Ponylines

A seasoned sportswoman, an Olympian and a pioneering patron of high-goal polo, Her Highness Sheikha Maitha Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has earned her ranking among top international polo players. Alongside a respected career in taekwondo and karate, she was the first woman to carry the UAE national flag at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she participated in the 67kg taekwondo category. HH Sheikha Maitha credits her success on the field and off to her mother and father, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for their unrivalled support and for instilling in her the go-getter spirit. With wins in tournaments including the Emirates Cup, Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge and Queen’s Cup, HH Sheikha Maitha consistently breaks new ground in her burgeoning polo career. In 2014, she is scheduled to play in the President’s, Gold, Silver and Nations Cups in Dubai, and the Queen’s and Gold Cups in Britain.

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Harald Link’s Thai Polo leads the RMPA International League (Malaysia) after three tournaments. They have made the last three consecutive fnals and are now favourites C H I E F E X E C U T I V E 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 Over the winter months, English players have appeared their results have dipped since Argentine in many parts of the world, on both land and sea. Relying Benjamin Araya broke his collarbone during on the experience of Alan Kent on the sidelines, a team the Royal Pahang Classic in April. The Thai team will be playing in the Cowdray Park captained by Max Charlton were selected to represent Gold Cup for the second year running.England in the Snow Polo World Cup in China. Twelve countries entered and England qualified for the knock-out phase, having finished second in their group. In spite of Max Routledge losing two teeth and Jack Richardson needing eight stitches above his eye, they were hugely successful – they beat France in a penalty shoot-out, then won convincingly in the semi-final against Chile and in the final against Hong Kong China. It was the first time England had won the tournament and the first time Hong Kong China had lost it. Perhaps an even more surprising achievement was that of the ‘Atlantic Polo Team’, who not only succeeded in rowing across the ocean, but came second in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge and won their class. Before the race, many questioned their seagoing experience, but now they’ve achieved their goal with such distinction, it’s hoped many from the polo community will dig deep to support their charities. In Argentina, I was fortunate to watch Mark Tomlinson, James Beim and Malcolm Borwick play in the final of the 23-goal Provincia – a game they deserved to win and probably would have won, had Beim not been so unwell he had to take time out between every chukka. December saw nine young players selected to train with Buster MacKenzie in South Africa. This was a great success once again and will pay dividends this season. After much discussion, the Pony Club, under new Chair Charles Whittington, has decided it will take back the Langford and Gannon tournaments this summer. This will leave the HPA to run a new British Junior Polo Championships at Cowdray at the same time as the Pony Club Championships. The three levels – the Hipwood for under-15s, Buckmaster for under-18s and John Cowdray for under-21s – should provide sufficient alternatives and will also enable players to play in both Junior HPA and Pony Club polo. Finally, prior to the start of the season here, the HPA hopes to enter a team in the 24-goal tournament at La Canada Club and an England team in the Copa de las Naciones in Argentina, both in April, dependant on dates.

{ Thai Polo Club’s FirsT ChukkEr CuP Sponsored by the Maple Leaf Polo Team and hosted annually by Thai Polo & Equestrian Club, the First Chukker Cup opened the 2013/14 season for the fifth year in a row. This debutante tournament enables beginners to experience their first battle in a safe and friendly yet competitive environment and each team has the support of a professional player. A tweak of the rules – goals scored by players with a handicap of -2 are counted twice and those scored by the professionals disqualified – calls for innovative team strategy.

A record 12 riders, including many Thai nationals, played their first chukka at the tournament. In fact, a surprising number of ‘firsts’ battled it out on the field, including the first Thai ambassador, Thai rock star and Thai racing driver to wield a mallet. Meanwhile, the Most Valuable Player, Anne Ringen, was the first Finnish criminal lawyer ever to have graced the field – a quick warning from the umpire that he would tolerate no appeals helped her to focus on the game.

In a few years, when some of the newcomers will no doubt be competing in the 15–17-goal Thai Open, it is hoped the First Chukker Cup will serve as a useful memento of their first polo challenge. Everest Munro-Zeisberger

y CoronaTion CuP England and Argentina will compete for the Coronation Cup at Guards on Saturday 26 July in what promises to be a highlight of the season. Since 2009, England have achieved a run of victories on International Day, most recently defeating the USA in one of the most thrilling internationals in recent times. However, it was Argentina, consistently ranked No 1, that defeated England in 2009 with a team that included the world’s best players: Adolfo Cambiaso and Facundo Pieres.

This year, for the first time, the event will take place on a Saturday. David Woodd, Chief Executive of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA), explains: ‘The Coronation Cup is one of the most prestigious trophies and we hope this new date will inspire the public to embrace the day and support the national team.’

Jon Zammett, Head of PR at sponsors Audi UK, says: ‘We are thrilled the Argentine team has been secured to play the English squad. Audi remains committed to supporting English polo, and securing a talented opposition can only encourage our boys to raise their game once more and capture a fifth successive win on the day.’ For information and tickets, including discounts for HPA members, visit coronationcuppolo.com. Diana Butler

Piaget Manufacture movement 880P Mechanical self-winding chronograph Flyback, dual time 100 meter water resistant Titanium with black ADLC treatment Sapphire case-back, rubber strap

y THIrTIETH ANNIvErSAry OF FIP The Federation of International Polo (FIP) was launched in 1982, thanks to the vision of Marcos Uranga, our founding president. Together with a former US ambassador, Glen Holden, the pair pioneered the formation of the federation.

At the end of the 30th anniversary year of FIP, we are proud to represent 60 national associations, 10 contact members and 14 corresponding members, for a total of 84 countries. In 1996, the International Olympic Committee recognised FIP as the worldwide governing body for the sport of polo. We are full members of SportAccord, the Association of IOC-Recognised Sports Federations (known as ARISF) and the World Anti-Doping Agency. At the celebration event, 28 individuals representing 15 countries were awarded the status of Founder Ambassadors for their contributions to FIP and our sport of polo.

FIP continues to grow in size and global stature, owing to the extraordinary and selfless efforts of its volunteer membership and its dedicated support staff. International FIP events include the FIP Super Nations Cup, FIP World Championship Tournament, FIP Snow Polo World Cup tournaments in China, FIP European Tournament Championship and World Equestrian Games Polo Day, to be held this year in September

As prime examples of the federation’s commitment to its mission statement, FIP now also offers financial grant support for umpire clinics, children’s tournaments and select polo development programmes. Dr Richard T Caleel, FIP President

x NEW INDUCTEES TO THE

The Museum of Polo celebrated Valentine’s Day by marking a very different occasion: the 25th Anniversary of the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Awards Gala. At the same event, members of the Board of Directors were pleased to honour those individuals who will join the ranks of the elite in the Hall of Fame.

Among them were former 10-goal star Adam Snow and Fifties icon Peter Perkins, pictured, chosen for the posthumous award. Paul von Gontard received the living Iglehart Award for his lifetime contribution, while Willie Tevis was awarded the posthumous Iglehart Award. Mike Azzaro’s Beetlejuice and CV Whitney’s great mare of the Thirties, Fuss Budget, were both honoured with Horses to Remember trophies.

Sponsors for the dinner included returning supporters International Polo Club Palm Beach, Marc and Melissa Ganzi, Grand Champions Polo Club, Pamela and Wayne Garrison and Barb Uskup. The grand reception table sponsors were Coach House, Jordan’s Steak Bistro and PDQ Chicken, while wine and spirits were again provided by Lipman Brothers, Brown-Forman, Bacardi, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and Fetzer, Jekel and Korbel vineyards. Brenda Lynn hooked on polo

eduardo Bérèterbide is a lawyer at Shearman & Sterling in paris and the Chairman of the lawyers polo Association (lpA), which he founded with Justin Fogarty in 2008. The organisation brings together 350 lawyers from around the world who share a passion for polo. I first practised stick-and-balling aged five – my dad picked me up from kindergarten one afternoon and said, ‘Don’t tell your mother, but you’re going to try polo today.’ I’ve been hooked ever since. I played my first matches aged eight on our farm in Argentina with my father, uncles and cousins.

The best games I’ve played were in Argentina with Aiken Cura. He was the best horse I’ve ever had in my ponyline and made me play two goals higher than my real handicap. He’s from one of the oldest and best polo breeds in the world and we bought him when he was just 10 months old, from Dicky Santamarina, at an auction on his estate, La Fortuna. He is a good example of how a skilled horse can excel at all levels – he was extraordinary for me at low goal, then similarly at high goal with Cambiaso in the Argentine Open. He is the only stallion to have ever won the Lady Susan Townley Cup, in Palermo in 2005.

My most memorable game is the final we won with Ali Albwardy, HRH Prince Carl-Eugen zu Oettingen-Wallerstein and my father at the Desert Palm in Dubai in 2011. It was wonderful to play – and win – with my dad in such an exquisite place.

Through polo, I’ve been fortunate to make many long-time friends and travel widely overseas. So far, Lawyers Polo has been held in Buenos Aires, Madrid, Toronto, Dubai and Chantilly. The next Lawyers Polo Cup will take place in Thailand in November, when we’ll play at two beautiful clubs: King Power and Polo Escape.

Why is polo so special to me? Because it combines all the things I really value: horses, sports, chivalry, countryside, friends and family.

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At the end of 2013, the Professional Players’ Association sent a letter to Frankie Dorignac, the President of the Argentine Polo Association, asking for a number of changes for the 2014 Triple Crown. Its frst request was that the Tortugas Open should be increased to eight teams and the fnal should be played at Palermo. Its second was that the games for the Hurlingham Open should be played on the AAP ground in Pilar, with the fnal at Palermo. Finally, it asked that the Argentine Open should be increased from eight to 10 teams. At the time of going to press, no decisions have been made.

The Royal Palm Polo Club was recently sold, ending almost six decades of polo in Boca Raton. Arthur Davis bought the land on which he founded the club in 1955, and it was taken over by John T Oxley in 1968. At its height, it consisted of 780 acres, which were sold of to developers over the years, leaving 120 acres. In 2002 and 2003, the club hosted the US Open, in which 15 teams played.

Grand Champions Polo Club and the Palm Beach Polo Club in Florida are joining forces to promote low- and medium-goal polo in Wellington – they will have nine polo felds between them and Juan Olivera will manage the joint club. Ponies will be available for rent and the club will organise teams – you need only bring your equipment.

Monte-Carlo Polo Club opened a polo school in December in Beausoleil, France, and Benjamin Polledo has been named as its technical director and co-ordinator. It ofers polo-pony rentals, training sessions, access to the feld for practice and participation in tournaments. At least one club tournament has been planned for 2014.

The image of Facundo Pieres shown on the cover of our last issue was wrongly credited and should have read ’Photograph by Dominic James (dominic-james.com) taken at the Gold Cup fnal, Cowdray Park’.

In December, Hurlingham Media sent out an email about Fred Mannix joining an elite group of foreigners who had played in the Argentine Open fnals. It did not include English 9-goaler Julian Hipwood. He played for Mar del Plata in 1978 and 1979, losing against the formidable Coronel Suárez by 6 in the frst year and by 1 with a chance of drawing the second year.

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x ALFRED FORTUGNO (19 27– 2 014 ) A great friend of polo, Alfred E Fortugno passed away peacefully on 9 January after a lengthy illness. He was 86. The man known affectionately as Fred was beloved for his boundless generosity, effusive sense of humour and genuine passion for polo.

His love for playing the sport, and his dedication to both improving and promoting it, were instrumental in him receiving, in 2007, the Philip Iglehart Award, given to those individuals who have made outstanding lifetime contributions to polo.

He served as USPA Eastern Circuit Governor for more than 30 years and continued his stewardship of the game by serving on the USPA Nominating, Constitution and Executive Committees. His plaque in the Hall of Fame at the Museum of Polo reads: ‘Fred is well known for his sportsmanship and encouragement, both here and abroad, through gestures such as mounting numerous international teams from overseas and lending horses to the players at Brandywine to keep polo going there after a tragic fire killed many ponies. Fred is always ready with a kind word of encouragement, a steady horse or a sympathetic ear after a win or a loss. Generations of players credit Fred for starting, mentoring and sustaining their interest in polo.’ Brenda Lynn

{ ThE POTRiLLOs CUP 2 013 On 10 December last year, shortly after the Argentine Open final, the 52nd Potrillos Cup took place in Pilar. It was hosted and organised, as it is every year, by Eduardo ‘El Ruso’ Heguy, who says some of his best childhood memories are of playing in this children’s tournament. It is his aim to make it equally enjoyable for future generations.

The entire tournament is played in just one day – at Eduardo’s club Mindanao and the grounds of three adjoining clubs, La Virgencita, São João Polo and Patagones – to help accommodate the huge number of players and their ponies. An incredible 68 teams took part, ranging from players as young as five in the Mini-Mini Potrillitos, to the eldest group, the Potrillos, for 14-year-olds.

High-goal professionals Adolfo Cambiaso, the Merlos brothers, Alejandro ‘Piki’ Diaz-Alberdi, and the Novillos were among the many proud parents cheering on their sons and daughters from the sidelines. One of the 272 children taking part was English player Luke Wiles, who was part of the La Quinta team in the Potrillitos group.

The grand final of the Potrillos was won by Trenque Lauquen, who showed off some incredible skills for their age group. For the second year running, the Lafuente family gifted a beautiful two-year-old filly to the Most Valuable Player in memory of their son Ritchie Lafuente. Juan Martín Zubia from Trenque Lauquen received this generous gift, which it is hoped will help him in his future polo career. Alice Gipps

saddle up with…

Name: JoaquíN pittaluga NatioNality: argeNtiNiaN polo haNdicap: 7 goals

when and how did you start playing polo? I started at the age of four or five on my dad’s farm.

what makes the sport special for you? Initially, I saw it as simply a game, but the mixture of competitiveness and a life in contact with nature meant that, after my family, polo became my priority. Nowadays, buying a good horse that can play at a high level is very difficult, so several years ago I started to breed ponies with selected bloodlines that will provide the features required to become top-quality polo horses. My two best ponies, Bombon and Kelly, were bred and trained by my organisation in Argentina.

how many tournaments did you play last year and how many did you win? Last year was a good year for me. I played 19 tournaments and was thrilled to win eight of them, including the Royal Windsor (with Ferne Park), Prince of Wales (with Spencer McCarthy’s Emlor) and the Cámara de Diputados.

what are you doing this winter? During January and February, I will be stationed at the farm, where I will spend most of my time working with young horses. In March and April, I’ll be playing the República Cup and taking part in the Ellerstina polo tour.

and in the summer? I’ll be playing medium-goal in the UK and some polo in France with Jonathan Rothermere and the Ferne Park team, and I’ll also be part of the Aravali high-goal team.

what is your most memorable polo game? There are several games I have fond memories of. Most recently, it would be the semi-final of the Cámara de Diputados – we won against the three Merlos brothers in the last second after being down by six goals.

what level of polo do you play? I try to play the highest level of polo possible, but as long as I’m playing with good horses I enjoy every level. love of my life...

poNy’s Name: morNiNg star sex: stallioN origiN: uNited states

Morning Star is an 18-year-old stallion. His father, Pascanell, was a six-month-old colt – a little small but very well bred – when I bought him from Russell Drake, the farm manager of River Edge Farm. Russell acquired Pascanell in a thoroughbred sale and told me not to break him, but use him for breeding. I went ahead and trained him for polo. He was one of the best playing ponies of my former wife, Oatsy.

Morning Star’s grandmother, Wisteria, came from the Argentinian player, Eddie Moore. Wisteria was sold to Michael Butler for Stuart Mackenzie to play in the Seventies. I was able to buy her from Michael and she was one of my best horses in the late-Seventies and early Eighties. She was one of the horses we took to Argentina to play in the Copa de Las Americas in 1979. Morning Star has had more than 40 foals and is still covering mares. All his foals have been very easy to train for polo, the most famous being Chocolate, who recently won the Best Playing Pony at the Argentine Open (see page 26). It is very unusual for a horse not bred in Argentina to be played in such top polo and by one of the best players in the world, Adolfo Cambiaso. For Adolfo to borrow Chocolate from his US patron and play him in two chukkas instead of his own horses is really something. Joel Baker

x PiERRE YvEs DE

It is with great sadness that the polo world says goodbye to Pierre Yves de Charbonnière, who died on 12 December 2013 in Paris, aged 74. Born in Buenos Aires in 1939, he trained as an industrial engineer, continuing his career at his family’s agricultural business in San Miguel del Monte and then in the US, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. In 1973, he became a member of the Paris Polo Club, where he formed Claude Terrail’s Maillet d’Argent, along with Luis Zemborain and Lionel Macaire. In 1975, he received the Robert Skene Player of the Year award, and in 1980, together with Macaire, won the Paris Open. Pierre presided over the directive commission of the Paris Polo Club for more than a decade and at was also the Ambassador-at-Large of the International Polo Federation. Héctor Martelli, translated by Carolina Beresford