December 2021 Polo Players' Edition- Polo Scene

N E W S • N O T E S • T R E N D S • Q U O T E S

RACING TO POLO

Two Polo Entries Crowned Subhead Champion at TB Makeover

Mike Groubert and That’s My Bertie were the 2020 champions in the polo division.

©Canter Clix

MAKING UP for lost time, the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover was back bigger and better than ever after COVID-19 forced a postponement of the 2020 edition. Taking place at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, Oct. 12-17, both 2020 and 2021 competitions were held, with champions crowned for each year.

Competitors, 12 years or older, choose an off-the-track Thoroughbred to train in one of 10 disciplines. Trainers can register as a professional, junior or amateur. Horses must have raced on or after July 1 of the previous year. Training for the horse’s second career cannot begin before Dec. 1 of the previous year other than up to 15 allowable rides or training sessions, introducing discipline-specific skills. Over $100,000 in prize money is offered in the competition, with a champion crowned in each discipline. The 10 champions compete for the overall Thoroughbred Makeover champion.

In the polo competition, four horses were initially entered for the 2020 edition, including Sara Kolenda’s Barwin; Willowbrook Polo’s That’s My Bertie; John Van Schaick’s Avabella; and Courtney Asdourian’s Quiet Dillon. In the end, Avabella was withdrawn and Quiet Dillon was sold prior to the competition, leaving just two. The win went to Willowbrook Polo’s That’s My Bertie (Baptistry - Fat Cat Bertie, by Tactical Cat), a 4-year-old Ohio-bred dark bay mare, trained by Mike and Andrea Groubert. The mare also was named Top Team horse. “This is our second year at the RRP Thoroughbred Makeover as a team, but we produce our horses together at home,” said Mike Groubert. “It’s a good feeling to finally win it!”

Lindsey Partridge’s gray Kentucky-bred mare, Thunderous Affair was the overall 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover Champion. The pair competed in both freestyle and competitive trail.

Willowbrook Polo also had two of the seven entries in the 2021 edition: Flugel Binder and Honest Gal. Other entries were Benjamin Lynch’s Ramses; Graci Brush’s Whateverusaydear, Lori Summers’ Hot Wine; Mary Wright’s Family Ties; and Miguel Questel’s Oxbow Flows.

Benjamin Lynch and Ramses won the 2021 championship in the polo division.

©Canter Clix

Entries were tested in both short work and stick and ball, with the top scoring horses advancing to a two-part final performance. Lynch’s Ramses (Pioneer of the Nile - Dancing House, by Tapit) received the highest score to take the polo division championship. Bred by Godolphin in Kentucky, the 3-year-old bay gelding also was named Best Conditioned and Lynch was named Top Amateur.

A University of Kentucky graduate, Lynch was pleased with the gelding’s performance. “It’s been a great time having him. He’s a really easytempered horse,” he said. “It was wonderful for Godolphin to give him to me, and he was actually bred at Stonerside Farm where I work.”

Donna Verrilli’s grey Maryland-bred gelding Forthegreatergood, ridden by Laura Sloan, was the overall 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover Champion. The pair competed in field hunters.

OLD IS NEW AGAIN

Magazine Revamp to Debut in 2022

Gwen Rizzo will continue on as Polo editor & publisher.

AFTER 25 YEARS, Polo Players’ Edition is returning to its roots, taking its original title, Polo. It is also undergoing a major redesign and changing its frequency. The new-and-improved magazine will debut in 2022.

The longest running polo publication worldwide in the history of the sport, it is distributed in 17 countries and, as the official publication of the USPA, it goes to every member, as well as other fans throughout the world. It is available in both print and digital editions.

What makes the magazine unique is that, by-and-large, the stories are written by horsemen and polo players. Rather than focusing only on the glitz and glamour associated with just a very small segment of the sport, it covers all aspects of the sport from low goal to high goal. It has been listed as one of the top member benefits in several USPA surveys.

In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, the magazine will go from being published monthly to bi-monthly, with its first issue debuting in February. The magazine will include more pages and, though the design will be updated, we will continue to chronicle tournament victories, as well as include useful articles on horse care, field care, youth polo, polo news and how-to articles and in-depth articles on major events, players, clubs and more.

Polo magazine launched in May 1975 by Ami Shinitzky. In March 1995, he was looking to move on so he hired Peter Rizzo as associate publisher and Gwen Rizzo as editor-at-large and schooled them in publishing a magazine. Peter Rizzo had been a contributor dating back to the first issues when he was attending George Washington University. In November 1995, Peter took over as editor and publisher.

Shinitzky’s involvement with the magazine came to an end in 1997 when John Goodman’s Westchester Media bought the rights to Polo. Under Westchester Media, Polo was transformed from a magazine for polo insiders into an upscale lifestyle magazine with only a garnish of polo—less for the people on horseback as for the people under big hats in the stands. Polo in its new form was published from October 1997 until October 1999, when, after lengthy court battles with Polo Ralph Lauren, it closed its doors.

While Polo became the lifestyle magazine, a monthly players’ edition carried the torch from Shinitzky’s original magazine. The first issue of Polo Players’ Edition was printed in September 1997, with Peter as publisher and Gwen as editor. Gwen was promoted to editor and associate publisher in August 2002 and finally to editor and publisher in June 2004.

In 2012, USPA purchased the naming rights to Polo and Polo Players’ Edition from Westchester Media, with Gwen Rizzo publishing it as an independent contractor.

Polo will now be part of the USPA’s Communications Department to closer align its coverage and consistency. Gwen Rizzo will continue as editor & publisher.

The USPA is also working on a searchable digital archive of all issues of Polo and Polo Players Edition that will be available to all members in the near future.

A MASTERPIECE

Historic Polo Field Returns to the Players

Oak Brook Polo Club will return to its original Cecil Smith Field next summer.

THE OAK BROOK POLO CLUB in Oak Brook, Illinois, recently announce it has entered into a longterm agreement with the Village of Oak Brook to move and host polo operations and competition on the Cecil Smith Field (Field No. 2) beginning summer 2022, which marks its 100th season.

Located on Butler National Golf Club’s practice golf range, the field is widely known in the sport as a historic and beautiful space. Polo club founder Paul Butler called the field a masterpiece in a 1962 Sports Illustrated article. Some of the sport’s most legendary and best players have competed on this storied pitch. Tucked away on The Village of Oak Brook’s Sports Core property, the field is the highest point in Oak Brook and is lined with large oak trees older than the field itself.

During the height of the recession in 2009, the club struggled to find an organizer and as a result, the Village agreed to allow target golf greens to be installed on the field. This forced polo to be played on the Prince Wales of field (Field No. 1), which also operates as the Oak Brook Golf Club’s practice range. Even when an organizer returned in 2010, nothing changed.

In the early 1990s, the polo community demoted Field No. 1 to a practice field due to flooding and costly repairs as a result. The conditions greatly affected polo for the next 12 years from an unsafe and unrepairable field to numerous canceled matches and seasons.

“The future of polo in Oak Brook greatly depended on the club’s move to Cecil Smith,” explained club President Jim Drury. “Polo now has a brighter future on and off the field as we continue to work on returning our club to its original glory while ushering in a new generation of fans, players and new ideas. And what greater time for this to occur than on the eve of Oak Brook Polo Club’s 100th Anniversary. Village founder Paul Butler would be thrilled and overjoyed to see polo return to its ‘masterpiece field’ and original home for Sunday polo festivities.”

Oak Brook Polo was privatized from the Village of Oak Brook in 2016 and is led and supported by Drury, whose passion and ongoing commitment to polo is what has kept the sport alive in Chicagoland for so long. It is one of the nation’s oldest polo clubs in operation today and the fourth oldest sports property in Chicago.

With many iterations over the years, the first season dates back to 1922 when polo visionary Paul Butler first established the Oak Brook Polo Club. He expanded his polo operation to 14 fields, plus built the necessary stables to serve visiting teams. Eventually, Oak Brook became one of the polo capitals of the world with Butler’s son, famed producer Michael Butler, and daughter, philanthropist Jorie Butler Kent, acting as the club’s stewards through the years. The summer seasons were not only the stomping ground for celebrities and notables alike for decades, but also the destination for American polo players and enthusiasts. Oak Brook was often referred to as “The Town That Polo Built.”

CORRECTION

In our story on the Westchester Cup in our last issue we incorrectly wrote Pelon Escapite’s family is from Argentina. His family is from Mexico. We regret the error.

HOSPITAL HELP

Aspen Valley Polo Club Raises $500k for Local Foundation

Guest auctioneer John Sarpa and Hospital Foundation President and CEO Deborah Breen.

©Nick Tininenko for Chukker TV

AFTER A YEAR’S hiatus because of the pandemic, the Summer Polo Benefit at Aspen Valley Polo Club raised more than $500,000 for the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation.

The club’s summer marquis event, hosted by owners Marc and Melissa Ganzi and Aspen Valley Hospital, held the capacity to 200 VIP attendees adhering to COVID safety precautions, but still managed to raise the second highest total since the event was created in 2016.

“That was kind of a surprise,” said Deborah Breen, Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation president and CEO. “At one point when we were planning this early-on I was thinking, let’s not lose money. We didn’t know how many people we were going to be able accommodate or how many people would be willing to come to an event while we were still grappling with COVID and still are.

“We were just delighted that people stepped up in such a big way and helped out,” Breen continued. “As per usual the players just jumped in, in a great way. Nacho Figueras was great. He auctioned himself off three times and brought in $60,000 alone. Nic Roldan also did a package where he offered to do a private lesson for up to six and a champagne picnic with them. They were just great.

“We had a couple of trips that sold, including a trip to Bordeaux (France), that was the top auction item and sold for over $16,000. We had some other great packages from a lot of businesses. The community really stepped up to support some great sponsors, including Gucci and Lugano Diamonds. It was just a really great community event.”

Guest auctioneer John Sarpa, chair of the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation board of directors, served as emcee.

The fun, day-long event was held Aug. 22 during the finals of the Rocky Mountain Open, won by Casablanca (Marc Ganzi, Grant Ganzi, Gonzalito Pieres, Torito Ruiz), and Carbondale Classic, won by White Claw (Waqqas al-Siddiq, Vinny Sangaline, Gonzalito Pieres, Nacho Badiola).

It was a winning combination of polo, sponsors, donors and live auction between matches raising much-needed funding for hospital projects.

Alpine Bank and Vectra Bank were the event’s top two sponsors. Martin Engineering, Crown Chocolate, The Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute and Lugano Diamonds were major supporters. Several other businesses and individuals provided special underwriting support.

Guests in the field side VIP tent enjoyed a lavish menu prepared with white-glove service and impeccable attention to detail by Caribou Catering.

The Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation, now in its ninth year after being formed in 2012, is a non-profit solely focused on encouraging philanthropic support for the current and future needs of Aspen Valley Hospital. Breen was named the foundation’s first president in January 2013 after working in the philanthropic field for 17 years.

“It just continues to grow and gain traction, and we are thrilled to be a part of it and honored to be working with the Ganzis,” Breen said. “They always go above and beyond. They are so gracious and welcoming.”

Five years ago Breen and Event Chair Melissa Ganzi decided to turn the Community Day, celebrating its anniversary, into something special with a “build it, they will come” mentality.

—Sharon Robb

GROUNDBREAKING

Work to Ride Arena to be Completed by 2023

A rendering of the new Work to Ride equestrian arena that is slated to be completed by 2023.

RECENTLY, Work to Ride, a nonprofit organization that provides horsemanship education and equine sports training to youth from under-resourced communities, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony and launched the public phase of its $8 million capital campaign to renovate The Chamounix Equestrian Center in Fairmount Park. The organization announced that it has already raised over $5.4 million for the project, which will update its existing outdoor riding arena and create an indoor equestrian arena for local, regional and national equestrian events. .

Lezlie Hiner, WTR founder & executive director, told event attendees, “The Work to Ride barn has been a home away from home for young people from nearby dense urban communities for nearly 30 years. They have learned to ride, worked hard for the privilege, and have opened up amazing new possibilities for their lives.” She continued, “The proposed indoor arena and renovations will allow us to expand our program to reach even more young people who can benefit from the experience.”

Kareem Rosser, a board member and alumnus of Work to Ride told guests, “This program is absolutely life-changing. Students who participate not only grow as athletes but develop life skills and lessons that follow them into adulthood.” Now a financial analyst, Rosser participated in Work to Ride as a young boy and used the skills he acquired to become 2015 Polo Training Foundation Male Intercollegiate Polo Player of the Year. He tells the story of his remarkable polo journey in his recently published memoir, “Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport that Changed Their Lives Forever.”

Rosser shared the WTR board’s vision for the program. “Beyond serving the youth of Philadelphia, our dream is that our demonstration program will inspire others to provide similar offerings so that one day every city will have its own Work to Ride program.”

The McCausland Foundation is one of several leadership donors to the project. Peter Ernst, president & CEO of the McCausland Foundation said, “The McCausland family has been honored to support the Work to Ride program since 2017. We were delighted to hear of the plans for the new facility and the ways that this campaign will enable many more children to experience the benefits of Work to Ride for years to come. Congratulations.”

WTR is one of only a handful of programs throughout the country that use equine sports to improve the life prospects and outcomes of urban youth. Recent success stories include 2016 graduate Shariah Harris, who received a scholarship to Cornell University and in 2017, became the first African American female to play 20-goal polo; and Daymar Rosser, who with his teammates at Roger Williams University, won the 2017 USPA National Intercollegiate Polo Championship.

Founded in 1994, WTR has impacted the lives of hundreds of kids through its year-round, evidenceinformed, equestrian programs that promote discipline, self-esteem, motivation, social development, life skills, academic achievement and physical fitness. Student participants work to clean and maintain the stables and care for the horses in exchange for lessons in various equine sports, of which polo is a perennial favorite. Three WTR players made history by becoming the first all-Black team to win the National Interscholastic Polo Championship in 2011. To donate go to: worktoride.net.

BRAY BABY

Congratulations to Hayley and Jesse Bray, who welcomed their first child, Dorothy Lily, on Oct. 19, in Santa Barbara, California. She weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 19.5 inches long.

Mom Hayley is USPA player development program manager, while dad Jesse is a professional 6-goal player.

Grandparents on each side, both polo families, are thrilled with the new bundle of joy.

FAMINE TO FEAST

WrightWay Polo instructor Elizabeth Holson checks out field conditions at Cerro Pampa Polo Club after 9 inches of rain.

For the past three years, Cerro Pampa Polo Club in Petaluma, California, has been dealing with drought conditions, requiring water to be trucked in to irrigate the polo field. That all changed on Oct. 24 when 9 inches of rain fell, turning the field into a lake. Despite having to cancel the last weekend of polo for the season, the rain was most welcome after three years of drought.

CLUB CANCELS SEASON

Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, recently announced via email to its players and members that it entered into a long-term lease with Coachella Music Festival, the company that puts on the Coachella and Stagecoach Music Festivals, effective Nov. 1. After almost 40 years, the club, which had a full schedule of leagues planned for this winter, will close its doors effective immediately. Sadly, the club’s 16 grass polo fields will no longer be used for polo. The club also includes an arena, three exercise tracks and stabling and turnout for hundreds of horses.