 12. In Dubai, there’s time for an Argentine mate... 13. as well as for the Arab shisha. | 14. Dubai Falcons Polo Team and friends. | 15. Nico Petrachi and Pete McCormack. | 16. Ghantoot team, after the match, with family and friends. | 17. Aminu Alhaji, Aminu Kabir, Mohammed Babangida, Mohammed Al Habtoor, Majidadin Katsina, Mr Francis Ogboro (Nigerian Polo Federation President), Ibrahim “Rambo” Mohammed and His Royal Highness Emir of Katsina. | 18. Mahra Polo Team celebrating the Silver Cup. | 19. Charles Seavill, Tim Keyte, Josh Morris Lowe, la Peti, Oli Ellis and Twm Morris Lowe. | 20. First group to
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Dubai Argentine Night
“Argentine Day” celebrated in Dubai
Photos by Ana Clara Cozzi. Within the framework of the traditional Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge, INPROTUR hosted an exclusive event to welcome special guests and celebrate the growth of tourism in Argentina. After the Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge semi-finals, the Argentine Night took place. Over150 exclusive guests from different parts of the world were received by the Infinity Pool at Desert Palm together with two traditionally attired camels in blankets bearing the Argentine logo and an impressive five-metre lit-up balloon.
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The reception included a cocktail where they served empanadas, followed by an asado (an assortment of grilled meats, sausages and sweetbreads) accompanied by the best Argentine wines, in addition to a tango show as the evening’s grand finale. Throughout the event, information was spread to promote the wonderfully beautiful places the Argentine Republic has to offer, as
well as the whole polo-related industry in the country, covering everything from clothing to real estate ventures. INPROTUR’S Executive Secretary Leonardo Boto emphasized that “this is one of almost 700 activities that INPROTUR carries out abroad throughout the year promoting our country, showing our products and attracting investments. These events have the objective of being able to show the top-of-the-line products and services that Argentina has to offer”. In addition, Licentiate Mariano Mussa, who presented prizes to the winning teams, was also present at the event. Through INPROTUR, who continue to take advantage of polo as one of the great Argentine icons, the country promoted itself at one of the most exclusive world polo tournaments, showcasing its destinations, products and services.
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1. Daphne Ducós, Rodolfo Ducós and Martín Valent. 2. Wonderful self service. 3. Vieri Antinori, María José Padilla de Antinori, Salvador Ulloa and Gerald Stornini de Ulloa. 4. Emma Tagar, Natalie McLean and Katerine Williams. 5. Mariano Mussa with Florencia Cavalieri and Colonel Paul Belcher from Guards Polo Club, James Turner and PoloLine´s Director Sebastian Amaya. 6. Tango dancers Elizabeth Cano and César Jaramillo. 7. Peter Webb, Tiara Webb, Nigel McLaen and Clive Reid. 8. Martin Valent, Hissam Al Hyder, Lucy Monro and Alan Greenfield.
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9. Sebastian Amaya, Ali Albwardy and Mariano Mussa. 10. Thomas R. Meier and Andrea Schneider, from Julius Bär. 11. Cartier’s Managing Director Louis Ferla and friend. 12. James Turner, from Guards Polo Club. 13. Becky Urquart and Danielle Nay. 14. Argentine Asado. 15. Argentine light globe. 16. Lupe Roldan and Becky Urquart.
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General Bartolomé Mitre Cup
La Quinta celebrated at Palermo By Federico Levy. Photos by Matias Callejo. Over 19 teams between 13 and 20 goals took part in this traditional tournament. The Lieutenant General Bartolomé Mitre Cup was created in 1944 by La Nación (newspaper), as a permanent tribute to its distinguished founder. La Quinta Polo Team beat Sol de Agosto for a well deserved celebration at the Polo Cathedral. Oliver Cudmore, Robert Archibald, Mark Tomlinson and Germán Etchegaray (jr) raised the cup on the podium at Palermo, beating Sol de Agosto 11-8 in the Bartolomé Mitre Cup final. They defeated a team that exceeded their handicap by one goal in a very intense match.
Mark Tomlinson was the star player of the match as he converted eight goals, three of them penalties, and was the player who drove La Quinta’s attacks and enabled their play to overpower Sol de Agosto. In the first chukkas, La Quinta showed their superiority andtook the lead on the scoreboard. However, Paco de Narváez’s team pulled themselves together over the following chukkas and managed to tie, moving into the
General Bartolomé Mitre Cup // Teams & Description Pilar Chico Craig McKinney Francisco Elizalde Valerio Zubiarre Jr Salvador Ulloa Place: Argentina Club: AAP (Pilar and Palermo) Date: March 29, 2011
18 1 5 5 7
Jockey Club La Condal Guillermo Videla Juan Manuel Echeverz Alejandro Díaz Alberdi Horacio Fernández Llorente Jr
20 2 6 8 4
Level: 20 goal Tournament type: Open and Handicap Tournament Director: AAP
La Quinta Beaufort Polo Team with their trophies
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La Quinta Oliver Cudmore Rob Archibald Mark Tomlinson Germán Etchegaray
19 3 6 7 3
Sol de Agosto Pablo LLorente Jr Angelo Bastos Matías Carrique Francisco de Narvaez Jr
Winner: La Quinta Polo Team
20 4 5 3 8
last chukka with an 8-8 draw. From that moment, La Quinta showed their full offensive potential and with 3 goals in the last, they won the Bartolomé Mitre Cup.
Handicap Final Pilar Chico were able to maintain the advantage received due to the difference in handicap. Though they
were put in a tight corner during most of the game, with Francisco Elizalde and Valerio Zubiaurre’s solid base they managed to thwart Jockey Club’s attacks and won the match 11-10. It was a vibrant final which was polished off by Francisco Elizalde with a goal scored in the last chukka.
Mark Tomlinson playing at Palermo Field #1 PQ | 71
Info - Open
Handicap
Sol de Agosto: Pablo Llorente (jr) 4 (2 goals), Angelo Bastos 5 (1 goal), Matías Carrique 3 (1 goal) and Francisco de Narváez (jr) 8 (4 goals; 2 on penalty). Total: 20.
Jockey Club La Condal: Guillermo Videla 2, Juan Manuel Echeverz 6 (6 goals; 4 on penalty), Alejandro Díaz Alberdi 8 (4 goals; 1 on penalty) and Horacio Fernández Llorente (jr) 4. Total: 20.
La Quinta: 2-1, 4-2, 5-4, 7-5, 8-8 and 11-8. Umpire: Matías Baibiene.
Pilarchico: (2-0) 4-1, 5-3, 5-6, 8-6, 9-9 and 11-10. Umpire: Nicolás Scortichini.
La Quinta: Oliver Cudmore 3, Robert Archibald 6 (2 goals; 1 on penalty), Mark Tomlinson 7 (8 goals; 3 on penalty) and Germán Etchegaray (jr) 3 (1 goal). Total: 19.
Francisco de Narvaez jr and Rob Archibald
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Pilarchico: Craig Mc Kinney 1, Francisco Elizalde 5 (7 goals; 3 on penalty), Valerio Zubiaurre (jr) 5 (2 goals) and Salvador Ulloa 7. Total: 18.
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PQ | 73
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Argentine Republic Cup
La Estrella Enigma were deserving champions By Federico Levy. Photos by Matias Callejo. Viewed as a practice session in order to reach the UK season on form, La Estrella Enigma was the most outstanding team in this unique tournament that brings Argentine clubs together. The Republica is one of few official tournaments in which any club can enter regardless of handicap: 0 to 40 goal line-ups can participate. Great players have taken part in this tournament throughout the years since its inception in 1929 thanks to an idea proposed by the then chairman of the Asociación Argentina de Polo (Argentine Polo Association), Francisco Ceballos, who wanted to divide the country up into circuits and sub-circuits, giving every single player throughout the country a chance to participate. In 1938 that the tournament was named Copa República Argentina and as the years went by it increasingly grew in importance. Clubs located far from Buenos Aires have the chance to play at Palermo should they make it through to the final. After all the qualifying stages of the initial circuit had concluded, 12 teams made the cut. Teams from 13 to
24 goals played the final games on the association’s grounds in Pilar and Palermo. From the beginning there were great matches and crushing results such as La Dolfina–El Remanso’s triumph, when they beat Tapia Polo Team 30-12. In the qualifying stage, La Estrella Enigma’s 24-8 victory against Trenque Lauquen, a quartet that exceeded their handicap by 10 goals.
Semi Finals, Palermo Semi 1 San Sebastián (25), featured young players who already have an international professional background; Rodrigo Rueda, Joaquín Pittaluga, Diego Cavanagh and Pascual Sainz de Vicuña met La Estrella Enigma (15): Matías Mac Donough and Juan Jauretche together with Valerio and Juan Zubiaurre. At the final bell, La Estrella Enigma won 22-17 and made it through to the final.
La Estrella Enigma lifting one of the most prestigious trophies in Argentina
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Charlie Hanbury
Semi 2 Venado Tuerto (21), a team featuring the same lineup that took part in the Cámara de Diputados with experienced players who know how to play this type of tournament, met the team that is always a firm candidate, La Dolfina–El Remanso (24). Venado Tuerto could not control David Stirling and the Hanbury brothers’ attacks and lost 12-14.
The Final on Field no. 1 at Palermo La Estrella Enigma, winner of the Circuito Porteño (Buenos Aires) met La Dolfina–El Remanso, winner of the Circuito Cañuelas. La Dolfina–El Remanso took control due to David Stirling’s organisation of the team. The Hanbury brothers, George and Charlie, accompanied every single attack and after the first seven chukkas, the scoreboard read 10-4 in favour. The fourth chukka was La Dolfina–El Remanso’s best, as they scored six goals and lost none, but in spite of
this superiority halfway through the game, La Estrella Enigma were able to maintain the handicap difference and with a firm defence, won 18-14. Irenita Farsita, a mare played by Matías MacDonough, owned and bred by La Irenita S. A., won the Jaime Amorín trophy for best playing pony, and also the AACCP prize. La Estrella Enigma: Juan Zubiaurre 2 (scored 3 goals), Juan Jauretche 0, Valerio Zubiaurre (jr) 5 (scored 2 goals) and Matías Mac Donough 8 (4 goals, 3 from penalties) (he was given a yellow card in the fifth chukka). Total: 15. La Dolfina: George Hanbury 3 (1), Charlie Hanbury 4 (3), David Stirling (jr) 9 (6, 1 penalty) and Jaime García Huidobro 8 (4, 2 penalties). Total: 24. La Estrella Enigma: (9-0) 10-4, 13-4, 15-5, 15-11, 16-12 and 18-14. PQ | 75
Matías Benoit and Lucas Talamoni
Copa República Argentina // Teams Group I San Sebastián Pascual Sainz de Vicuña Diego Cavanagh Joaquin Pittaluga Rodrigo Rueda Jr.
25 5 7 7 6
El Rincón Matias Torres Zavaleta Matias Benoit Juan Ignacio Taberna Juan Monteverde
22 6 5 6 5
Estancia Grande Juan Manuel Alonso Miguel Amieva Gastón Otamendi Nicolás Corti Maderna
18 4 4 5 5
Hípico Gualeguaychu Mateo Veronesi Manuel Veronesi Lucas Talamoni Gastón Gassiebayle
13 1 1 5 6
24 3 6 7 8
Coronel Suarez Lorenzo Larumbe Enrique Zorrilla Jr. Eduardo Zorrilla Ignacio de Lusarreta
21 4 5 6 6
Venado Tuerto Manuel Plaza de Ayala Juan Ruiz Guiñazu Jr. Guillermo Cavanagh Jr. Juan Ruiz Guiñazu
22 5 6 5 6
Santa Catalina Pablo Roca Ezequiel Roca Segundo Roca Juan Cruz Benoit
13 3 3 4 3
24 2 8 7 7
La Dolfina George Hanbury Charlie Hanbury David Stirling Jr. Jaime García Huidoboro
24 3 4 9 8
Tapia Polo Alberto Buffo Juan Martín Corroto Felipe Corroto Gastón Lucero
13 2 3 3 5
La Estrella Enigma Juan Zubiaurre Valerio Zubiaurre Matias MacDonough Juan Jauretche
15 2 5 8 0
Group II El Guanaco Germán Etchegaray Jr. Facundo Sola Mark Tomlinson Luke Tomlinson
Group III Trenque Lauquen Juan Pablo Jauretche Lucas James Agustin Nero Nicolás Espain 76 | PQ
Luke Tomlinson
Copa RepĂşblica Argentina // Tournament info Place: Buenos Aires, Argentina Club: AAP (Palermo and Pilar) Date: March 15-26, 2011
Level: 0-40 goal Tournament type: Open Tournament Director: AAP
WPT Category Ranking: Challenge Cup Winner Points: 50
Finalist Points: 25 Semifinalist Points: 10 Rest of Player Points: 5
Winner: La Estrella Enigma
MVP: Juan Zubiaurre
BPP: Irenita Farrista (owned by La Irenita SA, ridden by Matias MacDonough) PQ | 77
El Desafio Polo Cup
Polo in San MartĂn de los Andes By Federico Levy. Photos by Ana Clara Cozzi and Matias Callejo.
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El Desafío Mountain Resort organised the first El Desafío Polo Cup in San Martín de los Andes to celebrate the inauguration of the all new Polo & Equestrian Club. High-goal players such as Ignacio Figueras, Francisco Bensadón, Javier Tanoira and Alejandro Agote were present, plus twelve other traditional players from Patagonian ranches. A unique place whichever way you look at it. Green, impressive mountains and pleasant temperatures is what prompted over 1,000 people to attend El Desafío Polo Club during the two-day competition to enjoy the first edition of this international tournament. El Desafío Blue, led by Alejandro Agote, dominated El Desafío White 5-3 and won the El Desafío Polo Cup, which officially inaugurated the El Desafío Mountain Resort Polo & Equestrian Club in San Martín de los Andes. The team formed by Francisco Matarazzo (1) and Arturo Matarazzo (2) who each scored a goal in the final, along with Bertil Grahn (3) and Alejandro Agote (8) who scored 3 out of a total of 5 goals, won the inaugural cup against El Desafío White, comprised of Sergio Pezzelato (1), Silvestre C. Grahn (2), Ignacio Figueras (6) and Mariano Zimmermann (4) Alejandro Agote, who is currently coaching Ellerstina and played for the winning team, El Desafío Blue said: “The tournament was a lot of fun. Plus, the environment, the landscape and the whole place itself
Francisco Bensadon 80 | PQ
helps a lot. Despite the fact that we are all friends, there is always some competition as we all want to play, but it was great fun. This place is a dream come true for anyone who loves fishing, golf and outdoor and adventure activities. I’d already come for the snow polo tournament in Chapelco and the local people always show great enthusiasm and are very welcoming”. In the meantime, El Desafío Brown won the 113th Anniversary of San Martín de los Andes Cup, after beating El Desafío Red 8-7, with a goal scored by Javier Tanoira, after a 30-yard penalty shot in the extra chukka. The tournament was played on the first of the two polo fields designed by Alejandro Battro at El Desafío, destined to be the best polo fields in the region with the largest concentration of polo players, fields and horse breeders in southern Argentina. “This is a dream come true. We had over 1000 people come to watch the games in perfect weather”, said Claudio Hirsch, one of the Directors at El Desafío.
Within the polo area at El Desafío, 80 out of its 157 plots have been sold. It has consolidated gravel roads and underground infrastructure to supply water, electricity and other services, the first few houses have already been built as well as spacious equestrian facilities used for training, and hacking trails. In addition, the Polo & Equestrian Club will have a clubhouse, stables and a show-jumping, riding and polo school. El Desafío Mountain Resort is an unprecedented premium real estate development in the region, created on 1040 hectares which lie on a mountain in the centre of the Lake Corridor and alongside the Parque Nacional Lanín (National Route 234, km 56, San Martín de los Andes, Neuquén). In tune with its surroundings, El Desafío was conceived with a philosophy of utmost respect for the environment, amazing views, spacious plots, a Polo & Equestrian Club that combines top level infrastructure with the ranch polo tradition, and the first golf course designed by Greg Norman, the “Great White Shark”, in South America. As part of its philosophy of environmental protection, El Desafío has designated 600 out of its 1040 hectares to create its own natural reserve, characterised by the streams, native forests, flora and fauna of Patagonia, a
diversity of colours and textures. It is an intact natural environment, with self-sustaining shelters, trekking trails, mountain biking, riding, cross-country skiing, and other outdoor activities such as yoga, meditation or picnics.
[
The tournament was played on the first of the two polo fields designed by Alejandro Battro at El Desafío, destined to be the best polo fields in the region with the largest concentration of polo players, fields and horse breeders in southern Argentina.
Silvestre Grahn PQ | 81
El Desafio Polo Cup // Teams & Description El Desafio Blue Francisco Matarazzo Arturo Matarazzo Alejandro Agote Bertil Grahn
14 1 2 8 3
El Desafio Red Cruz Zimmermann Martín Zimmermann Francisco Bensadon Andrés Sorzana
Place: San Martín de los Andes, Argentina Club: El Desafio Polo Club Date: February 4-5, 2011 Level: 15 goal Tournament type: Open
El Desafio Blue took the first cup podium
Arturo Matarazzo and Silvestre Grahn 82 | PQ
15 0 3 8 4
El Desafio Brown Justo Jones José Souto Javier Tanoira Mariano Cabanillas
15 2 4 7 2
Winner: El Desafio Blue Polo Team Top Scorer: Pancho Bensadon Fair Play Award: Martín Zimmermann BPP: Chilca (Silvestre Grahn)
El Desafio White Sergio Pezzelato Silvestre Grahn Nacho Figueras Mariano Zimmermann
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El Desafio Brown (José Souto, Javier Tanoira, Justo Jones and Mariano Cabanillas)
El Desafio Blue (Francisco Matarazzo, Arturo Matarazzo, Alejandro Agote, Bertil Grahn)
El Desafio White (Mariano Zimmerman,Nacho Figueras, Silvestre Grahn and Sergio Pezzelato)
El Desafio Red (Francisco Bensadon, Andrés Sorzana, Martín and Cruz Zimmerman)
Justo Jones and Andrés Sorzana PQ | 83
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1. Nacho Figueras, wife Delfina Blaquier and son Artemio | 2. El Desafio Polo Manager Andrés Sorzana and wife Clara Rubio | 3. Ale Agote with wife Anita and kids | 4. Maria Bensadon with husband Pablo Carranza and daughter Juana | 5. Polo Families | 6. An Argentine type decorated polo bell. | 7. Ball-boy | 8. Roberto Huste, Karina Massanti and Marcos Clutterbuck | 9. Ivonne Corbett and Dylan Willans | 10. Former MTV host Alejandro Lacroix with wife and daughter | 11. Justo Jones, Martín Zimmermann and Carl Facht | 12. Viviana Freire and Karina Massanti 13. People at El Desafío Polo Club | 14. Hugo Papini, Gloria De Ganay, Matias Rojas and Carolina de Ganay | 15. Francisco Bensadon and son | 16. Claudio Hirsch, Emmanuel Paglayan and Roberto Huste, from El Desafio.
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Nations Cup
Argentina vs England By Aurora Eastwood. Photos by MatĂas Callejo. Argentina played England in a unique and well attended Nations Cup on field number one at Palermo on the 21st April. Both teams featured a pair of brothers; Mark and Luke Tomlinson for England, and Facundo and Gonzalito Pieres for Argentina. Mark and Luke were accompanied by England stalwarts Malcolm Borwick and James Beim, who had come to Argentina especially or stayed longer respectively, just for the tournament. The England team was generously supported by Harald Link, of the Thai Polo and Equestrian Club, enabling the boys to prepare properly. Argentina's team featured two young, talented
(and underhandicapped) players in the form of Tomas Garbarini and Valerio Zubiaurre, both of whom played at least one or two goals above their ratings.. Argentina led the game throughout, and were 4-0 up in the 2nd chukka. However as Mark Tomlinson said, the score did not reflect the game. England played extremely well with coordinated attacks and clever defence. Mark in particular played notably well. Both teams were well mounted which added to a fast, flowing game to the delight of the spectators and later, TV viewers. Argentina won 13-8; with Facundo Pieres scoring 8 of his team's goals.
TomĂĄs Garbarini, Valerio Zubiarre Jr and brothers Gonzalo and Facundo Pieres winners of Nations Cup 2011
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El Desafio Polo Cup // Teams & Info Argentina Tomรกs Garbarini Valerio Zubiarre Jr Gonzalo Pieres Jr Facundo Pieres
27 2 5 10 10
England James Beim Mark Tomlinson Malcolm Borwick Luke Tomlinson
28 7 7 6 8
Place: Buenos Aires, Argentina Club: AAP, Palermo Date: April 21, 2011 Level: 28 hcp Tournament type: Open Winner: Argentina Polo Team
Luke Tomlinson James Beim and Facundo Pieres
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HPA News
Home Grown Player Rule Following the introduction of EU laws in 2001, the number of British players in the high goal has reduced significantly. Fewer players are progressing in the sport, hampered through lack of opportunity to play top level polo. To redress this balance the HPA will implement a Home Grown Player rule (HGP) for the 2012 season. The aim for this is not to secure jobs for HGP's, but to produce better players. The legality of this rule has been checked and is allowable under EU law. Indeed, a variation of this rule already exists in football the UEFA league and the Premiership. It is likely that the current OSP rule will be removed altogether and the HGP rule will be the only restriction in high goal polo team composition.
The HGP Rule will read as follows: "For 22 goal tournaments, any sponsored player five goals or less must be a Home Grown Player (see Status Guidelines for Home Grown Players). For 18 and 20 goal tournaments, any sponsored player four goals or less must be a Home Grown Player (see Status Guidelines for Home Grown Players)."
Status Guidelines for Home Grown Players: "A Home Grown Player is a player who, irrespective of his nationality or current age, was an Associate or Junior Associate Member of the HPA for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons between the age of 12 (or the start of the season in which the player turned 12) and the age of 19 (or the end of the season in which the player turned 19). A "season" means a period between 1 April and 31 September." It is intended that Stewards will confirm the HGP rule at their next meeting on Tuesday 19 April. 88 | PQ
Looking back in time at Cowdray Park Cowdray Park Polo Club – The Centenary is a celebration of one hundred years of polo at Cowdray Park – universally recognised as the Home of British Polo. Put together by writer and polo player Clare Milford Haven, polo photographer Vanessa Taylor and former PQ editor, Roger Chatterton-Newman, the book looks at the story of the club from 1910 to the present day. Lavishly illustrated, with photographs old and new, the story is told through the reminiscences of players, employees and friends of the club, past and present. Founded in 1910 as a small country club, where the Pearson family and their friends could enjoy summer games after the London season was over, Cowdray progressed to become the home of the Gold Cup which, after the Argentine Open, is the most coveted tournament in international polo. It is a remarkable tale of a Club steeped in history, sport, friendship and a love of horses, and, happily in these times of recession, indicates a further century of polo at Cowdray Park. The book will be published early July and available from Cowdray Park Polo Club. Please visit the website www.cowdraypolo.co.uk to order online.
C
Jo
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UK Arena Handicap Changes
HPA Arena Handicaps 2010/2011 End of season handicap changes agreed at the meeting on Friday 11th March 2011. Effective 1st May 2011
Surname Dhillon Good
First Name Satnam Jonny
Arena Club Druids Lodge RCBPC
Previous Hdc 8 8
New Hdc (8) (8)
UG
Dawnay Morrison
Sebastian Jamie
RCBPC / Ash Farm RCBPC
7 7
8 8
B B
Casabal Mancini Pemble Williams
Adolfo Oscar Ryan Roddy
RCBPC RCBPC Fifield RCBPC
6 6 6 6
7 (6) 7 7
B C B
Charlton Elliot Henderson Matthews Ormerod
Max Philip Michael Roddy Giles
RCBPC RCBPC Rugby Ascot Park Druids Lodge
5 5 5 5 5
6 (5) (6) 4 (5)
Rollinson
James
Offchurch Bury
(4)
4
Baselli Lee-Uff McDonald Olof Palacios-Bacque
Sergio Rupert Simon Edward Thomas
RCBPC Ash Farm RCBPC Vaux Park Park Lane
4 4 4 4 4
5 (4) (4) 5 (4)
Burguss Gadea Verdon
Andrew Juan Carlos Guy
Vaux Park Ascot Park Lynt Polo
(3) (3) (3)
2 2 3
Beitner Hotston Hunter Pidgley Vaux
Nick Duncan Nick Tony Tim
Ascot Park AEPC - Hickstead Vaux Park RCBPC Vaux Park
3 3 3 3 3
2 4 (2) 2 4
Browne Lopez-Valido McCarthy Ross
Oliver Max Spencer Rosie
RCBPC Druids Lodge Druids Lodge Ascot Park
(2) (2) (2) (2)
2 3 3 3
Aplin Bruckner Jacob Stephenson
Adrian Christopher Alexandra James
Vaux Park RCBPC RCBPC Druids Lodge
2 2 2 2
3 1 3 3
Rojas
José
RCBPC
(1)
2
Banner-Eve Broughton Del Papa Domon Hannam
Alec Lorna José Chris Toby
Ranksboro Vaux Park Vaux Park Vaux Park Druids Lodge
1 1 1 1 1
(1) 2 2 2 (1)
90 | PQ
A
B B A
B A
A/B B
C
C
Surname Harmsworth Heelis Hodges Jack McCarthy McRae Nastasi-Grace O`Flahertty Papoyans Parry-Jones Rodger Smyth-Osbourne
First Name Vere Piers Erica Diana Clinton Justin Maximilian Guillermo Andreas Tom Paul William
Arena Club Druids Lodge Druids Lodge Druids Lodge Druids Lodge Druids Lodge Vaux Park Ascot Park Ascot Park Ash Farm Vaux Park RCBPC / Ash Farm Vaux Park
Previous Hdc 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
New Hdc (1) (1) (1) 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Brady Edmonson Escobedo Goddard-Watts Griffin Jenkins Keen Knights Offord Ormerod Purvis Purvis Sleeman Stanhope-White
Angela Amelia Ana Helen Guy Kathleen Lucy Paul Sam Robin Jason James Lucy Lolly
Ascot Park Lynt Polo / Longdole AEPC - Hickstead Vaux Park Vaux Park FHM Polo / AEPC - Hickstead Vaux Park RCBPC Vaux Park Druids Lodge RCBPC AEPC - Hickstead Druids Lodge Vaux Park
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
(0) (0) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 (0) 1 (0) 1
Bliss Burgess Dee Eade Grant Hemmings Hickmet Hicks Hitchman Hitchman Lawrence Letts Letts Letts McKechnie Moger Moore Pengelly Pettinger Severn Swerling Thorpe Visick Watson Webb Weston Woodhead Woodhead
Lucy Nicky Robbie Alex Alex Poppy Harry Joe Charlie Ella Mark George Henry Melinda Gail Matt Leigh-Anne Jim Lucy Thomas Tom Danielle James Todd Rachel Harry Annabel Olivia
Maywood Vaux Park Longdole Tidworth Arena AEPC - Hickstead Vaux Park AEPC - Hickstead Vaux Park Longdole Longdole Vaux Park Longdole Longdole Longdole Vaux Park Vaux Park AEPC - Hickstead Maywood Vaux Park Longdole RCBPC AEPC - Hickstead Maywood Vale of York AEPC - Hickstead Lynt Polo / Longdole Vaux Park Vaux Park
S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
UG
C
R
C
# #
# # #
# # # # # # # # # # # #
Total: 95 # = These players have yet to pass their Rules Test so will be restricted to playing polo within their own club until they have passed a rules test.
PQ | 91
UK Arena Polo
SUPA National University Championships The Hand EC, Bristol This year saw a record breaking 123 teams and over 50 Universities take part – an increase of 15 teams on the previous year. Of these 123 teams, 96 were beginners, which shows the huge numbers coming into the sport. Results: NFU Mutual Cup for the Agricultural Challenge saw Harper Adams beat the Royal Agricultural College. Beginner Sections: for players who started polo in Sept/Oct 2010, were won by Oxford Brookes, Birmingham C and ULU C.
Novices: (players unhandicapped or no more than -2) Warwick won the highest division. Royal Vets College took the Div 1A title Royal Agricultural College lifted Division 2. Lower Intermediate: Exeter University beat Imperial College Upper Intermediate: Loughborough University beat Oxford Brookes. Combined and Open: Regents beat St Andrews. Alumni Section: Bishop’s Stortford College beat Rugby Polo Club.
National Club Championships
Arena Gold Cup
Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club 15 goal section: Cold Smoke beat Tchogan, with Jamie Morrison scoring 13 of his team’s 18 goals. Roddy Williams won MVP. 10 goal section: Ocho Rios beat Softrack 15-12 6 goal section: Montroc beat Chemas 12-11
Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club Only four teams entered this 12-15 goal tournament this year. Finalists Tchogan and Ochos Rios-Altyo played a frenetic final, with Tchogan winning by 20 goals to 19. MVP went to Ryan Pemble and best playing pony was Chris Hyde’s Zena.
England vs Argentina at O2 Arena England beat Argentina by a single goal 17-16 at the O2 Arena on February 24th. This was the first time polo has been played in London’s iconic venue, and the English team of Chris Hyde, Tim Bown and Max Charlton proved too much for Nacho Gonzales, Oscar Mancini and Ham’s Adolfo Casabal.
92 | PQ
Hickstead All England Polo Club The Arundel Equine Hospital Polo Cup 6-8 goal Congratulations to Norton Rose, winners of the Arundel Equine Hospital 6-8 Goal Polo Cup! Hickstead welcomed visiting team ‘Watersfield’ from Druids Lodge Polo Club who made the journey from their Wiltshire base to challenge the AEPC players. MJB Polo came out on top earlier in the day in the 2-4 Goal Cup with a win over Team Hickstead and the all female side of KSJ Consulting Ltd. Guests were treated to all the very best thrills and spills of the sport whilst enjoying a drinks reception of warm Winter Pimms. Hickstead would like to express a heartfelt thanks to Ed Lyall and Partners at the Arundel Equine Hospital for their generous and continued support of the club. The UberPolo Ladies tournament and battle of the sexes challenge 27th – 28th November 2010 In an exhilarating spectacle of girl power, team Hawksfold and the UberPolo Ladies were crowned the Queens of the arena at the ‘Here Come the Girls’ tournament weekend at the All England Polo Club, Hickstead. The tournament featured a superb line up of fine fillies, as the all female teams of Las Vacas Locas, UberPolo, Hawksfold and KSJ Consulting Ltd. entered the fray, and in a closely fought affair Hawksfold and Las Vacas Locas came through from the qualifying games, and advancing in to the final on Sunday. Finals day culminated with the 3-6 Goal “Battle of the Sexes” Challenge, which saw AEPC’s Polo Manager Sarah Wiseman go head-to-head with Club Director John Bunn. Although at a slight disadvantage in terms of physical strength, Wiseman and her brave charges gave as good as they got holding their own in several fierce ride offs with the Head Honcho. The superior tactic and exceptional teamwork of the UberPolo Ladies; with visiting player Alex Jacob and long standing AEPC member Fiona Reilly, won them the title as they defeat the Hickstead Men 13-7. The All England Polo Club would like to express a heart-felt thanks to Leigh-Anne Moore and Steph EdwardsMorgan of UberPolo for their kind support. Photos by Images of Polo PQ | 93
World Polo Tour
First Quarter By Alejandra Ocampos. The US high goal season has finished at the International Polo Club in Palm Beach. At its conclusion, there are important changes in the rankings of the World Polo Tour which is more exciting than ever. After the triple crown in the US the rankings showed quite a few interesting changes, in particular that between the USPA Gold Cup and the US Open there were two number ones... The victory of Audi over Lechuza Caracas in the final of the US Open, the 2nd leg of the US triple crown, saw Gonzalo Pieres regain his spot at the top slot. Gonzalo, who was also MVP in March, pushed Pablo MacDonagh into 3rd spot, with Facundo Pieres taking 2nd. Things were to change in April. Once again, Audi and Lechuza met in the final, this time in the most important fixture in the US; The 107th US Open. This time, Victor Vargas had his revenge and his team mate, Juan Martin Nero, took the number one slot in the rankings for the 1st time. The talented Argentine, 10 goals, accrued 918 points after his defeat of Lechuza Caracas, elevating him from 5th place. Gonzalo then dropped to 2nd place, with 906 points, just above brother Facundo, with 833. In 4th place is Pablo MacDonagh (830 points) and Adolfo Cambiaso in 5th with 816 points. 6th place sees Victor Vargas, who after his victory with Lechuza is the first and only amateur to enter the top ten, with 570 points. Guillermo (Sapo) Caset senters the top ten for the first time, moving up from 11th place to 7th with 552 points. Finalising the top ten are Eduardo Novillo Astrada in 8th
Juan MartĂn Nero new #1 94 | PQ
World Polo Tour Top5 Player Juan MartĂn Nero Gonzalo Pieres Jr Facundo Pieres Pablo MacDonough Adolfo Cambiaso Jr
Points 918 906 833 830 816 21st April, 2011
Nacho Gonzalez MVP January 2011 (St Moritz Four Nations Cup, Dubai Silver and Gold Cup) Guillermo Caset Jr MVP February and April 2011
place with 477 points , Hilario Ulloa in 9th with 474, and Lucas Monteverde in 10th with 429. The Master Series, which awards points for the teams, the ranking is led by Lechuza Caracas (Victor Vargas, Martin Espain, Juan Martin Nero and Sapo Caset) with 270 points. Audi (Marc Ganzi, Nicolas Pieresm Gonzalo Pieres and Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade) are 2nd with 180
Gonzalo Pieres Jr MVP March 2011
points. In addition, Lechuza’s teammates are also top of the Annual Race (which awards point to individual players) with 220 points each. Polo crosses the ocean now for the European season, where the WPT continues its journey to recognise the best players of the year. PQ | 95
UK Season
UK High Goal preview Polo in the UK seems to be rebounding after the delayed effects of the recession in 2010, which saw fewer teams than usual in the two major 22 goal tournaments. Many changes took place at the end of last season, with some teams disbanded all together (Les Lions now only have one team) and others changing every player on the team apart from the patron (for example Azzura) The Queens Cup sees, for the first time in many, many years, no Heguys. Marcos and Bauti no longer play for Azzura, and Eduardo and Nachi no longer play for Les Lions. Sadly, for one reason or another, none of those players secured, or chose to secure, contracts for this tournament. Things change of course, and last minute teams may well be put together.
What do the teams look like this year? Unchanged Very few teams remain unchanged from 2010. These are:
El Remanso Silver Spring New Teams Richard Mille Las Monjitas Stella Artois La Golondrina Mansour Jaeger-LeCoultre Aravali Newcomers Goodbye to some big guns.. The Telegraph Les Lions 2 Eduardo Heguy Marcos Heguy Bautista Heguy
96 | PQ
And hello to some new faces Facundo Sola, 21 year old, son of Ruben Sola, joins Talandracas and was brought on board by Milo, who “discovered” Hilario Ulloa a few years ago. Will Facundo be equally as prodigious? He certainly showed some flair during the Gold Cup in Dubai, but 22 goal in the UK is very different. Gonzalo Del Tour, from Trenque Lauquen, has been playing for Zacara in Palm Beach for the last couple of seasons so is already at ease with some of his team mates. Prince Bahar Jefri Bolkiah, patron of Ahmibah has recently enjoyed success in Sotogrande, where his team won the Bronze Cup and got to the final of the Silver Cup in 2010. Who is the team to beat? This season certainly promises some tight games as there any many good, well mounted teams. Dubai swept the board last year; how will they do with the Adolfo/Lucas pairing? Olly Cudmore is a steal off three goals and certainly adds value to that team. Two Pieres brothers on the same team for La Bamba is a formidable challenge, and El Remanso have had the benefit of playing together all year round, doing very well in tournaments in Argentina during the UK winter. Talandracas have Milo, one of the toughest men in polo, and a talented young 6 goaler (Sola) so cannot be discounted, and Zacara’s Ulloa and Du Plessis pairing is impressive also. Quiet please The “Silence” rule, as used (at times controversially) in Argentina, is to be implemented in the UK for the first time this season. The players seem receptive overall, provided that it is enforced consistently.
Dubai: winner of Gold Cup and Queen´s Cup 2010
PQ asked a few of the players what their opinions were: 1) Who is the team to beat? 2) What is your favourite field in the UK? 3) The Silence rule. Agree or disagree?
Joaquin Pittaluga (Azzura) 1) La Bamba 2) Lawns 1 3) Agree
Ale Muzzio (Amibah): 1) Dubai 2) Lawns 2 3) Agree but it doesn’t work on everyone
Milo Fernandez Araujo (Talandracas) 1) Loro Piana, Dubai or Amibah 2) Lawns 1 3) Agree
Rob Archibald (Silver Spring 1870): 1) El Remanso 2) Brooksfield 3) Disagree
Agustin Merlos (Les Lions) 1) Dubai, as they won everything last year 2) Les Lions or Queen’s ground, Guards 3) Agree, as long as it is applied consistently, which is the hardest part.
Olly Cudmore (Dubai) 1) El Remanso 2) Ivy Lodge 3) Agree!
Facundo Pieres (La Bamba) 1) El Remanso or Dubai 2) Stedham and Lawns 1 3) Agree
Nachi du Plessis (Zacara) 1) Les Lions 2) Lawns 1 and 2 3) Disagree – the captain should be allowed to talk
Mark Tomlinson (Emlor) 1) El Remanso 2) Lawns 2 3) Agree PQ | 97
Changes
Lots of players have change of team, here we have the most particular ones.
Emlor is an all British team, including brothers Mark and Luke Tomlinson, the latter having left Talandracas.
Talandracas who will still feature Lucas Monteverde, but this year sees Milo Fernandez Araujo leave Sumaya after several successful seasons, and take the helm with his new team.
Sumaya now has Javier Novillo Astrada and Juan Gris Zavaleta instead of Milo and Lucas James, who has moved to Loro Piana.
Loro Piana now features Lucas James along with Agustín Nero and Nico Espain. Last years lynchpin Juan Martín Nero has gone to Enigma.
Enigma said goodbye
to Malcolm Borwick and James Beim, and hello to Juan Jauretche and Juan Martín Nero.
Azzura now has a much lower average
age with the inclusion of Joaquin Pittaluga, Magoo Laprida and Ignacio Toccalino.
98 | PQ
Salkeld will also play the Gold Cup only, featuring Chilean Jose Donoso and Luke Tomlinson who will play the Queen´s Cup with Emlor.
Las Monjitas only play the Gold Cup, along with Nachi Heguy and Francisco Elizalde.
Zacara who now feature up and
coming star Nachi Du Plessis and the talented Hilario Ulloa, instead of Javier and Eduardo Novillo Astrada.
Dubai who have Lucas Criado as Adolfo’s right hand man, and snaffled Olly Cudmore away from Zacara.
Richard Mille is an all new team with Ale Muzzio making a return and starring Pablo McDonough, ex Dubai. Lechuza Caracas have Tomás Gabarini instead of Max Routledge but otherwise remain unchanged. PQ | 99
Silver Spring 1870 El Remanso
The only teams which remain unchanged from 2010 are:
UK Season 2011 // Teams Piaget Stefano Marsaglia Ignacio Toccalino Joaquín Pittaluga Cristian Laprida Jr
22 0 7 7 8
Richard Mille Prince Bahar Jefri Bolkiah Pablo MacDonough Max Routledge Alejandro Muzzio
22 1 10 4 7
Dubai Rashid Albwardy Adolfo Cambiaso Jr Lucas Criado Ollie Cudmore
22 2 10 7 3
El Remanso Charlie Hanbury David Stirling Jr Jaime García Huidobro George Hanbury
22 4 9 7 2
Enigma Jerome Wirth Juan Martín Nero Matías MacDonough Juan Jauretche
22 1 10 8 3
Emlor** Spencer McCarthy Luke Tomlinson Mark Tomlinson Nacho Gonzalez
21 1 7 7 6
La Bamba Jean-Francois Decaux Gonzalo Pieres Jr Facundo Pieres Matt Perry
22 0 10 10 2
La Golondrina Paul Oberscheneider Diego Cavanagh Satnam Dillon Guillermo Terrera
21 0 7 7 7
Las Monjitas* Camilo Bautista Francisco Elizalde Nachi Heguy Eduardo Novillo Astrada Jr
22 0 5 8 9
Lechuza Caracas*** Victor Vargas Guillermo Caset Jr Miguel Novillo Astrada Tomás Garbarini
21 1 8 9 3
Les Lions Joe Gottschalk Sebastian Merlos Agustín Merlos Chris Mackenzie
22 0 9 9 4
Loro Piana Alfio Marchini Lucas James Agustín Nero Nicolás Espain
22 2 7 6 7
Salkeld* Nick Clarke José Donoso Luke Tomlinson James Beim
22 0 7 9 6
Stella Artois Gillon McLachlan Stirling McGregor Nico Pieres Alejandro Agote
21 4 2 7 8
Silver Spring 1870 Adrian Kirby John-Paul Clarkin Ruki Baillieu Rob Archibald
22 1 8 7 6
Sumaya Oussama Aboughazale Carlos Gracida Javier Novillo Astrada Juan Gris Zabaleta
22 0 7 8 7
Talandracas Edouard Carmignac Lucas Monteverde Milo Fernandez Araujo Facundo Sola
22 0 8 8 6
Zacara Lyndon Lea Hilario Ulloa Nachi du Plessis Gonzalo del Tour
22 1 8 7 6
Mansour JLC** Ben Soleimani Francisco Elizalde Nachi Heguy Eduardo Novillo Astrada Jr
22 0 5 8 9
Aravali** Karan Thapar Lucas Di Paola Marcos Di Paola Santiago Chavanne
22 1 6 7 8
100 | PQ
1
Piaget
1
Enigma
1
Las Monjitas
1
Salkeld
1
Talandracas
1
1
Richard Mille
1
Emlor
1
Lechuza Caracas
1
Stella Artois
1
Zacara
Dubai
1
La Bamba
1
Les Lions
1
Silver Spring 1870
1
Mansour Jaeger-LeCoultre
1
El Remanso
1
La Golondrina
1
Loro Piana
1
Sumaya
1
Aravali
*only play Gold Cup for the British Open. **only play Queen´s Cup. ***withdrawn from Queens Cup, question mark over participation in Gold Cup. PQ | 101
Lovelocks Polo Stud
Lovelocks Polo Stud, El Quemao Set in 1300 hectares, only 10 minutes from Lobos, this new venture from the Hanbury family is impressive in every sense of the word. A
brand new embryo transfer unit, the lab itself 5 months old, this centre will stand no less than 10 stallions at stud for the 2011/12 breeding season (when the centre will officially open to the public), with a total capacity of 21. The stud is run by Diego Piola, who aside from also being director of La Zeta, Ellerstina’s embryo centre near Los Cardales, is also a vet and polo player himself. Two further vets make up the trio; Fransico Cardeillac and Virginia Wesler, who in turn have lab technicians and assistants to support them. The link with Ellerstina is no coincidence. The Hanburys are in partnership with the Pieres’s, notably in the form of “El Padrino”, the young stallion in whom Christopher Hanbury paid in excess of $300,000 for a half share. He was already at the centre; exuding class and health whilst grazing in his brand new paddock, complete with a quincho in case he wanted some shade. The centre aims to produce 250 embryos per year, only
102 | PQ
and will be offering sexed embryos. At 60 days, owners can elect to have the embryo sexed using ultrasound imaging. At this point, should the sex not be what they were hoping for, the embryo can be aborted and another recipient implanted with another embryo. This incurs an additional cost as the recipient mare requires a lavage and veterinary intervention and is “lost” for that particular breeding season. Sexed semen is not a viable option on an operation of this scale, as Diego explained. “It takes around 6 hours using the machine that separates the male and female sperm cells, and then the resulting dose is small and of low quality. In addition the machine is not available at weekends”.
Costs: Stud Fees from $500 to $2000. Embryo transfer $2500 (bulk discounts apply). Termination of pregnancy $2000 (in the event of unwanted gender).
The stallions that will be standing feature the best bloodlines in the world, from Pieres, Heguy and Packer breeding operations. No less than four stallions are from Ellerston Australia, with Norman Pentaquad lineage and out of the very top mares.
1300
the size of the stud in hectares.
Stallions 1. Open Chavo (Chita/Casino) 2. Open El Padrino (Ilusion/Sportivo) 3. Open Merengue (Havana/Sportivo) 4. Open Nueva York (Luna Nueva/Siete Anillos) 5. Lovelocks Zazoo (Favorita/Trueno) 6. Bocha 28 (Val Reef/Polo Nevadito) 7. Atlantic (Noumea/Revenue) 8. Natbush (Tango/Hermitage) 9. Botox (Wrinkle/Revenue) 10. Christian (Angel/America)
All the stallions will be backed and will play polo, as the centre feels that it is important that they prove their ability in practice rather than just in theory. El Quemao will also be the home of all the young Hanbury horses bred there; from birth until they are playing young horse chukkas, they will remain in once place. Once they are playing quietly they will move to El Remanso for the next stage. The facilities on site are enviable and well thought out. The holding pens for the recipient mares are colour coded: Red, yellow and blue, for mares that are ovulating, implanted and confirmed pregnant. Extensive grazing means no overstocking, and the corrals for the
10
the number of stallions confirmed to stand at stud.
21
the number of stallion the stud can accommodate.
250
the target number of pregnancies.
PQ | 103
donor mares are fenced with sympathetic materials to reduce the risk of injury. Building a centre from scratch allows a bespoke approach to maximise efficiency and safety for all concerned. The forthcoming breeding season in Argentina will be an exciting one: With this many quality bloodlines available, the best in Argentina, the standard of ponies bred will only ever go up. This, coupled with ever increasing developments in biotechnology means that pregnancy rates will continue to improve the foals that land on the ground will be better than ever. www.lovelockspolostud.com
104 | PQ
calendar 2011 APRIL Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Subject to modifications JUNE
MAY Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon Lun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
*16
18
19
20
21
22
23
25
26
27
28
29
*30
Mar Tue
Wed Mer
Jeu Thu
Ven Fri
Sam Sat
Dim Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
1
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
1
2
*3
4
5
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
6
7
8
9
*10
11
12
17
9
10
11
12
13
*14
15
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
24
16
17
18
19
20
*21
22
20
21
22
23
*24
25
26
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
27
28
29
30
30
31
Easter Polo Tournament (6-8 & 0-4 goals)
Var Tournament 1 (6-8 & 0-4 goals)
The Ascension Tounament (6-8 & 0-4 goals)
* 8:30 pm Polo Dinner
* 8:30 pm Polo Dinner
* 8:30 pm Polo Dinner
Hippocampus Cup (6-8 & 0-4 goals) * 8:30 pm Polo Dinner Party
Var Tournament 2 (6-8 & 0-4 goals)
Pentecost Tournament (6-8 & 0-4 goals)
* 8:30 pm Polo Dinner
* 8:30 pm Polo Dinner
Weekends "Polo, Fun&Relax"
Polo Club's 13th Anniversary Tournament
(all levels)
(12-15 & 0-6 goals) * 9:00 pm Polo Dinner
Practice games
Saint-Tropez Ladies’ Amateur (2 goals)
JULY Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
AUGUST Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
SEPTEMBER Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
*2
*8
**9
10
8
9
10
11
*12
13
14
5
6
7
8
*9 **10 **11
14
15
16
17
15
16
17
18
21
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
*22
23
24
22
23
24
19 25 *** 26
20
21
27
28
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
28
29
*30
31
29
30
31
26
27
28
29
30
4
5
6
7
11
12
13
18
19
20
25
26
27
International Polo Cup Saint-Tropez
Côte d’Azur Polo Cup (8-12 & 4-6 goals) * 9:00 pm Polo Dinner Party
(12-15 & 0-6 goals) * 7:00 pm Polo Team Parade through the Port of Saint-Tropez ** 9:00 pm Gala Dinner
**4
Polo Silver Cup (12-15 & 0-6 goals) * 9:00 pm Polo Dinner ** 1:00 pm Polo Lunch
Open du Soleil (8-12 & 4-6 goals) * 7:00 pm Polo Team Parade through the Village of Gassin ** 9:00 pm Polo Dinner Party
Open de Gassin (12-15 & 4-6 goals)
**3
Polo Gold Cup (12-15 & 0-6 goals) * 9:00 pm Polo Dinner ** 1:00 pm Polo Lunch
* 9:00 pm Polo Dinner Party
Saint-Tropez Polo Trophy
Same Program in 2012
* 9:00 pm Polo Dinner Party
Whole month: coaching chukkas and polo lessons • 4 polo fields and big stick&ball area • Polo players: we can help you for organising your stay • Commentator during semi-finals and finals of the most important tournaments • Polo Manager : +33 (0) 6 18 76 63 69 or +33 (0) 6 82 80 70 30
• Polo Dinner: please make your reservation at +33 (0) 4 94 55 22 12 • Restaurant "La Table du Polo" Lunch - Lounge Bar - Dinner, Piano Bar in the evening Open from April till September Reservation at +33 (0) 4 94 55 22 14
• Saturday@Polo From April till August: Match & Happy Hour every Saturday at 5 pm • Polo Shop Open all year • Events Marquee Open all year
Polo Club Saint-Tropez Route du Bourrian – 83580 Gassin – France T. +33(0)4 94 55 22 12 F. +33(0)4 94 56 50 66 E. contact@polo-st-tropez.com www.polo-st-tropez.com
PQ | 105
Joaquín Pittaluga
The next wave As the UK high goal season approaches and our shores are once more graced by the most talented players in the world, the majority from Argentina, breeding ground of the great. It was therefore appropriate to speak to players coming from Argentina for the season. Aurora Eastwood spoke to Joaquín Pittaluga, a 25 year old rising star off 7 goals and playing his first contracted high goal season.
What is your polo background? My father was a professional, he was 7 goals in his day so polo was all around me from the beginning. I grew up on the farm at 25 de Mayo and was stick and balling from the age of 5 or 6, so I started from a very young age. When did you decide to turn professional? When I was 16 I went to play in Spain as a pro – I was only 2 goals but due to some rule they had I had to play off 4. I played well for my handicap and started getting more offers. I started at University but was travelling alot and couldn’t combine the two – so at 18 I made the decision to play polo full time. I was 5 goals at the time.
106 | PQ
When did you first come to the UK? Around five years ago. I was based at Beaufort with the Tomlinson’s. I had some horses in Italy that I brought up to England. I played some 8/12/15 goal and also played a little with Rory Sweet, who I then played the whole of the 2007 season with and we became good friends. What other European countries have you played in? Spain, when I was 16. I also played in Italy, from 6 to 14 goal, and of course Deauville, France where I won the Gold Cup with Spencer McCarthy’s team Emlor in 2008. How did you get the job with Azzura? I have kept my horses at 12 Oaks, the Wooldridge’s place, for the last few years. I have a good relationship with everyone and had always supported Azzura, who
were based there. When Stephano decided to change direction and not play with Marcos anymore and choose younger players, he opted for me and Magoo Laprida, who happens to be one of my best friends. Our other pro will be Ignacio Toccalino.
What will you do after the Gold Cup? I have offers to go to France, also to play the Warwickshire and I’d like to play some 15 goal with Jonathan Rothermere as I really enjoy playing with him. I had an offer to go to Sotogrande but as the high goal season will be very challenging it will be too much for the horses. We will see, I haven’t decided yet. What are your plans for the next big season in Argentina? My goal is to be in one of the top 6 teams for the Open. I’d really like to play with my friend Diego Cavanagh as we have done pretty well together over the last couple of years. I’d really like to be settled in a team and if it is with my friends, then I’m even happier.
Name: Joaquín Pittaluga Home Town: 25 de Mayo, Buenos Aires, Argentina Age: 25 years old Handicap: 7 goals Club: Guards PC
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Billy Jackson-Stops
Billy doesn´t stop This quarter PQ spoke to 21 year old 2 goal player Billy Jackson Stops, as part of the new regular feature on young British players. Not from a typical polo family and therefore without the traditional backing, Billy is having to make his own way in polo. Bright and hard working, he is spending winters in Argentina making horses and the summers in the UK playing professionally.
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Aurora Eastwood interviewed Billy over lunch in Pilar, in his last few days in Argentina before returning to the UK.
When did you start playing polo? I was 12. The hunting ban had just come into force and my mother wanted my brother and I to continue riding and we found polo, through the Grafton branch of the Pony Club. My mother is quite “horsey” but my father wasn’t. He’s now addicted to polo though, he loves watching me do my thing with horses, from watching the games to going to the stables. Without the support of my parents it would be very difficult to do what I do. What was your progression from Pony Club? From Pony Club I went on to do some schools polo at Stowe. We played at bit at RLS polo club in 2006, where I met the Guevara’s and have been coming to Argentina with them ever since. RLS didn’t seem to have a future, and when we (I and the Guevara’s) got a job playing for Sophie Stanek in the 8 goal we moved to Fifield for the 2008 season. It was apparent that the area was a hub for polo so I stayed in the Berkshire area. The 2009 season was another step up for me; I played, among other things, the 12 goal for Asprey with Simon Holley, Chris Hyde and Jonny Good. In 2010 I was lucky enough to play some high goal games. Victor Vargas wasn’t going to be able to play in some of the Queens Cup games for Lechuza Caracas, and Juan Cruz Guevara organised for me to play in
a practice to try out for the slot. I went and played a practice and then got a call from Pepe Araya saying I’d been picked. Josh Nimmo and Nick Johnson were also trying out so I was pretty pleased. I also played some 12 goal with Pete Webb and Tommy Wilson, and some 8 goal with Antonio Manzorro.
Why Argentina? Not coming from a polo family, I needed to get well mounted. I had a base in the form of the Guevara’s club, Penihue, in San Antonio de Areco, 40 minutes from Pilar. I put a shared business plan together for a horse production operation, and from February to March 2010 travelled around Argentina looking at horses with Juan Cruz. Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, La Pampa..we literally saw hundreds of horses in three provinces but bought only 11; I bought six and Juan Cruz, five. We wanted horses that were nice types and with papers but reasonably priced. The vast majority just weren’t the right type. In some places we’d see over 50 horses but only choose one. It was a memorable trip – we went to farms that were 40 minutes down dirt roads, and some of the sellers were very gaucho! I bought another 4 this
Name: Billy Jackson Stops Home Town: Towcester Age: 21 years old Handicap: 2 goals Club: Cowdray
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year, so I now have 10 horses in Argentina and eight in the UK. I make the horses myself, and the idea is sell the best horses, reinvest the money into more young horses and keep the business going. Juan Cruz will take the better ones on and play them in 20/24 goal polo to showcase them, so I have a lot of help at my disposal.
Where did you source your UK string? My first ever pony came from the Ashby’s, and then I bought an ex Black Bears pony. Since then I have bought most of my horses in the UK from the Guevara’s, 10 in all over the years. Some I sold on, some I have kept for myself. This season I bought two from Lechuza at the
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end of the season; they are a bit older so I rely on the expertise of my groom Santi Acosta to keep them on the road. He has been with me for years and is very dedicated.
What are your goals? Pardon the pun! Longer term I want to make money from the business in Argentina, as well as getting as well mounted as possible to improve my handicap as much as I can. I’d like to make 5 goals as well as being a regular horse dealer to the high goal. Ultimately I’d like to have my own place in Argentina and join in with the Guevara’s embryo programme.
Favourite British player: “Beimy (James Beim), as he is so well mounted and such an attacking player that he brings the speed back to polo which sometimes seems to have been lost in recent years. Being in the Berkshire area I've watched a lot of Chris Hyde and he's great to watch dominate medium and low goal polo”. Favourite worldwide player: “Hillario Ulloa, he plays with such intensity and aggression”.
Best horse in the world: “Buena Moza, she's a mare that the Sebastian Merlos played in the Open a few years ago and sold to Lechuza Caracas in America, now she's played by Sapo Caset in England” Best high goal team in the UK: “Last year’s Dubai team was awesome, they were overpowering on both horses and player ability, obviously their results showed this”
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David Sinclair Photography
Art meets Polo Iain Forbes-Cockell asked David Sinclair about how he got into photographing polo ponies and how his concept differed from normal action polo photography. His responses are in this article and some examples of his work accompany it.
PQ: Have you always been a photographer?
PQ: How did your interest in polo ponies’ progress?
DS: Up until a few years ago my career was in theatre and television as a stage manager. Based in London the nearest I had ever come to a horse was on an inter-city 125 train! Horses were just big pets... in fields.
DS: Of course polo in the UK led to polo in Argentina and you can't be on an Estancia long before you wind up on a horse, at that point what I was shooting became personal and a real joy. In the last three years, I seem to have been on a lot of horses but by far, am most comfortable on polo ponies.
PQ: So
what changed to set you on your photographic
venture?
DS: I had occasion to move to the heart of Gloucestershire four years ago and with the proximity of so many equine disciplines, polo grounds, the hunt and event meetings aligned with the fact that I have always carried a camera, it wasn't long before I combined the one love with what rapidly became another… horses.
PQ: How
did you get involved with photographing polo
ponies?
DS: Polo patrons and players at the Beaufort and Cirencester clubs became curious about this photographer who spent more time shooting the pony lines and grooms than the action and wanted to see the work, so my website www.shoothorses.com was created.
PQ: What do you try to capture in your photographs? DS: Most of the images that appear on the site I put up for shape and symmetry, light and texture, just trying to capture the power and grace of the horses. My approach was documentary but polo is full of so many artistic opportunities. As an extensive traveller I have tried wherever I have been in the world, to catch not just the essence of the animals themselves, but the spirit and personality of the people who work with them coupled with the wonderful textures and colours of their natural and working environments together with the emotion and intimacy shared between horse and human.
PQ: What
influenced you to start using a studio-lit
environment?
DS: By its nature nearly all polo photography is a series of “grabbed” moments. In any competitive sport, no 112 | PQ
one is going to do it again for the photographer. Having been asked by patrons to do a few portraits of ponies on the lines, I decided these at least, I wanted a little more control over and to try shoot in a studio lit environment.
PQ: What constitutes your studio lit environment? DS: The “studio” is something I take to the horses and, once set up, it generally takes just a few minutes to allow the horse to take in these new surroundings and settle. The first time I stood a horse in front of large flash lights I was quietly praying to myself… an ex racehorse, now hunter! My initial concerns were, of course, for safety. The comfort and well being of the horses is paramount; besides, like people, a wound up horse is not going to shoot well anyway!
PQ: Are
there any difficulties using your studio lit
environment?
DS: I have found that the horses are always curious about the camera and after a regulatory sniff to confirm the camera is not edible, I have a process that works up to the first test with a flash head. The suggestion that flash lights spook horses, so far, has proven to be a complete fallacy. Horses don’t see light in the same way that we do and it didn’t take long to realise that the first
flinch is caused as much by the gentle pop of a flash head as the light. It’s not long before they are oblivious to the lights, realising they are the centre of attention and on many occasions owners have said the horse has come out more relaxed than when it went in.
PQ: You can ask people to pose and select the right moment for the shot but you can’t speak to horses so how do you know when to take the shot?
DS: Having spent a lot of time on and around a multitude of horses recently, I have found something of an affinity with them and whilst I am a photographer at heart, like to think that I am becoming a horse person who happens to be a photographer. In the same way one photographs people, a horse’s tiniest nuances tell you when the moment to shoot is, one hopes to capture not just a likeness but also, something of the spirit of the animal. Photographing around the day, owners, grooms and the odd yard dog intent on getting in on the action, means you never really know what you will end up with, mostly it’s governed by the ponies. The day just evolves.
PQ: Has your concept adjusted as you have become more experienced at this type of photography?
PQ | 113
DS: I had initially intended to photograph strings of ponies and put them together afterwards into a 150cm long print and it works well but it’s as much fun to shoot them all physically together. Equally seeing five or six ponies in separate 50cm square prints framed and in a line on a wall is really satisfying.
PQ: How do you see your style of photography
ponies, shoot them when they are at rest. I love the juxtaposition between the trim, dandy, every bit as refined as their surroundings summer ponies and the same shaggy, Winter coated and unkempt horses standing in six inches of snow. In the New Year I will be in Montana and New Mexico, not for polo I fear but ranching this time.
progressing in the future?
PQ: Where can people see examples of your photography,
DS: For the future I'd like to do more studied, natural portraits of grooms, players and Patrons. I am trying to find a way to return to Argentina and the USA to document a whole season with a prominent team. Not just the season but like the Beaufort Winter
apart from the small selection shown here?
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DS: Apart from on the walls of clients, there is a selection of my work on my website www.shoothorses.com. Of course I am always available for commissions.
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Horse Care and Injuries
Tendon Injury
The biggest cause of forced early retirement in polo ponies and every player’s worst nightmare. Tendons are notoriously slow to heal and the tendon is never as strong following injury, leading to a high incidence of recurrence. Tendons have a poor blood supply, and when it’s time to repair damaged fibres, the new fibres (of which there are few) tend not to follow the smooth lines of the original, leading to unsightly and weak patches of thickened tendon fibre. Various “cures” have been and still are attempted, with little or no evidence of success. Pin firing, unfortunately still common in polo, has long since been disproven. The theory was that inserting hot “pins” into the horse’s tendon stimulated the healing process by causing extra trauma and
therefore bloodflow. However a study by the University of Bristol over a four year period found that there was no improvement at all in the healing rate of pin fired horses over ones left to rest with no treatment at all. In fact, in several cases the pin firing delayed the healing process. Additional study showed increased damage to the tendon in the areas the pins were inserted – the damage following exactly the path of the pin. Indeed, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) whilst recognising the right of its members to choose what they consider to be the correct procedure to treat an injury, to consider carefully whether pin firing is justified, based on the absence of any scientific evidence that it actually aids in the healing process at all. Blistering is another example of an outdated and inhumane practice – as with pin firing, the idea is to trigger an immune response by traumatising the area to accelerate healing. There is no evidence to suggest any efficacy. Stem Cell treatment is the most positive treatment available, but has a cost. In a trail of over 1500 horses with tendon injuries, 50% were less likely to reinjure themselves over a three year period than those which had received a non invasive treatment program of ice, box rest and non steroidal antinflammatory drugs. Stem cells taken from the patient’s own body are injected into the site of the injury and there, form new tendon tissue. Due to its success in the treatment of horses, human trials have begun in 2011. With treatment either ineffectual (firing and blistering) or proven but expensive (stem cells), the focus should be on preventing injury to the tendon in the first place. Prevention is always better than cure.
Heat in tendons Tendon temperatures of just 42.5°C are hot enough to cause degeneration through the death of tendon cells in the core. When a horse gallops, the core of the tendon can reach temperatures of 43-46°C, whilst the outside of the leg is up to 5 or 6c cooler. Tendons have a poor blood supply, so the energy dissipation from the elastic strain energy of the tendon is released as heat (thermal energy). Now, add to this already hot environment by adding layers of fleece or neoprene (both with excellent heat RETAINING properties) in the form of bandages or boots and the scale of the problem is clear. 116 | PQ
Stem Cell Therapy
How does stem cell therapy work? Here is a diagram from UK leader, VetCell
Horse enters rehabilitation of increasing intensity.
Bone marrow taken from the sternum of an injured horse.
Isolation, identification and expansion of equine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
Ultrasound guided needle implantation into core lesion of tendon or ligament.
Re-suspension of equine MSCs in autologous bone marrow supernatant at a concentration of 5 million MSCs/ml.
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How do tendons become damaged? 1. Strain. The horse’s tendon is relatively elastic, and can stretch up to 18% before the fibres begin to fail. Overextension (hyperflexion) of the fetlock joint is a very common cause of injury, in itself caused by uneven ground, poor shoeing and working a very tired horse (as the muscles can no longer properly support its balance and bodyweight). 2. Direct trauma from a blow – such as a mallet, ball or being struck by another limb. 3. Overheating. Once the core temperature of the tendon reaches 46c, the fibres begin to disintegrate. The use of boots and bandages is the primary cause of overheating tendons and the reason they are almost never seen in racing.
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How to reduce those risks Strain Reducing hyperextension of the joint and therefore the associated strain of the tendon can be mitigated to a certain extent by: Correct shoeing (not allowing toes to become long and ensuring correct balancing of the foot) Not galloping the horse on excessively hard, soft or uneven ground.
Correct conditioning of the horse
Reducing the risk of injury to tendons: 1) Reduce hyperexention of the joint 2) Protect against trauma 3) Reduce overheating
The use of boots that reduce the flexion of the joint – at present the only boots proven to do this are Professional Choice sports medicine boots, which can reduce fetlock extension by 2%.
Trauma Polo bandages will cushion the tendon against trauma (but not assist in any way in preventing strain, as mentioned the only way to do this is described above), as will tendon boots.
Overheating As reducing the risk of trauma to the tendon is both necessary and compulsory in polo (all four legs must be protected according to HPA rules), what products are on the market that will protect but not overheat? Premier Equine produce an eventing boot that allows the passage of air through it as the horse gallops; the boot is vented, super lightweight and yet features polycarbonate strike guards to protect against injury. £36.99 from www.premierequine.co.uk Equilibrium also produce several lightweight boots that cool the tendons as the horse gallops. www.equilibriumproducts.com
The paradox is that the use of boots or bandages actually INCREASES the risk of injury due to the overheating. Whilst there are now boots on the market that allow the passage of air though the boot to aid cooling, it will take the polo world some time to embrace the new technology available and move away from traditional bandages with boots over the top. Therefore, if players still choose to use bandages and boots, they should ensure that they are the last thing to be put on the horse and the first thing to be taken off, and the tendons immediately cooled with iced water. The use of “cool” boots once the legs have been cooled will be beneficial. Best practice with regards careful management of the horse, taking into account what has been described, is the best way to mitigate against injury. PQ | 119
Polo Tips
The sultan visualises your swing John Horswell aka The Sultan of Swing has taken his teaching to another level. With the help of a clever bespoke software programme, some high-speed cameras, a tablet laptop and a multitude of more mundane pieces of equipment, polo has finally caught up with golf, baseball and other disciplines and even pupils hitting from ponies can have their swings analysed in the most minute detail. Frame by frame replay of a player’s swing can now be used to reinforce the visual observations of the world renowned swing coach and players (and where possible their own coaches) get the benefit of seeing, in the most minute detail, where and how things breakdown and how they might be able to overcome their problems. John has spent the last 12 months perfecting his art and working out the best way to utilise the technology. Part of this process involved working with actual clients on their swings, working with groups and just filming swings and in particular filming the swings of better players. In this way he has now built up a library of swings from 10 goal players down which allows for comparison between not only individual players but also between players of different standards as groups. It is as a result of this detailed analysis that John is now confident that he can have an immediate affect on ANY player of whatever standard and help them to improve their game IMMEDIATELY. “I have been amazed by not only the progress that I have been able to make with individual pupils but by how much my own ability to coach has been improved just by using Swing Visualisation. I have discovered that a lot of problems are common to players of all levels and by seeing how better players work their way around them I can help others so much more. At its most basic it is purely the ability to let pupils see with their own eyes what they do wrong instead of them having to visualise it from my verbal description of the problem. At its most advanced I can send a pupil or a coach away with enough visual information to keep their game improving for weeks afterwards.” The University of Swing will be opening its doors at Beenhams Farm in Berkshire from Saturday 2nd April and will be working on grass from that date. A full swing analysis takes 90 minutes and prices start at £200. For further information contact JH on: johnhorswell@pro-polo.com or call Penny on +447795460571.
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WWW.POLODEDEAUVILLE.COM
POLO DE DEAUVILLE Depuis 1907 DEAUVILLE - 70, RUE DÉSIRÉ LE HOC
PARIS - 102, RUE DE LONGCHAMP
PQ | 121 7 MADRID - CALLE SERRANO
High Goal Pony Review 2011
Horse Power in Palm Beach PQ international choose the 2 best horses of Palm Beach Season. Photos by Ana Clara Cozzi.
Sativa | Guillermo Caset Jr.
Name of the Pony: Sativa Name of the Player: Guillermo Caset Jr. Year of Birth: 2004 Sex: Mare Colour: Chestnut Breed: English Property of: Guillermo Caset Jr. Sire: Chess Dam: Forrest Awards: USPA Gold Cup 2011 Best Playing Pony
Pomelo | Gonzalo Pieres Jr.
Name of the Pony: Pomelo Name of the Player: Gonzalo Pieres Jr. Year of Birth: 2001 Sex: Gelding Colour: Red Chestnut Breed: Ellerstina Property of: Gonzalo Pieres Jr. Sire: PĂcaro Dam: Madona Awards: USPA Award Best Playing Pony 2011
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WWW.POLODEDEAUVILLE.COM
POLO DE DEAUVILLE Depuis 1907 DEAUVILLE - 70, RUE DÉSIRÉ LE HOC
PARIS - 102, RUE DE LONGCHAMP
PQ | 123 7 MADRID - CALLE SERRANO
Boutique House 1
Boutique House for sale in the middle of Buenos Aires Honduras 4175 // between Gasc贸n y Acu帽a de Figueroa Place: Buenos Aires, Argentina Negihbourhood: Palermo Fot: 1.6 Ground Area: 226.18m2 (8.75 x 27m) Floor Area Ground: 356.73m2 Floor Area 1st Floor: 143m2 Price: US$ 870.000.Old House. Excellent recycling. Air-conditioning - central heating. 124 | PQ
Ground Floor/Hall Living room Lounge overlooking central courtyard Kitchen Dining room Toilette 1 bedroom in suite Distance to Palermo Polo Field: 3.8 km Contact: info@pololine.com
First Floor/Upstairs 3 bedrooms in suite Terrace/Balcony Laundry Housemaid bedroom/bathroom
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Boutique House 2
Luxury house for sale in Palermo Four bedrooms in suite, Two courtyards, Terrace/balcony. Selling price with furniture and equipped.
El Salvador 4183 // between Gasc贸n y Acu帽a de Figueroa Place: Buenos Aires, Argentina Negihbourhood: Palermo Ground Area: 226.18m2 (8.75 x 27m) Floor Area: 394m2 Courtyards Area: 70m2 (x2) Terrace/balcony area: 16m2
Price: US$ 890.000.Old House. Excellent recycling. Air-conditioning - central heating. 126 | PQ
Ground Floor/Hall Living room Lounge overlooking central courtyard 1 bedroom in suite Wine cellar Garage Kitchen/Dining room Toilette Laundry Distance to Palermo Polo Field: 3.7 km Contact: info@pololine.com
Mezzanine 2 bedrooms in suite with dressing room First floor/upstairs 1 bedrooms in suite 1 housemaid bedroom/bathroom
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Car Review
The innovative Range Rover Evoque
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PQ | 129
In a bold move for this traditional brand, Land Rover has blazed a trail with an entirely new vehicle. With futuristic styling and a remarkable interior, the Evoque will certainly be the most unique car to launch this year. Buyers will be able to personalise their new car to their taste; Gerry McGovern, Land Rover design director said: “Customers like to make their own unique statement with a vehicle and we have provided individuals with lots of opportunity to personalise their new Range Rover Evoque, whilst maintaining the essence of the design. “The options on offer are spectacular and customers can use our 'designers choice' to guide their selection, with carefully co-ordinated colour and material combinations that have their own distinctive character,” he added. The options include: • 12 exterior colours • three contrasting roof colours • eight alloy wheel designs, from 17-inch to 20-inch • 16 tailored designer interiors • four metal finishers and two contemporary wood veneers • three interior headliner colours • illuminated tread plates • full-sized fixed panoramic glass roof • black or chrome roof rails 130 | PQ
Approaching the car at night, and you will also see a bold Range Rover graphic alongside the front doors, illuminated by the ‘puddle lights’ which shine from the mirrors. The interior displays and ambient lighting come to life with a precisely-choreographed animated start-up sequence, featuring a series of sophisticated graphics. On automatic cars, the stylish solid aluminium rotary shifter completes the ‘greeting’ as it rises silently into the driver’s hand. The all important off-road functionality for which Range Rover is famous has not been lost. The Evoque will have full 4 x 4 for those who want it, or front wheel drive only for lower carbon emission for customers who are more likely to be navigating the less challenging roads of urban living. The choice of engines should more than satisfy today’s eco conscious (and now bank balance conscious) consumer. The Range Rover Evoque offers a smooth and responsive turbocharged powertrain line-up with the choice of state-of-the-art diesel or petrol engines. The comprehensively updated 2.2-litre turbodiesel has 190PS or 150PS derivatives. The front-wheel-drive coupé version combined with the 150PS 2.2-litre engine achieves sub 130g/km* CO2.
The state-of-the-art new 240PS, 2.0-litre Si4 petrol engine combines direct fuel injection, turbocharging and twin variable valve timing for exceptional driveability and fuel efficiency, delivering 0-60 mph in 7.1 seconds*. Other features on the car include: • Blind Spot Monitoring system • Surround Camera System with five digital cameras, including a reversing system • Full dual-zone automatic climate control, featuring a Park Heater timer facility • Hard-drive navigation system • DAB/FM/AM/Sirius tuners, with hard-drive virtual 10xCD multiplayer • Digital and Satellite TV, and DVD playback • Rear-seat entertainment package, with 8-inch video screens, digital wireless headphones and touch-screen remote control • Keyless entry system and powered tailgate • Adaptive headlamps with Automatic High Beam Assist • Heated windscreen, front seats and steering wheel • Park Assist
Sold in 160 markets worldwide from summer 2011 The Range Rover Evoque will be manufactured at Land Rover's multi award-winning Halewood plant in Merseyside, UK. The car will go on sale in more than 160 countries worldwide from summer 2011. Prices will start from £30,000. www.landrover.co.uk PQ | 131
Polo Equipment - Safety
Protecting your brain
The brain is the most sensitive of human organs – just a small amount of damage can cause permanent disability, consigning the patient and their family to a lifetime of suffering or death. Injury to the brain is caused by trauma, either by a direct impact or indirect impact, such as violent shaking. Sport is an important part of many people’s lives, but bring inevitable risk of injury. Nowadays children all cycle wearing helmets, recreational skiers and snowboarders are ever more using helmets, as a seemingly innocuous fall can be fatal, as in the case of the wife of actor Liam Neeson, who fell on a nursery slope whilst skiing, hit her head on the snow, and died a few hours later. These injuries are known as “walk and die” injures, as
the victim initially feels fine, but the damage has been done. For more than 20 years the use of safety (approved) helmets in racing, showjumping and eventing has been compulsory. Polo languished behind, complacent perhaps that the sport had suffered few deaths. Polo helmet design was, and in many cases still is, shockingly amateur. Based on the design of the pith helmet used in the colonies in the 1800’s, polo helmets are traditionally made from a fibreglass shell lined with what can only be described as pipe insulation, and kept on with a single cotton chinstrap. The impact protection and energy absorption is negligible – if the hat even stays on in a fall.
What are the safety standards available?
NOCSAE
They are: EN1384 (Europe) PAS 015 (Europe) ASTM F1163 (USA) SNELL E2001 (USA)
However, the USPA have confusingly decided to use NOCSAE to approve helmets for polo. NOCSAE are usually responsible for certifying helmets for American Football, so it seems odd that the USPA have gone down this route rather than using SNELL, whose safety standards are the highest in the world and who specialise in helmets for equestrian disciplines.
Quality symbols British Kitemark. This is the registered trademark of the British Standards Institute and can only be affixed to products certified by them. It is an additional marker of quality in a product that has already met En or PAS standards and demonstrates that the company follows strict regulation and testing and must offer the BSI unrestricted access to their factories. 132 | PQ
GPA, the leading brand for helmets in the showjumping world, have a background in motor racing and have applied the technology into their polo helmets. The helmet exceeds European safety standards (EN 1384, the Kitemark and) by 20%; which include the following tests: Round Anvil test: To assess protection against shockwaves caused by blunt trauma. Pointed Anvil test: To assess protection against piercing by a sharp object. Helmet retention: To ensure the helmet will not fall off in the event of a fall. Visor test: To ensure that the visor will not cause fractures to the nose of the wearer in the event of a fall. The helmets use the latest technology and materials, including carbon, aluminium, textalium and titanium.
La Martina La Martina’s helmet has undergone ENHAP testing in Europe (to achieve an EN1384 certification). Made from Carbon fibre and used and endorsed by the Novillo Astrada brothers during last year’s Argentine Open, the helmet is lightweight and technologically advanced. It uses carbon kevlar for the outer shell, then a layer of expandable polypropylene (EPP), and an inner lining of foam pads covered with lycra. The inner lycra layer allows for easy cleaning and increased comfort for the wearer. Carbon gives strength without weight and Kevlar is strong and yet flexible. EPP absorbs the shock of the impact but importantly returns to its original shape, meaning that the helmet does not have to discarded after an impact (as is the case with helmets using polystyrene padding). Lycra absorbs moisture and remains comfortable for the wearer at all times.
Casablanca Casablanca are launching the hotly anticipated NOCSAE approved helmet. Made using the innovative D3o shock absorbing gel, the helmet is to date the only one approved by the very stringent USA testing authority. Retaining the streamlined look of a traditional helmet, this is the safest Casablanca model available to date. *D3o is a solution for shock absorption and impact protection, combining the efficiency of our enhanced chemistry as a tactile polymer, with intelligent geometry and product engineering, to maximise the potential of the material and meet customers’ demands. D3O technology can be utilised and incorporated in a number of ways and processes, depending on the specific usage and solution required.
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GPA Helmet What is it like to wear? A review: “The helmet is slightly different in style from both the La Martina and the Casablanca offerings, a nod to GPA’s showjumping roots. It is feather light to wear, and very comfortable. The lining is soft and comes with interchangeable padding so that the wearer can customise the fit. The three point harness is soft and unobtrusive; the padded section under the chin is a nice touch. The air vents in the front really do work, when moving at any speed on a horse the air does indeed pass through and cool the head, really quite pleasant and a definite bonus – after all, the sweaty head/hair look is both unbecoming and unpleasant! As the lining is antimicrobial, you can rest assured that even if you do sweat a little into the helmet, no nastiness will be invisibly growing – so no bad smells. Even better though, you can take the liner out and wash it!” Verdict: Incredibly lightweight and so well ventilated I forgot I had it on. These have a good following in Europe and I see UK sales taking off. Recommended retail price: 485 Euros (£427 approx) www.gpa-sport.com
La Martina Helmet What’s it like to wear? A review: It is certainly distinctive! With a carbon fibre shell, you either love it or loathe it. I loved it! It is as close in shape to a traditional helmet as it is possible to be, and very comfortable to wear as the helmet is lighter than a traditional one. The harness is a soft leatherette which won’t absorb sweat, and the lycra covered lining is instantly comfortable. The multiple air vents allow more air to pass through than traditional helmets, but as the liner is very high tech it won’t absorb any moisture anyway - although it can’t be removed for cleaning, the helmet can be washed in a dishwasher with no ill effects. Personally, I’d rather use the Charles Owen foam hat cleaner on the inside; I wouldn’t want to risk damaging the lovely finish.” Verdict: It looks fantastic and has a great silhouette. I think even the purists will be tempted by one of these! Recommended retail price: $600 (£405 approx) www.lamartina.com
Unfortunately, polo recently suffered a spate of deaths caused by catastrophic trauma to the brain. Paul Clarkin in 2004, Gabriel Donoso in 2006, Catherine Yates in 2006, Skeeter Johnson in 2007, and James Ashton in 2010. The HPA in the UK then commissioned an independent study into the safety of polo helmets that were for sale in the UK and the results were sobering. Of all the manufacturers tested only Charles Owen met a satisfactory standard. In the last few years more manufacturers have been producing helmets that meet the strict European standards. Charles Owen, Casablanca, GPA and more recently, La Martina. To date there has not been wide acceptance of these helmets due to their appearance they tend to be very bulky and players complained they looked like large mushrooms when worn, with most players continuing to opt for the more streamlined but unsafe “traditional” helmet. 134 | PQ
However, with the USPA enforcing the use of approved helmets (NOCSAE approved) in 2012, it can only be matter of time before the HPA follows suit, as the HPA is still the only governing body of any equestrian sport in the UK that does not insist on its members using EN or PAS certified helmets (with the exception of Pony Club polo).
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80th years of Polo passion
Reverso A legend in movement “Certain legends draw their strength from their age. Frozen in the past, immobilized forever, they speak only of the past. But sometimes, the magic is so great that a strange phenomenon takes place: the legend lives, breathes, mutates, becomes more beautiful, all the while retaining its aura. A long time ago, back in 1931, in a dusty vortex and to the accompaniment of horses’ hooves hammering, an idea was born: a watch with a dial that could protect itself from shocks, all the while offering a personalized engraved case-back. Eighty years later, the Reverso has progressed from watchmaking icon to cult status. The Reverso is so unique that with the passing of time, it has been made in many other guises without losing its essence. Today, wearing a Reverso from the current collections on your wrist is an entry to an exclusive world – not only in terms of watchmaking history, but above all to a universe of technical perfection and aesthetic refinement. By inventing the Reverso, a small group of men with great imagination and innovative spirit did far more than create a simple reversible case. They gave birth to an emotion which has lasted more than 80 years, and designed a watch whose endless possibilities are still being discovered. The Reverso’s strength lies both in its past, but just as much in its future. By Jérome Lambert, CEO Jaeger-LeCoultre
A legend… The anecdote belongs in the great history of watchmaking. It doesn’t require much imagination to visualize the scene. Let’s relive the sequence of events as if it were a film… Set: outside by day. Large piece of land where dust fights for precedence over grass. The light is bright, the heat oppressive. In the distance, horses pirouette, take off at a gallop, come together, move apart whinnying. Their helmeted riders, wearing bright colors, brandish their long poles topped with a mallet. It is 1930 and we are in India which is under British domination. These men are mainly British soldiers in the colonial army. They are playing a fierce game of polo, the sport “of warriors, princes and kings” which they discovered a century earlier when they arrived in these lands so far from their native island. In this way, from being an activity only practiced before this on the 136 | PQ
steppes of Central Asia, Her Majesty’s soldiers made this “such a British” sport – a blend of elegance and combat. A combat sometimes so excessive, that the first victims were usually the watches worn by the riders. Doubtless many players, at the end of a frenzied game, discovered that their timepiece hadn’t survived the shocks and bumps. On that particular day, a match comes to an end. And one of the officers, covered in perspiration and dust, holding his horse by the bridle, walks towards an elegant man wearing a suit, standing at the edge of the field. His name is César de Trey. He is not a British subject, but a Swiss and a businessman who has made a fortune in London in dental products and gone into promoting Fine Watchmaking. The officer, who joins him, is holding his watch in his hand and the glass has been smashed during the match. “Another one broken!” he exclaims, crestfallen. The same evening, during a reception organized at the club, the British soldier who has still not got over the incident, once again approaches César de Trey of whose profession he is aware. Like throwing down a gauntlet, he asks if he would be capable of inventing a watch that is solid enough to survive a polo match. Undoubtedly, our Swiss businessman, wisely, remains silent. But once he returns to Europe, he organizes a meeting with a watchmaker he knows: Jacques-David LeCoultre. The latter is the director of one of the few manufacturers equipped with all the crafts required for the design and production of high quality movements.
In November 1931, after having secured all the rights to the invention of the Reverso from Alfred Chauvot, together with Jacques-David LeCoultre, César de Trey founded a company called Spécialités Horlorgères, with the aim of manufacturing and selling this revolutionary watch. One can just imagine the British soldier from the beginning of our story when he puts the watch proferred to him by César de Trey onto his wrist, turns the case, mounts his horse, puts spurs to it and takes off at a gallop twirling his mallet, as if he is throwing down a challenge to his new Reverso… On that day, despite the word END appearing on our screen, the saga of the Reverso has only just begun. The Reverso’s success is so great that it has a considerable influence on the history of the JaegerLeCoultre brand.
1931, 2011: the success of a timelessly classic style
The account of the conception of the Reverso, born in India in response to English polo players’ desire for an unbreakable watch, is even more amazing than it first seems. While the watch presented in 1931 featured a resolutely Art Deco rectangular shape, a second squareshaped version had also been considered. The design engineers opted for the rectangular shape, and the sketch of the square Reverso was tucked away in the company archives where it was all but forgotten. It
REVERSO 1931 - 2011 This house has already manufactured more than 200 different chronograph calibres and as many repeater movements. It is also exceptional in terms of its large number of inventions, both in the realm of mechanisms as in manufacturing processes. In addition, JacquesDavid LeCoultre works in close collaboration with the House of Jaeger, in conjunction with which it designed the Duoplan watch. The Parisian Jaeger workshop is therefore the ideal partner to make the case… From their exchanges, an idea is born for a case that can revolve in order to protect the dial, thus exposing only the metal back to potential shocks. On March 14, 1931, Alfred Chauvot, a French engineer, lodged a patent for a watch “capable of revolving and sliding into its case”. Once again, like a dialogue in a film, listen to the conversation between the official responsible for registering the new patent and its designers: - What is the name of your invention? - Reverso. - What does that mean? - “I turn around”, it comes from Latin. - Noted, Reverso. Your patent is lodged…
was not until 2006, in studying the historical records, that Jaeger-LeCoultre watchmakers and designers rediscovered this watch that was both historical and yet brand new! Ever since, the Reverso Squadra collection has rubbed shoulders with its illustrious rectangular predecessor, and both versions regularly display new creative feats expressed through innovative, highperformance and inevitably elegant watches. In 2011, the Reverso will appear in even more surprising and seductive guises, while remaining loyal to its legend that continues to push the borders of creativity.
…in movement, By imagining a reversible watch with a case that would revolve in order to protect the dial and expose only the metal back to shocks, the designers of the Reverso knew that they had found an effective technical answer to the challenge that was given them: “to create an elegant watch capable of surviving polo”! They undoubtedly were not aware that their idea was gearing up to play another very different role than that of protective shield. The steel or gold back that could be made to appear by turning the case was going to write PQ | 137
Cranwell College who wore Reversos in the colours of their units; young English girls who wore watches engraved with the insignia of Eton College, Harrow or St. Andrews University; Reverso owners who chose engravings depicting a cabin on a desert island, a map of a beloved country or an erotic scene… All these men and women did much more than engraving a small metal surface: through personalizing the case of their watch, they invented a new means of engraving their lives, their temperament as well as their dreams on the course of time. Through a fine line scratched on steel or gold, they have made their Reverso a discreet accessory to their emotions.
a new page in the history of watchmaking. A clean page that would make the Reverso much more than a watch: a cult object that every Reverso owner could make unique by personalizing it. Who was the first person to have the idea of engraving his initials? Or his regiment’s crest? His club’s emblem ? Who, for the first time, wanted to make an enamel portrait of his beloved wife? To inscribe his lucky number? Thanks to this surface that measures just a few square centimeters offering everyone the chance to realise their wishes in terms of personalization, the Reverso became a watch-work of art and an object of emotion, to be transferred or shared. To wear a Reverso that one intends to give to one’s son or daughter one day, or an engraved Reverso received as a gift from a loved one: is this only about owning a simple accessory intended to provide the time? How many watches, in all the history of watchmaking, have carried such an enormous emotional potential? With so many variations in its versions, dimensions, complications, the Reverso is quite simply unique. Unique in its history and its design, but above all, unique thanks to all those who one day decided to create “their own” watch. By wearing a Reverso on their wrists since 1931, men and women with taste, be they famous or unknown, have made a cult out of a veritable icon. In 1930s, King Edward VIII of England had his family crest designed on his Reverso, just like a prince of Denmark who, in a letter in 1934, stated that even though “subjected to bad weather in Southern Morocco” his Reverso “had always given complete satisfaction”; the celebrated aviator, Amelia Earhart had the itinerary of the first flight from Mexico to New York engraved on it – an exploit performed by her on May 8, 1935; the English gentlemen who decorated their watches with the coatof-arms of the very select British Racing Drivers’ Club; the elite soldiers of the Gurkha Rifles, from the personal guard of the Maharajah of Jaipur, from the Royal Sussex Regiment or the students from the Royal Airforce’s 138 | PQ
In 2011, the year of the 80th anniversary of the Reverso, the possibilities that exist in terms of personalization have never been so huge. And the idea of sharing that is so inherent to its concept has never been this strong. Whether the back of the reversible case is adorned with initials, a name, a word, numbers, symbols, a design, a portrait or any other inscription from the simplest to the most complicated, anything is possible thanks to the know-how of the Manufacture’s artists. Never has Jaeger- LeCoultre been so keen to offer Reverso owners a place in the history of this watch and the brand. By personalizing his or her Reverso, each person is adding a new line to the legend. And henceforth, all those who wish to can share their inspiration with other lovers of the Reverso across the globe through a virtual museum or a very real exhibition.
There are stories that deserve to be captured for ever
The metal back of the Reverso’s rotating case has been a privileged space for expression since its beginnings. The archives of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture contain the remains of hundreds of Reversos that have been hand engraved according to the wishes of their owners – most often with initials or crests, sometimes a number, a picture, or a portrait… The relationship of each individual with time; the link with the object that enables him to measure and follow it; the intimacy that one often weaves with one’s watch: so many elements that contribute to the personalisation of a Reverso – an act that goes well beyond mere aesthetics. Each being is unique, each life is unique and, since 1931, each Reverso that is engraved becomes as unique as the person who wears it. For this reason, Jaeger-LeCoultre has decided this year to increase Reverso personalization proposals. Keener than ever to fulfill all wishes and ideas, from the simplest to the most sophisticated, the company is working with a number of different crafts: engraving, jewellery, enameling… In the engraving workshop, one simply has to leaf through the Jaeger-LeCoultre catalogue and select a style for letters and numbers or any other sort of
New release for 2011: Grande Reverso Ultra Thin After 80 years of celebrating classicism, the new Grande Reverso Ultra Thin turns revolutionary by focusing on extreme simplicity. The extremely diminutive width of Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822 (at just 2.94 mm) has enabled the design engineers to build a Reverso slimmer than ever before. While the case with its generous new proportions asserts an authentic presence on the wrist, its slenderness makes it both light and comfortable to wear thanks to its subtly curved shape. The pure dial with its vertical guilloché pattern, the restrained design of the Arabic numerals, the slim blued hands: all the aesthetic codes of the Reverso are sublimated within this ultra-thin interpretation. This new watch expresses the very essence of the Reverso personality: a blend of tradition and nobility embodying an alliance of style and elegance.
Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 Because this new Reverso is intended to be a bridge between past and present, Jaeger-LeCoultre has decided to create two Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 in steel and in pink gold, featuring a black or white dial with dagger-shaped hands and baton-type hour-markers directly inspired by the original Reverso. The spirit of 1931 in contemporary dimensions, and all the Art Deco charm of the first Reversos interpreted in today’s language.
adornment. Master engravers will forever immortalize your magic moments and celebrate the power of your intimacy. This year, the famous English letters and Art Deco will be complemented by new typefaces that provide initials with either the ultimate modern edge or classical elegance… and why not use a bit of colour while we’re at it? One can go much further and choose a particular design, emblem or insignia. Or how about designing a map of a region, or a country, or even personalizing a watch in the most scientific way possible by reproducing a fingerprint in the metal? The Reverso lends itself to all manner of whims and fancies. In the setting workshop, should one wish to make the back of the watch sparkle like a diamond, the most beautiful jeweller’s motifs reflect everyone’s desires. Dressed like this, the Reverso becomes completely unique, like the person on whose wrist it sits. Enamelling is the pinnacle of personalisation and makes it possible for any dream to become a reality, be it the realisation of an enamelled portrait or reproduction of a famous painting. Initials, a lucky number, a symbol or a fabulous design, each personalised Reverso becomes a unique watch, and above all, a piece of oneself to carry, to give or to transfer… so that the emotion of today remains the emotion of tomorrow…
Elegant, rich in color and strong sensations, polo has not always been the prestigious sport that it is today. According to some, it was born jointly on the steppes of central Asia and Persia, more than 2000 years ago, and the first players were nomad warriors. Highly useful for training riders in equestrian combat, something that started as a simple military exercise became a sport some 600 years before our era thanks to a meeting “for fun” between Persians and Turkomans, fought out in front of spectators. It was the Mongolian hordes who subsequently introduced polo in India as fast as they invaded.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s star polo ambassadors No watch can claim to be closer to the world of polo than Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso. It was designed in 1931 at the request of British players in the Indian Army, who had had enough of having their watches shattered during their games. The famous reversible case was invented to protect the dial and the glass, exposing the metal back to possible shocks. The one and only truly polo watch in the world, the Reverso became the first watch to be dedicated to a hobby, sacrificing neither elegance to efficiency, nor vice versa. Along with saluting its 80th anniversary by introducing new Reversos, it goes without saying that the Manufacture has asked several of its ambassadors, all polo stars, to join in celebrating this event. PQ | 139
Adolfo Cambiaso is one of these for 4 years. Adolfo wears a Squadra Hometime Reverso, engraved with an Argentinian flag: “the date of the creation of this watch in 1931 is proof of the legitimacy of the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand in my favourite sport. The Reverso is an icon, but it has also been my faithful companion for the past three years.” Eduardo Novillo Astrada, started playing polo at the age of six on his grandfather’s farm, attracted by the world of horses: “the horse is the most incredible animal that exists and polo ponies are capable of doing practically anything we ask them to”. His watch? A 140 | PQ
ceramic Reverso Squadra, the first of its kind, without which Eduardo confesses that he would always be late! “For me, this watch is synonymous with polo. No other watch is so intrinsically associated with polo as the Reverso”. At just 23 years old, the young Argentinian Lia Salvo is already a well-known player, following in the footsteps of her father and uncle, both well-known polo champions. Beginning her horseriding career at four years old, and with her first gallops on a polo field at 11, Lia had little choice but to become a professional champion in her turn, playing in ladies and mixed
tournaments in Argentina, South America and the United States, but also in Asia and Europe. A charming ambassador for Jaeger-LeCoultre…
Duetto: “This Reverso does whatever I want: I can play a tough game of polo with it and the same evening, keep it on my wrist to go out to dinner.”
Jaeger-LeCoultre also asked a British polo champion, Clare Milford Haven, to become a brand ambassador. A member of the Cowdray Park Polo Club, the very aristocratic Clare Milford Haven has won innumerable ladies competitions all over the globe: Europe, America, India, South Africa… Captain of the Jaeger-LeCoultre team, today, Claire is also a journalist and carries proof of her double passion by wearing a Reverso with two dials – the Squadra Lady PQ | 141
Spring Beauty Pages 2011
Beauty News
Looking good off the field By Karen Davis. Spring is here and it’s time to bring our beauty bags up to date with the newest of 2011’s offerings. We focus on bringing our skin back into glowing condition and choosing some of the most delicious products to help us get back to our beauty best.
Tweezerman in the garden slant tweezers Tweezerman’s limited edition mini Slant Tweezers are perfect for brow shaping on the move. Choose from beautiful Bumble Bee, dreamy Dragonfly or the lovely Ladybug Mini Slant to accompany you on your spring jaunts, keeping you looking brow perfect through the lengthening lazy days! Stockist: www.tweezerman.co.uk Price: £14.50
Yves Saint Laurent Pure Chromatics eye palette These gorgeous new eye palettes are one of my spring “must haves”. Each shade can be used dry or mixed with water for an intense colour, which is in part due to the high quality pigment used. Experiment with dry colour for softer shades and with water to give intensity and a metallic finish. £37.00 in six different shades Stockist: www.selfridges.com
Diorshow Extase Mascara No eye make up is complete without great mascara and this is my current favourite. A fuller brush than many, this mascara offers volume and conditioning as well as great coverage. For me, no clumps, Black Pearl pigment, easy to apply and easy to remove makes this a spring essential. Price: £22.00 Stockist: 0207 2160216
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Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder This bronzer is, in my opinion, one of the best on the market. There’s no “one shade sits all” with 8 shades to choose from. The powder contains active moisturisers so as the day wears on it doesn’t become dry and chalky looking but allows you to retain your glow and a sheer looking tan. Price: £33.00 Stockist: www.johnlewis.com
Three of the Best - Serums As winter fades skin often needs brightening to get rid of dull skin and bring in a delicious early summer glow. Here’s our pick of the newest facial serums to get your skin glowing:
Wonder Serum This non-greasy serum brings freshness and brightness to dull complexions and is enriched with anti-oxidants and vitamin C to create skin vitality. Vitamin C helps rejuvenate the skin whilst Pomegranate extract is a powerful antioxidant which smoothes the skin creating a “lifting” effect. The Guarana extract offers vitality and additional skin tone creating a tauter, more toned effect. Happy Cosmetics Wonder Serum 30ml Price: £69.95 Stockist: www.beautywall.co.uk
AR457 LYF Metaserum If you want a wonder product this is it! It’s been used by Kylie and Colin Firth and is frequently called “beauty sleep in a bottle” by top make up artists because that’s exactly how it makes your skin look after use. Argan Oil is the key ingredient and AR457 extract it from the purest source, leaving as much efficacy in the oil as possible, mixing this with the latest innovations in beauty to create this perfect serum. Ar457 Elixir Metaserum [lyf] 30ml Price: £61.80 Stockist: www.lookfantastic.com
Mary Kay Timewise Serum +C If you love Boots’ Protect and Perfect prepare for another surprise. Voted as one of the USA’s favourite serums, Mary Kay has been going for almost 50 years and has an incredible research team that keep coming up with great products. This serum comes in four separate vials to keep it fresh, each meant to last one week and is packed with Pomegranate, Cherry and Blackcurrant for Vitamin C plus Argan Oil for moisture. Mary Kay Timewise Serum +C Price: £41.00 Stockist: www.marykay.co.uk
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Men Only Fragrances - Spring
Daniel Vaudd, Cosmetic Scientist and bespoke Perfumier has selected the following fragrances for the season: Spring – the season of new and reawakened love. I would always suggest a fragrance that truly kindles this moment.
Pour Femme DANIEL VAUDD RADIANTLY ROMANTIC “Perhaps biased of me, Radiantly Romantic is the latest fragrance that I have created. Inspired by history’s greatest romance – that of Queen Cleopatra and Mark Anthony, it captures the radiance of the Egyptian sun and Cleopatra’s love affair with Rome. Egyptian Jasmine Absolute, Rose Absolute and Orange Blossom Absolute form the core of the heart notes; each flower is hand picked and through the labour-intensive process of effleurage, is then place onto a chassis as the scent is allowed to diffuse into a waxy substrate over the course of 2-3 days. These absolutes are sensual, soft and evoke the strength of Cleopatra’s passion.”
Pour Homme Creed 2007 Virgin Island Water This spring, I would suggest Creed’s 2007 VIRGIN ISLAND WATER. Fresh citrus top notes mixed with exotic Coconut. With a heart filled with sensual Jasmine and a base fixed with White Rum, this unisex fragrance delivers the soul of the Caribbean; passion and colour sublimated by ocean freshness. Notes of Ginger and Hibiscus bring a modern, a la mode masculine strength, which makes this fragrance distinctive and refined on the skin. Price: £135.00 Size: 75ml Stockist: www.harrods.com
Price: £54.00 Size: 50ml Stockist: www.danielvaudd.com
Zwilling Grooming Kit This beautiful Zwilling manicure set is one of this summer’s male travel essentials. Whilst your hands may not be the hardest working, the precision engineering of these German machined tools means that pampering will be irresistible, but just remember to put in your case, not in your hand luggage or you won’t see it again! TWINOX Emblem 9 Piece Manicure Set Price: £319 Stockist: Fortnum and Mason www.fortnumandmason.com 020 7734 8040
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Nicci Bethell Jewellery introduces the stunning new collection. Nicci has gathered her inspiration for her pieces from a combination of nature, colours and patterns, people and places, in particular the South of France, to produce elegant and wearable pieces. From the gold ring with crawling ants from beneath, to her popular droplets bracelet, Nicci manages to combine classic design with a fashionable and up to date twist that never fails to look exquisite. Key pieces of her past collection include the “Honeybee” necklace, a beautiful cuff bracelet and ornate earrings. Being surrounded by the world of polo Nicci also has a collection that takes inspiration from the sport- her cufflinks and bracelets featuring polo mallets and ponies are popular amongst the polo set. Nicci works with all materials and uses stones from all over the world- from Tahitian pearls to Australian Opals. Amongst the exciting projects she has recently been involved in, Nicci was commissioned to create stunning
metal invites for the book launch of the Blue Bird Seven Decades at Sea, featured in the Tatler magazine. The invites were the talk of the town. WildAid has also commissioned Nicci to produce the stunning Tigris necklace, to celebrate the beauty of the Tiger and raise funds to help prevent the extinction of the Tiger. The necklace is available in 18 Carat gold and silver. Also adding to her experience, she has been involved in creating beautiful Haute Couture designs for Kathy Cusack. These artistic, elegant pieces were created using leather, large semi-precious stones, antique lace and other precious materials. Nicci Bethell Jewellery is available at Sloane’s Boutique, New Street House, New Street, Petworth, West/Sussex. For further information, please visit www.niccibethelljewellery.co.uk or email nicci@niccibethelljewellery.co.uk
María de los Reyes Eduardo Costa 1934 Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina www.mariadelosreyes.com.ar +54 (9) 11 (15) 6968 9191 +54 11 4792 0924
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Travel - Dubai Wonderland
Where dreams come true By Federica Marocci - Photos by Ana Clara Cozzi.
View of The Souk Al Bahar and the Dubai Fountain
From the plane, after hundreds of miles of desert and sand dunes, the high towers on the horizon announce our arrival in Dubai, the city located at cross-roads of Asia, Europe and Africa. The opulence and richness of the decorations and the shops at the international airport reflect and anticipate the famous ‘Dubai lifestyle’, the traditions of the east and the comforts of the west. Long established as the trading and commercial hub of the Middle East, the emirate combines the excitement of a bustling commercial centre with the wide open spaces of a luxurious resort. The city is clean and safe, the apartments and villas are modern and spacious, the climate is pleasant for most of the year and the hotels offer the highest standards of comfort and luxury. There are many clubs and bars in Dubai, a special attention is dedicated to the quality of the cuisine and food. In the Dubai Marine Resort, at ShoCho restaurant you can taste one of the best Japanese food in the city, drink amazing cocktails and listen to lounge and house music played by renowned international DJs. You try a different experience to visit or stay in the Atlantis The Palm, Dubai Hotel, in the underwater wonderland, where you feel like to be immersed in a 146 | PQ
The Address Downtown Dubai Hotel
The Abu Dhabi Palace Hotel Atlantis The Palm Hotel
The Burj Khalifa
big aquarium, surrounded by thousands of species of the warm Arabian seas. Inside the building, over the many water activities, shops and bars you can find some delicious restaurants such as Nobu or the Italian Locatelli. This luxury resort is located on the Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, an artificial island shaped like palm trees, just off the coast of Jumeirah. PQ | 147
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
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The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
If you want to try the feeling of touching the sky you can go up to the 124th floor to Burj Khalif, the world’s tallest building (828 metres). In front of the magic sculptural fountain, your vertical ascent to the observation deck in a high-speed elevator begins. As the doors open, floor-to-ceiling glass walls provide a breathtaking illimitated 360-degree view of the city. By night, sparkling lights and stars attract your attention. Inside the building you can sleep in the elegant and exclusive Armani Hotel with its sophisticated restaurants: the Armani Ashi (Japanese) or the Amal (Indian cousine). If you have dinner with the best skyscreeper view you can reserve a table at AT.mosphere situated 442 metres above the ground. The legendary Hotel Burj Al Arab is the most photographed structure in the world, and voted as the most luxurious hotel in the world. Soumptous suite, a Roll’s Royce fleet, luxury Spa & health club, private beach, huge pools, private shoppers, helicopter transfers, dining under the sea and stars; in a word the ultimate delight in the details, the gold plated opulence: this is the ‘Burj Al Arab syle’. Dubai is the true shoppers' paradise. The shopping malls, where you can find anything you could possibly wish for, are the best known and popular in ‘The mall of Emirates’, for example, you can go shopping in the famous Fashion Shop Designer, where you can find the best technology, precious jewellery, furniture. You can also ski in the Ski Dubai, the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East ,which offers an amazing snow setting to enjoy skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing, or just playing in the snow.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque PQ | 149
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Acuarium at the Dubai Mall
Now the newest and biggest is The Dubai Mall, inside the Burj Khalif, where you find everything you desire, from an Andy Warhols’ opera to a football billiard studded with diamonds or traditional exotic spices like in a ‘souk’. You can't miss the adventure of tackling the Arabian desert. Safaris, dune and sand skiing from the high dunes is the latest desert sport. And at the end of the day, a romantic moonlit Arabian barbecue in the desert.
The Dubai Mall
Abu Dhabi Ferrari World PQ | 151
Dubai has emerged as the undisputed sport capital of the Middle East. Among the many top class events held in the emirate there are UIM Class One Powerboat World Championships, the Desert Classic PGA Golf Tournament, ATP Dubai Tennis Open. A lot of exclusive Golf Club can be found here: Dubai Creek Golf Club, Arabian Ranches, Emirates Golf Club, and more. The ancient Arabic tradition about the horse is celebrated with the Dubai World Cup horse race and with the few prestigious Polo Clubs and tournaments
as the Dubai Polo Gold Cup in the Polo and Equestrian Club and the Cartier Polo Cup, who take place in the Dubai Desert Palm Polo Club. If you still want to dream, about 4 km off the Dubai coastline there is the ‘Dubai world islands’. The World archipelago consists of 300 artificials islands that have been constructed in the shape of the earth and the different countries of the world. So, now anyone who has $250 million to spend on an island can purchase a country of his choice and become its own sovereign state.
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Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi PQ | 153
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Travel - Kingdom of Thailand
Thailand,
warm and charming land Text and Photos by Ana Clara Cozzi.
The Grand Palace Temple (Bangkok) PQ | 155
Buddhist Temple dogs (Chiang Mai) 156 | PQ
Details of the White Temple (Chiang Rai) White Temple or Wat Rong Khun (Chiang Rai) Details of the White Temple (Chiang Rai)
Despite a very long journey to arrive at this destination, Thailand is one of the jewells of South East Asia. A typical postcard would show scenes of temples, old ruins, smiling people, the ubiquitos Thai massage and of course the amazing beaches. From the capital Bangkok the travel links are excellent, and the scenery varies from tropical forests, to huge rice plantations, to mountains and some of the most stunning beaches in the world. The gateway to Thailand is through the very modern Suvarnabhumi airport on the outskirts of Bangkok. Approaching the city centre the huge skyscrapers dominate the skyline, complemented by the Sky Train metro system. As a juxtaposition, parts of the city continue unchanged as they have for hundreds of years, PQ | 157
The Grand Palace Temple (Bangkok) with colourful markets, glittering temples and kind people. Despite not being colonized by the UK, in Thailand all traffic drives on the left. If renting a car, extra care must be taken as the streets and roads are occupied by all manner of vehicles; cars, motorbikes, motorised vending stalls, non-airconditioned buses, taxis, and of course the famous and plentiful Tuk Tuks. In Bangkok, wáter taxis are abundant, navigating the Chao Phraya and its offshoot canals, popular tourist routes. The Grand Palace in Bangkok is unmissable. Originally the Royal residence, the grounds include a host of unique temples in a style that isn’t seen anywhere else in the country. Wat Arun, (“Wat” meaning “Temple” in the Thai language) is a well known Buddhist temple that features on the national currency. The temple is festooned with porcelain figurines and a must see is the tower – which offers a fantastic view for those who do not suffer from vertigo! 158 | PQ
Chao Phraya river (Bangkok)
Pattaya Other worthwhile attractions include Chinatown, The Royal Barges National Museum and Jim Thompson’s house. Thompson was an American who settled in Thailand after the 2nd World War and resurrected the Thai silk industry. His house was made from Teak, known for its longeivity. Teak is now tightly controlled due to indiscriminate logging. In addition, the Chatuchak markets, the Siam comercial zone and at the opposite end of the spectrum, the true backpackers home, Khao San road, are worth a look. Bangkok’s nightlife features boat restaurants, offering a unique dining experience on the Chao Phraya, gogo bars, luxury nightclubs and all kinds of alternative experiences for when the sun goes down. Bangkok is one of the nightlife capitals of the world; visit Plaza Nana, Patpong, Sukhumvit and Khao San roads. Away from the capital, these locations are must-sees:
Ayutthaya This used to be the capital and lies around 80km from Bangkok, the ruins of which have been classified as a UNESCO world heritage site. Destroyed by an invasion in 1767, it was the comercial hub for 400 years prior.
Pattaya is within reach of Bangkok as it is only 160km and the roads are excellent. Pattaya is all about beaches and nightlife and attracts multitudes of tourists as one of the principal destinations, yet was just a small fishing village not that long ago. The main beaches are very popular despite being very narrow, and offer a base from which to visit local islands such as Koh Lam, Koh Phai and a little further away, Koh Rin (“Koh” meaning “Island”in the Thai language). Aside from beaches, Pattaya offers golf courses, Polo at the Thai Polo and Equestrian Club near Chon Buri, as well as a zoo, water parks and elephant reserves.
Beaches Thailand has a plethora of beaches and islands. Phuket is one of the most famous. For those who want to relax, there is a huge choce of resorts with prívate beaches and superb facilities. The more curious traveller can rent a car or a motorbike and explore the area and visit the array of beaches – Kata, Kammala, Karon, Rawai, Surin and Nai Yang, among others. From Phuket travellers can make the crossing to the Phi Phi islands, which offer quaint, rustic lodges and
Phuket, Cape Panwa Beach
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Karen (jiraffe neck) Tribes in the north of thailand Akha, hill tribes in the north of thailand
Karen
The train offers an extremely simple services (from economy to first class) but always with a smile and typical thai hospitality throughout the 12 hour journey. Chiang Mai is one of the few places in Thailand where travellers can enjoy both the tradiotnal and modern sides of Thai culture, from ancient monasteries to modern shopping malls and Boutique hotels. The city is a good base from which to visit the mountain tribes; Akha, Hmong, Lisu and Karen – most famously known as the “giraffe neck” women. Suported by government initiatives, the tribeswomen make handicrafts to sell to tourists.
white sandy beaches. Koh Samui is a haven for waterpsorts – diving, windsurfing and wakeboarding. Thai massages are avilable on practically every beach - in most cases it isnt even necessary to leave the deck chair.
North of Bangkok is another tourist hot spot:
Chiang Mai Around 800km from Bangkok, it is easily accesible via the extensive domestic flight network, or for those who prefer to see the change in topography from the ground, there is a train service from Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station, where attendants are on hand to assist passengers on their way. 160 | PQ
The forests can be explored on foot, by river in balsa wood canoes, or on the back of an elephant. For those who want to get to know the northern limits of the country, excursions leave Chiang Mai to the Mekong river, made so famous in films and novels, on the border wih Laos and Myanmar. At night, Chiang Mai has a night market, selling a wide array of regional handicrafts, as well as extensive modern shops. The cultivation and production of orchids, seen all over the country, is because Thailand is second only to Japan as one of the worlds largest suppliers of orchids to the global market. There is a constant quest to improve standards and output.
Details of the Thai temples
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Elephant camps Hill tribe villages
As regards souvenirs, the typical gifts from Thailand are silk products. You can visit any of the many silk shops and even see the silk worm from the beginning of its life cycle till the finished product. Besides, you will find hand painted umbrellas, good silver jewellery, wood carving sculptures and bamboo hand made items. Buddhist temples can be seen all over the country as well as Buda sculptures in every size, material and position. Some 95% of the inhabitants are Buddhists, and it is common to find monks in the markets, along the streets and in the temples. Many of these monks are very young since it is common for young people once (they reach a certain age) to become a monk as a king of life philosophy. These monks usually remain in a temple for a period of time and then go out to profess; many of them profess just for some months and others do it for their whole life.
Hill tribe villages
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Thailand has a tropical climate with high temperature during March, April and July. It is the recommended to travel there from November till February, since the period July-October is usually very rainy.
Dwarf Poinciana
Variety of flowers
Bougainvillea
Cactus trees
Fruit ( Banana, Ranbutan, Dragon fruit, Mangosteens, Mango, orange) Variety of snails
The silkworm lifecycle Variety of snails
Variety of snails
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