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October 2021 Polo Player's Edition- Polo Scene

PRINCELY SUM

Charity Event Raises Nearly $3.5 Million for Children

Prince Harry scored two goals in the charity match in Aspen, Colorado.

©Sentlebale ISPS Handa Polo Club 2021

SENTEBALE hosted the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup at Aspen Valley Polo Club in Carbondale, Colorado, Aug. 19. The event raised nearly $3.5 million in critical funding for the organization’s core mission to support vulnerable children impacted by extreme poverty, inequality and the HIV/AIDs epidemic in Southern Africa.

Under guidance from a leading epidemiologist and in coordination with the local public health department, a reduced version of Sentebale’s annual charity match took place for the sole purpose of raising vital funds to support Sentebale’s work. The game was kept under wraps and not publicized for security reasons.

This year’s Polo Cup, together with a generous donation from the Duke of Sussex, will allow Sentebale to operate at full scale, meaning more children and young people across Lesotho and Botswana will receive essential support, care, and build skills to be more resilient and self-sufficient in the future.

The Duke of Sussex joined his close friend and Sentebale Ambassador Nacho Figueras and siblings Grant and Riley Ganzi for the Sentebale team. They battled it out in a round-robin against Royal Salute (Kevin Schmeits, Waqaas Al-Saddiq, Brian Boyd, Gonzalito Pieres) and U.S. Polo Assn. (Sarah Siegel- Magness, Cable Magness, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Stewart Armstrong). The matches were umpired by Gaston Dorignac and Jack McLean.

Sentebale finished in first place with Prince Harry contributing two goals.

Figueras wrote on his Instagram account, “How lucky I am to be able to ride along with you in your mission of making the world a better place for people not as fortunate as us. It is your commitment and passion to give back that is my inspiration.”

The Sentebale Team included Prince Harry, Riley Ganzi, Nacho Figueras and Grant.

©Sentlebale ISPS Handa Polo Club 2021

Prince Harry also pledged $1.5 million from the proceeds of his upcoming book to Sentebale. The tell-all memoir is set to be released by Penguin Random House in 2022.

Prince Harry co-founded Sentebale in Lesotho in 2006 in memory of his late mother Prince Diana. The Duke is living in California with his wife Meghan Markle after quitting his royal duties. Markle did not attend the polo match. This was Prince Harry’s first public appearance since the birth of his daughter, Lilibet Diana in June.

FUN IN THE SUN

Lasting Memories Made at Junior Polo Clinic

EVERY AUGUST for the last 10 years, Kelly Wells has hosted a junior polo clinic at her Marlan Farm in Freeland, Maryland.

This year, about a dozen kids enjoyed a weekend filled with traditions and events that Wells and the kids look forward to summer after summer. Wells’ son Brennan Wells, home for summer break from the University of Virginia, and Madelyn Blum helped out with the kids.

Participants enjoyed meeting new friends and teammates, scrimmaging, competing in a talent show, and playing capture the flag and foot mallet mania. The kids also enjoyed hanging out with the ponies and relaxing around the fire pit, making S’mores. This year, the clinic was supported by the Polo Training Foundation and USPA intercollegiate/interscholastic polo program.

POLO HERITAGE

Book Celebrates Polo In All Its Forms

Her Highness Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur—Ayesha to her friends—with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy during the latter’s visit to Jaipur in 1962.

©Getty Images

AN ILLUSTRIOUS and storied history accompanies the sport of polo, spanning continents, cultures and classes. One of the world’s oldest team sports, it evolved from the training of cavalry units in Asia. It is no surprise polo is a favorite among the British royal family and counts Winston Churchill and Gen. Patton among its devoted followers. Delving deeper into polo’s heritage reveals the diverse community that has made it a global pastime.

“Polo Heritage,” a 300-page hardcover book, guides the reader on a journey from Mongolia to Mexico, from Barbados to Pakistan, and inside the most prestigious tournaments on grass, sand or snow. Traverse the historic polo grounds in India, become immersed in the high society of British polo and learn about the Argentinian polo culture that has produced some of the best polo families in the world. An introduction by legendary polo player Nacho Figueras is accompanied by 300 illustrations, including Aline Coquelle’s original photography offering a modern, authentic perspective on the spirit of polo.

Aiken Cura, one of Adolfo Cambiaso’s most famous stallions, at Palermo, 2006.

©Aline Coquelle

With a degree in art history and anthropology, nomadic Parisian photographer Coquelle has always traveled the world—she has lived and worked in Central and South America, Asia and Africa. Coquelle often works with silver film in order to keep alive the magic of old-time photography and her gelatin silver prints are sought by collectors worldwide. Her other polo books with Assouline are The Cartier Polo Games (2006) and Polo: the Nomadic Tribe (2009).

The inaugural Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Governor’s Island, 2009.

BON VOYAGE

Themed Polo Ball Raises Funds for Schools and Families

Jeremy Stowe and Meg Stowe with Grammy nominated Jeffrey Osborne.

©Coca & Co

THE COMEBACK TOUR for Newport Polo’s 20th annual International Polo Charity Ball was a smash hit, shattering the past polo ball record in total fundraising, this year benefiting the Jeffrey Osbourne Foundation.

Over 400 generous and fun-loving attendees heralded the evening’s success, exceeding $80,000 in fundraising for the foundation’s mission to support initiatives and organizations that keep music and the arts in our public school systems and provide food, shelter and a haven for families and children in need.

Anticipation was at an all-time high, following a COVID-induced postponement of the original 2020 event date, as the sold-out guest list held on to their tickets for an extra year to join the celebration. Gaiety commenced at the evening’s first port of call on the Newport waterfront for a meet & greet reception at The Brenton, where honorary gala ambassador, Jeffrey Osborne, glad-handed party-goers and highlighted the impact his organization has in Rhode Island to an enthusiastic guest list.

Then, the ship cast off for its next destination—the famed Rosecliff mansion—where a red-carpet entrance felt like a walk-of-fame as Grammy-nominee Osborne once again greeted arrivals and posed for pictures in the iconic marble foyer.

Guests of honor, the Dominican Republic polo team held court below the terrace, alongside Newport Polo ambassadors, Meg and Jeremy Stowe. All the while, photographer Cocoa & Co captured the magical moments in progress.

Tropical chic, vintage glam and nautical couture were on full display, as the creative black-tie theme opened a plethora of options for statement attire as the promenade moved to the terrace where jewels of land and sea awaited in the curated silent auction. Dominican-themed libations were poured by renowned mixologist, The Cocktail Guru, as yet more photos ops from the Sundeck overlooking the Rhode Island Sound were put to full use.

Sounds of the perennial favorite musical ensemble, Decades by DeZyne, called the party to order in the grand ballroom to get to the heart of the evening. As the inspired three-course Dominican dinner menu was laid out by expert Blackstone Caterers, Newport International Polo Series founder Dan Keating inaugurated the main event with his welcome remarks and introductions.

A cameo performance by Jeffrey Osborne brought the house to its feet with his hit single “On the Wings of Love.” Then, Sotheby’s master Hugh Hildesley presided over the whirl-wind live auction of oncein-a-lifetime experiences, including a private dinner and concert with Jeffrey Osborne.

Competitive bidding ended the live auction while guests circled with dessert for a final chance at the silent auction bounty before the band struck up to fill the dance floor until the stroke of midnight. Docked once again, the evening’s finale landed at Bannister’s Wharf for the last dance at the famous Clarke Cooke House Skybar.

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