Ponylines

This is the second time that American 1-goal amateur polo player Marc Ganzi has been featured as the one to watch. The first occasion followed his Audi team winning the US Open Championship in 2009. This time, we acknowledge his role in the 2013 revival of the Westchester Cup series between the USA and England, the world’s oldest and most famous international. The International Committee of the US Polo Association (USPA) authorised Ganzi to put together the USA team, which he helped fund and played on himself. The 26-goal USA team took 28-goal Audi England into extra time before losing 12-11. At home in Wellington, Florida, Ganzi and his polo-playing wife Melissa own the prominent Grand Champions Polo Club, which is classed by the USPA as a high-goal facility. In business, Ganzi founded Boca Raton-based Global Tower Partners, a mobile-phone mast company, and was its CEO until the group was sold for $3.3bn this September. Herbert Spencer

It is hard to believe that the 2013 season is now complete and that, after a fairly wet start, we have had as good a season weather-wise as we have had for many years.

In the St Regis test match at Cowdray, Facundo Pieres, who led South America, was simply too good, but our players should not be too downhearted as he proved too good for everyone else as well when playing for Zacara. At Beaufort, the first match of the Audi International series, England fell to a young but strong Commonwealth team. However, for the flagship International at Guards, they triumphed over America to retain the Westchester Cup; and in September, the England team selected for the Super Nations 24-goal tournament at the Metropolitan Polo Club in China won at Chester Racecourse against a Rest of the World team.

In the high goal, Zacara won both the Queen’s and Gold Cup. For the Queen’s Cup, El Remanso were beaten by Facundo Pieres’s all-round play, and in the Gold Cup final, Dubai lost out despite their form in the semis.

In the Victor Ludorum, La Indiana are to be congratulated on winning the 18-goal; Emlor C on the 15-goal, Cadenza Juniors in the 12-goal and Windmill Farm in the 8-goal. In the new 6-goal, introduced this year, Chester Polo enjoyed the first win.

In the Pony Club Championships, the final of the Gannon provided as good a game as you could wish to watch. It was the last Championships for Theresa Hodges, who has done a huge amount in her six years as chairman, and we owe her a debt of gratitude.

Post-season, the England team will compete with America, Argentina and Hong Kong in China, but there are no other overseas internationals currently planned.

For the October half term, we will once again be sending a squad of Young England players to Buster McKenzie in South Africa. The HPA has awarded bursaries to Richard Le Poer, Max Charlton and George Meyrick in order to encourage them to play at a high-goal level in Argentina.

At home, the arena season will kick off in November. The Metropolitan Polo Club is planning its 16-goal snow tournament again for January and it is planned that England will take part. Let us hope the fine weather continues so the ponies that have served us so well can put on some weight and thick coats in preparation.

{ upperville youth polo In early September 2013, young American polo players competed for youth polo’s top honours at the Virginia International Polo Club in Upperville, Virginia. Sunday 3 September was the final round of the inaugural United States Polo Association National Youth Tournament Series, which culminated in Zone 3 team from the Florida region winning the Cecil Smith Cup by defeating the team from Zone 2, the Southeast, Midstates and Central region, with a score of 9-4. ‘I would like to commend all of the participants in this year’s tournament for demonstrating that junior polo in the United States is being played at a level that is among the highest in the world,’ said Chrys Beal, Junior Polo Committee Chairman of the United States Polo Association. To promote youth polo in the US, the Junior Polo Program aims to provide the structure to support clinics, tournaments and international competition.

{ copenhagen polo open Denmark held its first-ever polo tournament on 22 and 23 June 2013. The inaugural Copenhagen Polo Open featured teams from London, Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm and hosted 5,000 spectators over the two days. Matches were played three a side on a smaller pitch, giving a close-up view.

The event was opened by Mayor of Copenhagen, Anna Mee Allerslev, who gave her wholehearted support. The Open is seen as a great event, not just for Copenhagen but for Denmark as well.

Finals day saw the subsidiary final played first, in which Rossini Caviar Team Stockholm beat Care Service Team Oslo by three goals in a thrilling and engaging match. The main final was the big event: both Maserati and Shamballa Jewels looked strong in the opening chukka, keeping scores even up to half time. Into the second half, great open plays by captains Ryan Pemble and Ross Ainslie plus equal goal scoring saw a tie into the final chukka. A foul by Shamballa in front of their goal saw Ryan Pemble convert a penalty in the last 15 seconds of the match to win by a single goal, 9-8.

Piaget Manufacture movement 880P Mechanical self-winding chronograph Flyback, dual time 100 meter water resistant Titanium, sapphire case-back Rubber strap

{ uspa goes green Deerfield Academy, a secondary school in Massachusetts, USA, is honoured that the USPA has ‘gone green’. This is not about the USPA’s carbon footprint but its new hoof print: the recently formed Deerfield Academy Polo Club. Our school colour is green and our founding year of 1797 pre-dates the USPA by a century, but we have some catching up to do on the polo pitch.

We three Deerfield players – from left: Alex de Vries (Minnesota), Will Beck (Kentucky) and Olivia Mehm (Switzerland) – are busy preparing our game schedule with seasoned Intercollegiate coach and former Cornell University polo player, Hilary Blythe. We have a very ambitious goal of qualifying for the USPA Interscholastic National Tournament. Some days we play better than others but, as they say: ‘A bad day on the polo field beats a good day in the library!’ Olivia Mehm, Deerfield Academy, class of 2014

{ ocean endurance challenge Four British polo players will be rowing across the Atlantic in December against 20 other teams from around the world as part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

Professional players Henry Brett, Bobby Dundas and James Glasson will join amateur player Fergus Scholes. The team, sponsored by Musto clothing company and Surrey Sports Park, will set off from the Canary Islands on 2 December. The race is expected to take 40 to 60 days to complete and will end at English Harbour, Antigua.

The challenge takes place only every two years and is one of the toughest endurance races ever undertaken: more people have been to space than have completed it. The event is expected to receive publicity worth around £4m. There will be live broadcasts at sea using GPS technology and cameras.

To support the Atlantic Polo Team, you can track their progress via their Facebook page (of the same name) and donate through the website atlanticpoloteam.com. The team will be rowing in aid of Right To Play, a charity enabling children in disadvantaged countries to access sport, and Hilton in the Community Foundation, which awards grants to UK children’s charities and communities.

x polo club comes to youtube The Polo Club has a new YouTube channel dedicated to polo coverage. You can subscribe free for up-to-date content featuring live match streaming and re-runs, player interviews, and behind-the-scenes action. The channel is being launched by specialist sports marketing agency Influence Sports – following their launch of Pole Position P1, YouTube’s first dedicated motorsport channel – and will cover seasons around the world, from the snow-covered peaks of St Moritz to the heart of Buenos Aires. To sign up, visit youtube.com/thepoloclubchannel. hooked on polo

Giorgio Brignone is the founder of the Costa Careyes polo Club on Mexico’s pacific coast and, together with his family, the creator of the famous Costa Careyes estate private resort. Giorgio plays between 6- and 12-goals. ‘I first hit a polo ball 25 years ago at a clinic in Mexico City. It was a baptism of fire with three legendary players: Carlos and Memo Gracida, and 9-goaler Antonio Herrera. Then, in 1989, I attended a clinic in Cirencester with Antonio Herrera on my way to visit Major Hugh Dawnay in Ireland. I was inspired to play from watching polo games in Bagatelle, France, where I was born and lived until I was 22 years old.

Mexico has one of the strongest horse cultures in the world, so it was only natural to introduce polo at Careyes. Everything was a challenge at first, as the sport had never been seen outside of Mexico City, but we have succeeded in building the most recognised polo club in the country, with two incredible Bermuda grass fields and stabling for up to 200 horses – in the middle of the jungle!

Polo is a passion; it has changed my life for the better and it keeps me fit. I admire Carlos and Memo Gracida who, 20 years ago, defined what a pro should be. I also have huge respect for the late Hugh Dawnay, who analysed and taught polo at both intellectual and physical levels. Susan Stovall, now polo manager at Careyes, is another inspiration. Susan could control the egos of players from up to 24 teams while managing El Dorado club in Palm Springs for 25 years. She has a firm hand but a permanent smile.

My most memorable polo game was last year on my birthday. My team won the Agua Alta/Careyes tournament for the first time in 10 years, and I scored the winning goal.

I wish that everyone involved in polo could contribute to its future by improving training for all. We need more and better non-pro players.’

chukk as

The weather for the Gold Cup at Cowdray this summer was ideal: the grounds were excellent and allowed for some fantastic individual play and shows of horse power. Most of the games were close until the semi-finals and final. Dubai defeated El Remanso by a margin of 10 goals. Zacara beat Talandracas 14-8. It is no surprise that the two best teams in terms of players, style of play and horses ended up in the final. Zacara flew in eight ponies from America and received four from the Ellerston string in England for the Cup, while Dubai had four ponies flown in from America.

For the English 22-goal, the Prince of Wales Trophy 2014 will be played as a standalone tournament after the league stage of the Queen’s Cup. The Warwickshire will be played as a knockout for four teams between the end of the Queen’s and the start of the Gold Cup. Currently, there are 12 teams for the Gold Cup in 2014, including two new ones: King Power from Thailand and Shoreline from Nigeria. Dropping out are La Bamba de Areco, Les Lions, Emlor and Sumaya. Undecided are Salkeld and Cortium.

In the 49th Jockey Club Open in Buenos Aires, the experienced Chapaleufú players beat excellent young team La California 13-12 with an overtime corner goal by Eduardo Heguy. Chapaleufú was Alberto 7, Eduardo 8 and Bautista Heguy 8 and Francisco Elizalde 7 for a total of 30. La California consisted of Diego Cavanagh, 7, Guillermo Terrera, 7, Ignatius Du Plessis, 7, and Tomás García del Rio, 8, for a total of 29.

After five years of sharing a team in the Triple Crown with Pilará, Swiss watchmaker Piaget will sponsor Ellerstina for two years. The defending champions of the Argentine Open, with a total handicap of 39, comprises the three Pieres brothers, Gonzalo, Facundo and Nicolás, and brother-in-law Mariano Aguerre. Piaget have been involved with polo for over 30 years and have a big presence in the USA.

For the first time in the Triple Crown, a Chinese company, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, will sponsor both La Aguada and La Aguada Las Monjitas. Additional sponsors for both teams are BMW and Rio Uruguay Seguros.

There is an opportunity for up to two players to play in Argentina: six chukkas (three times a week), two hours’ stick and ball per week and practice games; generally 6 to 15 goals on superb Tifton grounds. The club is within an hour’s drive of BA. Cost: $2,000 per week all inclusive, except accommodation and transport. For more details contact Alexander Harper: aharper@mbh.com.ar / +54 11 5218 2333. y historic painting re-homed America’s Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame recently received a very important donation for its art collection. The painting, entitled The Polo Match and dated 1927, was recently located in England by S K ‘Skey’ Johnston, who immediately made arrangements to bring the painting back to the United States to donate to the Museum.

Johnston recalls with some amusement how the painting, being of a rather impressive size, would barely fit through the door of his jet. It is believed to be part of a series by Ludwig Koch, an Austrian artist (1866-1934) specialising in equestrian art. Peter Vischer wrote in the old Polo magazine in 1927 that, in that same year, the United States Polo Association invited Koch to visit and create mementoes of international polo matches.

The player in the foreground appears to be the great 10-goaler Malcolm Stevenson mounted on his legendary pony Gay Boy at the Meadow Brook field, both stars of the 1927 internationals. We are immensely pleased that this important piece of polo history has come to reside at the Museum and will be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. Brenda Lynn

{ la aguada junior polo Some of the biggest names in polo were on the sidelines of the polo fields at the Dorchester Collection’s Coworth Park on Saturday 15 June. This time, their focus was not on their high-goal rivals but their own children, who were taking part in the first La Aguada Guards Youth Tournament. One of the UK’s leading polo clubs – Guards – and Novillo Astrada La Aguada Polo Club, Argentina, joined forces to organise the event, which featured some of the youngest players of the sport. Well-known names such as Cambiaso, Novillo Astrada, Merlos, di Paola, and Monteverde were featured in the team lists. The tournament was the brainchild of 9-goal player Eduardo Novillo Astrada, who runs a similar competition in his native Argentina. However, this was the first time the children of the Guards players were given the opportunity to play against and alongside their South American counterparts in the UK. In the more senior game, Charlie Pidgley was named Most Valuable Player, while Max Rumsey received the Fair Play Award from Eduardo Novillo Astrada. With the team from Coworth Park hosting a delicious lunchtime barbecue for all involved, and with Disney, La Martina and La Aguada providing some great prizes, everyone went home happy. Diana Armstrong-Wilson

saddle up with…

Name: matthew perry NatioNality: british polo haNdicap: 3 goals

perry woN the gold cup this year aNd received the FergusoN trophy

when and how did you start to play polo? I first started playing at Cambridge and Newmarket Polo Club at a Pony Club rally when I was about 10 years old. I was taught and supported there mainly by Jeremy Allen, Ali Schwabe, Fabio Lavinia and my mum. I have always played sports and have ridden since I could walk. Polo combines sport with riding, so I was hooked! I also love horses and bringing on the young ones, seeing them improve and hopefully going on to play at top level.

who do you respect most in polo? I have a lot of respect for many players, but Malcolm Borwick helped me a lot when I was first starting out and I wouldn’t be where I am today without his support and encouragement. Facundo Pieres has given me a lot of confidence in the two seasons I have played with him, resulting in my handicap being raised each time. For 2014, I will be raised to 4 goals.

how many tournaments have you played in this year? So far this year I have played the Queen’s Cup and the Gold Cup with Zacara, both of which we won. I also played the Silver Cup in Sotogrande with La Indiana.

what are you doing this winter? I am going back to Argentina with Eduardo Heguy: this will be my third year with him playing his young horses. Eduardo has been very good to me and I have learnt a lot from him about horses, riding and playing. Until the handicap changes are announced, I am not sure exactly what my plans are for next summer, but I will hopefully be playing the high goal again.

what has been your most memorable polo game? It would have to be winning the semi-finals of the Queen’s Cup because that was the game that for me really kickstarted our season. Having just beaten Les Lions in an extra chukka in the quarters, beating Dubai by four in the semis gave us all a lot of confidence, especially as they were probably favourites going into the game. love oF my liFe...

poNy’s Name: doN urbaNo roliNga sex: stallioN origiN: argeNtiNa

Don Urbano Rolinga is an eight-year-old stallion. His dam was called Celosa and his sire is Vasco Mambo. My cousin Hernan Pieres bought him from my uncle Alfonso.

The first time I played Rolinga was in Sotogrande 2011. In 2012, I rented him for the English high-goal season. In the St Regis International Test Match at Cowdray I played for the USA vs England: Rolinga was awarded Best Playing Pony and I was named MVP. I usually play him in the third chukka for several minutes and then ride the whole of the last chukka without changing him. In the final of the 2012 Gold Cup, we were losing 8-7 going into the last chukka, but I then scored three goals to win.

Rolinga has a huge heart and adores playing polo. When I ride him, I’m a different player – full of happiness and confidence. This year, he was named the Kerry Packer Most Outstanding High Goal Pony at the Audi Polo Awards for the 2012 season and Best Playing Pony in the Westchester Cup and in the Gold Cup in Deauville. Polito Pieres

{ british polo day charity cup ‘If you miss the ball on this ground, there is something wrong in you,’ said 1-goaler Dhananjay Singh Rathore, surveying the impeccable turf of Black Bears’ River Ground. He had just arrived on the morning of 29 June with the Jodhpur team for the culmination of the British Polo Day Charity Cup with the Royal House of Jodhpur. The main match of the day was a high-goal encounter between British Exiles and the Commonwealth. Two late field goals by both sides seemed to point to a draw, but with 15 seconds to go, Rob Archibald led the Commonwealth to a 6-5 victory. During Eton vs Jodhpur, squandered penalties gave Eton a 5-4 win. Just shy of £60,000 was raised for charity. Tom Hudson and Ben Vestey. Image: The Maharajah of Jodhpur with Princess Anna Oettingen-Wallerstein (left) and her daughter, Princess Yoanna Otto