Finest on the field by Jewel Connelly

Finest on the Field

The sport’s talented four-legged athletes

Photos by David Lominska/Polographics.com

Most players will tell you how important their horses are to them, and even the best players in the sport can name one or two horses that stand out or helped them move up the handicap ladder. Some count on a particular horse for its bursts of speed and athleticism, while others may admire one that may not be the fastest but is the most consistent.

USPA Communications Coordinator Jewel Connelly spoke with several players to ask them about some of their top ponies. Over the next few issues, we will highlight some of the sport’s top equine athletes.

Jasmine

Owned by Luis Escobar

Seeing Luis Escobar through both countless victories and a serious polo injury in 2015, 17-yearold Jasmine’s (King’s Gent x Julia) unwavering consistency on the field has created an unbreakable bond unrivaled by any other horse in Escobar’s string. After his top mare Julia sustained an injury and entered retirement, Escobar decided to continue her legacy as a broodmare, resulting in Jasmine and her full sister Julieta.

Born at C-Spear Ranch in Sheridan, Wyoming, Jasmine was trained by former player and renowned American breeder and trainer Julie Boyle, after she had some slow chukkers she returned to Escobar as a 3-year-old to start her budding polo career. Escobar finished her off and she has proven to be a champion. Just like her mother, Jasmine’s longevity in the sport has earned Escobar’s unconditional trust, the pair playing together in tournaments across the United States for over a decade.

Receiving many Best Playing Pony blankets throughout her career in high, medium and low goal, Jasmine’s enduring achievements at the highest level and quick recovery rate were most recently recognized as the 2019 Wembley Award recipient. The award honors horses that have shown greatness and longevity throughout a career in high-goal polo.

Jasmine’s full sister Julieta was sold to 10-goaler Facundo Pieres. Escobar says she is now with Valiente and in 2018 won Best Playing Pony with Adolfo Cambiaso’s young son, Poroto Cambiaso.

Did you always know Jasmine was going to be a champion?

Even when she was really young, she was always easy, gentle and noble. Her mother and sister were the same. I knew she was good and she would be a strong addition to my string, but I think you never really know if you’re sitting on a champion until you’re playing tournaments and until they start winning. As soon as I started competing her I realized just how talented she was and I never wanted to get off her!

What are her strengths on the field?

She has everything; she’s a winner. She has an incredible mouth, good balance and she’s easy and comfortable. She never gets tired and always gives you more than any other horse in the chukker. Also, she always recovers quicker than all the other horses even despite her age. You can feel that maybe she doesn’t have quite the same power as she did when she was younger and in her prime, but she still has that fantastic recovery rate and she’s got an insane work ethic. If you ask her for a little more, she always gives it to you.

She’s consistent and you can always count on her to play well. She’s been there with me and played in

everything I’ve played for the last 12 years. She’s been my best horse ever since she was a 4-year-old and started playing green horse chukkers.

How do you feel when you are riding her?

When I’m on her, I feel like I could conquer the world. When you ride her, the chukker is yours, the game is yours! She gives me the momentum to keep going and she always gives me confidence because I know she will be playing her heart out and will never let me down.

What are some of the most memorable moments with her?

I have so many amazing memories of playing her

Luis Escobar on Jasmine. Always consistent, she’s been Luis’ best horse for the past dozen or so years.

and then one unfortunate one. It was with her that I had an accident four years ago that left me with a brain injury. I was riding her in the 20-goal when we had a crash. Luckily she was fine, got up like nothing had happened and stood by me. I started playing polo a year after and I played her again. This is only my second year back playing high goal and she’s been with me every step of the way.

She was fantastic during the 2019 winter highgoal season in Florida. In the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Polo Championship she entered the field four times and she played amazing and exactly the same in every chukker.

Magoo Laprida on Nike. Powerful and handy, Magoo says Nike is the most complete horse he owns.

She is definitely a second-half horse and I normally bring her out in the fifth or sixth chukker, although sometimes ... she will play a few minutes in three or four different chukkers. Depending on the game or the importance of the game, sometimes I start her in the first or second chukker and then I bring her out again in the second half.

Have you tried to breed her?

I have tried a few times to breed from her, but she couldn’t get pregnant, so we are sending her to a specialist. They’ve actually offered for me to clone her so I’m looking into that at the moment. She is an incredible mare and she’s never had a day off due to injury so I’ve always wanted to breed from her, especially since we lost her mother. She’s the perfect horse to breed from and I think will make a great cloning candidate.

Does she travel the polo circuit with you?

Everywhere I play, she plays, and she has since 2008! She travels all over the U.S. with me, especially in California. I play in Florida in the winter and then in the summer I’m in California. Then I turn her out in South Carolina September through November to rest before I start the circuit again. Last August, I played her in Santa Barbara with Santa Clara in the second two tournaments of the 16-goal season, the America Cup and Pacific

Coast Open. When the season ended she went out for a rest and then came back to play with me in the Gauntlet. She is 17 now so I like to look after her. She has been playing a lot though and she is still going amazing.

Nike

Owned by Magoo Laprida

Selecting a name synonymous with many of the greatest and globally-recognized athletes in the world, Christian “Magoo” Laprida’s choice is especially fitting for Nike, a mare who displays many of the same defining attributes of a professional.

The epitome of athleticism with a sleek yet muscular build, Nike was unleashed on the racetrack as a 3-year-old, raking in over $50,000 in earnings and qualifying for the prestigious Breeder’s Cup. Discovering the dark bay mare’s potential in the heart of Lexington, Kentucky, polo horse trainer Juan Valerdi’s expertise and intuition guided her seamless transition into Laprida’s string, Her natural-born talent hinted at the polo horse she would become.

Sired by Kafwain and out of Western Rush, the now 11-year-old Nike (registered as Lemon Drop Blondes) has only continued to elevate her game with Laprida, as they compete together in high-goal tournaments over the last three years. Trusting Valerdi’s instincts has paid off for the 8-goaler, who debuted Nike at the height of the 2018 English season as a green horse in the Gold and Queen’s Cups with Valiente. Her dedication to the game validated with two Best Playing Pony blankets in the states, Nike’s unwavering ability infuses Laprida with the confidence to ‘just do it.’ Executing many of his best plays for Equuleus, Nike is an undisputed princess in Laprida’s eyes.

How did you acquire Nike?

She was owned by Mike Galvan who previously worked for Crab Orchard, but Juan Valerdi found her in Lexington, Kentucky. Mike [Galvan] always buys Thoroughbreds over the phone just by looking at a picture and that’s how he bought Nike. Juan [Valerdi] was making horses for Mike and told me there was a really nice mare I should see, so he sent me a couple of videos. I was out of the country so I didn’t fly to Kentucky to see her first. Instead I talked to Mike for two or three days because he did not want to sell her. We agreed on a price and I decided to buy her over the phone never having seen her because I trusted Juan. I knew that he was really excited about her and when he’s excited that means he’s found a good mare. Juan deserves a lot of credit because he’s really good at spotting green horses and working with them.

Has she improved since training with Juan?

He’s had her since she was 5 years old and he made her. I started playing Nike a year and a half after Juan started her. She was already made at 8 years old when I started playing her so he did all the work to get her there. She’s always been the same horse, I think it’s a matter of just waiting until she’s ready and not rushing her.

What are her best qualities on the field?

She’s really powerful and handy, but at the same time she’s calm so I think anyone can ride her. What I really like about her is that she’s a complete horse. A horse like that gives me confidence because if you need to run she is fast and if you need to stop she is really handy. She also has a lot of stamina and she can do anything I ask. She’s the most complete horse I own, so she is the best in my string.

Which chukkers do you typically play her?

I usually play her in the second or third chukker and then try to bring her back again at the end of the game because she is really good.

Has she won any awards?

So far she has won two Best Playing Pony awards, the first in the 16-goal Two Trees Cup final in the Hamptons, New York, and the other a Sunday featured game against Coca-Cola in the 2020 USPA Gold Cup. During the Gold Cup game I played her in [parts of] the third, fifth and sixth so she had a lot of game time. My grooms Hernan, Giovanni and Carlos really know her well and they are a large part of why she performs really well because they take care of her every day.

What is your favorite playing memory on Nike?

I always knew she was a really good horse, but last summer I played her in the Hamptons and when I ran on the field I was amazed how quickly we traveled from one side to the other. I always thought she was really special, but after playing her last summer I really started to realize how powerful she is and how fast she can run.

Describe her personality? When you first put the saddle on you have to walk

Felipe Marquez’s Malcriada. Quicker than any horse on the field, she gives Marquez time to make the right plays.

her because she doesn’t really like when you put on the tack. Afterwards she’s really calm and around other horses she is really quiet. The only thing you have to be careful of is when you saddle her up and when the chukker finishes you have to walk her around again before you take the saddle off.

Do you have future plans for her?

I plan to breed her in the future and hopefully get some foals from her, and I would also like to do embryos from Western Rush and my stallion.

Malcriada

Owned by Felipe Marquez Anticipating Felipe “Pipe” Marquez’s every move

with quick and surefooted steps, Malcriada holds a special place in the 7-goaler’s heart as the budding daughter of his prized Colombian mare. Along with the decision to shift careers and pursue his lifelong passion to become a professional polo player like his father at the age of 26, Marquez funded and established his own embryo program, producing Malcriada as one of his first foals.

Arriving in the states in April 2019, Malcriada made her American high-goal debut with FMB Too! at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in Carpinteria, California, before heading to Florida for Cessna’s 2020 winter season.

Standing her ground when it comes to other horses, the 7-year-old bay’s handiness and

responsiveness on the field propel her to each play, allowing Marquez crucial seconds to stay one step ahead of his opponents.

Trained by Marquez’s childhood friend, Ricardo Nuñez, Malcriada’s progression to this stage in her career is due in large part to her groom’s consistent involvement and investment since birth.

What is Malcriada’s breeding?

Malcriada is out of Santana Martina by Open Chaleco (Ellerstina Pícaro x Ellerstina Chalina). I purchased Santana Martina in 2012 and she was one of the top mares I played in Colombia so I knew her daughter was going to be a special horse. I brought Santana Martina to Santa Ana, which is one of the largest breeding facilities in Colombia. They had Open Chaleco, an Ellerstina bred-stallion, and he was one of the best bloodlines we had available at the time. I wanted to aim for the best bloodline in the country so I decided to breed that combination and it worked.

What are Malcriada’s strengths on the field?

I can typically get anywhere quicker than anybody else on the field, especially checking and turning, which are her strongest qualities. Maybe she’s not the fastest or the strongest horse, but usually when you get to the ball quickly you have enough time to make a decision and make the right play. I know if I’m checking and turning on her I’m going to be first to the play and that is important for me.

I also feel like I make a difference on the field when I play her because she is really handy and she has a nice mouth. I feel I can get to the ball quickly when the game is tough and everybody is tapping the ball, stopping, checking and turning. I can move easily and comfortably on the field and she goes where I think I should be. Those are the moments I can get 100% out of her.

Do you have a favorite memory with her?

Every time I ride her it is a complete joy for me. I saw her being born, we taught her to play polo and she played in the Gauntlet of Polo, the most competitive tournament in the United States. It is a big accomplishment for me because she is one of the first embryos I ever bred. It is a different feeling when I get on other horses that I don’t have as much of a history with, but for me it is special every time I get on Malcriada. Every time I got on her last year while playing at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club I felt I could disrupt the other team because she was one of my top horses.

What chukkers do you normally play her?

Usually our team gets together to make the horse list and depending on which horses my teammates are using I will change the order I bring her out. I prefer to use her as a spare because I can use her two or three times per game. She is really calm on the sidelines and makes it easy for me to jump on from another horse.

Describe her personality?

Usually with people she is really calm and friendly, but with other horses she is territorial and tries to be the alpha. When you stick and ball she is really calm and easy, but once you get in a game she knows that it is important. Her neck gets larger and she starts looking around and moving her ears. She gets tougher on the field and I like that because it’s the same as us players when we get into a game and our adrenaline increases. She works the same way as well.

What would you like to see Malcriada achieve during her career?

I would like to see her win some Best Playing Pony awards that give her recognition because those prizes are important for a breeder and a player. I would also really like for her to go back to Colombia when she has finished playing so I can breed her and hopefully get more sons or daughters. I have a couple of foals in Colombia now, but she is here in the states now so I can’t do any embryos.

What does it mean to you to know Colombia is supporting and watching you compete?

I want to thank everyone back home in Colombia because they are watching us play through Globalpolo.com and cheering for [us]. I know Nico [Saenz] and I have a lot of support back home so we want to make them proud and encourage the little kids who are coming up to take a chance if they feel this is something they want to do

Marquez and Malcriada are back at Santa Barbara Polo Club this summer, competing in its high-goal season with FMB Too!

“At this moment I can’t ask for anything better. I’m living the dream and I guess it is because I had the guts to make the decision to follow my dream when I did,” Marquez said. •