Hard Work And Determination Pay Off For Newly Minted 10-Goaler Hilario Ulloa By Shayna Tanen
As a boy, Hilario Ulloa always dreamed of playing in the Argentine Open. He also dreamed of being one of polo’s elite 10-goal players. In 2013, he played the Argentine Open, and in 2014, he not only played in the U.S. Open against Valiente with his team Alegria — he won it. And now, for the 2017 season starting Jan. 1, the United States Polo Association will officially rate him as a 10-goaler, in addition to his 10-goal handicap in Argentina. Ulloa’s dreams have come true, and then some. Ulloa grew up in Argentina watching his father and expert horse breeder
Carlos “Polito” Ulloa train and breed polo horses. He was always surrounded by horses and polo players who visited to pick up horses from his father, he recalled. That was the beginning of his relationship with the sport. He remembers playing polo on ponies as a 6-year-old with his older brother Salvador Ulloa, who preceded him in professional polo. “I loved horses, and I loved riding horses,” Ulloa said. “So it was a way to have fun with my brother.” Fun gradually turned into work, as Ulloa started playing professionally around age 16. His brother, now 32, was 17 when he turned pro. At 30 years old, Ulloa is ranked as the No. 11 scorer in the world, according to the World Polo Tour in December. He won the East Coast Open in (Left) Hilario Ulloa (wearing number 2) in action during the 2016 East Coast Open Final. Ulloa played on the White Birch team, which won the final, defeating Audi in sudden death overtime.
58
PHOTO BY MARCELO BIANCHI
january 2017 | wellington the magazine