Volume 16 Issue 5 June 2011
ÂŁ5.50
www.polotimes.co.uk
Award-winning British pro
James Beim in action at Coworth Park, at Trippetts and in Argentina Plus: Trophies, feeding and stunning Switzerland in summer PT p1 cover JM.indd 1
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Anxious and alert Polo Times likes this shot because of the way that, by shooting in a studio and stripping away the usual rural background, self-taught photographer Mark Harvey distinctly captures the personalities of the horses, as well as their interaction with the groom that stands between them, Dardo Segura. Together, with the traditional Argentine headcollars and Segura’s boinas hat, the photo also conveys plenty of Southern American character, though the horses are those of Suffolk-based private club, Carlton House, whose owner commissioned the shoot. ◗ Mark Harvey photographs both horses and dogs, with or without their owners in every discipline. See more of his work and background at www.markharvey.com or get in touch with him on 07973 622286
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Trophies
Photograph by Tony Ramirez
Feature
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Trophies
Feature
Silverware worth fighting for
With the Queen’s Cup underway and the centenary of the Coronation Cup next month, John O’Sullivan pays tribute to the most historic trophies of the English summer season while also running the rule over some of the newer cups on the scene Coronation Cup Cartier International Day at Guards Polo Club takes on added significance this year as England and Brazil go head to head in the centenary edition of the Coronation Cup. The format of the competition has changed significantly since the inaugural final in 1911. But one thing that has remained constant is that the magnificent King’s Coronation Cup has retained its place as one of the most coveted prizes in polo. The trophy – which cost £250 to make – was presented by the Ranelagh Club to commemorate the coronation of King George V. The first final in 1911 was won by the Indian Polo Association and thereafter the trophy was played for by the winners of the four major Open Cups of the day – the
Two years later, in 1953, the Coronation Cup did return. Cowdray Park hosted the first big post-war international, with teams from England, the USA, Argentina and Chile playing for the trophy. The event coincided with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, who was among the 10,000-strong crowd in Sussex. The cup sat idle for 18 years after that until 1971, when it was played in a one-off international match between England and the USA. England have played for the Coronation Cup against an
Opposite page: the winning England team from last season’s Coronation Cup, which is also pictured below
The format of the Coronation Cup has changed through the years, but the magnificent trophy remains one of the most coveted prizes in polo
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international side every year since (except in 1992 and 1997 when they played the USA for the Westchester Trophy instead) as International Day at Guards has become an essential part of the English social calendar, particularly in recent years under the direction of the late Guards CEO, Charles Stisted. This year ushers in the 26th and final year of Cartier’s sponsorship of this particular event (see news). u
Photograph by Centaur
Hurlingham, the Ranelagh, the Roehampton and the Inter-Regimental. Barring an interlude for the Great War and a break in 1930, this format carried on until 1939. It is popularly believed that the first postwar Coronation Cup tournament took place in 1951, but famed polo historian Horace A Laffaye contends: “the 1951 contest between England and the Argentine team La Espadaña was for the Festival Cup, in connection with the Festival of Britain in that year”.
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Reports
Nations’ Cup, Argentina
Culture clash: England’s number one James Beim reaches to try and take the ball from impressive Argentine debutant, Valerio Zubiaurre. Right: Luke Tomlinson
England can’t shake the blues England’s familiar international foursome failed to produce a shock against the defending Copa de las Naciones champions Argentina at Palermo this April, though the hosts employed a new experimental line-up
Hernan Alvarez in Buenos Aires
Argentina England
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hough the overcast weather seemed more suited to their English visitors, it was the hosts Argentina that adapted best to the conditions and to the pattern of the game, running out victorious in the single match of the 2011 Nations’ Cup comfortably, 13-8. 40
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Organised by the Argentine Polo Association (AAP), the tournament failed to go ahead at all in 2010, but was well received in 2009, when the inaugural event – the brainchild of departing AAP president Francisco Dorignac – welcomed four nations. This included Argentina and England, as well as runners-up Brazil and a “Rest of the World” team made up of Chileans and Mexicans. This year, despite inviting entries from other major polo countries such as the USA, Brazil and Chile, only England and Argentina – who again hosted the event at Palermo – were able to arrange the necessary funding and logistics to get organised in time for the deadline set by the AAP. Thus, rather than push to find other nations at short notice,
the organisers took the decision to reduce the tournament to a single clash, though one that always generates plenty of interest, competition, and some fast and hard-fought polo. Argentina vs England. None of the four players who won in 2009 for Argentina took part this year, with Hilario Ulloa, Gustavo Usandizaga, Pablo Pieres and Adolfo Cambiaso replaced in 2011 with Valerio Zubiaurre, Tomas Garbarini Islas and brothers Gonzalo and Facundo Pieres, who pulled on their country’s famous local colours with pride. It was a particularly memorable moment for Zubiaurre and Garbarini, who were invited by the AAP to take part in the team in recognition of the potential the two u have already shown for the future. www.polotimes.co.uk
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Nations’ Cup
Reports
How did they perform? We mark the teams out of 10, based on their effectiveness in terms of handicap
Argentina Tomas Garbarini Islas (2) Anyone watching Garbarini without a match programme or access to the Polo Times tournament pages on his smart phone would surely never believe he plays off just a two-goal handicap. The young player scored once and was very effective in defence.
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Valerio Zubiaurre (5) “Lerin” Zubiaurre also scored, but was principally effective for the way he supported the real playmakers in the side, Gonzalito and Facundo Pieres. Nevertheless, for his goal, he produced one of the best moments of the game, galloping up the left before cutting the ball nicely to goal.
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Gonzalo Pieres (10) “My aim was to provide cover and break-up the English attacks, recover the ball wherever possible and set Facundo on his way,” Gonzalito told Polo Times. “I didn’t attack with the ball on the end of my stick much. My job was to do the ugly part.”
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Facundo Pieres (10) Eight goals proved once again that “Facu” is among the two or three best players in the world. After a slightly slow start to the game, his mares quickly looked on top form and he used the ball to put England to the sword.
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England James Beim (7) Usually England’s principal goal threat from open play, Beim was reduced to helping more in defence than in attack as he sought to neutralise the danger posed by Facundo Pieres as he broke from the back. “I did some good things but I think I could have played better,” he said honestly. Mark Tomlinson (7) Mark also had to put in a huge effort with tracking back to defend. He constantly had to have one eye over his shoulder, particularly given that his rivals generally had faster horses. Malcolm Borwick (6) Borwick was always near the ball, working hard to get control and coordinate England’s attacks. But on too many occasions his promising build-up play didn’t transfer to goals on the scoreboard. Luke Tomlinson (8) His two precise penalty goals in the opening chukka ignited hopes of an unlikely English victory but, as the game went on, he was largely outpaced by his light-blue opponents.
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Reports
AMG Miami Beach Polo World Cup, Florida
Reigning champions give up title at end of Lent Hublot looked to be a team that had given up losing for the second year in a row on the Miami Beach sand, before being denied a second consecutive title in the final
Alex Webbe in Miami Beach
Photographs by Mitchell Zachs/Magical Photos
Raleigh Hublot
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resilient Raleigh team, made up of Bash Kazi, Pelon Escapite and Luis Escobar, beat defending champions Hublot in front of a record crowd to win the seventh annual AMG Miami Beach Polo World Cup on Easter Sunday. Four goals from Mexican Escapite, including three in the final chukka, condemned a talented Hublot team to a 10-6
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defeat in a game that saw Raleigh lead from the opening minutes. This was enough to see Escapite claim the MVP award as over 10,000 spectators flocked to the stunning Florida location over the Easter weekend. “They’re a very good team,” confessed Hublot’s Kris Kampsen following the game. “They just out-played us.” A packed schedule at Miami Beach also included a host of other finals on Easter Sunday. Earlier in the day Grey Goose scored an 8-5 win over AMG-Mercedes – captained by host of America’s Most Wanted John Walsh – in the Carl Fisher International Cup, with Raul “Gringo” Colombres from Argentina taking MVP honours. The Julius Fleischman Memorial Cup went
to the Yellow Cab team in a 9-5 win over LAN/Comcast. American Brandon Phillips and Argentina’s Mauricio Devrient scored four goals apiece, with Devrient being named as the game’s MVP. In the Miami Beach Women’s Polo Cup Hublot’s ladies made amends for the men’s earlier defeat by beating AMG-Mercedes on penalty shots after the final finished 4-4. “This year’s event was the most successful to date,” said Bruce Orosz, founder and Most valuable player
Pelon Escapite president of The Polo Life, producers of The AMG Miami Beach World Cup.
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AMG Miami Beach Polo World Cup
Game rating
Reports
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u A MG Miami Beach Polo World Cup; Sunday 24 April 2011; Miami Beach, Florida Result: Raleigh beat Hublot, 10-6 Sponsors: AMG Handicap: Open Number of team entries: six Most valuable player: Pelon Escapite Teams Raleigh: Bash Kazi; Pelon Escapite; Luis Escobar Hublot: Kris Kampsen; Mark Goode; Thomas Winter
“We set a record attendance each day as a result of the tremendous buzz that spread throughout Miami Beach during the course of the week. This year’s world-class level of play raised the bar for years to come and the fierce competition between the players in the arena kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. “We thank all of our wonderful sponsors, patrons and everyone behind-the-scenes who helped make this year’s competition such an outstanding success. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year.” F
Right: Pelon Escapite and Kris Kampsen battle for the ball in the Miami Beach Polo World Cup final Below: the magnificent setting for the tournament
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Knowledge
Feeding special
Fuel up your ponies, not just your lorry Whilst many polo ponies are used to travelling to and from games, our feeding expert explains how the stresses of travel can take their toll so owners need to make sure polo ponies are fed and watered correctly in order for them to perform at their best your faithful steeds who may not have eaten for several hours.
Lorna Edgar Specialist equine nutritionist
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It is generally common practice for polo ponies not to be fed forage the morning before they play, but if we take into consideration the time for ponies to be groomed, travel to polo, arrive at the grounds, tacked up, the duration of the game and travel time home, our ponies have probably not eaten for at least six hours or more. It is unnecessary for ponies to go for such a long period of time without eating. Allowing access to forage/feed is not a problem on the day of polo – the equine digestive tract is very different to a human’s.
Photographs by Alice Gipps
or polo ponies, travel is all part of the game, to-ing and fro-ing from matches is no big thing, but the journey time, feeding, watering and the effect it may have on the physical and mental performance of an individual must be taken into consideration. Whilst you eat your carbohydrate-loaded lunch and drink a Lucozade Sport to enhance your performance on the field, do remember
Feeding
Allowing ponies to eat in moderation shortly before they play isn’t a problem, though at present isn’t common practice and means that horses often go without eating for as long as six hours unnecessarily
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Approximately one and a half litres of acid is produced in the stomach of a horse every hour, which sloshes around and trickles through to the hind gut, causing damage and disruption on the way if a pony has not been fed for a long period of time. Although you do not need to stuff your ponies full of forage or feed, by reducing the time they stand without will help prevent the above.
Watering and electrolytes One of the biggest effects of travelling is the increased loss of fluids. Studies show horses can lose approximately 0.5 per cent of their bodyweight every hour they travel (approximately 2.5kgs in a 500kg horse). The majority of the fluids lost are through sweat and, naturally, in hotter conditions, these losses are greater. Many horses won’t drink when away or travelling, but we have to encourage them and keep offering it so let them have a bucket in front of them in the lines if possible. Try to encourage drinking by taking containers of your own water to polo and mix with water available at the grounds or by adding beet pulp water or flavouring such as apple juice or Ribena. Ponies can have water right up to the moment they travel or 20 minutes before they play and before being loaded again. The body is 75 per cent water, so keep it topped up to help enhance performance. Electrolytes are essential and, for the hours they spend travelling, particularly in the hot weather, the body salts lost in sweat must be replaced. For more information about electrolytes see Lorna’s regular column on page 67. www.polotimes.co.uk
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Feeding special
During travel Whilst travelling, it is generally the norm not to feed polo ponies, primarily due to the logistics within the lorry and fighting between individuals. It is not recommended for dusty hay nets to be tied in front of them for dust to be inhaled - haylage or wet hay would be preferable if you are able to do so. If not, let them graze when they arrive at the grounds. This will do no harm as it’s an opportunity for the molar teeth to grind together and produce some saliva to help buffer some of the stomach acid. Tying up horses’ heads tightly when travelling prevents them from clearing the mucus and dirt from their respiratory tracts. It is therefore advisable not to tie them up too short. Often polo ponies are travelled in muzzles, which can hinder the amount of fresh air they breathe in and the build up of condensation in
the muzzle could harbour unwanted bacteria. Interestingly, research carried out on racehorses suggested that travelling 300km induced similar metabolic changes to that of cantering 1,500m. Therefore, for those ponies travelling long distances and regularly, these factors must be considered to help their recovery time, energy levels and performance. u
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Knowledge
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