hurlingham june

polo m aga zi n e

HURL INGHAMj u n e 2012

t h e a m e r i c a n s e a s o n

hurlinghampolo.com 07

hurlingham

contents

12 Ponylines news from around the polo world, including the Chief Executive’s column

18 Cap, Gown and Mallet uS college polo has seen its fortunes wax and wane, but a new era is coming

22 Champions League We reproduce parts of Carlos gracida’s thank-you speech from his museum of Polo’s living hall of Fame induction

24 Snow Polo and Fine Claret Exquisite wine dinners complemented the exciting match play at the inaugural FiP Snow Polo World Cup in Tianjin

26 Eye on Asia The future of polo in Pakistan looks bright, judging by the high-goal season

28 An Amateur’s View of Polo Eve Branson discusses the link between polo and her moroccan charity initiative

30 Profile: Peter Abisheganaden The FiP tournament director on his role and experience putting on the first FiP Snow Polo World Cup in China

32 The Game of Queens herbert Spencer looks back over the reign of Queen Elizabeth and her enduring support of polo

36 Pony Creation Breeder Emma Treichl believes you can ‘grow your own string of polo ponies’

40 British Polo Day an ambitious polo project started by two friends is spreading British heritage and culture around the world

47 Action reports and pictures from across the globe, including the Florida season and Tianjin’s Snow Polo World Cup

66 Archive Was it perhaps Texas and not new York that was american polo’s true birthplace?

Show Media editorial

Managing director Peter Howarth

1-2 Ravey Street, London EC2A 4QP

+ 44 (0) 203 222 0101

[email protected]; www.showmedia.net

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Colour Reproduction fmg (www.groupfmg.com)

Printing Gemini Press (www.gemini-press.co.uk)

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, no

responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. All the information contained in this publication is correct at the time of going to press. The HURLINGHAM Polo Association

magazine (ISSN 1750-0486) is published by Hurlingham Media. The magazine is designed and produced on behalf of Hurlingham Media by Show Media Ltd. It is published on behalf of

the Hurlingham Polo Association by Hurlingham Media. The products and services advertised are not necessarily endorsed by or connected with the publisher or the Hurlingham Polo

Association. The editorial opinions expressed in this publication are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of the publisher or the Hurlingham Polo Association. Hurlingham

magazine welcome feedback from readers: [email protected]

huRlinghaM Magazine

Publisher Roderick Vere Nicoll

executive editor Peter Howarth

editor Arabella Dickie

deputy editor Herbert Spencer

Contributing Photographer David Lominska

editor-at-large Alex Webbe

Senior designer Julia Allen

Chief Copy editor Chris Madigan

Copy editors Sarah Evans, Ming Liu

Cover: Mike azzuro

David Lominska/polographics.com

hurlinghampolo.com8

hurlingham

forewordroderick vere nicoll – publisher

it is a wonderful time to be in England. The

country is united in celebrating the Queen’s

Jubilee and in one of our feature stories,

herbert Spencer pays tribute to her

involvement in the game of polo over the last

60 years. after a very wet start to the season,

the sun has finally come out and the quality

of polo has been very good. read about the St

regis test match in the action section, on

page 57. a huge thanks should go out to marc

ganzi for fielding a competitive uSa team,

which lost in the final seconds of the game.

hopefully marc will return to the uK with a

team for the high goal next year, and play in

the Coronation and the Westchester Cups!

The world is looking towards asia, and we

have included a number of articles that focus

on the region. if you like fine wine, you will

enjoy reading about the vintages that were

served during the dinners at the FiP Snow

Polo World Cup in Tianjin. We also cover the

Phil Disley has been a cartoonist and

illustrator for 20 years. He regularly

works for The Independent, The Guardian,

Financial Times and GQ. Appreciated by

his subjects as well as editors and the

public, his work is collected by the likes

of David Cameron, Marco Pierre White,

Steven Gerrard and Andy Murray.

contributors

Eve Branson is a mother of three and

grandmother of 11. She served as a

probation officer and MP, is an advocate

for child welfare and an author. Eve

founded the not-for-profit Eve Branson

Foundation, proving training and income-

producing projects for girls living in the

Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

Emma Treichl is a housewife and

mother – her ‘finest achievement’ – and

in between is, variously, an organiser

of art exhibitions and art courses,

an occasional publisher, a food-fair

coordinator and a charity fund-raiser.

Based in Dorset, Emma spends summers

playing polo and the winters hunting.

James Harper started playing polo in

the Goodwood Pony Club aged 12 and by

24 had reached 6-goals. He has played

for Young England and the main England

team. This year he is playing mainly with

Irongate (8-goal), Hurlingham Media

(12) and Golden Falcons (15). James

lives in Midhurst with his wife and son.

tournament, where 12 teams competed, in the

action section. in Palm Beach, the season

was full of surprises. as luck would have it,

robert Jornayvaz, on his gap year, was able to

play in the 26-goal with Cambiaso. mike

azzaro, our cover star this issue, was

supposed to play with Cambiaso but was

dropped and then picked up by Zacara. he

ended up winning the uS Open and being the

mVP of the final.

it has been seven years since i started

Hurlingham and we have come up with a new

look! The re-design brief was to present a

modern design that could be transferred

across a number of media platforms. i hope

you enjoy our new appearance!

On hurlinghampolo.com we are covering

all the high-goal days of play in England and

will also be streaming a number of games.

For those of you who want to practise your

Chinese, have a look at the Chinese site.

hurlinghampolo.com

ponylines

11

one to watchRobert Jornayvaz is 19 years old and will be attending

the University of Virginia this fall, the same university that

captured the National Intercollegiate Polo Championships

this spring. Jornayvaz’s polo accomplishments might not

include a national intercollegiate title, yet, but he can

claim being a member of the 2012 USPA Piaget Gold

Cup championship team, and also having played with two

of the world’s top players in 10-goalers Adolfo Cambiaso

and David ‘Pelon’ Stirling.

‘It was an incredible experience,’ says Jornayvaz.

‘I learned so much in such a short period of time from

playing with them.’

Currently carrying a 0-goal handicap the young player

participated in four 20-goal tournaments as well as all

three 26-goal competitions. His Valiente II team lost in

the finals of the Royal Salute CV Whitney Cup and won the

Gold Cup. Throughout these tournaments, he was splitting

his time between the show jumping at the prestigious

Winter Equestrian Festival and the high-goal polo.

‘I think having to participate in two equestrian

disciplines at this level forced me to concentrate even

harder on each of them,’ he said. And judging by his

success on the field, his efforts paid off. Alex Webbe

[news] Audi Polo AwArds, A new book releAse, beAch Polo world cuP And much more

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hurlinghampolo.com12

{ Audi internAtionAl Polo SerieS

For the forthcoming UK polo season the HPA, supported by Audi, have

together created the brand new ‘Audi International Polo Series’. The series

will feature three Internationals for the season at different venues across the

country. It will include the newly named Audi International at Guards Polo

Club, near Windsor (formerly the Cartier International); the Audi International

at Beaufort Polo Club, Gloucestershire; and the first-ever Audi International

match at Chester Racecourse Polo Club.

David Woodd, chief executive of the HPA, comments: ‘Audi and the

HPA have been working very closely together with the England team and its

increased involvement with this International Series is fantastic news for

polo.’ Jon Zammett, head of PR for Audi UK, adds: ‘This is a very exciting

development. Polo delivers an ideal, high-end, yet hard to reach target

audience for Audi.’

The investment by Audi in the Polo International Series, together with

its existing sponsorship of the England polo team (pictured), will make the

car company the biggest supporter of polo in the UK.

y Polo in britain

Author, polo player and surgeon

Horace A Laffaye, is on the board of

directors of the Museum of Polo and

is chairman of the polo Hall of Fame

nominating committee. His latest

book, Polo in Britain: A History,

chronicles the sport’s beginnings in

the British Isles in the 1860s

through to the summer of 2011. It

recounts the development of polo

clubs, including the rise and fall of

once-mighty citadels of the game;

describes the major competitions

and many of the lesser tournaments

in England and Ireland; and gives

particular attention to international

contests. Biographical sketches of

top players, from early innovators to

current superstars, and reflections

on current issues affecting the game

– including the rise of commercialism

After the worst April since records began, it looked as if May was

not going to be any better. However, the weather has at last come

good at the time of my writing this, and just in time for the first

international of the season and the start of the Queen’s Cup.

There has not been much polo action to date due to the poor

weather, although there has been plenty of activity off the field. In

the second half of April the HPA was delighted to sign a three-year

agreement with Audi for the sponsorship of an International series

of three matches, at Beaufort Polo Club, Guards Polo Club (for the

Coronation Cup) and Chester Racecourse, a new venue, at the end

of the season. Audi is now the most significant sponsor by far for

the HPA and one of the major polo sponsors in the world.

Prior to the three-match series, St Regis staged the opening

international of the year at Cowdray Park. Bad weather meant the

match had to be moved from Lawns, although Ambersham 1

provided as good a setting as any for a great day. We are very

grateful to Marc Ganzi who put together the USA team that day

and it is hoped that it has been a stepping stone to playing the

Westchester here in England in 2013, and to persuading Marc

that he should play the English high-goal season.

Once again we saw Audi sponsoring an excellent awards dinner

at Coworth during the week leading up to the International. It was

great to see Jim Haigh and the late Colonel Alec Harper

recognised with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

At Guards, the new chairman Jock Green-Armytage, and chief

executive Neil Hobday, are to be congratulated for putting in new

drainage and combining with Coworth. This should be good news

for Guards as it will eventually provide them with two excellent

grounds with which to host more home games.

One of the main changes for the HPA has been the decision to

realign the England teams and to introduce Young England as a

team for ages 25 and under. The idea is to play such a team at the

Suffolk Test Match on 30 June and then again at the Audi

International Day at Guards for a new Diamond Jubilee Trophy.

Miniatures of the trophy will be awarded to the winners.

In recognition of HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, it was

agreed that the Silver Jubilee Trophy would be played for at the

St Regis Test match. Congratulations to the England team who ran

out the winners by half a goal, the USA having failed to convert

a 60 with 15 seconds to go. The Golden Jubilee Trophy will now be

played for at the Beaufort Polo Club, and it is hoped to commission

a Chester Diamond Jubilee Trophy to recognise that the first

international at Chester was played in the Diamond Jubilee year.

On the rules front, it has been decided that little is achieved by

the umpires placing the ball for a Penalties 5a or 5b, other than to

irritate the players. Players will now be allowed 15 seconds to

place the ball themselves for all penalties. So, although we have

had a rather faltering start to the season, hopefully we are now set

fair for the summer.

and the decrease of civility and

sportsmanship – make this a vivid

panorama of British polo.

CHIEF E XECUT IVE

ponylines


hooked on polo

Melissa Ganzi is one of the very few female

high-goal patrons in the sport of polo. Her list of

championships includes the 2012 Hall of Fame

Cup and the Butler Handicap at the International

Polo Club in Wellington; Santa Barbara Polo Club’s

2009 Bill Triller 20-goal, the 2007 Western

Badge and Trophy 20-goal, and the 2008 Mayors

Cup, all of which were played at Santa Barbara.

Additional wins include the 2009 WCT

Championship in Wellington, Florida; the 2008

Miami Beach Polo World Cup; the Aspen Snow

Polo Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2009;

and the North America Cup in 2009. She was

also the first woman player to capture the Monte

Waterbury Cup (2001).

Ganzi was also part of a historic moment in the

game last year when she and several other

players set a world record for the most consecutive

chukkas played, playing 30 chukkas in a benefit

match for the Wounded Warriors project in Aiken,

South Carolina.

Polo is a family sport for Ganzi, playing with

and against husband Marc in both high-goal and

medium-goal play. Son Grant and daughter Riley

are hooked on the sport, too, and can be found at

the forefront of youth polo events throughout the

year. The family club, Grand Champions Polo Club

in Wellington, Florida, serves not just as a training

facility for the Ganzis’ teams, but also for frequent

tournament venues for all levels of play, including

the spring and autum seasons that attract both

locals and visiting players from around the world.

Ganzi’s dedication to the sport comes in many

forms, from sponsorship of youth polo events and

charitable functions such as Best Buddies, to her

support of the Museum of Polo and her instrumental

part in bringing the Westchester Cup international

competition to the United States in 2009 (she

donated over 30 horses for the British team to

use). Her recent hosting of the Gay Polo League,

its first national polo tournament, on her Grand

Champions fields, is yet another example of her

passionate commitment to polo.

Alex Webbe

y Supa junior SchoolS

On 11 March I played my first polo

tournament with older boys from

different schools. I am nine and in Year

1 at Summer Fields School in Oxford,

where we play polo. I learned to play in

Argentina. The SUPA (Schools and

Universities Polo Association) National

Junior Schools Arena Championships

are held once a year. Ten teams

competed this year at the Division 1 and

2 levels. Because players from Summer

Fields were absent, I moved to the A

team in Division 1. Most of the boys

were in Year 3 to Year 5. I played in

both Division 1 and Division 2 games. In

Division 1, we won our first game, and

then drew the second game putting us in

the finals. We were energised and

ready. We never thought we could make

it so far, but we did! In the final, we

played Cothill whose team was made up

of Year 5 boys. We did our best, played

as a team, but they were the better team.

We enjoyed collecting our second-place

prizes and look forward to playing again.

Someday I would like to play for Eton or

even for England.

Christian Alexander Oberschneider

{ audi polo awardS 2012

On 16 May the Audi Polo Awards were held at Coworth Park, Ascot. Ros Packer, wife of former

patron of the Ellerston team, the late Kerry Packer, flew in from Australia to present a new award,

the Polofix Outstanding Contribution to World Polo, to Jim Gilmore. Gilmore introduced the

Packer/Ellerston set-up to polo and has created what is considered the most influential

organisation in polo over the past 20 years. Ros Packer also presented the Kerry Packer Most

Outstanding High-Goal Pony Award to Juan Martin Nero’s horse, Chica. Other big winners of the

evening were Lyndon Lea’s Zacara team (Lea’s personal performance at the Gold Cup last year,

despite playing with a broken hand, earned him The Royal Salute Most Outstanding High-Goal

Patron), Facundo Sola, Sebastian Merlos and Brits Ollie Cudmore and James Beim, who was

awarded the Audi Most Outstanding British Professional for the second consecutive year. The

HPA Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Jim Haigh, chairman at Toulstone Polo Club,

Yorkshire, and the late Colonel Alec Harper, HPA secretary from 1971 to 1989. The Thai Polo

Club World Dream Team, chosen on the evening of the awards, consisted of (pictured, from left to

right) Facundo Pieres, Agustin Merlos, John Paul Clarkin and Juan Martin Nero.

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ponylines

Harald Link’s Thai Polo leads

the RMPA International

League (Malaysia) after three

tournaments. They have made

the last three consecutive finals

and are now favourites to win the

league, with only one tournament

left to go in the 14-goal season.

Asad Jumabhoy’s La Sarita

was winner of the Thai Polo

Open in January this year, but

their results have dipped since

Argentine Benjamin Araya broke

his collarbone during the Royal

Pahang Classic in April. The

Thai team will be playing in the

Cowdray Park Gold Cup for the

second year running.

y Beach Polo World cuP

Fourteen polo teams returned to Miami Beach for the ninth annual Beach Polo World Cup. The action began on

25 April with a kick-off party at The Raleigh Hotel, introducing the eight women’s teams that would do battle the

following day in the Maserati South Beach Women’s Polo Cup. The Heys USA team took the top honours while

the Bulgari team finished first in the lower bracket. A press party introducing the six men’s entries was held that

evening. Two days of play took place in the 12-goal competition. By virtue of net goals, the Maserati team were

eliminated and the Yellow Cab v The Raleigh finals were set when the rains came. The sand arena was flooded and

by 11am it was decided to cancel the finals. A Monday match was arranged between Yellow Cab and The Raleigh,

but player logistics did not line up and Yellow Cab won by virtue of default. Despite the disappointment of the finals

being rained off, players and patrons alike made plans to return in 2013. Alex Webbe

our neW look

Hurlingham’s new design includes

modernised typography and a clean

layout for easy-on-the-eye reading. We

wanted to transfer this new aesthetic to

a versatile web-based format for

cross-platform media outlets, bringing

flexibility and distribution capacities to

the online, global audience. The

magazine’s new bespoke size allows us

to transfer content easily into digital

format without altering the page layout.

Motorcycle Polo

‘Moto-polo’, a quirky take on traditional polo that substitutes

horses for motorbikes, has seen a boom in popularity in East African

countries. Reaching speeds of up to 45mph, players race around

a field, one driver and another teammate sitting behind with the

mallet. The sport is the brainchild of American expats Sam Dargan

and Matt Smith, who in 2008 decided to take advantage of Rwanda’s

abundance of motorcycles (which are commonly used as taxis). There

are few rules, five players per team, opposing goals and 15-minute

quarters with cold beers in between. The sport spread to Uganda last

year, when a match also served as a fund-raiser to help pay the legal

fees of sexually-trafficked Ugandan women.

James Mills received the

Posthumous Hall of Fame Award

in February. He was 8-goals, won

the US Open twice, and was a

prominent owner and breeder of

Thoroughbreds. This tradition has

been continued by his daughter

Phyllis Mills Wyeth, who bred and

owns Union Rags. In the Kentucky

Derby, Union Rags started as the

second favourite, but had a bad

start from an outside gate and

never had a clear run, finishing

seventh. With no chance of the

Triple Crown, Union Rags did not

run in the Preakness but went

straight to the Belmont on 9 June.

In Florida, the 26-goal is pretty

much at capacity with 11 teams.

There are seven 10-goalers

and nine 9-goalers in the world,

and most are on a team. So, for

0- or 1-goal patrons who want to

compete, waiting time is a year

and they will pay over the odds

for a decent team. For patrons

who are 2-goals and above, for

which there are only a handful in

the world, they can put together

a team of three 8-goalers, but

then the problem is struggling

to find players with good enough

organisation to play.

The Goldin Metropolitan

Polo Club of Tianjin, China is

organising a four team, 24-

goal invitational with FIP in

early October. England, USA,

Argentina and Hong Kong are

invited. In January 2013 they

will stage the second Snow

Polo World Cup invitational

for 12 teams.

chukkas


ponylines

x Polo mourns sbu Duma

In May this year we were greatly saddened to hear of

the untimely death of one of Hurlingham’s former cover

stars, South African polo player Sbu Duma (read our

Summer 2009 issue online). The 25-year old was

attacked and fatally injured just days before he was

due to travel to the UK to train for the summer. A

former stable boy, Duma had climbed his way up the

polo ranks through immense talent, passion and

dedication, catching the attention of the BBC and the

Maybach Foundation who supported and mentored him

in his equestrian career. In 2008 Duma was awarded

Most Valuable Player after an historic match that saw

his team win the All Africa Cup at Inanda, Johannesburg

– the first victory for an all-black South African team.

He had competed many times abroad since, and had

great potential to reach the level of the world’s top polo

players. Duma was, and will remain, an inspirational

role model to all. Our heartfelt condolences go out to

his family, friends and mentors in the polo community.

saDDle uP with...

Mike Azzaro (pictured, with his son), 7-goals, lives

in San Antonio, Texas. He began playing polo in

1971 and won his first US Open championships

in 1986. He was named Young Player of the

Year in 1987, and went on to win five more US

Open titles, attaining a 10-goal rating aged 27

(a rating he held for 13 years). In 2012 he returned

to the US Open winners’ circle for the first time in

15 years, picking up MVP honours along the way.

what makes polo special for you?

It’s the combination of the sport as an athletic and

equestrian discipline, the chemistry you develop

with your horse and your teammates. Polo does

not celebrate individual accomplishments.

who do you respect most in polo?

As a sponsor I would say Lyndon Lea, not just

because I played with him on his Zacara team but

because he is a warrior. He played the Gold Cup

this year with a broken hand and was injured in

the finals of the Open but continued to play. As

a patron he sees to it that his players have an extra

two or three horses that give them that extra edge

when they go to the field. I respect Cambiaso as

a professional because of his vast talent and ability.

what is your most memorable polo game?

The semi-finals of the 1995 Argentine Open

when I was playing on the La Mariana team with

Sebastian and Pite Merlos and Milo Fernandez-

Araujo against Chapa II, winning by 22-21. I’ll

never forget the standing ovation I received at

Palermo and the sound of spectators chanting my

name. Although we eventually lost, I will never

forget that moment. This year’s US Open win, the

first in 15 years, brought that feeling back to me.

what have you been up to lately?

Very little. I was geared up to play on the US team

in the Westchester Cup in 2009 when an accident

sidelined me for most of the season. Last year

I suffered a fall. I’ve really only played about three

months of polo in the past two years. Maybe my

stock will go up after this year’s Open win.

Alex Webbe

The 11-year-old stallion of Sebastian

Merlos, Anselmo, was named Horse of

the Year following the 2012 Palm Beach

International high-goal season. Anselmo

played five seasons at Pilara in Argentina

before coming to the United States.

During the course of the 2012 season,

he was played by Merlos in 20-goal

competition and by brother Agustin in

26-goal tournaments.

Anselmo was named Best Playing

Pony in the 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup earlier

in the year, and then came back to carry

Agustin Merlos into the 26-goal

tournaments. ‘He’s always been a very

PonY’s name: anselmo

seX: stallion

aGe: 11

oriGin: arGentina

loVe oF mY liFe...

intelligent horse,’ said Sebastian Merlos. ‘He’s very

calm – he always plays the same. My son plays him in

the Avendano Cup and even my daughter rides him.’

The character of this horse and his playing abilities

are not his only assets. Four of his daughters are playing

in 26-goal action in the United States.

‘This is the first generation of his offspring competing

here [at International Polo Club Palm Beach],’ said

Sebastian Merlos. ‘It’s very rare to see a father and his

daughters playing on the field at the same time, and in

the same game!’

Anselmo will be heading back to Argentina after the

Palm Beach season where he can get back to work on

breeding the next generation of top polo ponies.

Alex Webbe

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talk


The crowd at the Oxley Equestrian Center in

Ithaca, New York has started to cheer. After

a dismal first chukka, in which the University of

Virginia (UVA) outscored the home team Cornell

Big Red 8-0, the teams have switched horses.

With both teams riding Cornell ponies, a sort of

home-field advantage kicks in, and Cornell knock

in two goals unanswered. The crowd of over a

hundred, starts yelling and clapping. A chant of

‘Go Big Red’, rises from the bleachers.

But the euphoria is short-lived. The Cavaliers

find their footing and ride to a 29-12 victory, and

a spot in the men’s finals on Sunday. There are

some impressive highlights – Mauricio Lopez’s

volley for the 13th goal in particular – but

Virginia’s strength is their efficiency. Counter-

attacking, in particular, they are fast and they do

not miss chances.

I watched the game with Texas A&M coach Mike

McCleary, who has won national championships with

three different schools over 40 years.

‘This is the roots of it,’ McCleary said, looking

on as the Cavaliers concluded their display.

‘Everybody’s always saying, what good is the I/I?

What does it do for polo?’ Interscholastic/

Intercollegiate polo, or I/I, is the United States

Polo Association’s (USPA) department for high

school and college polo programmes. ‘If we don’t

back our youth players,’ McCleary concluded

sombrely, ‘the sport will die.’

He and many others think the future of polo in

this country depends upon the success of college

programmes like these. We are in the midst of

a college polo renaissance: the number of college

programmes has grown from six men’s teams in

1973 to 62 programmes today, 38 of which are

women’s teams. College polo has been instrumental

in getting women into the game. But according to

the USPA, despite the boom in college play, the

number of people playing polo in America has

hardly changed.

You might think, from the numbers, that polo

is becoming a fixture at American universities.

Nearly 1,000 kids compete every year in high

school and college polo. But creating and

sustaining a polo team is expensive and only a few

American schools have teams that can compete

at the highest level. Of the five dozen college polo

teams in existence today, only the top tier can boast

of having their own horses and their own arena.

Fewer still have what can be called a fan base and

only a handful have won a national championship.

Diego Nuñez, a Harvard senior on the polo

team, expressed a widely held view that there is

a divide in college polo. ‘There are two tiers, in my

mind,’ Nuñez told me. ‘Schools who can recruit and

who can compete on an intercollegiate level, and

kids who learn as much as they can in four years.’

In terms of the sport’s growth, the lower level

is the more dynamic. A recent success story is

Southern Methodist University’s (SMU) programme,

which SMU undergrad Enrique Ituarte started

three years ago. Ituarte is from Mexico, but

attended boarding school at Indiana’s Culver

Military Academy. Culver is the most historically

successful team in scholastic polo, the level beneath

college polo. Ituarte went to the national championship

four times with Culver, and lost each time.

As a freshman at SMU, Ituarte convinced

Culver coach Tom Goodspeed to join him in

Dallas. With Ituarte’s vision, and his family’s

generosity in supplying horses, Ituarte and

Goodspeed started the school polo team. Three

years later, helped by the play of former Culver

polo team captain and SMU sophomore August

Scherer, they had arrived at Cornell, competing

in the national championship tournament. A

first-round loss did not lessen the achievement.

The story is unusual only in that the team

found success so quickly. The closest thing to

a constant in the development of a college polo

team is that it depends on the commitment of one

or two people. Universities provide ‘club sports’

funding – usually a few thousand dollars – and the

Cap, Gown and MalletUS college polo has seen its fortunes wax and wane. But, asks Henry Grabar Sage,

could a renaissance be on the way?

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19

Left Harvard men v Yale at Jack Wills Varsity tournament, Guard’s Polo Club, UK, 2011. Below UVA men v Westmont in finals of the USPA Intercollegiates, 2012 Right University of Pennsylvania’s Meredith Shea at the USPA mid-state regional tournament in Ohio, 2012

USPA has set aside $30,000 annually for

‘start-up and enhancement’ grants of $2,000

each. But institutions don’t create polo teams,

students do.

The University of Pennsylvania is another

newcomer to the college polo scene. Meredith

Shea, a junior, started the team in December

2010, during her second year. Local polo hero

Lezlie Hiner, whose Work to Ride programme

coached Polo Training Foundation’s 2011 Male

Interscholastic Player of the year Kareem

Rosser, and won the 2011 Interscholastic

championship, agreed to coach the team. Shea

posted fliers on campus and organised training

sessions for the new recruits. But while the young

Penn teams practise in Hiner’s barn in Fairmount

Park, they travel farther for four chukkas of polo

than most of us would for a family reunion.

‘There’s been a lot of travelling,’ Shea said,

‘because we don’t have the capacity to host.’ This

season, the team travelled for games against

Vassar (3h15, one way), Yale (3h30), and the

University of Massachusetts (5h15). At the

USPA mid-state regional tournament held near

Cincinnati (9h50) this March, Penn got its first win.

Ituarte, Shea and their counterparts at Brown

(polo team founded 2011), Idaho (2005), and

Vassar (2001), are resurrecting a college polo

tradition that is more than 100 years old. Strategic

connections make the sport possible, in the form of

alumni support, institutional grants and local club

collaboration. But there is no template for success,

and the sport’s oldest teams, like its newest, have

had to seek new and innovative support systems.

The first formal, American college polo game

was played in 1907, when Harvard met Yale at the

Myopia Polo Club, 30 miles north of Boston. The

teams played there again last fall, but this is no

annual ritual. While both of these colleges, with

their reputation for catering to the American

aristocracy, seem like the perfect staging grounds

for polo, each has struggled mightily to keep its

team afloat. Harvard’s current iteration

is only six years old; Yale’s team is the oldest in the

country but as I wrote in the spring issue of

Hurlingham, it narrowly survived a recent crisis.

These universities once boasted some of the

best polo teams in the country. Yale taught and

trained Harry Payne Whitney and Winston Guest,

men credited with putting an American stamp on

the game. In the Twenties and Thirties, the national

title always went either to Harvard, Yale,

Princeton, Cornell or West Point. But after World

War II, with the termination of the US Cavalry

programme, part of polo’s institutional foundation

vanished. The Reserve Officer Training Corps had

used polo to train officers at many American

universities, and the death of that tradition put

college polo in a bad way. By the early Seventies,

there were only six men’s teams remaining.

But a new model, if it can be called that,

was emerging. In 1952, a group of students and

faculty members at the University of Virginia

founded a polo team that operated with total

financial independence from the school. Playing on

what had been a cornfield near Charlottesville, the

team ran on student dues and donations.

The horses came from the students themselves

and from benefactors. By the Sixties, the team

The actor Tommy Lee

Jones is a benefactor

of the Harvard team

and hosts players at

his Texas ranch

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was consistently finishing in the top three of

a shrinking field of college polo teams.

Duncan Huyler, the USPA committee chairman

for I/I, thinks Virginia’s model is about as good, and

as stable, as it gets. ‘The ideal is some form of

alumni support,’ he told me. ‘Schools like UVA –

they have an indoor arena, outdoor arena, 70

horses, all paid for by alumni and student dues,

with no help from the university – that’s as close to

an ideal as you can come.’

One of Huyler’s goals as I/I committee

chairman is to double the number of teams by

2020. ‘We want to take clubs that haven’t been

involved in high school or college polo and get them

involved,’ Huyler said. ‘Or college teams that don’t

have high school programmes; high school teams

that don’t have colleges.’ The sport’s limiting

factors are horses and places to play, so by

making the most of those resources, the

USPA can encourage as much polo as possible.

Alumni support is crucial, too. The actor

Tommy Lee Jones, for example, is a great

benefactor of the Harvard team, and hosts

players at his Texas ranch each summer. At Yale,

I found that the returning graduates of a Saturday

afternoon Yale Polo alumni day were mostly

young, and unlike many alumni events, came not

only to reminisce, drink Mike’s Hard Lemonade,

and hopefully donate to the programme, but also

to get on horseback and play.

Like many teams unlikely to compete for the

national championship – Yale’s last was more than

20 years ago – Yale Polo has a low barrier to entry.

Polo has always struggled with an elitist reputation

and college polo, particularly its less competitive

teams, may be its most democratic incarnation.

Crocker Snow, who coaches the Harvard

team, estimates that what students pay in dues at

Harvard cover about a quarter of the operating

costs. Yale’s dues for varsity players can run to

over a thousand dollars a year, but that is not much

more than the dues for certain campus sororities

or fraternities. And it is a tiny fraction of what polo

costs in the real world. This is the reality that has

dawned on Yale’s recent graduates, and also those

from all of the country’s college polo programmes

who graduate with an addiction to polo and no

polo family to come home to.

‘That’s why this sport is so important to us,’

said Bobby Isakson, an Alabama native who plays

for SMU. ‘It could be 10 or 20 years before we’re

able to afford to play again.’

Huyler and the USPA are trying to decrease

the waiting time, during which other, more accessible

hobbies might supplant polo. ‘We’ve got to get

the kids back into the game,’ Huyler said. ‘A lot of

kids don’t come back. It’s time-consuming, it’s

expensive – but you understand what a rush it is.

If you like the sport it’s the best thing there is. How

do we keep the kids in the game?’ The USPA tries

to keep recent graduates on membership rolls, and

bring them back to umpire games and coach

starter teams. Alumni events like Yale’s are part of

that, too. But whether these polo newcomers

become polo lifers is largely out of their hands.

‘Our coach likes to say it’s a narcotic sport,’

said Nuñez, who had never played before coming

to Harvard but has spent summers on Tommy Lee

Jones’s ranch. ‘Once you get to a certain point, it’s

something you can’t imagine yourself not doing.’

‘That’s my number one reason for working

hard,’ added Elizabeth Lebow, a sophomore at

Cornell who transferred from Kentucky to play

polo. ‘To support my polo habit.’

Yale 2011-12 men and

women’s polo teams

College programmes

have grown from six men’s

teams in 1973 to 62 today

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Legendary player Carlos Gracida was inducted into the Museum of

Polo’s Living Hall of Fame in February this year. Parts of his speech of

thanks is reproduced here

Champions League

Thank you for giving me the opportunity

to share with you some of the most

memorable moments of this long polo career. It’s been

34 years of playing professional. Out of those 34,

I’ve been very lucky to play the US Open 29 times.

I started riding horses when I was two years old.

I had no option – and I mean this in the nicest way

– because my father had a dream. His dream was

for his two sons to become 10-goal players.

I will mention the words ‘turning point’ often

during this speech, because there have been many.

The first was when I was working at the stables aged

six, and my father gave me the task of watering the

horses with my best friend, Moncho. We were skinny

guys trying to carry big buckets of water and by the

time we reached the corrals, the buckets were

half-empty. After repeating this six times, I thought,

I don’t want to be a professional polo player. There has

to be something easier than being a polo player. How

wrong I was... I have to thank my father who was the

best teacher I’ve ever known. Everybody he touched

in life became better, not only in polo but as people.

At one moment we had a 37-goal team representing

Mexico and all of them were students of my father.

Another turning point came when I was 12. My

father always spoke about his memories of playing at

Meadowbrook in the Forties, and I remember trying

to visualise what a 10-goal player looked and played

like. Then, the two Dorignac brothers came to Mexico

and I watched Frankie Dorignac score six penalty

shots out of six sixties and a penalty five from the

middle of the field. I thought, my god, if I’ve got what

it takes to be a 10-goal player I better start practising.

The biggest turning point in my polo career was

being invited by Steve Gose to play with the Retama

team. Steve was the biggest polo promoter and had

a club with 16 polo fields. You cannot imagine what

that looks like. It’s a dream. I remember one really

funny story, when he invited me to play with Memo

when he was 7-goals, Steve was 1, Tommy Gose

was 1 and I was 3. After we played the 12-goal

Nationals and won, Steve said to me, ‘Boy, we are

going to win the US Open some day with this team.’

I thought, this man is completely out of his mind! Six

years later we won the US Open. Thank you Steve.

I’m a great believer of being in the right place at

the right time. And that translates for me with

having great teammates and great horses. First of

all, I played with Memo in the USA. He opened the

door for me. He won two or three Opens before we

played together and conquered Argentina, becoming

10-goals. He was the first foreigner to bring horses

from Mexico to Argentina to Palermo. Thank you,

Memo. A second great teammate is Gonzalo

Pieres. Gonzalo was a visionary, same as Memo,

and changed the sport of polo for the benefit of the

younger generations. A career highlight came in

1988 when I played with the La Espadaña team

with Gonzalo and was lucky to score 10 goals. We

won the Open, we became a 40-goal team, and they

awarded me the Olimpia de Plata for the Most

Valuable Player of Argentina. The funny story is,

I didn’t know that this prize existed so did not collect it.

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Carlos Gracida standing with all the trophies he has won


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A month later Gonzalito’s mother Cecilia, told me she

had the Olimpia de Plata waiting for me at her house.

I had no idea it was the biggest privilege in polo!

Another teammate I have to mention is Roberto

in England. We won the Gold Cup three times out of

four. Roberto paid the price of being a younger

brother; I made him work so hard! Thank you, Roberto.

1994 was probably my best year, when I won the

US Open, the British Open and the Argentine

Open. Even better was winning the Triple Crown

in Argentina with great teammates like Mariano

Aguerre and Adolfo Cambiaso. I also had the

privilege to play with great players like Joe Barry,

Bart Evans and Mike Azzaro, who for me has been

the greatest American player for the last 30 years.

I also have to mention some of the sponsors.

People who support polo in a huge way are obviously

Steve, Billy Ylvisaker – who created Palm Beach

Polo and Country Club – and Peter Brant, a great

competitor and teammate, who brought more

sponsors than anybody can imagine. I see Pat

Nesbitt here; we played the Pacific Coast Open.

And obviously John Goodman, who, by creating

IPC, keeps polo going. Tommy Boyle, thank you.

You gave me the last win at the US Open.

I love the horses more than the sport itself.

Some of the greatest in the last 30 years include

La Fortuna, played by Tommy Wayman, and

Gonzalo Pieres’s Burrito and Levicu. I had a mare

called Nony Nony who I won the Gold Cup in

England with seven times. And Mr Polo with Memo.

Marsellesa was the only horse I have ever seen

play three complete chukkas in Palermo, without

changing. Luna was another fantastic mare.

I want to thank all of my childhood friends from

Mexico that are here. Thank you Monica, my

girlfriend, for being here. Rubén, you were a great

teammate and have been like an older brother, so

thank you. Now I am going to go with the close

family. Javier, thank you, he has been a bullfighter.

You pushed me to study and helped me finish high

school. Memo, you’ve been a great captain, great

player and a great brother, thank you. I have to thank

my ex-wife Carmen, for supporting me with my

career and for giving me two wonderful kids, Carlos

and Mariano. I want to tell them how much I love

them, how much I admire and respect them. I want to

play polo with you guys; I played polo with my father

when he was 65! Last but not least is my mother,

Maria. She taught me good manners; not to be a good

loser but to be a gracious loser and never give up.

And to the new and young polo players: follow

your dreams. And remember, dedication, dedication,

dedication. There is no other way to make it.

Thank you to the organisers, thank you to the

committee for giving me the privilege to be a part of

this wonderful group of heroes that

I have heard of since I was five years

old. And now, I am a part of that.

Thanks for the privilege to be

part of this group of heroes

I’ve heard of since I was five


dinner and a showAt the FIP Snow Polo World Cup 2012 held in Tianjin, officials, players and

spectators enjoyed a series of extraordinary wine dinners

During the inaugural FIP Snow Polo World Cup

held from 2 to 12 February in Tianjin, China,

Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club Hotel hosted

a series of seven dinners featuring wines from top

estates, as well as spectacular entertainment

throughout the evening.

‘The idea of these wine dinners, like the

Metropolitan Polo Club itself, is about bringing

a high-quality lifestyle to Tianjin,’ explained Harvey

Lee, vice-chairman of the hotel’s parent company

Goldin Group. ‘The Snow Polo World Cup provides

chukka after chukka of thrilling action in the

afternoon. After a day’s excitement, nothing comes

better than good food and wine.’

Featured wine estates of the dinners included

Goldin Group’s own Pan Estate in Napa Valley

(previously Sloan Estate) and Bordeaux’s Château

Latour, Château Angelus, Château Cheval Blanc,

Château d’Yquem, Château Cos d’Estournel,

Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Palmer.

The menus were prepared by Edward Voon, the

young executive chef of Le Pan at Metropolitan

Polo Club Hotel, whose long list of accolades

include ‘World Culinary Master’ and being named

by Restaurant magazine as one of the top 10

most innovative chefs around the world.

The menus incorporated an ancient Oriental

five-element concept (metal, wood, water, fire and

earth). Chef Voon explained, ‘These five elements

not only represent the basic elements of our life but

they also signify holistic well-being. According to

Chinese feng shui, the five elements must be

balanced in order to achieve good health and good

fortune.’ A typical five-element menu includes

courses such as gold ingot-pressed foie gras with

passion fruits (metal); roast venison loin with

tubers (wood); line-caught striped bass à la

plancha’ (water); charcoal-grilled master wagyu

(fire); and chocolate in different preparations and

served with winter truffles (earth).

Wines for the dinners were expertly paired by

Francesco Lee, president of wine venture at Goldin,

in consultation with the châteaux. ‘In order to

link up and showcase the five courses, wine of

the highest quality is imperative. Being a wine

enthusiast myself, I am more than excited to meet

this challenge of finding the most suitable châteaux

as well as doing the wine pairing,’ said Lee. Indeed,

Metropolitan Polo Club has such close relationships

with Bordeaux châteaux that this was already the

second time for Château Latour, Château Cos

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d’Estournel and Château Palmer to host wine

dinners at the club.

On pairing the wines with the food, Lee

continued, ‘Food and wine pairing is an amazing

job. Edward and I worked together with all the

châteaux in an attempt not only to present the best

vintages but also to deliver the best marriage with

the food. We are very proud that château directors

and winemakers co-host the dinners and shared

their philosophies with us.’

Food and wine aside, guests were also well

entertained. At the Château Angelus dinner, for

example, the entertainment programme included

operatic recitals by the Buenos Aires Opera

Company, a show by renowned magician Peter

Marvey, and performances by the China Disabled

People’s Performing Art Troupe. The latter’s

‘Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’ was featured at the

closing ceremony of the 2004 Athens Paralympics

and is performed by 20 hearing-impaired dancers

to imitate a Chinese goddess with a thousand hands.

With over 2,000 guests attending, the scale of

the series of dinners, as with the Snow Polo World

Cup, was unprecedented in China. Chef Voon said,

‘In my career as a chef I have never prepared so

many dinners with so many guests in such a short

period of time. Delivering quantity and quality at the

same time is a most difficult job for any chef.’

Judging from the smiling faces of the guests,

however, Chef Voon can rest assured there is no

question that his job was well executed.

What was the biggest challenge of

organising these wine dinners?

Sourcing was difficult as there were around

300 to 400 guests each night and all the fine

wines chosen were mature and delicious,

such as Château Cos d’Estournel 1982

and Château Angelus 1994. Timing and

temperature management are crucial.

Decanting according to the ages – which can

be as wide apart as 20 years – and serving

all guests within 10 minutes is not just a

conscientious task but a precision art.

How popular is fine wine in China?

The majority of middle-class and high-net-

worth Chinese know what glorious vintages

such as 1961 and 1982 are, and what the

1855 [Bordeaux] classification is. In five-star

hotels in major cities such as Beijing and

Shanghai, over 50 per cent of the tables are

being served with fine wines. Chinese people

love to learn about fine wines through tasting.

Most of them taste from the top of the pyramid

such as Château Pétrus and I see people are

moving to try second growths.

What are the goals of the Metropolitan

Polo Club as far as wine is concerned?

To have a seven-star cellar. We aim to be the

Q&A: FrAnCEsCo LEE, PrEsidEnt oF WinE vEnturE At GoLdin GrouP

Left and opposite Performances by the hearing-impaired dancers of the China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe. Below 1982 Grand Vin de Chateau Latour was just one of the spectacular wines served to guests

best in terms of diversity, quality and depth. Our

cellar will have rare and fine wines from around

the world with excellent provenance and much

sought-after drinking gems from the 19th and

20th centuries. Our objective is to let our

members access the world’s finest wines easily

from our cellar and enjoy them as they try them.

Can you list the best wines served at the

wine dinners?

We served six to eight wines from each château

and all were the best of the world’s fine wines. They

were excellent representatives of each château’s

special character such as Palmer 1983, Mouton

1986, Latour 1982 and d’Yquem 1975.

Which was your favourite wine among those

served at the wine dinners and why?

My favourites were d’Yquem 1967, Mouton 1990

and Latour 1990. The latter is my favourite

because of its perfect balance, width and deep fruit

as well as its secondary aroma profile. D’Yquem

1967 met perfectly with crackling pork belly on the

menu, with its elegant acidity breaking through the

pork belly’s fat and enhancing its flavour. Mouton

1988 is just entering into the best drinking window

because its fruit and floral content, including

blackcurrent and violet, show good strength while

the tannin is ripe but softened.


Once you get over the goodbyes and the ‘keep safe

over there!’, it’s onto the plane with the thought,

here we go again! I’m travelling to Lahore, Pakistan

where I’ll spend the next six weeks playing their

‘high-goal’ season 12- and 14-goal tournaments.

It’s my third time here, but my first experience of

playing for the Pakistan Army. On the previous two

trips, I played for some Karachi-based patrons and

couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys to

play for, so I’m a little anxious, to say the least, to

meet my new team at the Lahore Polo Club.

Luckily for me, it’s another fantastic group of

players. Along with the club’s supporters, they would

do anything for you and are always checking if we, the

foreign pros, are okay. I couldn’t feel more welcome.

Once I’ve picked through the hundreds of

horses you get given to try every day, it’s a matter

of keeping those horses just for you and finding

some tack that fits. And then I’m ready to go.

Ideally, you arrive four or five days before you play

your first game, otherwise it’s a big shock to just

jump on and go, as views on what constitutes a

good horse can vary.

Again, luckily for me, the army has their own field

so I can play chukkas with the local army guys to get

used to my horses. Play resembles a cross between

the Pakistan mountain polo and farm chukkas in

Argentina: flat out with no rules. Interesting!

The ‘high-goal’ season begins with two, one-week

12-goal tournaments with six teams and then two,

one-week 14-goal tournaments with seven teams,

followed by the 14-goal Open, which is essentially

the only tournament everyone wants to win. This

lasts for two weeks and everyone plays everyone.

So it’s game on. With the volatile political situation

in Pakistan, if we wanted, we could have a hundred

guys with AK-47s walking around with us and

24-hour security, but I have always felt safe. I visit

Pakistan with the thought that there is nothing I

can do if it did go pear-shaped. There is no point

worrying: what will happen will happen.

The other foreign pros with me on this trip were

Gaston Moore, Raul Laplacette, Vieri Antinori,

Judging by the latest season, the future of Pakistan’s polo

is in good hands, says James Harper

eye on asia

About 30 hardcore fans and

players come to every game

and stay on until the night

The author teaching army officers and soldiers at the Mona Depo horse stud, a four-hour drive north-west of Lahore

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Manuel Crespo, Gerardo Massini, Ignacio del Tour,

Santiago Mendivil, and Simon McLaren-Tosh as

the main pro umpire. Everyone seemed to get on

thankfully, which is normally the case over here.

This year, more than most, there seemed to be

a big gap between a few of the teams’ horsepower

in comparison to the rest. A few of the main

sponsors, the Sufis and Naveed Sheikh, have

been going to Argentina buying three to six

horses every year for almost five years now, and

it’s starting to show. I think it’s going to kick the

other patrons and players into gear and I think

you’ll begin to see a lot of the local guys coming to

England and going to Argentina to buy horses

over the next few years. As always, it comes down

to horsepower so, finally, they have all realised

something needs to be done to compete on a level

basis, which is great for Pakistani polo. The team

of Naveed Sheikh, Raul Laplacette and Santiago

Mendivil, with A N Other – depending on the

handicap of the tournament – were by far the most

successful of the season, winning one of the two

12-goals and all three of the 14-goals.

Things are looking good for the future of polo

in Pakistan. The army is working on three new

fields in Lahore, there are a few others spread

across the country, and the Lahore polo club

fields are always improving. A youth development

polo school has also been set up by some of the

fathers who are working hard to improve the

future of the sport in Pakistan. And there is just

the right number of people desperate to learn to

play polo, which isn’t as straightforward as just

joining and buying a horse. During the high-goal

season you would have about 30 hardcore fans

and players at every game and staying on until the

night discussing the day’s play. For at least three

months of the year they all live for polo and it’s

really a great thing to see.

For anyone looking to travel playing polo,

or to any of the pros that get asked to go to

Pakistan, it is a great country to visit. You

couldn’t meet a nicer group of people, with

some of the most wonderful characters looking

after you. Polo is on the up in Pakistan and it

is a great country to see, with many eye-opening

experiences to be had. Thanks to General

Pataudi, the Pakistan Army and all the local

guys that made my trip, yet again, a truly

memorable experience.


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AN AMATEUR’S

VIEW OF POLOEve Branson heads to a polo match, and plans one for her own charity foundation

You must be somewhat perplexed as to what part

polo plays in the Eve Branson Foundation. Let me

explain the connection.

It started in 2006, when I persuaded my son

Richard, to buy a magnificent kasbah in the Moroccan

Atlas Mountains. He consented, but only on one

condition, that I look after all the poverty-stricken

surrounding villages. Most of the villages are without

water and electricity, with high illiteracy rates. Girls

leave school at 13 with few job or life prospects.

The Berber villagers set great store by self-

reliance. So I decided to teach them to make crafts

that we could sell, then gradually they would not only

become independent, but be able to pass their skills on

for generations to come. The mud-baked brown village

opposite the hotel looked like a good place to start.

Despite the hotel manager’s fears that we’d not be

welcome, the next day, with an Arabic-speaking friend,

we ventured over the river, passing only a toothless

granddad. His smile seemed kind enough as he led us

to his wife, who welcomed us into her house; hens

scurrying by, a cow tethered in her kitchen. Hospitality

abounded as we sat on her floor drinking mint tea.

Would any of the girls like to learn to knit? Her

face lit up. ‘Three girls at least!’

I hastened home to teach myself ‘one plain, one

purl’! Three girls have now turned into 30. Similarly

we have taken on more impoverished local villages.

To date, the enterprises we have set up include a carpet

workshop and a craft house run by local villagers.

During this period, ex-polo player Roy de Lisser,

invited me to the Gold Cup at Cowdray. I was fascinated

but glad to have my friend and member of Windsor

Guards explain the intricacies of the game, an even

better idea was to invite me to a match at Windsor.

Hence I found myself watching not just the odd

game of slovenly dressed polo players riding

sluggish ponies – oh no, there were handsome,

virile young men dressed in white jeans with high

shiny leather boots! Their Argentinian polo ponies

were equally immaculate – perfectly groomed, skin

glistening, ankles bandaged and tails plaited.

The whistle blew and they were off; full gallop,

hooves pounding, voices shouting while another

chukka played on.

Meanwhile, I sat watching from my polo player’s

car – he called me his ‘Stick Chick’! I’d hoped this

was an endearing name, until I realised I was in

charge of his numbered sticks – a frightening

responsibility, lest I handed him the wrong one!

But how wonderful on that hot May day to

witness this dangerous, extravagant sport. Inside

the car was my briefcase, bulging with all the

details of the great match that I’m hoping to organise

in October: The Moroccan Guards v Windsor

Guards. However, Richard’s last words before he

left the country were ‘DON’T do anything until you

find a sponsor.’ To date, no sponsor!

Having forgotten my field glasses that day, I was

unable to cheer on the winner. So I wandered off to

see what went on nearby – row upon row of smart

horseboxes, ponies pawing the ground impatient for

their grooms (who shouted at each other in a

variety of languages and bandaged their ponies’

legs). The whistle blew – a rider was down, lying

motionless and the ambulance advanced – the rider

was soon up and another chukka took place.

Game over, ‘Stick Chick’ was out of a job, while the

ponies were led back to their enclosure –bandages off,

tails unplaited, a wash down and a drink, before being

taken back to their stables anxious for yet another day!

It was a day to remember indeed! But now my

priority is to organise The Moroccan Guards v

Windsor Guards. We are hoping for sponsors

galore and ‘Stick Chick’ will once more be at the

ready to perform whatever the riders may want!

This match is planned to be held at Jnan Amar

Polo Resort, 15 minutes outside Marrakech, on 6

and 7 October 2012. It should be a great match

which we are hoping will become a yearly event.

Not only will it be fun, but it will also help the

villages in the Atlas Mountains.

For more on the Eve Branson Foundation, email

[email protected] or call 020 7731 4366

Below Learning to spin in the Atlas Mountains Left Eve with a cashmere goat; the fibre is used for garments


profile

a misnomer. in the fei’s equestrian world, the

job title is ‘Technical Delegate’. indeed the set-up

and running of the tournament from the point of

view of fip rules and seeing that there is fairness

throughout, is what the job is about.

So the congratulations on the horses, logistics

and hospitality certainly go to Metropolitan polo

Club, and especially to Harvey lee, rowland

Wong, Derek reid and their people.

The snowfield was laid in early January and

i was very glad i was there as we got the contractor

to change his method in time to ensure we had

a solid layer of ice beneath the snow. Without the

ice base, the snow would have been too deep,

slushy and unsafe.

There were other issues, some that i had never

met before in polo. At first the tournament had

been scheduled for 4 to 12 february 2012. Just

after the draw, fip was informed that Metropolitan

could not start the tournament on the fourth as

it was an inauspicious date. Mr pan Sutong,

the owner of Metropolitan, follows feng shui

principles. His geomancer had declared the

fourth a terrible day to start the tournament.

rather than doom the event, we agreed to their

suggestion to bring the start forward to 2 february.

Getting the snow job was a bit of a surprise.

When i started receiving emails from New

Zealand polo Association president Gordon

Gibson, about an international tournament in

february, i thought he must have the wrong

person. i didn’t know anything about it until

about a week later, when Asad Jumabhoy asked if

i was free in february to act as fip Tournament

Director at a World Cup tournament. it was an

honour i couldn’t refuse.

finding out it was a snow polo job was another

surprise. in the days when God was still a boy

i had played some outdoor polo while at university

in Canada. i thought, ‘how hard can this be?’

Conceit is a wonderful virtue.

i met fip’s Council of Administration in

Buenos Aires and was officially appointed by fip

a day before the General Assembly. A week later,

i was in Tianjin, very jet-lagged but conducting

the tournament draw.

it was fun to work with Derek reid, Tianjin

Goldin Metropolitan polo Club’s director of polo

operations. i’ve known Derek for a few years,

when he has played in Malaysia or i have played

in Western Australia. fortunately Derek is a

workaholic, and very good at what he does.

Having run the Zone D play-offs in June 2011,

i knew exactly what Derek was going through.

it is never easy to run a tournament of this size

and stature. There is a lot of stress and you are

responsible for the smallest of details.

As fip Tournament Director i supposed i was

ultimately responsible for the tournament, but in

fact it can only be the host venue’s tournament

director that can truly run the tournament. in

my view the fip Tournament Director post is

Being asked to act as FIP Tournament Director at the Snow Polo World Cup in

Tianjin provided some unexpected challenges, as Peter Abisheganaden recalls

peter

abisheganaden

IlluSTrATIon PHIl DISlEY

All the countries had to accept this and there

was a flurry of emails. it is fortunate that even as

an invitational, fip was able to provide US

$100,000 per team to cover expenses and players’

fees where appropriate, with any surpluses being

ploughed back into polo in those countries.

Bringing it forward, we would have two days of

sitting around blowing warm air on our hands.

Always a sucker for punishment, i came up

with the idea of adding quarter-finals to the

programme instead of going from the qualifying

stage to semi-finals. four more countries would

then have a second chance in the tournament.

Metropolitan jumped at the idea, and spending

two days at the Great Wall of China in sub-zero

weather was consigned to the feng shui waste bin.

Twelve teams is a large number to host when

you are providing all the horses. Metropolitan

had 156 horses available for this tournament. We

lost less than five per cent in the preparation, a

percentage that would have been lower, had the

new Martin Collins footing been laid in time.

fip Horse Master Benjamin Araya arrived

in late January and worked very closely with

Metropolitan’s trainers to produce 12 groups of

horses as equally as possible. That there were

generally few complaints about the horses is

testament to Metropolitan staff for getting them

ready and Benjamin’s skill in grouping them.

in the qualifying stage of three chukka games,

each team had 11 ponies. That meant that the

players had a pony each and there were two

spares per team. After the qualifiers we were able

to replace the injured horses and add another to

each team, so that each player had three plus

a spare to play the three chukka quarter-finals.

Hong Kong played a team to

help develop the sport in China

and they had a fairy-tale final


profile

After the quarter-finals we offered teams more

horses, taking the best from the four defeated

teams. The semi-finalists essentially had the

best horses of the tournament for their last two

matches, which were played over six chukkas.

in all cases draws were done for horses. Not once

was a horse arbitrarily allocated to any team.

Contrary to some reports, Hong Kong did not

keep the best horses for themselves, but drew

for horses at every stage.

one of the biggest factors of playing three-

chukka matches is that the odd number meant

that one team got the advantage of the wind,

which some days came barrelling between the

twin grandstands like a wind tunnel. Because

ends were changed only at the end of chukkas,

it meant that on some days there was a wind

advantage of a full chukka. instead of stopping

mid-way through the second chukka, a rule that

was universally disliked, we resolved it with a

coin toss before the start of the match that gave

the winner the right to choose the initial, and

therefore final direction, but eventually gave the

loser the right to choose which team started first

if the game went to a penalty shoot-out.

USA went out in the qualifying stages. losing

in penalties to Argentina proved to be very costly

as they went out on the who-beat-who rule that

fip uses in World Cup orders of merit. Having

a former 10-goaler like Memo Gracida upset with

me for enforcing this order of merit was a

refreshing change from the minus handicappers

that i am more used to having harangue me.

Zone D champions india never really got to grips

with playing on the snow. They joined Brazil, italy

and USA in not making the quarter-final cut,

going out after three games.

england was very strong, and one of the best

teams in the tournament. That they lost only one

match, their semi-final, to the eventual champions

is testament of this. Chris Hyde was one of the

strongest players on the snow in Tianjin.

Argentina lost piki Diaz Alberdi to kidney

stone pain after just one match. Santiago ‘flaco’

Gaztambide had to step in for piki. With pablo

Jauretche at back, and a typical Argentine flyer,

Juan Casero playing off 1 goal, Argentina was

still a force to be reckoned with.

South Africa played a brand of fast, open,

exciting polo that was at odds with the controlled

game that the favourites favoured. perhaps the

large size of the field at 150 x 75 yards made this

possible. Jean du plessis was a real livewire but for

me it was Tom de Bruin who added the iron to

South Africa’s spine when they had to fight.

We worried about the forecast of warm

weather for the final weekend. The field

definitely played better in sub-zero

temperatures than the 6 to 10ºC that was

forecast. i took the decision to shift the final to

become the first game of the afternoon so that

they would enjoy the better field conditions. it

was a very tough decision to make as we had live

television coverage for all matches, and the time

of the final had been promoted as the second

game of the afternoon.

Having two Zone D teams in the final was

fantastic for the region. Hong Kong had been

given permission to play a team to help develop

the sport in China and they had a fairy-tale final,

winning 7-4. england beat Argentina 8-7 in

a fiercely fought match for third place.

Terrera won the MVp title well before the final,

lighting up the tournament with his personality

and skill. A cancer survivor, he embodied a great

attitude of living life to the full and having fun.

Have fun, we all did. The nine gala dinners

may have seemed a little intense, but it is hard to

complain when you are drinking 1986 Margaux

and the like, every night.

The ‘additional sponsorship’ aka prize money

made things competitive, yet, in the spirit of polo,

most teams were generous in their sportsmanship,

once a level playing field had been established.

Congratulations to federation of international

polo and to Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan polo

Club for producing a remarkable tournament.

Being asked to act as FIP Tournament Director at a

World Cup tournament was an honour I couldn’t refuse


the game of queensWith the inaugural Diamond Jubilee Trophy to be played for at this

summer’s Audi International Day, Herbert Spencer looks back at the reign

of Queen Elizabeth, and her long-standing patronage of polo

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The high point of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth

II’s Diamond Jubilee came on the first weekend

of June, with two public holidays giving Britons

four days to celebrate. A thousand boats joined

the Royal Barge in the largest flotilla ever

assembled on the River Thames. Countless

neighbourhoods in UK cities, towns and

villages held street parties, as beacons and

bonfires blazed across the nation from Land’s

End to John o’Groats.

In the months before and after the big

weekend, the Queen and her consort, the Duke

of Edinburgh, were travelling the country

visiting every corner of her UK realm. One such

official visit, in mid-May, was to Richmond,

west London, where local groups gathered to

greet them in Richmond Park – on a polo ground.

The royal park’s polo ground, used by

nearby Ham Polo Club, was the venue because

it provided ample open space for Richmond’s

displays and exhibits. The choice of the ground

for the festivities also echoed the 60 years of the

Queen’s patronage of polo.

Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers, chairman of

the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) and of

Ham, had gathered a group of players from the

club with their ponies along the royal couple’s

progression in Richmond Park. Prince Philip,

patron of the HPA, stopped to talk with them

and recalled that he had once played polo on

the park’s ground.

Prince Philip’s 20-year career as a polo

player was largely responsible for the Queen’s

interest in the sport, but the tradition of royal

patronage dates back much earlier, to the reign

of Queen Victoria in the 19th century (see ‘The

Royal Tournament’ in the Hurlingham summer

issue, June 2011).

As a child, Princess Elizabeth would have

had the opportunity to watch her father playing

polo in the Thirties, before he ascended the

throne as King George VI following the

abdication of Edward VIII in 1936.

In 1947, as the heir to the throne, Elizabeth

wed the Greek-born Prince Philip and early in

their marriage became a faithful ‘polo wife’.

When Philip was serving with the Royal Navy

in the Mediterranean in the Fifties, he took up

polo under the tutelage of his uncle Lord

Mountbatten, with whom the couple stayed

on Malta. Prince Philip is reported to have

said that he chose the sport because Princess

Elizabeth seemed to prefer watching

Mountbatten playing polo, than watching

Philip playing cricket.

Back in England, Princess Elizabeth

attended polo matches in which her husband

was playing and was often called upon to

present prizes. She first presented the HPA’s

1911 Coronation Cup at Roehampton Polo

Club in 1951.

Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in

1952 and one of her first public appearances

after her coronation the following year was at

Cowdray Park Polo Club where she again

presented the Coronation Cup, watched by

a crowd of 12,000.

In 1955, the Queen gave permission for

Prince Philip and his fellow players to establish

a polo club in Windsor Great Park. The

Household Brigade Polo Club later became

Guards, of which the Queen is patron and the

Duke of Edinburgh president. Over the years

the Queen has attended hundreds of events at

the club, a short drive through the royal park

from Windsor Castle.

No one has kept count, but it seems certain

that the Queen has attended more polo events

than those of any other sport, including

horseracing. It has been said that, on occasion,

the Queen appears to be more interested in the

ponies at polo than in the players, not surprising

considering that she owns and breeds

Thoroughbreds for racing.

Meanwhile, the Queen saw her son Prince

Charles, and later grandsons Princes William and

Harry, take up the sport of her father and husband.

For a number of years her royal stud bred and

trained polo ponies for Philip and Charles.

From 1972 it became traditional for the

Queen to preside over the HPA’s International

No one has kept count, but it

seems certain that the Queen

has attended more polo events

than those of any other sportIn 1951, the Queen first presented the HPA’s

1911 Coronation Cup at Roehampton Polo Club


Left Her Majesty and Prince Philip with Lord and

Lady Cowdray in 1951. Below With polo great Lord

Mountbatten, Prince Philip’s uncle. Bottom Her Majesty

treading in at half-time during a 1970 Royal Ascot Week

match at Guards Polo Club, with Prince Philip as umpire

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Day at Guards Polo Club, an event that

regularly draws up to 20,000 spectators, many

of them attending just for a chance to see the

sovereign at polo. On the occasions that the

Queen has been otherwise occupied, her place

has been taken by other members of the royal

family, including the Duke of Edinburgh, the

Prince of Wales, the late Princess Diana and

Prince Harry.

In 1977 the HPA marked the Queen’s first

25 years on the throne by inaugurating the

Silver Jubilee Cup, a large sterling silver bowl of

modern design commissioned by WD & HO

Wills, then sponsors of the association’s

International Day. For years the trophy was

awarded to winners of the second international

match at this event.

On the occasion of the Queen’s Golden

Jubilee, the HPA inaugurated the Golden

Jubilee Cup, first presented by her at the

association’s 2002 Cartier International Polo

Day. In subsequent years the trophy was

played for by The Prince of Wales’s Team

and the Hurlingham Team.

To celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

this year, the HPA is inaugurating the

Diamond Jubilee Trophy, to be presented to the

winners of the match between Young England

and Young Commonwealth, at the association’s

Left Prince Charles and Princes

William and Harry frequently

played together on Charles’s

Highgrove team before his

retirement from polo in 2006

Right The Queen presenting

during GCC Polo Cup at Guards

Polo Club, June 2011

Audi International at Guards Polo Club on

22 July. The new trophy is an impressive bronze

created by the noted equine sculptor Emma

MacDermott. The sculpture, which is about 20

inches high, is of a leopard perched on a rock.

It recognises the fact that Princess Elizabeth

was staying at the Treetops hotel in the

Aberdares, Kenya, well known as leopard

country, when King George VI died and she

became Queen. Miniatures of the bronze

trophy have also been created and presented as

the winners’ individual prizes whenever the

trophy is played for.

The HPA has also commissioned me to

produce a display marking the Queen’s

Diamond Jubilee, with various photographs of

the Queen at polo over the years and a review of

her patronage of the sport. The display will be

shown at several HPA events this summer.

It seems most appropriate that the glittering

trophies marking milestones of the Queen’s

reign are now awarded at the HPA’s most

important international test matches, as she is

still sovereign and chief-of-state of some 30

countries and territories around the world. The

Silver Jubilee Cup is played for at the St Regis

International and the Golden Jubilee Cup at the

Beaufort test. Now we have the Diamond

Jubilee Trophy at the Audi International in July,

together with the 1911 Coronation Cup, a

reminder of the days when the sun never set on

the British Empire or on polo.

‘No one has done more than Her Majesty

The Queen, together with the HPA’s patron, the

Duke of Edinburgh, to raise the profile of our

sport both here and abroad,’ said HPA

chairman Colquhoun-Denvers. ‘Their presence

at our association’s International Day over the

years has helped to make this the world’s biggest

one-day polo event, which in turn has enabled

us to contribute substantially to our Polo

Charity Trust and to develop the training of

youth in polo.

‘All of us owe Her Majesty an enormous debt

of gratitude for her patronage of polo over the

past 60 years. The whole of the polo community

joins millions of others around the world in

celebrating her Diamond Jubilee.’

For a number of years her royal

stud bred and trained polo

ponies for Philip and Charles

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pony creationWith patience and time, it can be possible to ‘grow your

own string of polo ponies’, says Emma Treichl

Mares and foals in the

corral of Santa Ana


If you have time, more time than you imagine,

and patience, it is quite feasible and quite rational

(I use that term loosely) to provide yourself with

a ‘homemade’ string of polo ponies. The rational

part, as my husband reminds me on occasion, is

the cherry on the cake. A love of horses, rather

than economics, has to be the true driving force.

Having played polo for nearly 20 years, when

I moved to Dorset in 2002, I found a new and

unexpected direction. A fantastic local club, Vaux

Park near Crewkerne, Somerset, provided a

perfect crèche for young polo ponies. With

enough acreage and three irrigated fields for

practices at nearby Vaux, I could provide for our

polo pony prodigies who come from Argentina

with an ability to play but lack only time and

space to grow.

I found myself host to these polo debutants,

when eight years ago, Santiago Gaztambide

suggested I fly his best pony Calidad (veteran

of the Open, sibling to Calena, sired by Pucará),

back to Argentina for breeding. Combined with

stallions that are carefully selected to vary and

complement Calidad’s type – from Fandango,

Lunatico, Sol, Menguante and Avelino – every

year since she has produced on average three to

four new foals. They are among the top polo

bloodlines in Argentina.

Between September and March her fertilised

eggs are transferred to ‘receptor’ mares at the

embryo centre in Cabas, Provincia Buenos

Aires. So far she has produced 24 foals – of those,

seven are in the UK. The pregnant receptor

mares then foal at Santiago’s farm, Santa Ana,

near Tres Arroyos, 500km south of BA.

From there they are sent, at about three years

old, to the breaker Horacio Amprimo, near

Gonzalo Chaves, about an hour away, where it

takes approximately a year, on and off, to teach

them the basics.

Once the ponies have completed their

training, they then go to Santa María, Santiago’s

family’s main farm, about 100km south, where

they play very slow chukkas with Santiago,

various friends and grooms. Only true polo

enthusiasts have the patience to deal with

these unruly four- to five-year-old ponies.

Finally, when they are ready, they move to

Pilar Chico, near BA, the epicentre of the

Argentine polo world, for a season of more

advanced chukkas and then finally, Dorset. At

this stage I take over the care and maintenance

of Santiago’s and my ponies. Once in the UK,

I work with Alison, my groom, her husband

Keith, who is also a breaker, before the arrival of

Hugo Piedrabuena, polo groom from mid-April,

and Guy Gibrat in May, who will have played the

ponies in Argentina.

From April to August, we take it slowly,

building the new arrivals physically and mentally.

Initially, the general aim is to ‘civilise’ them. It’s all

the basic stuff that any horse needs to learn in

order to get around, for example, simple things

such as standing still while you get on, waiting at

gates while they are opened, and so on. I realise

that for polo it is not essential, but if you have to

live with a pony who hasn’t learnt, it can become

a real headache! I enjoy taking them for hacks and

teaching them to walk up and down hills. Although

this seems ridiculously simple, it’s something they

will never have experienced before, as the pampas

are totally flat. It helps their physique, balance

and above all, builds trust with the rider. Plus we

have a lot of hills in Dorset!

The essential training needed for polo is under

the supervision of Guy Gibrat, with the help of

Hugo Piedrabuena, both of whom come from

Santiago’s operation in Argentina. From my

perspective, each year brings the excitement

and challenge of new projects.

I still have my old faithfuls who I have

collected over the years. Despite their age, they

are still going strong. While Guy plays Calidad’s

ponies, he also has a string of ponies who have


This page, top The author at

Santa Ana with various colts

and fillies. Below Paso, a four-

year-old by Sol at Santa María.

Opposite Hugo Piedrabuena at

Parnham with (from left to right)

Distinguido, Topolino, Scaramusa,

Caramelo, Tango and Figaro


‘been there and done that’. These ponies are for

playing tournaments. The newer ponies also get

some tournament experience, but it needs to be

carefully rationed. In this way we don’t put too

much pressure on the young ponies. I generally

keep them for at least two years. Sometimes it is

difficult to let them go because just when you

think they can’t get any better, they seem to go

up a gear. Sometimes I think they know that

we are considering moving them on, and so

consequently they find a delaying technique!

Finally, the ponies go to Martin Brown’s yard

near Cowdray to play higher goal chukkas and

maybe a few games with Santiago, to round off

their experience. By this time, at approximately

six to seven years old, I expect them to have

figured out what polo at various levels is all about,

and to be fully prepared, mentally as well as

physically, for the years ahead. Importantly,

a year or two in the UK gives polo ponies an

advantage over those that come completely

‘made’ from Argentina. The English style of play,

quality of grounds and climate, are all very

different from Argentina and have a major impact

on the game. It is important for ponies to have

time to adapt to these conditions.

Having embarked on the long journey, I have

discovered that it takes years to build up a pony’s

confidence and ability, and no time at all to start

the reverse cycle. Above all it takes time: you

must be patient and be prepared to wait, but at

the same time, never take ‘no’ for an answer! The

young ponies learn quickly – good habits as

well as bad ones. Trying to ‘unlearn’ a negative

experience is much harder than simply avoiding

it in the first place. In other words, ‘prevention

is the best cure’.

I can strongly recommend breeding and

training as a highly enjoyable and fulfilling

occupation, but it requires a certain amount of

dedication. I would encourage anyone who wants

to breed to visit their ponies in Argentina at least

once a year. I usually go in March, their autumn.

The weather is warm and settled but not too hot.

It is fun to see the foals develop over the years

and it is important to see and try the new ponies

for export, in order to have a feel for their type

and to also check their conformation. My

involvement, however, is only one part of a long

chain, each link just as important as the next.

It is certainly not to be underestimated how

dependent the entire process is on the skill and

knowledge of the breaker Horacio, the polo

professionals and their grooms; Marcelo, in

particular also plays a big part, as do Hugo and

Nelson, among others, all of whom are under

Santiago’s watchful eye. This collaboration is for

me just as important as a polo team – the team

hidden from view as it were, without whom

success is not possible.

Now when I look back at the passing seasons,

I can measure triumph not only in tournament

results (although that certainly helps) but also in

terms of the development of the ponies. I still

enjoy competing, although that is not the be-all

and end-all. Currently I am just starting to play

some of Calidad’s older offspring. I am really

hoping that parting will not be too much like

sweet sorrow.

This season we will test the market by putting

Distinguido, who is now six, and Tango, seven, up

for sale – and also perhaps Figaro, seven, later in

the season. I hope that our experiment goes well,

for both Santiago’s and my benefit. If it doesn’t

– and for example, I only cover my costs

(increased transportation costs from Argentina

have not helped that equation) – I would still feel

satisfied as I have had a lot of fun teaching and

learning simultaneously, and more importantly,

I have had the benefit of some spectacular, if at

first green, horses to play on. Finally, at some

time in the future, when we finish each pony’s

training and they have moved on, I will feel a

certain satisfaction of a job well done.


flying the flagAs crowds flock to the UK in this year of celebration,

British Polo Days communicate the nation’s values of heritage

and fair play to audiences abroad


Patriotism is fashionable these days, especially

for the new generation who see their future in

the global marketplace. The story of British

Polo Day is an inspiring call to action by two

friends keen to ensure that Britain projects its

values and identity in an increasingly crowded

international space.

Edward Olver and Tom Hudson have created

British Polo Day, an ambitious, wide-reaching

project founded on a genuine sense of

‘Britishness’. In this Jubilee and Olympic year,

when everyone is talking about Great Britain,

they have rolled out British Polo Days around

the world with the hopes of opening doors and

building a network of diplomatic and

commercial opportunities.

Olver and Hudson are passionate about the

modern relevance of polo, celebrating the

history of the game through the traditions and

heritage of cavalry officers who originally

helped to spread the sport in the 19th century.

Polo is now part of a global luxury lifestyle and

with British Polo Days, Olver and Hudson hope

to facilitate the movement of blue-chip British

brands into a natural and effective association

with key individuals in social and business

circles in emerging markets around the world.

Olver explained: ‘British Polo Days are like global

lily pads, stepping stones into other markets.

A gala party on the Great Wall of China after

the tournament, for example, is much more

memorable than a PowerPoint presentation.’

The project initially began in Dubai in 2009,

with the UK launch happening in July 2011.

That event was held at Watership Down estate,

the home and private polo ground of Lord and

Lady Lloyd Webber, with players and an

audience that included HRH Prince Harry of

Wales and HRH Prince Rashid of Jordan. Since

then, British Polo Day has taken place in China,

Singapore, India, Thailand, Dubai and Abu

Dhabi. The programme continues, with St

Tropez and Germany in summer 2012, and

further British Polo Days in Russia, South

Africa and Barbados are planned for the future.

After an expatriate upbringing, going to

boarding school and university in the UK, Olver

spent two years in the City learning the ropes at

Deutsche Bank. He then joined the British

Army and was in the Life Guards for five years,

The games are always thrilling

contests of good, clean,

competitive fun polo

British Polo Day China was held in Beijing in 2011

at the Sunny Times Polo Club and attracted UK

and local sponsors both


leaving as Adjutant of the Household Cavalry.

It was while in the army that Olver conceived

and eventually deployed the Household Cavalry

Musical Ride to Abu Dhabi in 2009, a project

that involved the Abu Dhabi Authority for

Culture and Heritage.

HH Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan,

while taking the Musical Ride to Abu Dhabi,

described it as ‘an eloquent manifestation of the

strong ties between the UK and the UAE, both

of which share deeply rooted equestrian

traditions and centuries-old passion for

horses… Indeed this noble gesture will go a long

way to consolidating the eternal bonds of

friendship linking our two sisterly nations’.

Olver’s own faith in the event went far

beyond a shared affection for the horse, and his

experiece with the project inspired him to

rethink the ability of British heritage to improve

trade relations between the UK and UAE.

He recognised that the invitation to take one

of the UK’s most iconic and traditional

regiments to Abu Dhabi was a demonstration of

a deep-rooted relationship between the two

countries, and an opportunity to bridge the gap

between the two cultures. Following the success

of this venture, he then sought to take the idea

to other countries. Together with Tom Hudson,

the co-founder of British Polo Day, they

conceived the plan of action.

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Hudson grew up in Windsor and went to Eton

College before joining the British Army in his

gap year. It was here that he learned to ride and

play polo for the first time. After graduating

from Bristol University and studying law in

Oxford he moved to the UAE with law firm

Linklaters. It was in Dubai that he rekindled

his love of polo and it was there that, in 2009,

he was asked by Eton College to create an

alumni network in the Middle East and an

annual event where everyone could reunite

– polo seemed the perfect backdrop for such

an occasion, given the school’s link with the

sport. Hudson turned to Eton’s natural rivals,

Harrow, who also had many alumni in the

region, including HRH Prince Rashid of

British Polo Day has grown

from a two-man team working

from a London bedroom to

a global business with offices

in London and Dubai

Jordan, Captain of the Royal Jordanian Polo

Team. The stage was set.

‘As well as the expats living in the Middle

East who I knew would want to come to the

event,’ recalls Hudson, ‘British businesses were

also keen to be involved, as well as Emiratis,

many of whom either attended Sandhurst or at

least have property in Knightsbridge.’

Hudson’s planning of this polo event

coincided with Olver bringing the Household

Cavalry Musical Ride out to the Middle East.

The two met a few months later at Hyde Park

Barracks, compared their experiences, and

together founded British Polo Day.

The first British Polo Day was held in Dubai

in 2009 and over the past three years it has

become one of the most prestigious sporting

and social events in the Middle East, attracting

a high-profile, eclectic mix of guests. Lord

Waldegrave, Provost of Eton said, ‘It is great

that that there is now an occasion where people

from some of our great schools and universities

can meet up.’

Lord Astor of Hever further commented,

‘This is a unique initiative and rare celebration

of the best of British’.

Each event features British polo players from

some of Britain’s leading institutions competing

against the teams from the host country. Since

the end of 2011, the British side has fielded


Left The British Army team in Abu Dhabi, (from

left to right), Major Matthew Eyre-Brook, Gaston

Devrient, Doug White and Major Rupert Lewis, in

April 2012. Above Elephant polo was just one of many

highlights at British Polo Day India, in Jodhpur in 2011


Ambassador to Thailand, Asif Ahmad, added

that, ‘British Polo Day captures the essence of

the qualities of Great Britain’.

In Dubai, British Polo Day is now the

showcase event at the Dubai Polo and Equestrian

Club, which is under the patronage of Habtoor

Polo. This event has truly become one of the

most exciting social rituals celebrating British

heritage in the Middle East, attracting premier

English brands as sponsors. An interesting

addition has been camel polo where this year

members of the Cavalry & Guards Club took

each other on in an amusing spectacle.

British Polo Day Abu Dhabi at Abu Dhabi’s

Royal Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club has

established a new model, with a spectacular

floodlit match and black tie event that supports

HRH The Prince of Wales’s Pakistan Recovery

Fund. HH Sheikh Falah bin Zayed Al Nahyan,

chairman of Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club,

generously extended an invitation to the British

Polo Day team to host the event there. HH

Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan,

himself a distinguished showjumper, awarded the

Thesiger Trophy to the winning team, Ghantoot.

Attracting a selection of prestigious

sponsors including Land Rover, Coutts

and Hackett, British Polo Day has enjoyed

international media coverage including the

Financial Times, Harper’s Bazaar and

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teams from Eton, Harrow, Oxford, Cambridge

and players from the British Army around the

world, who compete head-to-head with local

and international teams. The aim of a British

Polo Day is to continue the tradition of playing

high-quality polo against friends in host

countries, while also acting as a platform for

businesses in emerging markets.

After three years in the Middle East, the

next British Polo Day global destination was

China. This was in partnership with the

Chinese Equestrian Association and the Beijing

Municipal Bureau of Sports. British Polo Day

China showcased the traditions of the sport of

polo, and saw the likes of Luis Lalor and

Marcos Heguy humbled by young British

players, as thousands of enthusiastic Chinese

supporters cheered the team on in the shadow

of the Great Wall.

The British Ambassador to China,

Sebastian Wood said, ‘It was a great success,

featuring some spectacular Mongolian

horsemanship, all on a perfect, sunny autumn

day.’ Sir David Brewer, chairman of the

China-Britain Business Council added, ‘What

better way to promote a great British sporting

tradition and British luxury brands.’

The Singapore Polo Club, founded by Army

officers in 1886, was the second Asian venue to

host British Polo Day, welcoming the British

Army Team in celebration of the club’s 125th

year. The Sultan of Johor was guest of honour,

and started an exciting title match after a spirited

Eton vs Harrow fixture. The players and

sponsors also enjoyed breakfast at Eden Hall

(the High Commissioner’s residence) by the

kind permission of the High Commissioner, who

said it was a ‘wonderful occasion to honour the

enduring links between the UK and Singapore.’

Certain events will forever remain in the

hearts and minds of all those involved. British

Polo Day India was one such event. HH The

Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur, himself

having attended Eton and Oxford, could not

have been a more perfect host. From the fashion

show on the ramparts of the Mehrangarh Fort

and the glittering parties in the Umaid Bahwan

Palace, to the elephant polo, lunar eclipse and

even the birth of the Maharaja’s first grand-

daughter during the event, this was indeed a

magical and unforgettable weekend of sport,

splendour and surprise.

Thailand was equally exotic with Harald

Link and Nunthinee Tanner providing the

horses at the Thai Polo and Equestrian Club.

A few of the rustier amateur alumni players

benefited from the eagle eye of Rege Ludwig,

and many had already booked their return

flights for further training with the legendary

polo instructor and coach. The British

Far left Saeed Bin Drai with

Prince Harry at the UK launch

of British Polo Day. Above The

British Exiles team sitting on the

Great Wall of China. Left Victory

went to the British Army team in

Thailand in February this year


China Central Television, along with creating

strong interest on social media sites such as

Twitter and Facebook.

The British Polo Day team, while small, is

certainly passionate about what they do, and

this is evident in the thought-out execution of

each event and the media coverage and film

treatment that each receives. The business has

developed from a two-man team working from

a bedroom in London to a global business with

offices in London and Dubai.

Moreover, a British Polo Day encapsulates

the history, heritage and tradition of the sport

of polo. It creates an opportunity for people

around the world to celebrate the ‘Best of

British’ in an engaging and positive way.

As Sir Winston Churchill famously said

(himself an Old Harrovian and British Army

officer), ‘A polo handicap is a passport to the

world’, and British Polo Days have continued

that tradition for over 50 British players who

have played at the British Polo Days, including:

Will Emerson (Eton), Ben Vestey (Eton and the

Army), Raj Madha (Eton and Cambridge),

HRH Prince Harry (Eton and the Army),

and HRH Prince Rashid of Jordan (Harrow,

Cambridge and the Army).

Lt Col Simon Ledger, chief commentator at

the British Polo Days and chairman of the Army

Polo Association added that, ‘British Polo Days

enable polo to be played as it was always

intended to be played and how it should be

played. These are groups of friends, such as

the Army, who travel to far-flung destinations

in the name of polo and end up making new

friends in the host countries. By no means

amateur players, they do encapsulate the

long-lost “spirit of the amateur” and the games

are always thrilling contests of good, clean,

competitive fun polo.

‘What is more, the British Polo Day team,

by partnering with some of the top polo patrons

and sponsors around the world have enabled,

for once, cost not to be a factor in participation.

Now that really is a good development for polo!’

A gala party on the Great

Wall of China after the

tournament, for example, is

much more memorable than

a PowerPoint presentation

Above Camel polo was an entertaining addition to

British Polo Day in Dubai, April 2012


[drama] catch up with all the latest action from around the world

the action49 Florida High-Goal Season

A rags-to-riches comeback and family showdown were just part of the action

54 FIP Snow Polo World Cup The first-ever FIP snow polo tournament in Tianjin, China was a true extravaganza with thrilling action and entertainment

57 St Regis International An exciting and close match marked the first time a USA team had played on UK grass in 15 years

58 Indian Empire Shield Victory went finally to three-time finalists Emlor C, at Guards Polo at Coworth Park

59 Julius Baer Beach Polo World Cup Gorgeous sunshine and a 10,000-strong turnout made for exciting beach polo on the beautiful island of Sylt

60 Intercollegiate Championships It was a double win for the University of Virginia at the college polo finals

61 Gaucho International Polo For the second year, London’s O2 arena played host to a thrilling international match between England and Argentina

62 Ambassadors Cup Host venue Port Mayaca Polo Club in Florida was the perfect setting for old and new international polo friendships

64 Latin America Tour Bad weather and political tensions did little to dampen England’s team spirit

A helicopter dries the field before the final of the US Open

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florida season: royal salute cv whitney cup, wellington, florida, february-March 2012

Florida SeaSonWith Mike Azzaro’s rags-to-riches comeback and a thrilling double dose of

father-son rivalry, it was all drama and excitement this year, recalls Alex Webbe

The 2012 high-goal season at the International

Polo Club in Wellington, Florida was a promising

one. With every 10-goaler in the world returning,

the prospects for top-level competition were high.

However, after early 20-goal competition

highlighted the play of Uruguay’s David ‘Pelon’

Stirling, a handicap adjustment would cause the

highly touted Crab Orchard team of Adolfo

Cambiaso, Mike Azzaro, Stirling and team captain

George Rawlings to implode (Stirling’s 9-goal

handicap in the US was elevated to 10). Rumours

of back-room dealings and internal dissent

proliferated the winter season chatter, but the fact

remained that a 27-goal Crab Orchard team would

be over the handicap level for the CV Whitney Cup,

the USPA Piaget Gold Cup and the US Open.

There was no give on reorganising the team, thus

ending a Crab Orchard that had captured three of

the previous US Open Championships.

The Crab Orchard team was released by

Rawlings and within days both Stirling and

Cambiaso were picked up by Valiente patron,

Bob Jornayvaz.

‘I thought it would be a shame to see the club

[IPC] lose players of that magnitude,’ said Valiente

patron Jornayvaz. ‘So I put together a last-minute

team to keep them up here for the season.’

Jornayvaz and his son Robert had been

competing on separate teams throughout the

20-goal season as Valiente I (Bob Jornayvaz, Toto

Collardin, Nacho Astrada and Julio Gracida), while

son Robert took the field as Valiente II (Jeff Hall,

Santiago Toccalino and Santiago Bottaro).

Bob Sr would be competing in the 26-goal

competition with his 2011 line-up that would

include Polito Pieres, Miguel and Nacho Astrada.

In an effort to keep Stirling and Cambiaso in

Florida for the winter season, he fashioned a team

around son Robert that would consist of Stirling,

Cambiaso and 6-goaler Alejo Taranco.

Royal Salute CV Whitney Cup

Twelve teams took the field for the 26-goal 2012

Royal Salute CV Whitney Cup, the first leg of

America’s Triple Crown. Practice time was over;

the single-elimination tournament would give the

teams an opportunity to feel out their strengths

and weaknesses under fire.

Orchard Hill staged a late rally to get past

Alegría 12-10; Coca-Cola shocked Audi 14-7;

Zacara sneaked past Las Monjitas, 11-10; and

Valiente I dethroned the defending championship

Lechuza Caracas team 9-6 on the opening day

of the tournament.

Quarter-final action had Valiente I knock La

Ensenada out of the tournament with a 15-10

victory. Valiente II’s Cambiaso and Stirling led the

team to a 12-10 win over Coca-Cola. Zacara

built a two-goal lead in the fourth chukka and held

on for an 11-9 win over Piaget. Agustin Merlos

scored nine goals in the final match of the day for

a 15-11 win over Orchard Hill, setting up the first

semi-finals of the 26-goal season.

Cambiaso cranked it up a notch in the first

semi-final, scoring eight times and leading Valiente

II to a convincing 11-5 win over a disorganised

Zacara effort. The family showdown was

accomplished when Valiente I managed a 12-11

sixth chukka win over ERG, with Miguel Astrada

leading the way with nine goals.

The finals had father, Bob Jornayvaz and

Valiente I, against Robert and Valiente II, and the

first final of the season would feature 10-goalers

Cambiaso and Stirling with Robert Jornayvaz

(along with Taranco) on the Valiente II team. Bob

Sr would take the field with his Valiente I team of

Miguel and Nacho Astrada and Pieres.

Valiente I kept the high-scoring combination of

Cambiaso and Stirling in check early on, leading

2-1 and 4-3 in the first two chukkas of play.

Valiente tied it up at 5-5 to end the first half.

Cambiaso took the opening throw-in of the

second half and raced 150 yards down the field

for a goal, 6-5. The Valiente II defence held

Valiente I scoreless as Taranco put Valiente II

up by a pair of goals, 7-5, to end the chukka.

Valiente II went up 8-5 on a fifth chukka goal

from Stirling. Two Valiente I penalty goals and

a goal from the field, however, ended the period in

an 8-8 tie. Missed shots at goal would come back

to haunt Valiente II as Nacho Astrada scored the

go-ahead goal, 9-8. A 40-yard penalty conversion

from Miguel Astrada ended the match with Valiente I

celebrating the 10-8 win.

Pieres was named Most Valuable Player for

a number of key defensive plays as well as his

aggressiveness on the field. Cambiaso’s Mila was

honoured as Best Playing Pony.

Valiente I celebrates victory

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Florida season: uspa piaget gold cup, Wellington, Florida, march 2012

USPA PiAget gold CUP

With the first 26-goal tournament of the season in

the books, each of the 12 teams in competition got

the opportunity to scout their opponents and

assess their current horsepower. Victor Vargas

remarked that neither the Lechuza Caracas horses

nor the players were ready to play after losing their

opening match of the Whitney.

‘The horses aren’t where we want them yet,’

said Lechuza 10-goaler Guillermo ‘Sapo’ Caset,

‘but they’re coming along.’

New team line-ups and positions were

starting to get adjusted, with the CV Whitney Cup

championship Valiente I team being the only line-

up to return intact from the 2011 season.

‘I like our chances,’ said Valiente I captain

Bob Jornayvaz. ‘We’ve been preparing for this

since last season and I’m comfortable that we

can win it all.’

A number of other teams in the field might

object to Jornayvaz’s assumption, but there were

plenty of games to be played before the trophies

were to be handed out.

Alegría bowed out early after suffering losses

to ERG and Zacara. Audi were out after three

consecutive losses and La Ensenada were also

ushered to the consolation bracket after losing

consecutive games to Zacara, ERG and Valiente I.

Lechuza Caracas showed early promise with wins

over Coca-Cola and Piaget but dropped one-point

games to Valiente II and Valiente I.

ERG continued to roll with Agustin ‘Tincho’

Merlos lighting up the scoreboard. ERG opened the

tournament with wins over Alegría, La Ensenada

and Audi, with a strong attack led by 9-goaler

Merlos, but got knocked out of the quarter-finals

with a loss to Coca-Cola.

It was just a couple of games into the USPA

Piaget Gold Cup when Argentine 7-goaler Joaquin

Pittaluga was replaced by American Mike Azzaro,

and undefeated Zacara team continued their run.

A plucky Piaget team ruined their plans however

with a 10-9 upset to make their way into the finals.

Valiente I dispatched Coca-Cola in a 13-10

contest, setting the stage for a rematch of the CV

Whitney finals with Valiente II, who had knocked out

Piaget, 12-8.

For the second time this season father and

son would face off as Valiente I tried to run its

tournament streak to two while Valiente II tried to

prove that the earlier loss was not down to a fluke.

Cambiaso and Stirling floated around the field,

mounted to the teeth and having an almost

instinctive understanding of each and every

move of the other. Robert Jornayvaz and Taranco

cleared out the front while Stirling and Cambiaso

did their magic.

Cambiaso scored four first chukka goals,

converting penalty shots from 30-yards and

40-yards out and adding a pair of goals from the

field. Pieres and Miguel Astrada each managed

single goals, but Valiente II wanted to make it clear

which team was in control of the game. The first

chukka ended with Valiente I trailing by two goals,

at a score of 4-2.

A goal from the field from Stirling gave Valiente

II a three-point lead, 5-2, when Valiente I clawed

their way back into the game. A penalty goal from

For the second time this

season father and son would

face off in the final

action


Nacho Astrada and a second goal from Pieres cut

the Valiente II lead to a single goal, 5-4, as the

chukka ended.

Third chukka goals from Cambiaso (penalty

shot) and Stirling were answered by a single goal

from Miguel Astrada, giving Valiente II a two-goal,

7-5 advantage.

Play intensified in the second half with three of

the next five goals coming on penalty shots. Nacho

Astrada converted a pair of 40-yard penalty shots

and added a goal from the field. Taranco scored

twice for Valiente II (once on a penalty shot), and

the Valiente II lead had shrunk to a single goal

again, 9-8.

The fifth period was another physical encounter

with each team trying to control the possession of

the ball. Cambiaso scored on a penalty shot, but in

the waning minute of the chukka, a defending

backhander drove into the back of Cambiaso’s

mallet hand, sending him to the ground in pain.

Medics were called and the sidelines were silent as

all attention was on polo’s greatest player sitting on

the ground and holding his right hand in obvious

pain. Several minutes passed before Cambiaso

remounted in an effort to continue, but it was not to

be. After a couple of swings with the mallet, he

retired to the sidelines, to be replaced by 10-goaler

Juan Martin Nero. The chukka ended with Valiente

II on top, 10-8.

Valiente I tried to press the pace in the final

chukka, testing the altered Valiente II line-up. Nero

was a teammate of both Stirling and Cambiaso

the previous year on the Argentine Open Championship

team and he was familiar with both the players and

their horses. Stirling executed a difficult angle shot

for the first goal of the chukka, giving his team an

11-8 lead. Valiente l tried desperately to get on the

scoreboard, as the defensive skills of Nero were

put to the test. With two minutes on the clock,

Pieres managed to make his way through the

Valiente II player for a goal, but that would be where

it ended. Valiente II would control the ball and run

out the clock in the 11-9 win and the 2012 USPA

Piaget Gold Cup Championship.

The victory was bittersweet, however, as

Cambiaso looked on from the end of the field, hand

packed in ice. The 10-goaler led all scoring with six

goals; Stirling added three and teammate Taranco

scored twice in the win.

Nacho Astrada scored four times for Valiente I.

Pieres added three goals and Miguel Astrada was

credited with two in the loss.

Stirling was named MVP and his 11-year-old

grey Chilean Thoroughbred Capilla was honoured

as Best Playing Pony.

opposite Bob Jornayvaz (holding cup) joins son Robert with teammates, from left, Adolfo Cambiaso, Pelon Stirling and Alejo Taranco. Below The 30-goal train: Miguel Novillo Astrada followed by Adolfo Cambiaso and Pelon Stirling

Victory was bittersweet,

however, as Cambiaso looked

on, hand packed in ice

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Florida season: Us oPen ChamPionshiPs, wellington, Florida, marCh-aPril 2012

US Open ChampiOnShipS

Of all the surprising facts surrounding Zacara’s

US Open performance – that they managed to

defeat defending champions Lechuza Caracas

11-9 in the final, that they were the only outfit in

the 11-team field to finish with a perfect record

– the most surprising was the return of polo icon

Mike Azzaro to the US Open winner’s circle after

a 15 year absence.

The former 10-goaler entered the high-goal

season without a team after the implosion of Crab

Orchard. The elevation of Stirling’s handicap from

nine to 10 basically blew them out of the water,

forcing patron Rawlings to disband the team and

withdraw from the competition. Within hours Stirling

and Cambiaso had found employment with Valiente’s

Bob Jornayvaz, who created a makeshift team for

his 19-year-old son Robert. Valiente II would

feature two of polo’s greatest players while the

former 10-goaler Azzaro looked for a team.

Azzaro had fallen on a string of bad luck over

the last few years, beginning with his fall in 2009,

just weeks before he was scheduled to lead

a United States polo team against the English in

the storied Westchester Cup match.

England’s coach Julio Novillo Astrada was

heard to have said that with Azzaro on the field,

he was hoping to keep from being embarrassed

– without him, it was a different story. England

went on to win as Azzaro recovered from his injuries.

Less than stellar performances in the last two

high-goal seasons saw his 9-goal handicap erode

to 7. The creation of the 2012 Crab Orchard team

of Azzaro, Stirling and Cambiaso looked to be just

the ticket to rocket him back to the top of the

heap, but it was not to be, and with the season

already underway, the last American to carry

a 10-goal handicap was looking for a job.

‘I never gave up,’ said Azzaro. ‘I brought 22

horses to Florida with the intention of playing in

the US Open, and I wasn’t giving up.’

It was thought that some subtle friction

between Cambiaso and Azzaro might have played

a part, but Cambiaso was already on a team, and

Azzaro was not. ‘I called Lyndon Lea and pleaded

my case,’ said Azzaro. ‘The kid he had playing

back for them wasn’t a back,’ said Azzaro. ‘I told

him that I had the experience and would be a good

fit for the team. Two games into the Gold Cup I got

my chance.’

The Azzaro story entered the polo scene as

a third-page item of interest while all eyes were

instead focused on the potential return of

Cambiaso (who had fractured a bone in the back

of his mallet hand) to the Valiente II team, an

increasingly dangerous Lechuza Caracas team

and, of course, Valiente I.

ERG was thought to have a shot at the final

tournament of the season as long as Merlos could

continue to score, and Audi showed flashes of

brilliance, but Zacara did not attract a great deal

of scrutiny.

Opening wins over Alegría (15-10), Orchard

Hill (15-12) and Valiente I finally had players and

teams sitting up and taking notice, and Azzaro’s

play was also noticed.

Zacara buried Coca-Cola 13-7 during

quarter-final play and struggled for a 14-13 win

over ERG in semi-final action in spite of the

fact that Merlos outscored Zacara 10-goaler,

Facundo Pieres, 11-10.

Valiente II had been keeping Cambiaso out of

the line-up in hopes that his hand would be healed

enough to be effective. Cambiaso showed up for

the team’s game against Lechuza leading up to

Semi-final action was, by

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the quarter-finals and did not impress in their

eventual 12-10 loss.

Four days later, Valiente I and Valiente II would

meet in the quarter-finals with Valiente II losing by

three goals, 14-11. Cambiaso was not playing at

anywhere near 100 per cent and their Open run

had ended.

ERG and Lechuza had also managed to

capture quarter-final wins, along with Zacara

who pounded Coca-Cola 13-7.

The semi-final action was, by comparison to

earlier play, some of the most competitive games

of the season. Lechuza needed an extra chukka

goal from Facundo Obregon to defeat a resolute

Valiente I line-up while Zacara continued its

winning way by scoring a 14-13 win over ERG.

To say that the finals of the 2012 Nespresso

US Open were a showcase for the talents of

Azzaro might be a bit melodramatic, but the play

of the 46-year-old icon was something to behold.

The interaction between Azzaro, Facundo

Pieres, Magoo Laprida and Lea was spectacular.

Facundo Pieres and Azzaro interchanged

positions as if they had been playing together for

years, and the work of Laprida and Lea at the

front end of the line-up allowed for the damage

to be done by Azzaro and Facundo Pieres.

Zacara 10-goaler Facundo Pieres scored the

opening goal of the game in the first 30 seconds

of play on a 90-yard shot through the goal posts,

and the game was on. Lechuza responded with

goals from Nero and Caset that had Zacara

trailing 2-1.

The two teams exchanged a pair of goals in the

second with Facundo Pieres tying it up just two

minutes into the chukka. Caset answered this with

a penalty goal just 60 seconds later. A sure goal

was left on the Zacara goal line by Nero as

Azzaro then jumped on the ball and carried it the

length of the field for a goal, 3-3. Lechuza closed

out the scoring with a goal from team captain

Vargas with just 43 seconds left on the clock.

Lechuza continued to lead, 4-3, as Zacara

combined a pair of goals with shutout defence

in the third.

‘We had no space (on the field) in the

beginning,’ said Laprida after the game. ‘We had

no room in which to operate. In the third chukka it

began to open up a bit and we got our game going,’

he said.

Vigilant defence and a nose for the ball gave

the veteran Azzaro two sterling opportunities

in the fourth, and he definitely took them. He

jumped a Lechuza player in their end of the field

and rode down to score a tying goal, 4-4. Two

minutes later Azzaro took advantage of field

position once again to give Zacara a 5-4 lead

that they would take into half-time with them.

‘He (Azzaro) played a great game today,’

said Facundo Pieres. ‘He was a brilliant back

and came through at the appropriate times to

carry the ball and score.’

Nero picked up the ball in the fourth chukka

and carried it through the Zacara defence for a

goal, 5-5, but that was when Zacara took control

of the game. Goals from Facundo Pieres (penalty

shot), Azzaro and Laprida closed out the period

with Zacara on top, 8-5.

A determined Lechuza team took the field

in the fifth chukka, shutting down the potent

Zacara attack and picking up a pair of goals from

one of their own 10-goalers, Caset. The period

ended with Lechuza trailing by a single goal, 8-7.

Laprida’s second goal of the game extended

the Zacara lead to two goals, 9-7, to open the

final chukka. Zacara team captain Lea drove

the ball through the Lechuza goal posts with an

authoritative shot that had them ahead by three

goals, 10-7, with Lechuza scrambling to find an

answer. Azzaro was closing the door on attack

after attack, and Lechuza’s two 10-goalers

were having little success. Caset converted a

40-yard penalty shot, 10-8, followed by an

offensive rush on the Zacara goal that resulted

in the ball hitting the goalpost and being cleared

out of danger by Azzaro. Zacara managed to

keep the play away from their end of the field for

the balance of the chukka, celebrating the 10-8

win when the final horn sounded.

The play by Zacara was inspired; the rags-to-

riches story surrounding Azzaro was complete.

Azzaro had returned from relative obscurity to

celebrate his sixth Open championship, and his

first in 15 years. Lea had led his Zacara team to

consecutive wins in the British Open and the US

Open Championships. Ten-goaler Facundo Pieres

had unselfishly shared a platform with Azzaro,

Laprida and Lea, enabling them to unseat the

defending championship Lechuza team, and

Laprida performed brilliantly at the front end of

the Zacara attack.

Fittingly enough, Azzaro was named Most

Valuable Player of the Open, a first time honour

for the much-decorated veteran. Lea’s La Lina

received Best Playing Pony honours. She was

played by Facundo Pieres in the second and

sixth chukkas.

A man without a team just months earlier

was now standing in the winner’s circle of the most

prestigious tournament in American polo – indeed

a fairy-tale ending for yet another exciting season

of polo in Florida.

Play of the 46-year-old

polo icon Mike Azzaro was

something to behold

Opposite Juan Martin Nero keeps the ball from the men in black above The talented patrons Lyndon Lea (left) and Victor Vargas

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FIP Snow Polo world cuP, tIanjIn, chIna, February 2012

F IP SNOW POLO WORLD CUPTianjin was the setting for a wonderful winter tournament, reports Herbert Spencer

When it comes to hosting international sporting

events, the Chinese invariably put on quite a

show, as we saw with the Beijing Olympics four

years ago. So it was this February, albeit on a

somewhat smaller scale, for the Fortune Heights

FIP Snow Polo World Cup Invitational at the

Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club in the

north China city of Tianjin.

The Federation of International Polo had

impressively created and organised the new

tournament especially for the Chinese club in

barely six months, attracting national polo teams

from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.

Organisation of the polo, however, was not even

half the story in what became a multi-million dollar

extravaganza, believed to be the most expensive

event in the history of the sport.

Goldin Properties of Hong Kong, owners of

the Tianjin club, paid FIP more than US$2.5m for

the snow polo tournament, with millions more on

the venue, entertainment and hospitality to make

this a unique event promoting its mega real estate

development in the booming Chinese city.

As it rarely snows in Tianjin, 70 miles south

of Beijing, the Metropolitan brought in two giant

snow cannons to create an artificial winter

wonderland. Luxuriously appointed and lavishly

catered, several two-tiered viewing marquees

were set up down the length of the snow polo

arena. During the tournament’s grand opening

ceremonies, 12 microlight planes flew in

formation around the arena, followed by 12

powered parachutes flying in with the national

flags of the participating teams. The ceremony

was officiated by Xiao Tian, deputy director

of the People’s Republic of China’s General

Administration of Sport and deputy head of the

Chinese Olympic Committee; Eduardo Huergo,

president of FIP; and Zhang Junfang, vice-

mayor of Tianjin.

For its first-ever snow polo tournament, FIP

invited 11 national associations, members of the

federation, to send three-man teams who were

handicapped from 14 to 16-goals, to compete in

China: England, France, Italy, Argentina, Brazil,

Chile, South Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand

and the USA.

FIP waived its usually strict nationality rules

to enable participation by a ‘home team’, Hong

Kong-China. With no Hong Kong players of

appropriate handicaps, the new Hong Kong

Association, a conditional member of FIP, was

then permitted to make up a team that comprised

of professional players from the other countries

participating in the tournament.

The 12 teams drew their mounts from a pool of

156 ponies from Metropolitan’s own stables. ‘The

ponies were of a good standard for snow polo and

were very fairly distributed,’ commented England

coach Alan Kent. ‘I believe the players were all

happy with them.’ As teams were eliminated, their

best ponies were recycled so, by the finals, the

best of the best were in action.

With up to four games a day, FIP reduced

the number of chukkas per game to three during

league play. The semi-finals and finals were

originally scheduled as six chukkas, but FIP

tournament director Peter Abisheganaden

reduced them to four as it was thought six were

As it rarely snows in Tianjin

the Metropolitan club brought

in two giant snow cannons

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too much to hold the attention of Chinese

spectators unfamiliar with the game.

England’s well-disciplined team of Jamie Le

Hardy, Max Charlton and skipper Chris Hyde, a

veteran of arena and snow polo, looked favourites

in league play, winning all their games and

amassing the largest goal difference of all the

12 teams. They went on to defeat New Zealand

in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong-China team of

Argentines Guillermo Terrera and Martin

Inchauspe and Englishman John Fisher dropped

only one game, losing a league match 6-7 in a

penalty shoot-out against England. This was

one of five tied matches settled with penalty

shoot-outs. The home team then went on to

down France in the quarter-finals.

Hong Kong-China took their revenge on

England in the semi-finals, beating them 7-4

to advance to the final. South Africa defeated

Argentina 7-5 in the semis to earn their place

in the final.

In the final showdown, Hong Kong-China

dominated the first chukka, with Terrera and

Inchauspe both scoring. South Africa’s Tom

‘Moose’ de Bruin opened the scoring for South

Africa in the second chukka, but Hong Kong-

China continued to keep possession, with Terrera

and Inchauspe both scoring again. South Africa’s

de Bruin scored a penalty towards the end of the

chukka, but Terrera also converted a penalty to

give Hong Kong-China a dominant 6-2 lead when

the bell sounded at half-time.

South Africa started to threaten in the third

chukka and found their stride in the fourth period

to put the home side under pressure. Hong

Kong-China maintained their lead, however, and

finished the game 7-4 to win the Fortune Heights

FIP Snow Polo World Cup to the delight of the

Chinese spectators.

A jubilant Pan Sutong, chairman of the Hong

Kong Polo Association and owner of the host club,

joined his team on the podium as FIP president

Huergo presented the glittering silver trophy.

Hong Kong-China’s Terrera, returning to polo

after months of radiotherapy and chemotherapy

for cancer, was named Most Valuable Player of

the final.

England played Argentina on the final day to

decide third and fourth place in the tournament.

It was a closely fought game with the two teams

staying within a goal of each other throughout the

match. England led 4-3 at half-time, but the lead

changed more than once in the second half. In

the end it was England who was victorious, finally

downing Argentina by 8 goals to 7.

The multi-million dollar

extravaganza was believed

to be the most expensive

event in the history of polo

Opposite The teams and umpires line up for the final

Below Tom ‘Moose’ de Bruin controls Guillermo

Terrera, making space for teammate Jean du Plessis

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st regis international, Cowdray Park, may 2012

st regisHerbert Spencer reports on the first match a USA team had played on UK grass in 15 years

When the US Polo Association (USPA) included

a 1-goal amateur in its national team challenging

England in the St Regis International in May,

observers predicted a win for the all-professional

home side. Those who saw England as favourites,

however, did not reckon on the determination of

American amateur Marc Ganzi who put together

and funded the USPA team.

‘I didn’t come over as a patron, said Ganzi, ‘I came

as a member of a four-man national team, out to win.’

And win they almost did, in a highly competitive

contest that was only decided in the final minute as

England triumphed, beating the USA by 11-10½.

The fifth St Regis International, one of several

2012 tests of the HPA, was the first time a USA

team had played on UK grass in 15 years. The test

was played at Cowdray Park Polo Club, but with its

famous Lawns grounds waterlogged after persistent

May rains, the club moved the test to its No 1

ground at Ambersham.

The ambience at Ambersham was more intimate

and countrified than the usual set-up at Lawns. The

newly resurfaced ground played well, the England and

USA teams appeared evenly matched in player and

pony power, and the St Regis provided some 2,500

spectators with an exciting match of international polo.

The 23-goal USA team was Ganzi, handicap 1,

American-born Paul Pieres, 8, and 7-goalers Nick

Roldan (captain) and Jeff Hall. England fielded

a well-practised, 24-goal side with 7-goalers

Luke Tomlinson (captain) and James Beim,

Malcolm Borwick, 6, and Ollie Cudmore, 4.

‘We were unable to get in a single practice with

the full team,’ said the USA’s Ganzi, ‘but we play

together in Florida, so know one another’s games.’

Ganzi and his wife Melissa, who own Florida’s

Grand Champions Polo Club, play up to 26-goal

in the States, alternating to field pro-am high-goal

teams under Piaget and Audi colours.

‘Our friends in England were very generous

in providing us with mounts, from the Zacara,

Ellerston and Dubai strings,’ Mark Ganzi said,

‘and Adrian Kirby agreed for Polito [Pieres] to

ride his team’s ponies.’

The USA started with half a point on the

scoreboard reflecting the difference in team

handicaps. In the first chukka, England briefly took

the lead with a penalty conversion, only to lose it

when the USA also scored on a penalty. The

visitors benefited from an England own goal when

Borwick’s pony Fizz kicked the ball through the

posts as he was defending. England’s Cudmore

scored from the field to leave the USA ahead

2½-2 at the bell.

In the second period the USA increased their

lead with a field goal by Roldan. England pulled one

back with a penalty conversion, then went ahead

as Borwick scored a goal from the field. Tomlinson

raced straight to goal from the throw-in to put

England in the lead 5-3½ as the chukka ended.

Roldan scored a hat trick in the third period

with three straight field goals before Beim found

the posts and the chukka ended with the USA

ahead 6½-6.

A rejuvenated England outscored their

opponents in the fourth chukka with two goals by

Tomlinson and a third by Beim against a single

point by the USA, and the period ended with the

home team ahead 9-7½.

England kept the lead in the fifth and final

chukka until the USA snatched it back, only to

lose it again almost immediately. Then, in the final,

dramatic minute, England fouled and the USA was

awarded a 60-yard penalty try. Beim blocked the

try, the bell sounded and the home team came out

the victors, 11-10½.

Lord Cowdray presented the HPA’s Silver

Jubilee Cup to England, and Paul James of St

Regis Hotels & Resorts presented the St Regis

International Cup to the USA team. Nick Roldan

was awarded the Most Valuable Player prize while

Paul Pieres’s Ralinga was Best Playing Pony. The

best-loaned pony prize went to Dubai’s Cruzera,

which was ridden by Roldan.

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IndIan empIre shIeld, Guards polo at coworth park, may 2012

indian empire shieldThree-time finalist Emlor C were this year’s victors, though play itself

was less than satisfying, says Herbert Spencer

It was third time lucky for Clinton McCarthy in

May as his Emlor C team narrowly defeated the

Hanbury family’s El Remanso 8-7 to take the

Indian Empire Shield for the first time, playing at

Guards Polo at Coworth Park.

The 18-goal Indian Empire Shield tournament

is the most popular of the second tier of high goal

in the UK, not least because the massive trophy is

one of the most historic and unusual in polo. Nine

teams were competing for the shield this year.

This was the third time McCarthy’s team have

been finalists. In 2010 and 2011, they lost to Guy

Schwartzenbach’s Black Bears, who have won

the shield no fewer than five times. This year,

however, they lost all their matches, leaving it to

Emlor C and El Remanso, with brothers Charlie

and George Hanbury, to fight it out in the final.

Conditions were not ideal at Coworth Park

where Guards Polo Club now runs the show. The

No 1 ground was heavy going and caused bad

bounces of the ball, but the Guards ground staff

had managed to keep it playable through the

unforgiving May rains. Ground conditions may

have been partly responsible for frequent fouls.

Emlor C drew first blood as their Marcos

Araya found the posts two minutes into the first

period. El Remanso’s Eduardo Heguy converted

a 60-yard penalty to tie the score at chukka’s end.

Araya scored again in the second chukka to put

Emlor C ahead. Their Tom Morley scored from the

field and converted two penalties, against a single

conversion by Heguy to leave Emlor C leading 5-2.

El Remanso reduced their deficit in the third

period with a penalty conversion by Heguy and a field

goal by David Miller. Then came the game’s best

goal: Araya lofting the ball at an acute angle from

a good 80-yards out to score. Another penalty

conversion by Heguy left Emlor C in the lead 6-5.

In the fourth chukka Heguy equalised for El

Remanso with yet another penalty conversion

before Morley recovered the lead for Emlor C

with a field goal, ending the period 7-6 ahead.

Both teams showed some loose play in the fifth

and final chukka and neither scored from the field.

Emlor C’s Morley converted a penalty, then Heguy

scored for El Remanso on a conversion in the last

minute, leaving McCarthy’s side the victors, 8-7.

It was less than satisfying to see eight out of

the 15 goals in the match being scored on penalty

conversions. El Remanso scored only once from

the field, with all six of Heguy’s points resulting

from fouls. Morley was high scorer for Emlor C, but

three of his five goals were on penalty conversions.

But a win is a win after all is said and done, and

Clinton McCarthy was understandably jubilant as he

hoisted the heavy Indian Empire Shield high in the air.

Emlor C is one of two teams fielded by the

McCarthy brothers Clinton, 47, and Spencer, 46

(of the Emlor S team). Spencer has played for 20

years and, after successes in medium-goal, now also

plays in 22-goal. Clinton took up the sport nine years

ago and his wins have included the 18-goal Duke

of Sutherland and the 15-goal Victor Ludorum.

Nine teams competed for

the massive trophy that is one

of the most historic in polo

The winning Emlor C team

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The Julius Baer Beach Polo World cuP, sylT, Germany, may 2012

sylt beach poloSunshine, blue skies and a great turnout made the perfect backdrop for Audi’s

win at the Julius Baer Beach Polo World Cup, writes Christie Fearnside

The weekend of 26 and 27 May saw the German

island of Sylt host the second Julius Baer Beach

Polo World Cup Sylt on the glorious white

beaches of Hörnum. The second year that Julius

Baer has been title sponsor of the event, this is

the fifth year that organiser Kiki Schneider has

held the Beach Polo World Cup.

This year’s tournament saw leading polo

players from Germany, the UK and Argentina

competing for the following teams: Julius Baer,

Audi, Maus Immobilien, Schloss Göhrde, König

Pilsener and Lanson in a round-robin format.

Over 10,000 spectators filled the wide open

beaches of western Sylt, and the final day saw

glorious sunshine and blue skies. Starting off the

day’s proceedings for 5th/6th place, team Julius

Baer, consisting of 16-year-old German polo

prodigy Lukas Sdrenka, and German 5-goaler,

Sven Schneider, were defeated by Schloss

Göhrde 6-7½.

The second game of the day saw König Pilsener

defeat Maus Immobilien 6-3 in the 3rd/4th playoff

match. Five-goaler UK player Jamie Morrison, of

team Maus Immobilien, commented: ‘This is the first

time I’ve played in the tournament and it has been a

great experience. The weather has been superb and

the crowds really supportive.’ Regarding the event’s

format, he continued, ‘I’ve played beach polo in

Miami and snow polo around the world, and this

event is really up there with some of the best

arena-based polo tournaments in the world.’

Following an entertaining performance by

German disc jockey Markus Gardeweg, the final

match saw the tournament’s two highest handicap

players pitted against each other: Germany’s

Thomas Winter, 5-goals, playing for Lanson, and

Audi’s Argentine 6-goaler, Gastón Maíquez. The

first two chukkas ended 4-3½ in favour of Audi,

with the third chukka seeing end-to-end play and

a succession of quick goals, ending 5-4½ to Audi.

In the fourth and final quarter, Winter produced

a pitch-length backhand to give Lanson the lead.

However, a quick response by Audi’s Christian

Grimme negated this advantage, and they then went

on to score once more, bringing the score to 7-5½.

Into the final minute, Lanson pulled a goal back to

bring the score within half a goal. With all 10,000

spectators holding their breath until the final whistle,

Audi was victoriously crowned the Julius Baer

Beach Polo World Cup Sylt 2012 champions,

beating Lanson 7-6½.

Maíquez, a three-time winner of the cup,

commented: ‘This was the toughest final yet. The

Lanson team were tough competitors and we had

to play very well to defeat them.’

Audi received a beautifully engraved Tiffany &

Co trophy, along with the typical Swiss Jakobs

cheese, prominent in the western part of Switzerland.

The island of Sylt is an area of natural beauty

with over half the island under conservation and,

in 2009, the tidal mudflats to the east of the island

were declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

In recent years the island has experienced many

destructive storms, none more so than in 2011

when many parts of the island were washed away.

The Julius Baer Beach Polo World Cup Sylt

supports the Sylt Costal Protection Foundation

in helping to raise awareness and support its

conservation efforts. At the end of the 2012

tournament, Julius Baer made a €10,000

donation to the foundation to enable it to

continue with its cause of protecting the island.

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NatioNal iNtercollegiate Polo chamPioNshiPs, corNell UNiversity, ithaca, Ny, aPril 2012

At the weekends there is generally little life on

a college campus before noon, but on a cold and

cloudy Sunday morning this April, the entrance to

the cavernous arena of Cornell University’s John

T Oxley Equestrian Center was crowded with people

for the 90th National Intercollegiate Championship.

By 10am, the start of the women’s final, there were

roughly a hundred people in the bleachers.

The teams lined up at midfield to hear the

national anthem, sung in three-part harmony by

members of the Cornell women’s team. When things

got underway, the jocular voice of David Drogo,

Cornell’s polo announcer of 30 years, chronicled

the action and instructed amateur spectators on

the rules of the game.

The University of Virginia (UVA) Lady Cavaliers

had met the Big Red once before that season, in

Charlottesville, Virginia, and won handily. But they

had lost the championship game to Cornell the

previous year, so there was a score to be settled.

The first half was very tight, 3-3 after one chukka

and 7-6 to the Lady Cavs at half-time. Virginia’s

Isabella Wolf and Cornell’s Kailey Eldredge were

the standouts, and their arena-length runs were

the brightest moments of a first half in which the

majority of goals were scored from penalties.

A sizeable delegation of college polo’s best had

been at Cornell since Wednesday, milling around

the local hotels, watching soccer at Buffalo Wild

Wings and occasionally playing polo. Because not

every team had their horses on hand, practising on

horses was not allowed, and teams were limited to

riding at game-time. The Virginia women, for

example, had not been on horseback since their

victory on Wednesday at noon over Texas A&M.

The Virginia men’s team sat behind me during the

women’s match, drinking yerba maté like gauchos

and hollering encouragement to their classmates.

In the third chukka, Virginia pulled away with

a 3-0 run. Eldredge hit back for Cornell to make

it 11-7, but UVA’s Julia Steiner hit a fantastic

backshot goal from 20 yards out to quell the

opposition. A late rally from Cornell in the fourth

chukka brought the Big Red to within three, but

there was too little time remaining, and the UVA

women deservedly took the title, 17-13.

The widely favoured UVA men had trouble early

against a dark-horse Westmont squad seeded third.

With both teams riding the University of Connecticut’s

ponies in the first chukka, Westmont was the better

side. Virginia missed a couple of penalties and a

backhanded goal and penalty from Westmont’s Wiley

Uretz made it 8-2 by the start of the second chukka.

On Virginia ponies, though, the Cavaliers found

their stroke. CB Scherer, Felipe Viana and Mauricio

Lopez spread the goals between them in a second

chukka as one-sided as the first. Three Virginia

goals in the final minute made it 10-9 UVA at the half.

After a couple of minutes of open play put

Westmont in the lead, Virginia started to play more

efficiently. Scherer put it through the goal on

a penalty with 5:36 remaining to equalise. Then it

was Lopez at 4:50 for the lead; Viana at 4:06 with

a tap-in. Scherer scored again at 3:05, and after

a Westmont goal on a penalty two, Lopez and Viana

each hit two to close out the chukka at 19-13.

When the Virginia team got their ponies back in the

fourth chukka, victory was in the bag. The Cavaliers

took it 23-17 for their second straight championship,

and the second Virginia trophy of the day.

IntercollegIate

champIonshIps

The men’s team watched

the women’s match, drinking

yerba maté like gauchos

University of Virginia coach Lou Lopez with the women’s and men’s team champions

Henry Grabar Sage recounts the joyous double win for the University

of Virginia women’s and men’s teams

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Hpa gaucHo international polo, 02 arena, london , marcH 2012

England defeated Argentina in the Hurlingham

Polo Association’s Gaucho International Polo in

the O2 arena in March, but not before the two

national teams treated some 7,500 cheering

fans to a nail-biting penalty shoot-out.

This was the second year of the arena

high-goal Gaucho at the former Millennium

Dome beside the River Thames in Greenwich,

with one of the largest crowds ever to watch an

indoor arena international. With a streamlined

format concentrating on two international

matches, the event drew more hard-core polo

supporters this year in addition to Londoners,

many of whom were seeing polo for the first time.

Jamie Morrison, son of the late Bryan Morrison,

considered the ‘godfather’ of arena polo in the UK,

led the England team. Eight-goaler Morrison was

joined by Maurice Ormerod, 5-goals, and Gavin

Turner, 4-goals. Argentina was captained by

7-goaler Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Figueras who models

for Ralph Lauren. Oscar Mancini, 6-goals, and

Juan Leiva, 4-goals, completed the squad.

Having lost to the home team in the inaugural

O2 event in February 2011, the Argentines were

out for blood.

Skipper Figueras appeared much improved

after his lacklustre performance in 2011, while

England captain Morrison, despite his experience

in the arena, sometimes seemed a bit off his game.

The visitors scored three in a row in the first

chukka to take the lead, which they held throughout

most of the match. England managed to tie up the

game three times in the second chukka, but were

behind by five goals in the third.

The home team finally caught fire in the fourth

and final period, outscoring Argentina by five goals

to two. With just over a minute to go on the clock,

England’s Ormerod scored a field goal to equalise

at 15-15. Argentina’s Mancini missed a 20-yard

penalty shot as the final horn sounded, leaving

the score tied.

In the tie-breaking penalty shoot-out that

followed, England’s Turner and Ormerod and

Argentina’s Leiva and Mancini missed their shots

at goal. Then England skipper Morrison rode up

to the mark and calmly scored to the roar of the

crowd. Argentina’s Figueras final shot went wide,

leaving England the winners by 16 goals to 15.

The main event of the Gaucho International

was preceded by a match between Scotland and

Ireland. Jamie Le Hardy, 7-goals, skippered

Scotland with Howard Smith, 6-goals, and George

McCorkell, 4-goals. Sebastian Dawnay, 8-goals,

was captain of Ireland with Richard Le Poer,

Gaucho InternatIonalLondon’s O2 arena was the venue for a thrilling match between

England and Argentina, writes Herbert Spencer

6-goals, and Siobhan Herbst, 3-goals, the only

female player of the O2 event.

The Scotland v Ireland match was considered

by some to be more exciting than the main event.

It was all tied up no fewer than eight times, with

neither team able to gain more than a one or two

goal advantage. Scotland finally pulled away in the

last chukka to win 15-12.

Mark Cann of the Combined Services Polo

Association was director of this year’s International

and Louisa Dawnay, wife of Ireland player Seb

Dawnay, organised the teams and their ponies.

‘The HPA’s Gaucho International proved to be

an excellent evening to introduce a whole new crowd

of people to polo,’ commented HPA chairman

Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers. ‘It was well

supported by players and spectators alike, and

crowd numbers were well up on last year. There

was a great atmosphere and some exciting matches.’

Martin Williams, operations director of the

Argentine-themed Gaucho restaurant chain and

organiser of the O2 event, was also happy. ‘The

increased partnership and relationship with the

HPA benefited the quality of the event hugely and

I am sure will make it even more of a spectacle

in future years,’ he said. ‘We look forward to

announcing the date for 2013 very shortly.’

England’s Maurice Ormerod (in red) chased by Oscar Mancini (in blue)


fip AMBAssAdors cup, port MAyAcA, floridA, April 2012

The 77th FIP Ambassadors Cup was held on 13 to 17

April 2012 at the Port Mayaca Polo Club near Palm

Beach, Florida. Players representing 10 countries

participated on six different teams.

While the tournament did produce a winning team,

more about which will be covered later, the overriding

significance of the event was the camaraderie and good

fellowship enjoyed by all participants.

As in all Ambassadors Cups, horses were

generously loaned by local players to the visiting

Ambassadors. All visitors felt the quality of horses was

excellent. The level of play was also of a very high

standard as all of the teams were in the 10- to 12-goal

range and the fields were in excellent condition. The six

teams played on each of the three game days and

enjoyed lunch together in the pavilion overlooking field

number one at Port Mayaca. A few also partook in

sporting clay shooting.

The Ambassadors Cup was held in conjunction with

the US Open Championship being played at the

International Polo Club in Wellington, Florida, and

the FIP Council of Administration meeting held at the

Museum of Polo on 18 April. The Ambassadors also

enjoyed a very active social schedule including the Polo

Ball. A dinner party was hosted by Russell and Missy

Corey and a cocktail reception in their honour was

hosted by the museum.

Publisher of Hurlingham magazine, Roderick Vere

Nicoll, and his Hurlingham teammates, Carlos Gracida,

Carlitos Gracida and Timmy Sharma, were undefeated

in all of their games displaying great teamwork and well

deserved victories. While the Hurlingham team received

the winners’ trophy, each of the other teams was given

the privilege to pose for a photo holding the trophy.

It is also noteworthy that as the Port Mayaca Polo

Club founder and tournament host, I was given the

advantage of being able to pick my teammates, pick the

opposition, choose the horses of many of the opposition

and hire the umpire, and yet, was still unable to win.

Further, even though I was playing my own horses, while

many others were playing unfamiliar ones, I was the only

player during the tournament to involuntarily dismount!

The Port Mayaca Ambassadors Cup allowed players

to renew old international polo friendships as well as

create new ones. The FIP Ambassadors Cup provides

an excellent opportunity to promote polo as well as

international friendships. If you are given the chance

to participate in one, I encourage you to do so.

About the Club

The Port Mayaca Polo Club began its

first season in November 2008. It has

five regulation-size fields as well as an

11-acre stick and ball area. The entire

complex encompasses 573 acres, with

stabling for 158 horses. The club has

roughly 25 active members, about half

of whom are stabled on site. A number

of players from various Wellington

clubs also participate in events at Port

Mayaca. The club caters to young

professionals who enjoy the large area to

ride and train horses as well as the high

standard of practice games. The season

runs from mid-November until mid-April

ambassadors cupPort Mayaca club founder and tournament host Stephen Orthwein reports

on the kindling of polo friendships old and new

action


action

Latin america tour: santiago, chiLe, march 2012 / Ba, argentina, apriL 2012

latin america tourDespite a backdrop of horrendous weather and political tensions,

England’s players performed superbly, writes David Woodd

In April 2011 the AAP’s plans to host an International

22-goal tournament at Palermo fell through at the

last minute but later, during the Open, the HPA

pledged its support to the AAP’s proposal to try

again. At the same time, discussions were held with

Lionel Soffia to send an England team to Chile to

play a 20-goal test match at Santiago’s San Cristóbel

Club. For Chile, it was agreed that our team would

play off their HPA handicaps, while in Argentina, they

would play off their Argentine handicaps. In the event

it was fortunate that our team, all of whom were able

to mount themselves in Argentina, were 20-goals on

HPA handicaps but 22 on their AAP handicaps.

Hence the team fitted both countries’ wishes and it

was anticipated that the polo in Chile would help to

prepare the team for the AAP tournament.

Inevitably, the team were at a disadvantage on

strange horses and, having tried ponies in a match

against a Young Chile team on the Saturday, their

plans were somewhat disrupted when ponies

promised for Sunday did not appear. This

necessitated some last-minute changes, with

players still trying ponies as the five-minute bell

was rung. Perhaps as a result, the team got off to

a shaky start, going down by two quick goals in

the first chukka, and thereafter trailed throughout

until the last chukka when they got to 9-10 with a

chance to go level. However, Chile snatched away

any hopes when they scored a decisive goal in

the last 30 seconds. Obviously the team were

disappointed but, still, much enjoyed their foray

west of the Andes.

Prior to going to Chile the team had had two

practices at La Quinta courtesy of the Tomlinson

brothers, and on their return from Chile they held

one more practice. They also managed to watch

the other teams, and the view was that Chile

looked strong and Argentina very talented. There

had been various comments made about the

decision of the HPA to allow the team to play as

Rest of the World due to the political tensions in

Buenos Aires concerning the 30th anniversary of

the invasion of the Falkland Islands. Given the

rioting outside the British Embassy on the night

before the first game, that was against Argentina,

it was clear to those in BA that the decision had

been entirely correct.

Everyone knew the game against Argentina

would be tough with at least two of their players

very competitively handicapped: Juan Ruìz

Guiñazú Jr playing off 6-goals (7 in England) and

the young 3-goaler Juan Zubiaurre, who had won

several tournaments already in 2012. In the event

England allowed Argentina to score the first two


action

goals but then managed to control chukkas

two and three and at half-time, although still two

goals down, England justifiably felt that they had

a chance. However, in the fourth chukka the

Argentines out-horsed and outplayed our team by

a fair margin – Guiñazú in his red helmet seemed

to be everywhere – and put in four goals to

establish a substantial lead. England fought back

bravely and although Argentina did not extend

their lead any further, England were always

hard-pressed, having got that far behind. In spite

of this, enough of the Argentine goals had been

scored from England players’ mistakes to allow

the coach to convince the team that if they could

eradicate simple mistakes and be quicker to a

man, they had everything going for them and

could win the remaining two games.

On the Wednesday the skies opened and

a storm destroyed a huge number of trees in

Buenos Aires and reportedly killed 15 people.

Hence the decision was taken to postpone the

Thursday game to Friday and the Saturday game

to Sunday. This meant that the support team was

severely reduced as the Hanbury and Cudmore

parents and John Tinsley were unable to delay

their flights due to other commitments. The

atmosphere in the England tent on Ground 1

at Palermo for the second game that afternoon

was somewhat different from the game against

Argentina. There was a real determination to take

the game to Chile and not allow Jamie Huidobro

with José Donoso to dictate the pace as they had

done so successfully against Brazil. In Chile’s

defence the ball did on many occasions appear to

ricochet to just where the England team wanted it

to be. The England team grabbed every advantage

and never let up on the man with the ball, forcing

Chile to hit the ball away. England achieved a

6-1 goal lead and although Chile tried hard after

half-time to close down the game, they were

unable to do so, and with Malcolm Borwick

scoring his penalties, and both Charlie Hanbury

and Ollie Cudmore very effective in front of goal,

the fight back from Chile in the last chukka still

left them three goals behind.

With the tournament being played as a league,

almost anything was possible on the last day.

England really had to beat Brazil to have a chance

of coming second but Chile could win if they beat

Argentina by enough goals or came second with

a close win. In the event, the England team put in

another great performance, which unfortunately

I didn’t see as I had been unable to change my

flight from the Sunday to the Monday. Chile were

beaten in extra time by Argentina who won the

tournament, and England came a well-deserved

second. After the first game against Argentina the

consensus was that Argentina were a very good

team, which we would be pushed to beat, but after

the two games against Chile and Brazil, there was

disappointment that the team was not able to have

a final against Argentina, as their confidence had

built up and they really felt they would have given

Argentina a good run for their money, with a good

chance of winning.

The team was part funded by sponsorship

from Harald Link to whom we are very grateful;

part by the HPA, which met the transport costs of

the players and some of the main expenses; and

part by the players who produced themselves well

mounted at Palermo for three matches and at La

Quinta for three practices. It is a great credit

to those concerned that we were able to field

a well-mounted team at that level for international

games at Palermo and achieve such good results.

Mark Tomlinson was an excellent captain on and

off the field and we are also grateful to Luke

Tomlinson who came to Chile to coach the team

and then coached the team in Argentina as well.

It is very much hoped that the tournament will

become an annual event.

In Chile’s defence the ball did

appear to ricochet to just

where England wanted it to be

Opposite Ollie Cudmore scores on Palermo Ground 2 Above Charlie Hanbury receives his prize in Buenos Aires Right Malcolm Borwick backs the ball in Santiago

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HISTORY GAMESPopular legend has it that New York was the birthplace of

American polo – but, asks Herbert Spencer, were the US

origins of the sport some 1,500 miles to the west?

Sorting historical fact from romantic legend in

researching the early days of polo anywhere

in the world is never easy. So it is with the

beginnings of the sport in the United States

in the 19th century.

Historians have always assumed that polo

was introduced to the US by American

newspaper publisher and sportsman James

Gordon Bennett Jr and his New York friends

in the winter of 1875/76. They started with

practice games indoors at Dickel’s Academy

in Manhattan before they first played outdoors

on traditional grass grounds in the spring or

early summer of 1876.

But was the sport really first played by

patrician equestrians in New York – or by

hard-riding westerners 1,550 miles west in the

Lone Star state of Texas? Did stick first strike

ball in Manhattan or in the small, north Texas

town of Denison?

Herein lies a mystery yet to be solved, even

by eminent polo historian Horace Laffaye,

whose latest book, A History: Polo in the United

States, is the definitive work on American polo.

Denison was founded in 1872 as an

important railway hub, 73 miles north of Dallas

near the frontier with Indian Territory (later

to become the state of Oklahoma). Until now,

Denison’s main claim to fame is as the

birthplace of Dwight D Eisenhower, World War

II Allied Commander in Europe, who became

the 34th President of the United States. The

town’s place in the history of American polo has

never been fully explored.

Donna Hunt, former editor of The Denison

Herald and now a columnist, discovered a 1927

newspaper article that appears to put Denison

in the running for honours as the first venue

for polo in the US. The article offers no

‘documentary’ proof of early polo in Denison.

It was however written during the lifetime of

Denison citizens who were alive in the 1870s,

so could have been based on oral accounts, an

accepted tool of historians.

The 1927 writer is specific about there being

a ‘polo team’ in Denison 53 years earlier, ie in

1874. The article even refers to the exact site of

the 1870s polo ground in the town, with its ‘east

goal’ on what became West Chestnut Street.

If true, then polo in Denison predates polo

in Manhattan by some three years.

But how did Texans even know about polo,

much less how to play the game, as early as

1874? The sport had only reached Europe from

India five years earlier and, as an esoteric and

elitist ‘new’ game, attracted little attention

outside a small fraternity of aristocrats and

the military. One can speculate that expat

Englishmen familiar with polo back home were

part of cattle drives into Denison in the 1870s

– but that would be more legend than fact.

Even if Denison’s introduction to polo came

after Gordon Bennett’s first practice games

indoors in New York, the Texas town might well

lay claim to holding the first outdoor games on

traditional grass grounds. In New York, the

Westchester Polo Club was founded in March

1876 and a match was played in May of that

year. In Texas, contemporary newspaper

accounts refer to the ‘Denison Polo Club’

playing in the same month. Which came first?

‘Clearly the issue is between Texas and

New York,’ says the historian Laffaye. ‘But,

lacking contemporary documentation, I am

reluctant to place one before the other. It is

ultimately impossible to ascertain which state

was the pioneer.

‘Perhaps soon some newspaper account or

a private letter will appear and the mystery

will be solved.’

texaspoloclub.net

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