London Calling Gauntlet teams and players compete in U.K. season
Ground Control Arena and track surfaces can affect soundness
Driver’s Seat Polo is hobby for young Standardbred trainer
NPC INAUGURAL CUP FINAL 16 goal Sunday, January 1
JOE BARRY MEMORIAL 16 goal January 3-22, 2023
YLVISAKER CUP 16 goal
January 20 – February 12, 2023
C.V. WHITNEY CUP® 18-22 goal February 12-26, 2023
USPA JUNIOR OPEN FINAL 12-14 goal Sunday, February 19, 2023
USPA GOLD CUP® 18-22 goal March 1-26, 2023
U.S. OPEN WOMEN’S POLO CHAMPIONSHIP® 18-24 goal March 9-19, 2023
U.S. OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP® 22 goal March 29 - April 23, 2023
FLORIDA CIRCUIT 16-GOAL SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP 16 goal April 5-9, 2023
October 2022 | VOL. 26, NO. 5
The National Polo Center will host the XII FIP World Polo Championship this month with eight teams competing.
Opinions expressed in signed columns are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers of this magazine.
Taking on the World Qualifying teams prepare for FIP championship
Meet incoming executive director of Umpires LLC
Gauntlet teams and players compete in UK season
Arena and track surfaces can affect soundness
In The Driver’s Seat Polo is hobby for Standardbred trainer
BSI.com picks up two of three titles in Santa Barbara
Association News
elections
By Milo Fernandez AraujoScene
friends
from the world of polo
Oak Brook Polo Club celebrates 100 years
Photo by R David Lominska/Polographics
Gwen D. Rizzo
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Robin Sanchez, Tony Coppola, Tom Biddle, Dawn Weber, Ami Shinitzky
Art Director
Gary Lattke
Designer David Beverage
Prepress
Walsworth
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VOL. 26, No. 5
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only an aid in emergencies but may also be used as additional support after a fiberglass cast has been applied or left on a horse with broken sesamoid bones until they are completely healed. The Kimzey Leg Saver Splint fills the need for satisfactory stabilization of severe injuries including fractures of the sesamoids, long and short pastern bones and cannon bone, and failure of the suspensory ligament system. The splints can be used on a front or hind leg if the leg needs to be in a “tip-toe” position. A special splint for a hind leg is available if the leg needs to be in a more natural position.
The USPA is pleased to announce the following individuals have been elected to serve as governors-atlarge for the upcoming three-year term by a record number of 1,046 registered player members of the Association participating in the election.
• Mr. Julio Arellano
• Ms. Chr ys Beal
• Ms. Liz Brayboy
• Ms. Haley Bryan*
• Mr. Tony Coppola*
• Ms. Erica Gandomcar-Sachs
• Mr. Tom Gose
• Ms. Cindy Halle*
• Dr. Michael Manno*
• Mr. Robert Orthwein*
• Mr. Peter Rizzo
• Ms. Robin Sanchez
Please join the Association in congratulating this group and extending a sincere thanks to all the candidates for their participation in the election and passion for the sport of polo.
*Signifies a newly-elected governor
The Equine Welfare Committee has approved a new program to reimburse 50% of the cost of a Kimzey Leg Saver Splint for the first 20 USPA member clubs to place an order.
Kimzey Leg Saver Splints provide support along the front of the leg allowing immediate relief of pressure on the damaged area and quick stabilization. Comprised of aluminum with a neo-foam lining, the splints are quick and easy to apply, durable, and well tolerated by the patient. Three nylon and velcro straps secure the splint to the injured leg while a fourth strap at the base of the splint holds the hoof firmly in place.
Kimzey Leg Saver Splints are not
Splints range in cost based on type, starting at $398. All orders must be placed by calling Kimzey directly at 530.662.9331. Once an order has been placed, contact Membership & Handicap Director Lindsay Dolan at ldolan@uspolo.org for reimbursement information.
Armis officially introduced a fourth NOCSAE compliant helmet to the market: Armis VERA. Currently, Casablanca NEU, Charles Owen Sovereign, Instinct Askari and Armis VERA are the only helmets that pass the NOCSAE ND050 standard. The
USPA will continue to update the membership as it becomes aware of additional helmets on the market that meet the standard.
The USPA and participating clubs are eager to announce the inaugural Florida Circuit 16Goal Series. Spearheaded by Tournament Committee Chairman, Stevie Orthwein, the series will be played across multiple clubs, with the championship hosted by the National Polo Center--Wellington (NPC). Participating clubs include Port Mayaca Polo Club (Okeechobee, Florida) and Sarasota Polo Club (Sarasota, Florida) as well as the Wellington Polo Tour (WPT) led by Patagones Polo Club (Wellington, Florida) and a series of private fields falling under the WPT umbrella.
The USPA tournaments that comprise the series include the Joe Barry Memorial, Ylvisaker Cup, Iglehart Cup and Continental Cup. Each tournament will serve as a qualifier for the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Series Championship, with
each winning team moving on to the final event at the beginning of April.
A true testament to collaboration between South Florida clubs, there is a shared benefit in this new endeavor, allowing for participants to experience all the comforts of their home club while also having the opportunity to play in front of a large crowd at NPC. The Joe Barry Memorial and the Ylvisaker Cup will
both be guaranteed three Sunday matches on NPC’s U.S. Polo Assn. Field One, while all Championship games will be played at NPC.
An initiative that began in June with the USPA’s purchase of NPC, Orthwein and the Tournament Committee were driven to make the most of the new facility.
“NPC is an asset that all USPA members want to use, and we had to come up with a way where we could work together to use it,” Orthwein remarked.
The committee’s goal was to involve as many clubs and members in the area as possible to create the best possible medium-goal competition. Located three hours west of NPC, Sarasota Polo Club’s involvement is especially noteworthy given the distance, and enthusiastically welcomed and celebrated in the spirit of improving the level of polo across the circuit.
Intentionally scheduled so that no two qualifiers overlap, the series encourages participation
David Lominskafrom all interested teams and strives to make playing in any and all qualifiers possible. This also ensures that each host club will have the opportunity to take the spotlight during their qualifier and no participating club gets overshadowed. However, teams are not required to enter all four qualifying tournaments; single tournament entries are permitted. The winning team from each qualifying tournament will qualify for the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Series Championship (which will include four teams and both semifinal and final play) held at NPC from April 5-9, 2023, with the final held on NPC U.S. Polo Assn. Field One.
Should a team win more than one qualifier, that team will automatically advance to the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Series Championship. To reinforce the idea that all participation is encouraged, players may compete in as many events as they would like on either the same team or on different teams. Yet, if a player triumphs in
by
“This series of multiple clubs playing in something that culminates in a championship at NPC is a concept that could easily be translated to other levels of polo,” Orthwein asserted. The USPA’s ownership of NPC, has created possibilities for inclusion and growth in all areas of American polo.”
more than one event but on different teams, that player must choose which team he or she would like to compete with in the Florida Circuit 16-Goal Series Championship and the other team may use a substitute. Qualifying teams must maintain at least two of their original members in order to play in the championship.
The series opens the door for a wide variety of players, including those looking to transition from low goal to medium goal, some who want to play at a competitive level outside of high goal, as well as many who are eager to test the waters before taking their team to the high-goal level. Intended to raise the bar for medium-goal polo, the increased number of participants in these tournaments will force clubs to increase their competitive edge.
The true beauty of the endeavor is not only what it promises for medium-goal polo, but what it promises more broadly for the sport. While the series focuses specifically on medium goal, there is room to expand to other levels.
Chairman: Stewart Armstrong
President: Tony Coppola
Secretary: Charles Smith
Treasurer: Steven Rudolph
The USPA is once again partnering with The Jockey Club to provide Best Playing Thoroughbred Awards for USPA tournaments. Players will be required to register their horse for a Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) number in order to be eligible. Clubs will apply, first come first serve. The winner information will be included in Bluebook tournament results and awards will be mailed to the club.
Eligibility: For purposes of eligibility for all T.I.P. awards, a Thoroughbred is defined as any horse that has been registered with The Jockey Club or a foreign Thoroughbred stud book recognized by The Jockey Club. An unregistered horse is not eligible for T.I.P. You must know your horse’s registered name to be eligible for T.I.P. (if registered but unnamed, must know YOB and dam’s name). For identification assistance and to check registration status, please log in at www.registry. jockeyclub.com.
In order to be eligible for a T.I.P. award, owners and riders must obtain a T.I.P. Number. Please visit https://tjctip.com/ APPLYTIPNUMBER to apply for a T.I.P. Number. The T.I.P. number card should be provided to participating polo clubs as proof of eligibility.
To request this award, please email clubs@uspolo.org.
Do you have a group of youth players in 5-8th grade? If so, sign up now to host a middle school tournament at your club, now open all year round. Contact Emily Dewey at edewey@ uspolo.org for more information.
If you are interested in participating in a Middle School League, look for the schedule at uspolo.org to find a tournament near you!
Congratulations to the following Intercollegiate/Interscholastic players who were awarded USPA Intercollegiate Scholarships: Lindsey Morris; Josie Dorsey; Marisa Carelli; Liliana Gonzaelz; Connelly Cashen and Alana Benz.
Requirements to apply include playing at least two years of interscholastic polo, competing on an intercollegiate team, minimum 3.0 GPA, two letters of recommendation and a short essay. Recipients are selected based on horsemanship, sportsmanship, playing ability, contribution to the sport, academic excellence and character. The funds awarded to players are paid directly to the student’s institution for their tuition and are renewable for up to four years. Congratulations to our outstanding student athletes and good luck in your college careers.
Intercollegiate teams are able to apply for up to a $2,000 reimbursement on tack and other game items. For a
more in-depth list of items and the application, please visit the I/I page on uspolo.org.
Teams are able to apply for up to $2,000 in fundraising reimbursement. Staff and committee support is available during the process to plan your event and maximize your revenue. For full fundraising guidelines, visit the I/I pages on uspolo.org.
Please note, the fundraising deadline is rolling and open to both interscholastic and intercollegiate teams. If you have any questions about the fundraising program, please contact Ali Davidge at adavidge@uspolo.org.
The Intercollegiate Clinic Program is now open for intercollegiate teams
to apply for reimbursable funds up to $1,500 to host a clinic this fall. To learn more about the program please contact Amy Fraser at afraser@ uspolo.org.
All teams planning to compete in the 2022-2023 Intercollegiate/ Interscholastic season must complete the Intent to Compete form by Oct. 3. Please note, this is for preliminary information and divisions can be changed if needed before the final December deadline. To fill out the Intent to Compete form, please visit the I/I page on uspolo.org.
Would you like to submit an ad for the I/I magazine? Contact Amy Fraser at afraser@uspolo.org to learn more about the rates and requirements for ad submissions.
David MurrellThe game has definitely changed in the last few years. There have been many modifications that have influenced the game itself. From my time as a polo player to the current one as a coach, the training of the players has changed and evolved, nutrition has become a fundamental aspect for elite athletes, and obviously there have also been many changes regarding the horses, their tuning and the rigorous monitoring of each of the details that set up the preparation and development of polo worldwide.
Matches at the highest level of competition are often defined by details. If we take into account the time in which I was playing, the first big change has been the enormous
advance in the treatment of embryos and the production of clones. The veterinary part had a great evolution without a doubt due to the many changes it underwent. However, I consider that the essence of the game remains the same. And that is the most important thing. Both in the game in general, and in what was my position as a No. 3 in particular, those who understand, interpret and put that essence into practice are still doing well. And when I talk about “that essence” I mean playing simple and using the spaces.
Obviously, today there are many more players with very good ball control. I recognize that in the past there were only a few. And it is also because of
that the game has changed a lot. But when there are a lot of changes like the ones we have experienced in the last few years, it is impossible that all of them are for the better. Many have been, others not so much. However, as far as the functions of a good No. 3 are concerned, the main virtues also remain the same: a great vision of the game, time management, maintaining a balance in the team between defense and attack and great anticipation.
It is essential to control the transitions between attack and defense so that the team is never left in a bad place. When the team is on offense, the No. 3 must be aware of the defense and anticipate the eventual turnover of the game. And when the team is in a defensive position, the No. 3 must read the field to come out on offense when the occasion calls for it.
That is the balance I am referring to. No. 3s must be one step ahead of their three teammates, thinking of the defensive plays before their teammates do and plan the attack before they are even in position to do it. This vision is fundamental to manage the timing and ensure the
A good No. 3 must have a great vision of the game, maintaining a balance between defense and offense. Sergio Llamerateam members do not all do the same thing all the time.
A primary movement that I work on as a coach is starting plays from the back. It is very important that those who receive the passes really look for the open spaces. Generally, this is talked about before the passes, and there are a couple of pre-established plays that are always carried out to make this search for spaces effective with long or angled hits. I, in particular, always like to hit long balls and not be too close to my own goal.
To be able to make those long hits to the empty spaces where a teammate arrives at speed, it is essential to work on your swing. To do this, you must increase the hours of deep impact training and hit many balls in a stationary position, staring at it under you without taking your eyes off the ball at all prior to the moment of impact. The swing is very personal,
but you should never get carried away with the anxiety of seeing where the ball will go until after you have hit it. Then, to increase the horse’s speed without losing so much control of the ball, everything is based on riding. That is why the best riders are those who have the best balance and the best command of their legs to get the best speed and handle out of their horses.
To be a good rider, it is of utmost importance you have the expertise and experience, you start riding as early in your life as possible and you dedicate many hours to perfecting yourself. However, even the best can always improve. With good horsemanship and anticipation, maneuvers can be optimized to, for example, make sudden changes of direction or to have a better relationship with your horses so they can increase their understanding of the game.
Of course in polo, just as in any other sport or activity, experience allows the player to run the field less and move more efficiently. Over the years, the dedicated player gets smarter. Experience inevitably provides anticipation of everything that may happen on a polo field. With anticipation and experience, it is very likely a player won’t have to battle as much--running less and making smarter plays, then when he or she first started playing.
How do you get to the level of an experienced player? Here again, it works like in any other sport. The first thing is to copy the players who anticipate the best. To read the game you also have to read your opponents. And practice a lot, of course! Practice is a big part of the success of your training as a player. So much so that, in my opinion, players are at their prime between the ages of 30 and 42, as long as they take care of themselves physically.
A former 10-goal player, Milo Fernández Araujo won the Argentine Open three times. He also played extensively in England (wining the Queen’s Cup) and the U.S. More recently, he is the most successful coach of La Dolfina in living memory. The team, led by the great Adolfo Cambiaso, won three consecutive Argentine Triple Crowns (2013-2015) and 39 consecutive victories with Araujo as its coach. This year he coached the Argentine National Team as it won the first Women’s Polo World Cup at Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Sergio Llamera
Sergio Llamera
It is essential to work on your swing, hitting many balls without taking your eyes off them prior to impact.Milo Fernández Araujo.
Should you be lucky enough to own a barn with roomy stalls, grazing paddocks and a round pen, you are indeed fortunate, as this is the ideal set-up to raise young fillies and colts to be eventually turned into trusting, cooperative future polo champions.
Of course, you also need breeding stock, a few great mares with calm temperaments and a proven stallion with a kind disposition, preferably Thoroughbreds.
Whether you use the way nature intended to “do the deed” or artificially impregnate your momsto-be is up to you but either way, there are some things you can do to help get ready for the birth. While most mares are perfectly capable of birthing on their own, there are times she may need some assistance. These are methods I have applied myself when breeding numerous polo champions for my husband, former
9-goal player Stuart Mackenzie. I’m a self-confessed “big softy” as you’ll soon discover.
In my observations over the years, I’ve noticed that when foaling time comes around it is better to use soft, clean straw in the mare’s “maternity ward” rather than shavings that can be easily inhaled and are therefore less than ideal. However, if you don’t own a barn, foaling in a safe paddock is quite alright as wild horses do it all the time outdoors. Since mares often give birth at dawn, the foal might already be up and suckling by the time you arrive on the scene, and you’ll miss out on a vital bonding moment called imprinting.
The barn option is ideal in case of complications. Have your vet’s number with you at all times.
To prep, thoroughly scrub your arms and hands, and remove all jewelry, including any rings and your watch. Keep the following items handy: a clean, damp cloth; a pair of sterile scissors with rounded ends; a bag of cotton balls; a twitch and some wide, long bandages; as well as a bottle of iodine and a bit of string (bailing twine) soaked in this liquid prior and kept sterile just in case you need to tie the umbilical cord if it doesn’t fall off naturally.
Always remember to stay calm and quietly collected, making no sudden, jerky movements or loud noises. An experienced “doula” can check on the baby’s position by manually placing one hand inside the mare, holding her tail aside with the other, and feeling for the foal’s muzzle between two forelegs. One leg is usually positioned slightly more in front of the other. If that is what is felt, you can rest
When foaling time gets close, keep the mare in a clean stall or safe paddock.
assured the birth will likely be pretty much normal and straight forward. Talk to your horse to keep it calm.
When the mare is ready, she’ll either give birth standing or she’ll drop down onto her right side and a small bag of amniotic fluid will soon appear from her vulva, a sign that foaling has now begun.
The milky-colored membrane the foal slides out in will rupture under the pressure of the mare’s contractions and it all should slide out smoothly according to Mother Nature’s clever book of laws.
Should the newborn be in a breech position--upside down inside the mare’s uterus--it will require a 180 degree rotation, best performed by a veterinarian familiar with this procedure, not by an unskilled layperson! Also, a vet needs to be present if the foal is jammed underneath the mare’s pelvic arch. If
you suspect a problem, don’t wait to contact the vet.
In case the mare gives birth while standing, as soon as both the foal’s front legs appear, the helper can position themselves behind the mare and, since the legs will be one behind the other, grab hold of them and pull them (not too hard) to an even length, in a downward sloping direction, towards the mother’s hocks until the muzzle is visible. Then, let the mare do the bulk of the hard work as she’ll take over by pushing out the rest of her baby’s body. The head will lay across the little one’s legs first, then the wide part--the shoulders-will be squeezed out, along with the hips, flanks and hind legs. Finally the newborn will slide onto its straw bedding. A mare usually let’s out a whinny after giving birth, greeting her new foal.
so it does not rupture right away as blood from mom to baby will continue to flow through it for up to several minutes. Continue keeping the mare calm with soothing tones in a low voice. Watch for pulsating blood in the cord and you will realize there’s a weak spot in it, about 4 centimeters (1½ inches) from the foal’s abdomen and the cord mostly ruptures right there naturally when the time is right.
A cotton ball dipped in iodine tincture is used to seal off and disinfect that spot on the wee one’s tummy, so no bacteria can enter. To keep mom from going septic, remove all visible leftover afterbirth by first applying a tail bandage, then cleaning her vulva with iodine. The rest of the placenta can take up to three hours to come out. The helper needs to remove it when it appears. It hangs down, still heavy with fluid and the mare can kick at it, accidentally hurting her foal by trying to get rid of it.
If the mare lays down while giving
Any placenta surrounding the foal’s head should be removed by clearing the eyes and nose with a clean, damp cloth.birth, if she is inexperienced, she may leap up after the birth and inadvertently step on her wee one, so the helper needs to be vigilant and prevent this at all costs!
Usually the baby first lies on it’s haunches and at this point, any remaining placenta surrounding its head needs to be removed instantly as the foal could otherwise drown in amniotic fluid. It must be cleared from eyes and nostrils with the clean, damp cloth so the baby can inhale oxygen for the first time.
This is the perfect moment for the human helper to practice imprinting by receiving the foal’s first few shallow breaths into their nose and gently blowing human breath back into the foal’s nose. After that, the baby can be gently touched all over its entire body. This is the ideal way
Foals usually stand in less than an hour and begin taking its first sips of colostrum, containing vital antibodies.
The mare will lick her baby dry and begin to bond with it.
The mare will nuzzle her baby and encourage it to stand for the first time.
of bonding, as the scent of the first human it encounters as well as the first human hands that touch it is something to never be forgotten by the newborn as long as it lives.
Now it is mom’s turn to lick her baby dry, and her time to bond and nuzzle it--an encouragement to get it to rise and stand for the first time on four wobbly legs.
A few foals will stand within 15 minutes of birth but most take 50 minutes. By then, the mare’s colostrum (a thick, yellowish substance that contains vital antibodies) is already produced and the helper may lead and carefully guide the baby to the mare’s teats. It now takes its first tentative steps on those endlessly long legs, still slightly shaky.
Suckling is a natural reflex and it
A foal’s first inoculation may be given a few hours after birth.
happens fast. Should it not happen at first, the helper can place a finger in the foal’s mouth to stimulate that sucking motion. Once the baby has the hang of it, mom and foal bond deeply as she continues sniffing and licking her foal. After approximately 48 hours, her milk comes in and begins running through her udders.
Your veterinarian may give the baby’s first inoculation (tetanus antitoxin injected in its gluteus muscle) a few hours after it is born.
Christine Mackenzie worked as a groom and trainer during her husband’s career as a 9-goal professional player. Over they years, they successfully bred, raised and trained numerous champion polo horses.
The annual Denver Polo Classic was held July 15-17 on fields at the Little Polo Reserve in Denver, Colorado.
The Denver Polo Classic is the premier fundraising and community partnership event for the Denver Children’s Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization comprised of more than 100 young men who volunteer a substantial amount of time to raise money on behalf of disadvantaged, at-risk youth in the local community.
The event began on Friday night with a black tie dinner, where guests sipped on champagne and enjoyed high-end cuisine while admiring automobiles on display from presenting sponsor Schomp BMW. Later, guests enjoyed a comedy show, a live auction, bought raffles for a classic car giveaway and danced the night away.
The auction included a non-fungible token of a polo player, painted by artist Carrie Fell. The inaugural NFT piece, “Front Runner” was minted
exclusively for the event and sold as part of a package for $11,000.
“Each year, we look for ways to elevate the Polo Classic experience for our patrons while raising money for disadvantaged youth,” said Adam Massaro, DCF president. “Auctioning off what we believe is the first NFT ever purchased at a charitable event, let alone a polo NFT, was a way for us to offer something new
to our patrons.”
Fell has long sought new mediums to express herself. “As art collectors evolve, their use of space is adapting to an aesthetic that allows for multipurpose,” she said. “We always strive to keep in step with what collectors are looking for at any point while remaining true to our heritage.”
In creating digital art that is still uniquely and unmistakably “Carrie Fell,” a collector can keep this extraordinary new piece in a digital vault, allowing for the acquisition and experience in a personal environment not dependent on more traditional outlets.
Family Day followed on Saturday, with fun and unique activities for kids at the polo field. Attendees bid on silent auction items and sampled food and
Guests enjoyed a competitive polo match with several high-goal players. Joe Freemond A black-tie dinner included a comedy show, live auction, dancing and more. Joe Freemondcocktails from some of Denver’s best restaurants.
Sunday was an adult-only event with a polo match, fully-stocked bar and delicious food.
Schomp BMW (Bob Jornayvaz, Juan Vidal Dominguez, Santiago Stirling, Santiago Von Wernich) won the tournament, which included teams The Hamilton Group (Robert Jornayvaz, Luke Clarke, Santiago Torres, Mark Wates), Alliant (Jenny Luttrell Benardoni, Erica GandomcarSachs, Alejo Taranco, Francisco Benardoni) and Orthopedic Centers of Colorado (John Hardee, Craig Russell, Pedrinho Zacharias, Tomas Alberdi).
Author Christine E. Mackenzie worked as a groom and trainer for her husband, a 9-goal polo professional. As they traveled the world, she decided to integrate her intimate knowledge of the sport into a fictitious novel, diving deep beneath the glitz and glamour. She chose a courageous, young female to break into the sport at a time when women were not as welcome.
The following is a book review from Rabia Tanveer:
Hoofbeat Heartbeat: Fifteen Hands Above the Ground gives us a peek into the glamorous world of polo through the eyes of a very determined woman who is set on changing the rules.
Jo Always loved horses; they were an integral part of her life since she was a little girl. She had her pony when her mother and brother died and she always found solace in its simple yet comforting presence whenever life got a little hard for her.
She was always passionate about whatever she did, so when Jo discovered polo, she knew this would be one thing she would love just as much as horses. However, with a predominant presence of male athletes in the field she has to fight tooth and nail to not only find her place but earn it.
Soon she discovers the glamorous world of polo is not just sitting on top of a horse and playing. It doesn’t help that she encounters two men who seem to catch her attention and she soon falls for one of them. But, is that the right decision to make when she
is just experiencing some approval for her presence in polo?
While the usual fiction novel regarding athletes is a romance where the reader gets a super hot male athlete and a nerdy, yet adorable female character, this novel is a breath of fresh air for those who love the genre yet want something new.
I saw what Jo was going through, connected with her and experienced her highs and lows with her. Her development was amazing, she learned from her mistakes, tried to do better and succeeded with hard work and determination.
She tried her best, which is the most you could expect from anyone. I loved how diligently she pursued her sport and gave it her all. She is intelligent, dynamic and very complex, which makes her the perfect protagonist for this very entertaining story.
I loved it and I especially loved her.
“Front Runner,” a polo NFT Joe FreemondThe 11th Wounded Veterans Polo Benefit returned to the Wine Country Polo Club in Santa Rosa, California, Aug. 21, after a two-year hiatus.
The date began with a wine tasting and silent auction. The silent auction included many items including vacation trips, tours, resort stays, event tickets, fine wines, art, jewelry and more. Bidding was done by phone so those unable to attend the match could participate in the bidding.
Guests and players cheered as bagpiper Fred Payne led the American flag across the field to signal the beginning of the matches.
Organized by the Knights of St. John, Commandery of St. Francis, whose mission it is to serve wounded veterans in the San Francisco Bay area, the charity has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years to support rehabilitation activities,
including equine therapy, fly fishing, canine bonding and wooden boat sailing.
This year was no different, thanks to the many generous gifts from families, foundations and polo aficionados wanting to watch the
excitement first-hand. Each of the four teams, including three from Santa Rosa Polo Club, combined seasoned pros with local players. The fourth team came from Cerro Pampa Polo Club (Petaluma, California).
The first game pitted Horsepower, led by Marcial Socas, against the Knights, captained by Leandro Floccari. With Socas’ teammates (Lucas Esposto, Marcus Esposto, Timur Kotelnikov) all under age 17, the team clearly came in as the underdog. They faced Floccari and veterans Karl Hasz, Carlos Rivas and Vladimir Rivkin.
Socas tried to deliver to his team as far as possible from Floccari, who was vigorously defending the goal. But, Floccari established an invisible wall. Down by one, Socas tried running the ball the length of the field but that left their goal largely undefended. Horsepower picked up three additional goals in the final chukker, emerging victorious, 7-3.
The second game was held while a gourmet lunch was served. Two evenly matched teams--Arrowhead Farms (Martin Tassara, Tomas Ussher, Jens Lermusiaux, Mark O’Brien) and Barnes Bubblers (Luis
William Stacey William Stacey The California Cowgirls drill team gave a presentation at the event.For Arrowhead Farms, Tassara led the charge in the No. 4 position and connected well with O’Brien and Lermusiaux downfield. Saracco and Curti fought back hard, each using their 4-goal rating to work their way down field, setting up scoring opportunities for Bigelow and Bailey. However, with Tassara and Ussher guarding the uprights like centurions, Bigelow and Bailey had their work cut out for them at every turn. Cheered on by their fans, Bigelow and Bailey ran towards goal on many occasions but were stymied as
much as they succeeded. Behind by two goals at the beginning of the fourth and final chukker, even a few extra seconds of game time due to a mysterious quirk in the electronic timer was not enough for Saracco and company to even up the game. Arrowhead Farms won 7-5.
Between games, guests enjoyed a traditional champagne divot stomp and a ladies’ hat contest sponsored by Domaine Chandon of Napa Valley. Not to be outdone, the wineries of Black Stallion, Valiance and Russian River also treated guests to an array of their finest vintages. Wine and polo: a great combination and all for a good cause.
Hugo Pasten and Laura Goddard, co-owners and instructors at Mountain View Polo Club in Charles Town, West Virginia, celebrated their wedding June 19 at Green Hill Farm in Sharpsburg, Maryland.
The couple met while playing polo at Congressional Polo Club in Poolesville, Maryland, in 2009.
The wedding was delayed for two years due to COVID-19 however, after 13 years together, the happy couple finally tied the knot. Congratulations to them both!
The day ended with an awards celebration and a presentation by the California Cowgirls drill team in patriotic dress riding to the sounds of “America the Beautiful.”
“We’re so pleased that we could work with Wine Country Polo to make this day a success,” said event chairperson Dame Ruth Matz of the Knights of St. John, Commandery of St. Francis. “Our guests and supporters not only enjoyed two great games; but the polo event also helped us in our most important quest, to raise support to further our mission to help wounded veterans so as to reacquaint them with everyday life.”
Laura Goddard and Hugo Pasten Lauren King Saracco, Florencio Curti, Hank Bailey, Elise Bigelow)--faced off with the outcome anyone’s guess.The Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup is the charity’s annual flagship fundraising event, which over the last decade has raised about $11.8 million to support Sentebale’s work. Guests, including former All Black rugby player and ISPS Handa Ambassador Dan Carter, were treated to an afternoon of polo at the foothills of the majestic Mount Sopris before dining at the St. Regis Aspen Resort.
Carter spoke to guests followed by Prince Harry and Figueras.
“At Sentebale we strive to break generational cycles of trauma and stigma every day. By educating and empowering young people to know their status and to know they can live long, healthy lives while on medication, we aim to end HIV once and for all,” Prince Harry said.
He also acknowledged the 25th anniversary of his mother’s death, saying, “She most certainly will never be forgotten. ... Every day, I hope to do her proud. She was tireless in her work to support and destigmatise those experiencing HIV/AIDS.”
The Aspen Valley Polo Club in Aspen, Colorado, held the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup, Aug. 25, in front of 200 guests.
Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex and cofounder of Sentebale, played in the match alongside Grant Ganzi, Sentebale Ambassador Nacho Figueras and Steve Cox. The match was a benefit for Sentebale, a non-profit organization that aims to reach children and young people in Lesotho living with or affected by HIV, especially the most vulnerable, who are additionally challenged by issues of deprivation, exploitation, abuse or neglect.
Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso founded the charity in 2006. Sentebale means forget-me-not in
the Sesotho language, representing a pledge to remember the most vulnerable children in the region.
Forget-me-nots were also the favorite flower of Prince Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died 25 years ago in a car crash in Paris, France. Princess Diana was known for the tireless work she did for a number of charities and the awareness she brought to many humanitarian issues around the world.
The Sentebale team claimed victory in a fast-paced round-robin tournament against Royal Salute (David Farache, Louis Devaleix, Malcolm Borwick, Juan Bollini) and U.S. Polo Assn. (Collen Clark, Gonzalo Pieres Jr., Saul Sacca, Ashley Van Metre).
During his speech, he introduced a music video written and produced by three young artists from Lesotho commissioned by Sentebale titled, “We are the Future.” The story is grounded in the agency of young people, who are the change-makers at the center of solutions they know work best for their communities.
Executive director of ISPS Handa, Midori Miyazaki thanked organizers, players and supporters.
“It’s been a true platform to showcase how the power of sport can bring us together, to make a difference in the lives of children in Lesotho and Botswana who need your support as they overcome the challenges that come with HIV and AIDs,” he said.
Nacho Figueras, Prince Harry, Delfina Blaquier and Sentebale CEO Richard Miller Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Sentebale
Five members of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry played in a match at Go for Broke Polo Club in Orange County, Virginia, Aug. 6.
In 1774, the Brandywine Valley’s Gloucester Foxhunting Club offered its service as George Washington’s bodyguard and became The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry.
Hunting Hessians instead of fox, the First Troop distinguished itself in the Battles of Princeton and Trenton and has since fought in this country’s every major conflict. Today it serves as an Armored Cavalry formation of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
The Troop occupies an imposing stone Armory in downtown Philadelphia and uses a Trooper’s Main Line Philadelphia horse farm for maintenance of mounted warfare
skills, recently demonstrated to hold continuing utility by mounted U.S. Army Special Forces A-Teams who spearheaded the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.
This summer, Troopers came to the Kiyonaga family’s Go for Broke Polo Club, three miles from where Troopers fought for the Union in 1864 at the Battle of the Wilderness.
Lou Lopez, polo coach for the University of Virginia, officiated the contest for the first Battle of Mine Run Cup between the First Troop and Go for Broke in the club’s newly erected grass arena. The teams were suitably matched.
Just arrived from Azul, Argentina, Juan Manuel Butler served as Go for Broke’s captain and its most gifted
player. The club’s definitive ball striker, however, turned out to be Clayton Kiyonaga, late of Dartmouth Heavyweight Men’s Rowing.
First Troop’s captain, Cpl. Richie Walkup, imparted a quiet command over his men, calmly directing them as he wheeled his mount and placed his shots. First Troop’s most prolific scorer, however, was Cpl. Carlton Hoskins, a quiet Kentuckian so slow to speak he is sometimes taken to be asleep. Almost languidly, he scored from all over the arena. Hoskins was ably abetted by Cpl. Marius Nielsen, seconded from the Queen of Denmark’s Household Cavalry; Stable Sgt. Bennett Opitz, whipper for the Thornton Hill Hounds (Sperryville, Virginia); and Pvt. Jesse Proetto, new to polo, but girded by years of jumping fences.
Undeterred by the oppressive August heat, the two teams hammered each other relentlessly for over an hour, each ceding and recouping the lead repeatedly. Almost balletic in the saddle, Clayton Kiyonaga spun his horses and streaked across the grass to score seven times from everywhere.
Walkup spent most of his time frustrating the frenetic efforts of your author and used most of his unerring shots to pass to his teammates.
Hoskins, however, was the standout play maker. Never once failing to connect with the ball, he simply outrode and out-shot everyone. Troopers Opitz, Nielsen and Proetto astounded the assembled onlookers by appearing never to sit in their saddles, instead, standing in their stirrups throughout, the better to stabilize their striking.
In the closing seconds of the last chukker, Butler turned the play in midair and scored the winning goal for Go for Broke. Both teams and onlookers repaired to an asado at the clubhouse that lasted until the next morning.
Members of the First Troop City Calvary play in a match in Virginia.
Four girls’ teams and four open teams battled for the championship titles in the National Youth Tournament Series held at the picturesque La Herradura Polo Club in Santa Ynez, California, Sept. 9-11.
As the official apparel supplier of the NYTS Championship weekend, U.S. Polo Assn. outfitted all the players with whites and t-shirts and provided gear bags and saddle pads as prizes. The tournament kicked off with a dinner and draw party and included some fun bonding time for the players on the beach on the off days.
Returning for a second consecutive year, the National Youth Tournament Series Girls’ Championship
culminated in a matchup between Electric Charge (Victoria Picha, Winifred Branscum, Olivia Reynolds, Micaela Saracco) and Ever Ready (Francesca Felhaber, Sophia DeAngelis, Aurora Knox, Robyn Leitner) on Sunday, Sept. 11. Controlling the match from the outset, a dominant four-goal performance from 15-year-old Saracco, coupled with a formidable defense, powered Electric Charge to a commanding 6-1½ victory and NYTS Girls’ Championship title.
Switching from the motif of colors in 2021, this year’s girls’ teams honored Hall of Fame Horses to Remember. All of the girls’ competitors apart from Saracco and Delta Dawn’s Kelsey Bray rented their horses for the tournament. Displaying the ability
to adapt quickly to new challenges, players’ growth in horsemanship, sportsmanship and skill was further complimented by the invaluable presence of their individual coaches in Jimmy Wright (Electric Charge) and Felipe Viana (Ever Ready) alongside mentoring from La Herradura Polo Club owners and founders Memo and Meghan Gracida.
Spending the summer at La Herradura, 19-year-old Reynolds gladly accepted her first NYTS invitation as a welcome surprise.
“I wanted to play in the NYTS Championship, but I wasn’t expecting it. I’ve attended other NYTS tournaments as a spectator, and I think this one stood out with the facility and all the work that was put
Players from both the girls’ and open divisions bonded on the beach.into it,” Reynolds said. “The whole experience was great, the facilities are amazing and the horses from Memo were amazing—Meghan and the whole Gracida family are here to help us, and I thought it was nice to have them as another resource aside from the coaches. This was the perfect tournament. It’s beautiful here--I don’t want to leave!”
A running theme for the success of Electric Charge throughout the tournament was open and honest communication. Discovering their teams approximately two weeks before the tournament, relationships between the new teammates were crucial.
Branscum noted, “Our chemistry showed right off the bat! We created a group chat and started making connections that were reflected as soon as we got on the field.”
MVP Micaela Saracco aboard Best Playing Pony Chapaleufú Polola
Electric Charge’s Victoria Picha, Winifred Branscum, Olivia Reynolds and Micaela Saracco
Echoing Branscum’s sentiments, Reynolds added, “From the beginning we were back home texting and trying to figure out our plan, and our communication was light and fun. ... There was no blame if we made mistakes. We were worried about the next play and not the last one.”
Reynolds said, “I knew Mica from playing against her before. She beat me in a women’s tournament here [at La Herradura] last week. I knew of my other teammates, but I’d never seen them play.”
“I was so excited,” shared Branscum. “I worked really hard to get here and it was more than I could have ever imagined. My teammates were such a blast. My opponents and everyone were so nice, and we got to listen to Meghan and Memo Gracida. It was so much fun because of the people.”
Awarding Ever Ready with a halfgoal on handicap at the onset of the match, Electric Charge’s lineup of first time NYTS competitors began
with a jolt as Branscum carried their first goal over the line with help from all teammates. Donning the captain’s armband, two consecutive goals from Saracco followed to give Electric Charge a 3-½ lead. With time
quickly expiring in the half, DeAngelis finally found some footing to score on Ever Ready’s sole successful drive of the day as Electric Charge entered the break with an assertive 3-1½ advantage.
Receiving constant feedback from Wright, Saracco shared a key moment of support for her in the final.
“I started out angry with myself. All the nerves and stress piled up. I was stressed with myself, but he helped calm me down. He was an amazing coach and supported us and gave us the ideas he had.”
Picha also praised Wright. “He knew us better than we knew ourselves in some moments even though we just met him,” she said.
“Part of the reason they got to the finals is they played in their natural positions,” added Wright.
Saracco added, “We wanted to mark the man how we’ve been playing in practices and the first game. We did well in both of them and we knew how we wanted to play.”
NYTS Chair Chrys Beal presents the Horsemanship Award to Robyn Leitner. Isabelle Brockett receives the Sportsmanship Award from Chrys Beal. Isabelle Brockett, Lauren Patolie, Elise Pardue, Ruby Decker and Kelsey BrayPicha said the best piece of advice received during the tournament was to stop saying “sorry,” make mistakes and play the play you have.
Stifling hopes for an Ever Ready comeback, Branscum opened the second half increasing Electric Charge’s lead to 4-1½. Despite facing returning NYTS competitors DeAngelis and Leitner, Electric Charge’s ability to keep Ever Ready pinned on defense allowed Saracco to circulate and find space on the field. Hitting back-to-back goals on consecutive breakaway runs, Saracco ended her day leading Electric Charge with four goals. Keeping their skilled opponents off the scoreboard in the second half allowed them to earn the NYTS Girls’ Championship.
Coaching Electric Charge and Southeast to their respective finals in the NTYS Championship, Wright reflected on capturing the Girls’ Championship title.
“The team did a really good job of playing disciplined, and as consistent as possible, going one person for one person. The other team is extremely physical and talented. We did a good job of playing patient and waiting for the free balls, playing defensive first, allowing the offensive positions to present themselves and being quick to the ball,” he explained.
Capping off a spectacular performance, including leading the tournament with eight goals, Micaela Saracco was named Most Valuable Player.
One of the few competitors riding her own string, Saracco’s 15-year-old mare Chapaleufú Polola was awarded Best Playing Pony.
“It was a huge advantage to play my own horses,” said Saracco. The mare won Best Playing Pony in the 2018 NYTS Championship Girls All-
Star Challenge with Hope Kerley. The Saracco family has owned Chapaleufú Polola since she was a foal, and this year’s final was her last game before her retirement in Argentina.
“I’m so happy she got Best Playing Pony,” said Saracco. “It’s her last day here and her last game. My dad gave her to me, and she’s stayed with me, but she’s still a family horse. My younger brother and dad ride her.
horsemanship was prioritized, and I was very grateful for the horses I had this week. They all played amazing!”
Nebraska Sunset’s Isabelle Brockett received the Sportsmanship Award for her positive attitude, fairness and support for her peers in polo.
USPA Director of Player Development Amanda Snow proudly spoke about the rapid growth of the NYTS program.
She’s super agile, quick and I feel my most confident on her. We want to get as many babies out of her as possible!”
For her consistent demonstration of horsemanship on and off the field, Robyn Leitner was the recipient of the Horsemanship Award.
“I think becoming a great player means becoming an even better rider,” said Leitner. “I was blessed to have a riding background where
She said, “What’s most impressive for me is to see all four girls’ teams in full swing. There was lots of talent there, and I hope the girls’ teams keep building more momentum. NYTS has grown tremendously. It has become something that the players are really dying to participate in, which means so much. It has become something you plan your whole season and summer around.
“More importantly, the qualifiers have
Ever Ready’s Sophia DeAngelis handles a bouncing ball.created so many more opportunities for these kids to play against each other outdoor at a local level and really strengthen the polo roots on the ground. I think the first year we had 12 tournaments, and this year we had nearly 30. We have lots of kids that play in them, and people travel. My whole dream for the program from the beginning was for it to be something that I wish existed when I was a kid growing up, and I think that it feels like it came true!”
As the first coach to have also competed in the NYTS championship, Wright reflected on the importance of the experience.
“It gives players a lot of confidence, and you get to meet players that you get to be around your whole life, and it’s a preliminary example of how to play tournaments that hopefully translate to things like FIP,” he said. “It’s a great place to meet new people and showcase yourself, especially with Global Polo.”
Branscum agreed. “I think it’s an amazing program. It connects people from all over the U.S. I’ve even met people from Mexico, Canada, it’s incredible! ... I’ve played three NYTS tournaments leading up to this, and I’ve averaged two or three for the last three years. I’ve been working towards this for a while, and I have two more years of eligibility, so I’m hoping to be back!”
Earlier, Nebraska Sunset (Isabelle Brockett, Ruby Decker, Reagan Leitner, Elise Pardue) and Delta Dawn (Caroline Mathews, Lauren Patoile, Lily Lequerica, Kelsey Bray) faced off in the NYTS Girls’ Championship consolation final with five returning NTYS competitors: Leitner, Pardue, Mathews, Lequerica and Bray.
Receiving a half-goal on handicap, Nebraska Sunset set out to an early start, with contributions from
Pardue and Decker giving their team a 2½-0 lead at halftime. Regrouping at the break, goals from Mathews and Lequerica pulled Delta Dawn
back within striking distance, but ultimately Nebraska Sunset’s handicap provided the difference for the 2½-2 win.
In the open division, Western (Sebastian Celis, Daniel Miranda, Ryan Kerley, Piers Bossom) was in search of their first Cecil Smith Cup against Southeast (Harrison Reicher, Josh Escapite, Aiden Meeker, Joaquin Vilgre La Madrid) in the final on Sept. 11.
Charging out of the opening throwin, Western scored the first seven goals of the match and never looked back to claim the 9-5½ victory and bring the Cecil Smith Cup to the West Coast for the first time in the tournament’s decade-long history. After capturing a decisive 8-3 win against Central (Joe Bob Lequerica, Shane Metternick, Lance Stefanakis, Landen Daniels), Western displayed a home-turf confidence that came from familiarity with their horses. While the majority of competitors rented horses, Kerley
Southeast’s Josh Escapite
MVP Ryan Kerley, on Best Playing Pony HiTop, makes the most of NYTS practice.
began preparations long before the tournament got underway.
“We started a month-and-a-half ago in case I got chosen to play,” he said.
Teammate Bossom brought three of his own horses, along with three from his brother, Bayne.
“My horses played well, and my brother’s horses were machines. They did everything I asked of them,” Bossom said.
Not familiar with his teammates, Celis, who works at La Herradura Polo Club during the summer, rented from host Memo Gracida and was familiar with each horse he played throughout the competition due to his time working in the barns.
“It was great to know them and come prepared. You know which ones
run, which ones stop, it’s a great advantage,” Celis explained.
Despite their horsepower, Western faced tough competition in a Southeast team that featured a champion (Meeker) and finalist (Escapite) from last year’s tournament, while also conceding 1½ goals on handicap to begin the final. Yet, Western wasted little time in erasing the early deficit just moments into the match.
“Sebastian scored a really nice goal right out of the first throw-in, which took their handicap away and let us start to play a little bit,” explained coach Jesse Bray.
The quick start accelerated Western forward with Celis adding a second goal, while Kerley came forward for two goals of his own as part of a
dominant first chukker.
Outshooting Southeast 7-0 in the first 14 minutes, Western carried their strong play into the rest of the opening half as Kerley scored his third and fourth consecutive goals to propel Western ahead, 6-1½. Managing just one shot on goal throughout the entire first half, Southeast’s Reicher made it count, receiving a pass from Meeker to find the goal and leave his team trailing 7-2½ at the break.
Anticipating the quick style of play demonstrated by Southeast in their first match, Western continued to play exceptional polo. A key component in Western’s early success, Miranda was effective in the No. 2 position, freeing up space for teammates Celis and Kerley.
Ryan Kerley, Piers Bossom, Sebastian Celis and Daniel Miranda took the open division.
“I would take out the man and Sebastian would score the goals, so we played really well as a team in the short amount of time that we knew each other,” said Miranda, who continued to work tirelessly into the second half.
Holding Southeast scoreless in the third chukker, Western relied on the play of Bossom in the Back position, who provided a steady presence despite being new to the role.
“I don’t normally play 4. Playing in the 8 goal, I was playing 2. Playing 4, I had the urge to run through all the time,” shared Bossom.
However, he continued to be an anchor on the defensive end. Kerley’s fifth goal provided the only offense of the third chukker, extending Western’s lead to 5½ with one period remaining.
Completing an impressive display of polo, Kerley’s sixth goal opened the fourth, all but sealing the outcome.
“It was such a huge advantage playing my own horses and I’m happy to say all my horses played very well and hopefully it showed,” explained Kerley, as time began to tick down for Western’s first victory.
Unwilling to give up, Southeast forced Western into late foul trouble, resulting in three penalty conversions. Early dominance from Western, however, proved to be the difference in the 9-5½ victory.
Playing close to home gave Western an edge for both the environment and the horsepower throughout the tournament.
“I knew these fields already. I felt comfortable and my horses thrived up here,” said Bossom, who played in NYTS for the second time despite his young age of 16.
“It was like playing in my backyard,”
said Miranda, who traveled from Hawaii. Last year’s competition required a flight to the Midwest.
The close proximity to his home allowed Kerley to participate for the first time.
“I got the call the past two years, but it didn’t work out … This year, with California, having my own horses, it was now or never,” Kerley said.
Building on a successful year, Kerley was recently selected as a member of Team USPA. “It’s incredible. It’s such an honor to be part of that team,” he said.
NYTS provided an opportunity for the players to receive coaching from the esteemed former 10-goaler Memo Gracida after the first round of games, while also having guidance from 7-goaler Bray. Not familiar with a couple of his players, Bray turned to friends Patrick Uretz and Kimo Huddleston for insight into constructing his line-up.
“I like to start the team from the back, so I started with Piers because when
he has a little bit of time, he hits the ball well. I figured Ryan would be the best mounted, so he would do good playing at the 3 and controlling the game,” explained Bray.
With no prior knowledge of Miranda or Celis, the advice he gained from fellow players turned out to be exactly what worked well for Western.
“Kimo knew Daniel, and he told me he likes to work and he’s going to take the man, which was very accurate, so I wanted him at 2. For Sebastian, I knew if he is anything like Memo or his uncle JJ Celis, he plays simple polo where they hit the ball the first time and run,” he said.
The result was a fast-paced offense that consistently controlled possession en route to the title.
Finishing with a game-high six goals, Kerley was awarded the Matthew Cohen Most Valuable Player Award. The award honors Matthew Cohen, a talented polo player who succumbed to diabetes in 2015 at the age of 15.
Horsemanship Award winner Augustus Grotnick with Chrys Beal
Sportsmanship Award winner Landen Daniels with Chrys Beal
Receiving an engraved trophy from Texas Polo, among other prizes, Kerley reflected on the NYTS experience.
“I was very impressed by how nice everyone was. I was ready to not talk to anyone and think, ‘see you on the field,’ but I couldn’t help myself, and everyone was super friendly, and I ended up making a lot of friends,” Kerley said.
Demonstrating exceptional horsepower with his own string of horses, Kerley was also awarded Best Playing Pony for his 15-year-old offthe-track Thoroughbred mare HiTop, registered with the Jockey Club as Evil Fairy Dust.
“That’s the most important award. That’s what I was looking forward to. My parents, with all the hard work
they put into the horses, it really showed,” he said.
HiTop recently won the 2021 Medium Goal Horse: Thoroughbred Incentive Program/USPA Thoroughbred of the Year, adding this Best Playing Pony award to an already impressive resume. HiTop, with her distinct mane and four white socks, has been a part of the Kerley family since a young age.
“My dad got her from my mom as a 3-year-old, and we are going to breed her in December,” explained Kerley.
Receiving the Horsemanship Award was Eastern’s Augustus Grotnik, who reveled in the NYTS experience.
“It was amazing to get the Horsemanship Award, especially with so many great riders and players. The
horses I had were excellent, and I was lucky enough to spend a little time with their owner, Rodrigo Salinas, the day before the tournament to learn a little bit about each of them,” said Grotnik. “NYTS was even better than I imagined. The USPA and the Gracidas really put on an amazing event.”
In a competition that displays the finest junior polo in the country, sportsmanship is a key element and Central’s Landen Daniels was presented with the Sportsmanship Award in his final year of eligibility.
“It is always an honor to win an award and sportsmanship is one I take closely to heart. Of course, I wanted to win this year, but it is not always our year. I had a great time, and while NYTS will always be a part of my life, it is the end of an era,” reflected Daniels, who won last year’s title.
Earlier in the day, Central defeated Eastern (Augustus Grotnik, Rehan Kumble, Vlad Tarashansky, Lars Neumann), 5-2, in the consolation final with Lance Stefanakis leading all players with four goals. A combined team effort defensively from Daniels, Metternick and Lequerica contributed to the three-goal spread.
NYTS provides the opportunity for young players to compete with their peers and learn from some of the best players in the sport.
“I got a lot of advice for playing the No. 2 position and how to take out the man a lot stronger” said Miranda.
Bossom said the competition also helped his game. “It teaches you to play man-to-man a lot better,” he explained.
As the sun set on the West Coast, Bossom had one final message for any future competitors: “Play NYTS. It’s a lot of fun.”
Melinda and Sydney Cohen present Ryan Kerley the Matthew Cohen MVP prizes.The Interscholastic Girls kicked off the 2000s with the Culver Girls Academy securing their lone championship, followed by Garrison Forest School dominating the next four years, highlighted by arena polo phenom Lila Gaines, who appeared on all four rosters.
Coach Kelly Wells made the move from Garrison Forest School to her own Marlan Farm at the end of the 2003 season and promptly returned to the trophy stage from 2005 to 2007 with her Maryland girls’ team. As coach, Wells hoisted the trophy an incredible six times during the decade.
A team from Las Colinas Polo Club took the cup in 2008 and GFS closed out their 12th championship in 2009.
Wells witnessed the power of girls’ polo throughout the decade as her first students began to play in collegiate competitions.
“In those years, I feel I had reached so many girls with my instruction, and it was really neat to watch them go on to play and make an impact at the collegiate level,” she remarked. “Some of my very earliest students, Melissa Riggs and Beth Supik (both graduating GFS in 1998) played at Cornell and Colorado State respectively.
“Melissa, a dominant player in high
school, went on to win the collegiate nationals in 2000, 2001, 2002. Many of my students from GFS would meet and play with my students from Marlan Farm and combine to make very successful college teammates and long-lasting friendships.”
Those first years of Maryland’s success came from the mallets of Courtney Asdourian and Lizzie Wisner, who went on to do exactly what Wells mused upon as collegiate players--combining with rival GFS competitors from high school to win collegiate championships.
The Interscholastic Open division saw three teams emerge as powerhouses of the decade: Fort Worth, Toronto and Eldorado, with each managing to capture three championships. Eldorado opened the decade with a championship win in 2000 and then split their other two by ending Fort Worth’s bid for four in a row in 2005 before closing out the decade in 2010. Poway won their lone title of the decade with a cousin combination of Jared Sheldon and Shane and Danika Rice in 2001.
“What a lot of people don’t know is that in those four years [Poway] competed in the interscholastic tournaments, they only lost two games and by a total of three points. The two games they lost were both national championship finals,” remembered Sherry Sheldon Gibson.
Fort Worth captured the title for the next three years behind Will Tankard, Steven Krueger and Peter Blake. Krueger recalled his favorite things about I/I were being able to play and compete with friends and peers while building relationships still strong to this day both in and out of polo.
Fort Worth squeaked past Toronto in 2005, but Toronto bounced back to win the next three championships, bringing the trophy outside of the U.S. for the first time in the
Toronto counted three titles in the decade, including this one in 2006.decade behind the play of familiar names: Brendon and Rob Stenzel, Cody Offen, Ryley Begg, Fernando Massalin and Arthur Strahl.
In the early 2000s, the women’s side of the intercollegiate world saw two dynasties emerge back-to-back to kick off the new millennium. Cornell secured the first five championships from 2000-2004. The University of Connecticut followed with four of their own from 2005-2008.
During their reign, the Cornell team, coached by David Eldredge, was led by Taylor Maclean who became the first Cornell player, male or female, to win four intercollegiate championships. She joined Cindy Wilson Halle and Mary Alizon Walton of University of California Davis in the women’s four-championship club. Teammate Marissa Bianchi matched Maclean’s feat after she won her fourth national title in 2004.
“I was super fortunate to be a part of such a successful series of teams during my time at Cornell,” recalled Bianchi. “Our woman’s teams were a combination of the girls I played with in high school, and we were lucky to have one or two other strong players join us each year. We had great
coaching and solid men’s teams to challenge us in practice. The men were also incredibly supportive and made our wins that much more special. We were a big family.
“As far as being one of the few players to win four championships, that too was pretty incredible. I know I am part of a small group in general and I believe only one of three women in Cornell athletics to accomplish this so I’m still incredibly proud and fortunate to have
achieved this success.”
The UCONN squad, defeating Cornell in 2005, started their own four-year championship run with Polo Training Foundation Players of the Year in 2006 and 2007: Amy Wisehart Fraser and Meghan Scanlon, respectively. In 2005, UCONN freshman Kelly Wisner and Elizabeth Rockwell began their run to join the four-time intercollegiate champions club in 2008 with their final lift of the Katydid Farm trophy.
Lizzie Wisner joined Rockwell and her older sister for their final championship of the decade and became the only I/I player to win an intercollegiate championship with two universities when she transferred to Cornell in 2011.
“I can remember UCONN fans going nuts at games,” recounts University of Virginia alum and current Virginia Polo Development Coordinator Jenny Germroth. “They had a whole cheering section where all you could hear was their ‘UCONN, HUSKIES!’ chant throughout the arena.”
Their first win since ending the previous decade on a high note, the women of UVA went on to de-throne UCONN in 2009. A momentous win
Interscholastic horses are hot-walked during the 2009 girls’ championships at Cornell.
Tom Hopkins
in the annals of Virginia Polo, the Cavaliers overtook the undefeated and top-seeded Cornell in the final 30 seconds of play with a twopointer off the mallet of Cristina Fernandez to put UVA back on the map after a 10-year drought with a final score of 19-17.
For the men, Texas A&M University dominated the decade, bringing home five national championships. Powered by Mark Coventry, Craig Fraser, Stefan Banks and Joel Brockett, A&M opened the decade with back-to-back championship wins against UVA.
Dave Barrons, head coach of the Texas A&M team in that era, shared how Mark Coventry gave him one of his national championship trophies because, according to Coventry, coaches deserved a trophy as well. Barrons proudly displayed a refrigerator full of photos from old teammates, something I am sure coaches across the country enjoy.
UVA took the next three championships behind three different captains: Stevie Orthwein, Willie Hartnett and Matt Doherty respectively. UVA narrowly missed a fourth win in 2005 when the men of Cornell won their only title of the last 30 years. The Cornell championship team was led by homegrown I/I player Jeff Markle, a show jumper and equitation rider before being converted to play polo by coach Ed Little at Culver Military Academy. Markle developed into a PTF Intercollegiate Player of the Year by his senior year at Cornell after also winning the PTF Interscholastic Player of the Year in 2000 while playing for Culver. Markle recently returned to playing at Denver Polo Club with Colorado State University alumnus Erica Gandomcar-Sachs, and is joined by his wife and daughters.
Markle is also coaching
The UConn women’s team dumps water on coach Matt Syme after their 2005 victory.
interscholastic polo in the area and is a great example of a player who learned to play the sport in high school and eventually built a multigenerational polo family.
The rest of the decade, the men’s trophy mostly resided in Texas. Texas Tech University, led by Fort Worth teammates and two-time national interscholastic champions Tankard and Blake, brought home the trophy in 2006.
Krueger continued to show the talent of the former Fort Worth squad, closing out the decade for the Aggies by raising the trophy three times. Only UVA would wrestle the title back out of Texas in 2009, giving coach Lou Lopez his first double championship with both the men and women Cavaliers raising the trophy in the same year.
We can’t look back on the early 2000s without remembering the gracious generosity of Connie and Jessie Upchurch and the mecca of polo that was Brushy Creek Ranch. I personally played three of my four national tournaments at Brushy Creek, while Texas A&M was able to call it home, as did many of the
central region interscholastic teams.
The Connie Upchurch award was donated, according to Mike McCleary and Danny Scheraga, by the Texas A&M program directly from the kids as a sportsmanship award to show their appreciation for everything Connie had done for I/I polo.
While the I/I tournaments had been successfully funded and operated by the PTF for many years under the guidance of Wilbur O’Ferrall, Chris Blythe and PTF Execute Director Danny Scheraga, during the 20042005 season the implementation of the I/I tournaments returned to the USPA, and Ed Armstrong assumed the lead role in directing the program.
“Danny made the process nearly seamless,” Armstrong remembers. “He was always available to offer advice and support throughout the process. That first season was a great success, and we were off and running with the program on the firm footing that he provided.”
Moving forward, the program continued to grow and thrive.
Armstrong was able to improve the quality of the program by requiring
certified umpires and increasing the volunteer corps to include tournament managers.
Not long into his tenure, Kim Syme became an invaluable asset to the program. A University of Connecticut alum and three-time Intercollegiate national champion in her own right, Syme was a tireless worker totally dedicated to the success of the program, even as she juggled her own farm and family responsibilities. Syme was eventually hired as the I/I program director, while Armstrong’s USPA responsibilities grew to include being named USPA director of tournaments, clubs and membership.
I/I polo players build friendships and memories as teammates and student athletes that grow up together and, in many cases, stay connected throughout their adult lives because of their involvement in the sport of polo.
I personally was introduced to arena polo when I got to Cornell University and was able to stay involved in polo after college by volunteering with a local university program. Every few years I’m able to return to play alumni games, support my old program and visit campus.
Much like me, many I/I alumni can be found in the polo community
at all levels, from professionals to weekend warriors and retired players introducing their children to polo and ushering in the next generation of players and I/I champion hopefuls. Hopefully, we all remain lifelong ambassadors, spectators and fans.
While writing this article I was able to catch up with Liv Stringer Berube (Colorado State University). Liv and her husband Nate Berube, a UCONN alum, play out of Aiken, South Carolina, currently and frequently
see fellow I/I alums Amy and Craig Fraser and Peter Blake.
They also manage and play at the Maryland Polo Club (Jarrettsville, Maryland) along with Arabella Knox Brockett (TAMU), Joel Brockett, Jake Brown (CSU) and many other I/I alumni. The Brockett’s daughter Izzy, currently playing polo for the Maryland Girls’ varsity team, is a 5th generation polo player, and 3rd generation I/I player, as her grandfather Joe Brockett also played for TAMU.
Blake echoed what so many players have experienced.
“I/I was crucial for me because it was my only way into a sport that I have now made a career out of through playing and coaching. The lifelong friends that I met in the different programs along the way are invaluable,” he said.
Senter Johnston, a 2005 graduate of Cornell University, took home a National Intercollegiate Championship his senior year and left the school as its all-time leading goal scorer. He went on to coach the University of Miami team from 2012 to 2018, with his team making an appearance at the 2016 nationals.
The victorious Cornell team of Brian Fairclough, Senter Johnson, Jeff Markle and Nick Grew, with Jesse Upchurch and coach David Eldredge in 2005 Ed Armstrong, front, with volunteers Lynn Thompson and Bruce Wells, led the I/I program beginning in 2005.Congratulations to the following intercollegiate/interscholastic players who were awarded USPA intercollegiate scholarships!
Requirements for application include playing at least two years of interscholastic polo as an active USPA member, competing on an intercollegiate team, maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA, providing two letters of recommendation and writing a short essay. Recipients are selected based on horsemanship, sportsmanship, playing ability, contribution to the sport, academic excellence and character. The funds awarded to players are paid directly to their institution for tuition and are renewable for up to four years.
These athletes join Parker Pearce, Nick Paciorek, Jasmine Umrigar, Lea Ji-Vieira, Patricio Fraga-Errecart, Hannah Reynolds, Elizabeth Owens, Grace Mudra, Grace Grotnik, Samantha Leach, Kaylin Bender, Vlad Tarashansky, Ella Horton, Grayson Price, Taylor Nackers, and Elizabeth Leudesdorff as award recipients for the 2022-2023 school year.
IC Team: Southern Methodist University
Year in school: Freshman
Major: Engineering
What does I/I means to you? I/I has granted me so many invaluable opportunities to play polo, meet new people and learn new things. I will forever be grateful for all of the friends, horses and coaches I have met through I/I.
What does this scholarship mean to you? I am honored to have received this scholarship, and it will allow me to continue playing while furthering my education.
lessons about leadership and hard work I will forever take with me in the polo world, and also my daily life.
What does this scholarship mean to you? This scholarship is something I have been aiming to achieve since I first started playing I/I. I always knew I wanted to play college polo, so I worked for years and years dreaming of these days. I feel so blessed to finally have accomplished my goal, and plan on using the scholarship to continue my polo career.
IS Team: Garrison Forest School
IS Team: GFS Ruda
IC Team: Texas A&M University
Year in school: Freshman
Major: Kinesiology
What does I/I mean to you? I/I is my passion, my motivation and my entire world. I have been in I/I for six years now and I can’t imagine life without it. It has taught me so many
San Diego, California
IS Team: Poway Polo
IC Team: University of California Davis
Year in school: Sophomore
Major: Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior
What does I/I mean to you? I/I means that I get to play and grow on a team with my close friends. It also means that the games are skill- and teamwork-based—not a competition of money and owning the best horses. The program is accessible to students in a way most of the polo world isn’t.
What does this scholarship mean to you? To me, this scholarship serves as a reminder that those who support and help me in polo and in life do so for a reason—because they believe in me and what I can achieve. My coaches, teammates, parents and friends lend me continual opportunities to grow and push myself as a player and human being; this honor not only recognizes my growth, but also their success in helping me grow.
What does this scholarship mean to you? I am humbled to have been selected for this prestigious award and I am thrilled to have the support from the USPA to continue my passion for polo through college.
four years. Getting [it] by being a part of the I/I program makes it even more special.
Winters, California
IS Team: Sutter Buttes Polo Club
IC Team: University of California Davis
Year in school: Sophomore
Major: Environmental Science and Management
What does I/I mean to you? I’ve been in the polo world for as long as I can remember, but I never truly found my place in it until I started I/I. I/I is an opportunity for polo youth to find their own community and it’s where I get to share my love for the sport with my peers.
Hudson, New York
IS Team: Yale Varsity
IC Team: Colorado State University
Year in school: Freshmen
Major: Health and Exercise Science
What does I/I mean to you? One of my favorite things about I/I polo is how fun the games are to play in. They are so fast-paced, and there is so much back and forth down the arena. I also became really close with my teammates, and going to different tournaments and nationals together was an incredible experience. The past six years of playing I/I have been amazing, and I look forward to continuing it in college.
What does this scholarship mean to you? This scholarship means a lot to me, and it will be a huge help for me to get through college, and continue to play polo over the next
Alana Benz
Honolulu, Hawaii
IS Team: Maui Polo Club
IC Team: University of Virginia
Year in school: Sophomore
Major: Undecided
What does I/I mean to you? I first began playing polo in high school, and I/I polo was so beneficial to be able to practice and improve with my friends and with coaching. Now, in college, I/I has continued to give me that same community, support and coaching, and I have been so fortunate to be a part of such a great program and team at UVA.
What does this scholarship mean to you: This scholarship means so much to me. It’s incredible to have a scholarship set up to help students play polo in college.
who made it all possible.
“He owned most of the polo ponies and taught us how to play. He would truck the horses over to Skidmore from his farm for games and practices,” she wrote. “We had some wonderful times together, and some good results too!”
Another Skidmore alum, Lisa Beamish called Kant an amazingly dedicated and determined coach.
Paul Gerhardt Kant passed away on Sept. 7 at the age of 83. An amazing polo mentor and supporter, he never wavered in his love of the sport.
Kant was born in Lithuania, and spent his early years living in a displaced persons camp in Germany. At the age of 12, he immigrated to America by boat with his immediate family. Landing at Ellis Island, New York, they began their new lives as indentured farm workers in New Jersey. Within a year, relatives assisted them in moving to Albany, New York.
While attending Niskayuna High School, he played Olympic-level soccer, sculpted, painted, played the trumpet and accordion and was involved in civic-minded groups.
Kant put himself through college at Buffalo State University by working and selling his artwork.
After graduating, he worked for 32 years at Niskayuna High school as an eccentric art teacher, soccer coach and mentor.
Kant had a love for horses and all things equine since childhood. His daughter Wendy Carroll explained, “Horses represented so much to him because he grew up in a refugee camp, and they represented freedom.”
While driving by Siena College (Loudonville, New York) one day he
saw a group of people playing polo and stopped to inquire about it. Before long he had his first polo pony and more followed.
All of Kant’s resources and energy in his adult life focused on the formation of Owl Creek Polo Club in New York, riding horses and creating art.
Carroll remembers him riding his horse to work one year. ”He tied his horse up outside his window, because he was on the first floor, and then he took all the classes outside to draw the horse,” she said.
He was instrumental in creating the Skidmore College intercollegiate polo team (Saratoga Springs, New York). He also lent the school all of the horses they needed to get started and coached the team for years.
Skidmore alum Marcia Burnett wrote for Skidmore’s Scope Quarterly’s fall 2008 issue that Kant was the man
“I recall his horses all had vegetable names,” she wrote.
He also helped create the former Saratoga Polo Club (Greenwich, New York), where he hosted both national and international polo teams, and tutored hundreds of polo players and horseback riders.
“He was a really grassroots kind of person. ... He wanted people to play at a lower, affordable level,” Carroll said.
“It didn’t matter if the field wasn’t big enough ... your horse didn’t turn left or you didn’t have a bridle, he’d get you one. If you didn’t have a helmet, he’d have an extra one.”
“Paul was instrumental in the founding of Skidmore Polo Club and Saratoga Polo Club, as well as his own club, Owl Creek. He also spent many hours clearing our land that is now Bloomfield Farm,” said a tribute on the Bloomfield Farm Facebook page. ”He helped many learn to play and enjoy polo. Our thoughts are with Paul’s son, Wayne who is part of our Bloomfield polo family, and to his sister Wendy.”
Many friends commented on the post, calling him a polo legend and remembering how many people he helped pick up the mallet.
A celebration of his life is planned for early next summer. Donations can be made in Kant’s memory to Lewey Body Dementia Research or North Country Wildcare.
Paul Kant with daughter Wendy and son Wayne
Peter Lloyd Strumpf of Breesport, New York, passed away Aug. 24 at the age of 74.
Strumpf was known for his enthusiasm, high energy and athleticism, eagerness to share new thoughts and ideas that had captured his attention, dogged persistence, a zany cackle of a laugh, a social nature that craved fun and attention, and, above all else, love of his family.
That love started with the close and attentive family in which he grew up. He was deeply influenced by his father Jerry’s teachings and his mother Eleanor’s devotion. He had a Brooklyn accent and city street smarts from his childhood on Long Island, New York.
Strumpf met his wife Margaret Wrenshall when he was a student at Hobart College and she at Elmira College, both located in New York. After he graduated from NYU dental school, they eagerly returned to the beautiful Southern Tier and Strumpf began his practice of dentistry.
He was devoted to the couple’s three children and his community, and, not prone to idleness, never fully retired. He truly enjoyed his career and relationships with patients as well as the lasting friendships he formed with his wonderful office staff.
One of the first things Strumpf did when he finished graduate school was buy a horse, a wily Appaloosa he named Brighton. That led to his discovery of the game of polo,
and of the Central New York Polo Club (Ithaca, New York). Instantly smitten, polo became a passion that sustained him for 43 years.
Horses, summers on the green fields of New York and beyond, the joy of physical exertion with friends, both human and equine, made him feel fully alive. That his very last moments in life were spent galloping down a polo field on a late summer afternoon seems a perfect ending to a life well-lived.
His daughter Erin Strumpf said that her father lost consciousness while playing polo and fell from his horse. Sadly, his injuries were severe and he did not recover.
“He died with his boots on, just as he always wanted,” she wrote.
After a divorce, Peter Strumpf met his partner Nancy Eraca. In recent years, the two traveled the world together, reaching places as far flung as the glaciers of Patagonia and the volcanoes of Ecuador. Yet, despite their many adventures, their favorite place to spend time was on the front porch as they watched the sun softly disappear beyond the pasture.
His unrelenting love and guidance were gifts to so many, and he will be treasured always.
He is predeceased by son Matthew Strumpf. He is survived by his partner Nancy Eraca; daughter Erin Margulius (Daniel); son Daniel (Katherine Bercaw); step-children Gabrielle, Isabelle (Thomas) and Marsden; sister Lynn Melman (Jeffrey); cousin Richard Turoff (Melissa); grandchildren Sadie, Colin, Matthew and Sebastian; step-grandchildren Lucas, Aubrey, Matthew, Lily, Cameron, Adalynn and Carter; and niece Tammy Melman.
Donations in Peter’s memory may be made to Work to Ride or the Polo Training Foundation.
Peter Strumpf won the seniors tournament in New York in 2019.
By Lucas Noel
Confirming rosters. Diagramming logistics. Planning strategies. The nations that will participate in the upcoming XII FIP World Polo Championship are currently finalizing details for the main event that will take place from Oct. 26 to Nov. 6 in Florida. Each of the head coaches are taking note of their own strengths and the weaknesses of others to design their game plan.
For the event, there are two items of great importance to take into consideration: the fields and the horses.
Preliminary games will be held at Valiente Polo Farm and the semifinals and final will take place at the National Polo Center--Wellington. The 176 horses will be provided by Valiente, under the name of J5 Equestrian, which has some of the best bloodlines and genetics in the world. J5 Equestrian has been behind organizations such as La
Dolfina, Scone (winners of the USPA Gold Cup and the U.S. Open Polo Championship in 2021), Dundas, SD Farms and Hawaii Polo Life (winners in 2019 and 2020 of the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship).
Naturally, and as is usually the case, in the weeks leading up to the tournament the horses will be evaluated by FIPapproved horse master Adam Snow and graded as A, B or C based on ability. The horses will be divided into eight groups with equal numbers of A, B and C horses before participating teams draw for their group.
In a preliminary analysis, the visiting team with the initial advantage is Mexico, which will have few miles to travel. However, the president of its polo federation, Miguel Calzada, does not want to leave any detail to chance.
“We are going to have an intense preparation abroad and in October with those who make up the team that will be confirmed by [coach] Diego Solórzano, [and] we will finish organizing ourselves in Mexico. This 2022 is a very important year for us as it is the 100th anniversary of the Federación Mexicana de Polo and it is combined with many sporting events. Polo here is going through a great moment, the sport is growing a lot in the country and the FMP has the great challenge of promoting it,” said Calzada.
After 11 years of absence, Mexico returns to a World Cup after beating Guatemala 8-6 and tying 7-7 in the two-game Zone A playoffs at the Campo de los Viñedos de Polo El Marqués, in Querétaro, to seal its qualification. With Diego Velarde as the top player, the team showed a solid formation in their qualifying round with Juan José de Alba, Benito Hernández and Víctor Setién.
“For Mexico, it is a sporting challenge that is assumed with a lot of responsibility and the hope of playing a great role. The national team is preparing properly, we have very good players and I’m sure we’ll show a great level of polo. Mexico is going with a winning mentality and attitude and
FEDERACION MEXICANA DE POLOwill try to go as far as possible against great teams,” Calzada said confidently.
Two nations with high aspirations will arrive from the south of the continent: Uruguay and the champion of the XI FIP World Polo Championship in Sydney, Australia in 2017, Argentina.
Uruguay made history by winning the South American Zone B championship held in Punta del Este last January. Wearing sky blue jerseys, the team won the title at home undefeated after beating Chile (9-8), Brazil (8-6) and Peru (6-4). With Santiago Stirling (brother of 10-goaler Pelón Stirling), Matías Carrique, Ignacio Viana and Gastón Magariños, the Uruguayans can dream of having a great tournament. This is also the opinion of the president of their association, Valentín Martínez.
“The qualification was a great achievement for Uruguayan polo, since we will be playing in our first World Cup. It was a great effort by everyone here, not only the association but also all the players who contributed with their horses so that the championship could be held,” Martinez said. “The idea is to be able to achieve a good preparation prior to the World Cup. For that we have the support of Pelón and
Gabriel Roux Mexico powered past Guatemala in the Zone A qualifier. With the Mexican polo federation celebrating 100 years, an FIP win would be extra special.We are going to have an intense preparation abroad and in October ... we will finish organizing ourselves in Mexico.
--MIGUEL CALZADA
Jejo Taranco so that those selected can practice and play tournaments in Argentina during September and October. Surely the two weeks prior to the World Cup we will be able to practice and play matches together in Argentina. A good result for us would be to advance to the semifinals, but we are hopeful of reaching the final.”
On the other side of the Río de la Plata
is the defending champion and maximum winner in the history of the tournament with five titles. The list of names on their team is still unknown because, for the first time, their line-up will be defined by an internal tournament. The only thing confirmed so far is its head coach, Alejandro Agote, who
A good result for us would be to advance to the semifinals, but we are hopeful of reaching the final.--VALENTÍN MARTÍNEZ ASCOCIACIÓN URUGUAYA DE POLO Uruguay’s Gastón Magariños, Nachi Viana, Santiago Stirling and Matías Carrique
described how he will choose his team.
“This year we will have a 14-goal tournament. Of the four teams that reach the semifinals, we will analyze all the players and, instead of choosing the team that wins as our representative, we will choose the four best players,” he said. “It seemed to us that in this way we will have a better chance of putting together a better team. We will then consider the semifinal matchups, the third-place game and, obviously, the final. I have not yet thought about whether I will look for two strong players and two players with lower handicaps to form a 14-goal team. I do think we should have some players with experience and international experience.”
Unlike the rest of the teams, in Argentina there is extra pressure every time a polo player gets on the horse with the national jersey. Internally, he knows that he is simply not allowed to do anything other than take home the title.
“Argentina always has the pressure to win. Anyway, being a World Cup with a handicap limit, all the teams are good because they are level on 14 goals and all have the same chances. Obviously, Argentina may have a little more pressure because of the huge number of players we have. But pressure is something all athletes have to live with. We
have to try not to let it influence us in a bad way,” Agote explained. “That is why I mentioned that I would like to have a player with international experience to be able to absorb some of that pressure and for a younger player to feel supported and guided. To help the players handle this type of situation it is important to have a game system where we don’t just depend on a name, but that everyone understands their role, their function in the team and that they are in solidarity with the others.”
Topping Zone C, Spain and Italy will be the European challengers and both have top players. Benjamín Araya, Argentine head coach of the Iberian team, has already confirmed the same actors who gave him the playoff: Nicolás Ruiz Guiñazú, Luis Domecq, Pelayo Berazadi and Nicolás Álvarez, with Jaime Serra as substitute.
Araya said, “We played very well against France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. We were very orderly, very neat, each one in their positions, always relieving each other very well,” Araya said. “They had a great tournament, it was not a complicated qualification. They always started very strong, they made a difference and knew how to keep it.
“I’ve known Alvarez for 15 years when I came for the first time to coach Spain. He was already on the team and
Argentina always has the pressure to win ... but pressure is something all athletes have to live with.
--ALEX AGOTE COACH FOR ARGENTINAAfter taking the championship in Australia, Argentina is choosing its team after holding a 14-goal tournament and picking the best players in the event.
playing as a Back; he is very solid, very tough. Pelayo is the best of the team and organizes very well. He hits long, [and is] a very complete player. ‘Luisito’ is a great partner to play as a 2 with a lot of experience in high-goal polo, and Ruiz Guiñazú usually plays further back in the field, but we have put him as a 1 and he rides fast and is a goal scorer.
“It is an even team, where they complement each other very well. I think this team is ready for serious things and I have a lot of faith in the boys who will arrive in a very good personal moment. They have a very good dynamic, and we will take advantage of all the opportunities we have to reach the final.”
While Spain earned its ticket with a perfect record, Italy was the great European surprise, losing only one match (precisely against the team coached by Araya). Alessandro Giachetti, director of the Federazione Italiana Sport Equestri, is optimistic about the Italian participation in Palm Beach.
“We started with the idea of winning the playoffs or at least of obtaining the qualification ... and so it was, even if it was not easy and until the end we were not sure we made it, but our boys did their best and in the end we took home the result,” Giachetti explained. “It was very hard, the teams were all very strong and made us suffer a lot. Surely the difference was made by the horses. Those from Spain were truly exceptional. They played very well and we
were unable to compete with them, but luckily in the world championship, the horses will be drawn and therefore there will be no advantages from this point of view.”
He continued, “Our coach Franco Piazza is working together with the captain Stefano Giansanti to compose the best team possible that will take the field in Palm Beach, of course based on the results obtained in Chantilly, but also according to the current physical condition of each player. Certainly the Chantilly line-up is the favorite, but we are not ruling out some adjustments. For us it is already a great result to be present at the World Cup. It is the third time in the history of Italian polo that our national team participates in a World Cup. Italy has only one bronze medal to its credit, which for us is priceless, but we would like to be able to add another one and ... who knows?”
Zone D (Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore) and Zone E (South Africa, India, Nigeria, Iran, Pakistan, Kenya, Zimbabwe) winners were determined just as we were going to press.
For now, Mexicans, Argentines, Uruguayans, Spanish and Italians are ready to challenge the United States in their own backyard. There is no moment of greater tension than when an athlete dresses in the colors of his country. For now, the moment of truth has a date and place: Sunday, Nov. 6 on the U.S. Polo Assn. Field One.
This team is ready for serious things and I have a lot of faith in the boys who will arrive in a very good personal moment.Spain rolled through the qualifier undefeated. Coach Benjamin Araya, fourth from right, says the players compliment each other very well.
Italy has only one bronze medal to its credit, which, for us, is priceless, but we would like to be able to add another one and ... who knows?
--ALESSANDRO GIACHETTI FEDERAZIONE ITALIANA SPORT EQUESTRIItaly’s Stefano Giansanti Justine Jacquemot
A third-generation polo player hailing from Goondiwindi, Australia, Fergus Gould has been a staple of the USPA Umpires, LLC team for an impressive 10 years, first serving as a well-disciplined and dedicated high-goal umpire, then later assuming the role of Western regional umpire director in 2019. Prior to permanently picking up the whistle, Gould spent 15 years traveling around the world umpiring and playing polo professionally, reaching a 4-goal handicap at the peak of his career. His experience on both the sport and umpiring sides of polo have now brought him to his next great professional endeavor—assuming the role of executive director of USPA Umpires, LLC.
Passionate about bringing transparency and objectivity to umpiring, Gould is determined to create healthy relationships between players and umpires through the use of advanced technology and data, which he believes allow for clarity and impartiality during emotional games. Having more access to pioneering technology than ever before, Gould is confident that players and umpires will both appreciate this approach that will ultimately eliminate subjectivity.
Gould’s contributions to the sport so far have been tremendous, and this next step in his career only promises more development and growth in both the Umpires LLC department as well as in the personal lives of the umpires and players that make up the sport of polo.
What is your equestrian background and how did you become involved in polo?
Polo is a family business. Both my grandfathers, father, mother, uncle and brother all played polo professionally. I grew up traveling with my dad while he was working as a pro. While playing in Australia, my father was offered a job at Ellerston in 1987, and he spent 18 years working for Ellerston Polo Club. When I graduated from high school, I took what was only supposed to be a year off to play at Cowdray Park Polo Club in England, but it turned into nearly five years. I did attend Massey University of New Zealand for one year to study veterinary science, but that did not last long after my experience playing polo.
I began playing polo professionally when I was 17 and I always had a fascination with the United States. When the opportunity arose to come to the U.S., I jumped at it. My
Bridget Miller
Lacey, Ivor, Fergus, August and Beau Gould
first job in the states was for Craig Steinke, my wife’s uncle. I was connected to him through a friend of mine who had played in the states before and I came to work in California.
I stopped playing professionally in 2015 to umpire full-time with the USPA. Before that I’d been umpiring around the world on my own, particularly in France as well as Malaysia. I umpired many of the FIP World Polo Championship qualifiers in the Dominican Republic and most recently the finals in Chile and Australia. I also umpired the Snow Polo World Cup in Tianjin, China.
My first paid umpiring job was in England in 1998. Gillian Johnston’s Coca-Cola polo team was playing that season and I was umpiring high-goal practices in my spare time from my full-time job. As a way to pay for my membership at Cowdray Park Polo Club I would umpire any games that the polo manager needed and in return was able to play for free.
I started with the umpire program at Eldorado Polo Club in Indio, California, and started traveling to play in the desert in 2006. I was playing and umpiring, specifically a lot of the finals of the skins games. Susan Stovall, club manager of Eldorado Polo Club at the time, went to Polo Club Saint-Tropez [Gassin, France] to become club manager and brought me over to umpire the 2010 season. That was when I started spending more months out of the year umpiring professionally than I was playing. I was umpiring in the summer in Europe (six summers in France) and returning to play the winters here in the United States. My son Ivor was born in France while I was working there, and Beau was born in the United States.
The things that I’m really excited about are having a better feedback loop to the umpires, doing more assessments
on their performance, getting more hard data and getting feedback from the teams, clubs and the other umpires about how they find working with each other. [Learn] what they think their strengths and weaknesses are, have them do a self-assessment, and then really show them clearly the areas they need to improve on and the areas they’re excelling.
I’d like to create a pathway for them and a really clear idea of how they reach the top of the game, which is umpiring the Gauntlet of Polo. It’s giving them the tools that they need to succeed. Last year, we did our first training camp in December and that was an overwhelming success. We brought everybody together and said this is how we’re going to call these calls. We brought in a sports psychologist to be like, if you guys are having trouble with interactions, this is the stuff that we can do. We also played golf and encouraged team bonding.
I’m looking forward to all those things and really giving these guys the support that they need, trying to make an even more viable career path for them, and have them be proud to be part of this and have a bit more ownership in that process. Chris Green [USPA COO/In-House Counsel] has been great about reaching out to us, having us involved in the rules process, talking to the umpires and talking to me. That’s the other thing that I’m excited about is crossdepartment cooperation. I think we used to be very siloed, but now we’re all collaborating really well.
You seem to have such a data-driven mentality to understand performance. Why do you think that is?
I just think it is objective truth. For too long, umpiring has been so subjective. What I’ve said for a long time is in the absence of data, all we’re left with is how the players feel when the umpires are on the field. So, to a large extent, if I don’t have data, all I’m dealing with is people’s feelings. I can’t talk you out of your feelings, but I can show you the data to say, well, this is objectively what happened and
If we make mistakes, the mistakes are going to be there for everybody to see, and we have to take ownership of them.--FERGUS GOULD Fergus Gould stopped playing professionally in 2015 to umpire full-time with the USPA. David Lominska/Polographics
I know that you feel a certain way about it, but that’s not necessarily matching up with what we’re seeing. So, I’m not invalidating your feelings, but I’m saying this is what we’re working from.
I think without data, we’re left with conjecture, hearsay and subjectivity rather than objectivity. And it works both ways. We can’t hide behind half-truths. If we make mistakes, the mistakes are going to be there for everybody to see, and we have to take ownership of them. Otherwise, we have no credibility. So, it’s really about transparency, integrity and honesty. That’s my philosophy.
Do you think that players appreciate this transparency and focus on objectivity?
I think players have been screaming for it. I think having the objectivity and the transparency lets the players feel more like they’re being heard. When players come to me and say, ‘this umpire got this call wrong,’ we look at the video together and I either say, no, this is the way we call this, or we say, you know what? He did get it wrong.
Mistakes are going to happen. We’re human, umpires are human. The only mistakes that I won’t accept are mistakes we don’t learn from because then it’s a waste. Let’s look at them and say, OK, what went wrong? Why did it go wrong? And how can we stop it from going wrong again?
Our job is to be out there and keep everybody safe--horses and humans--and facilitate the best game possible. We
can’t really influence the way they play, but we can try and stay out of the way as much as possible, only make calls we have to and let them play the game. Nobody’s there to watch the umpires. The best thing we can do is not be talked about.
With this new position in mind, where will your home base be? I’m going to divide my time. California is home for me and I’ve got kids in school. I’m going to be in Florida mid-January, so I’ll be there to start the season. Most of January I will be in California because it’s a pretty busy time in the desert. February and March I’ll split my time between the two coasts and then from the final of the USPA Gold Cup through the U.S. Polo Open Championship, I’ll be in Florida full-time.
Someone mentioned that you recently began playing pickleball. Is that true? And, if so, how long have you been playing?
I play like it’s my job. It’s awesome. I’ve been playing for about a year, so it’s recent. My friend, who’s the CEO of Dreamland Universal Pickleball Rating, was the No. 3-ranked women’s player in the world for a while. So, she comes over, I have a court in my backyard and I play singles against her. My mixed doubles partner is her wife. When she first came over, she beat me by a lot, but by a couple months ago, I was giving her a pretty hard time.
Fergus Gould, left, and Tony Coppola, right, present the Tom Hughes Award to Tom Gose, center. Steve Evans, Ivor Gould, Martin Aguerre, Martin Pascual and Fergus Gould Rob Garland Photography David Lominska/PolographicsI can play the ukulele and I play a lot of Jack Johnson and Willie Nelson songs. I started playing the ukulele when my wife and I lived on a 36-foot sailboat for close to a year. I had a steel-string guitar at the time and the strings would rust if I kept the guitar on the boat. We bought a ukulele and I put velcro strips on it and attached it to the ceiling to keep it out of the way. My wife grew up sailing so we both have our American Sailing Association certifications and scuba diving certifications as well.
I’ve also done a bit of street magic performing for fun. I was really into close-up magic for a long time. Performing in front of people was one of the things that I did to improve, at places like farmer’s markets. I even performed at a few kid’s birthday parties when my friends asked me, but magic requires a significant time commitment to upkeep your proficiency.
I have a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, too, which is the intermediate adult ranking, and have been practicing the art for 13 years. Jiu-Jitsu is similar to wrestling because when you hit the ground, you have to get your opponent to submit. It focuses on grappling with an emphasis on ground fighting. It is a very mentally stimulating and physically demanding sport. It’s one of those sports where you are always learning something new. It is interesting to me on so many different levels and it keeps you in great shape. They call it human chess. It’s all about setting traps and being a couple of steps ahead of your opponent.
we’re supportive of polo at all levels, and sometimes the lower levels need us more than the high levels.
We visit some of the smaller clubs with mainly low-goal and that’s where the team owners in the 20- and the 22-goal come from! As far as the umpires go, these people that go and visit the small clubs, they umpire six or eight games in a weekend, they’re on the horse for six hours a day, that’s the real hard work! I feel like the umpires that visit different clubs every weekend are the unsung heroes. I think everybody really appreciates what they do so much. They teach clubs about the rules, about how they’re applied and what they should be doing after we leave.
We visit more clubs than any other part of the USPA. So, anytime that we are visiting a club as representatives of the USPA, we want the member clubs and members to have a great experience, and I think that is something really worthwhile. I think it’s important to really show that
Recruitment and retention. We’re trying to focus on the certified umpire program. We’re a little bit the victim of our own success. We umpire so much polo now that the citizen umpires, the certified umpires and the people that played and then had to umpire are really becoming less and less. We don’t have this pool of experienced people to draw from that have had some experience. Today, you really have to go and seek out the opportunities to umpire.
Somebody who has played polo, is a good rider, has a good work ethic and is prepared to put time in to become really proficient in the rules. If they have good field judgment, we can teach them everything else. My main motivation for umpiring is that I really feel like I need to give something back and leave the sport better than I found it. That’s the kind of person I’m looking for, people that are motivated and still want to be involved in the sport. Maybe they don’t necessarily see their future as a professional polo player, but they still have expertise and a love for the sport and want to give back and stay involved.
Is there anything else people would be surprised to learn about you?
Why do you think it’s so vital for umpires to travel to clubs of varying levels around the country?
What do you think the biggest challenge is for Umpires LLC moving forward?
I have a purple belt in Brazilian JiuJitsu, too, which is the intermediate adult ranking, and have been practicing it for 13 years.--FERGUS GOULD Julian Appleby and Fergus Gould David Lominska/Polographics
Shortly after the Gauntlet of Polo was finished, several high-goal players and teams headed to England to compete. The most prestigious tournaments in the season include the Queen’s Cup, held at Guards Polo Club May 1722, and the Gold Cup, held at Cowdray Park June 21-July 19. Sarah Eakin highlights the season for Park Place: Park Place started a campaign to win the Gold Cup for the British Open Championship with just one practice in the bag. The lineup of Facundo Pieres, Francisco Elizalde, Louis Hine and Josh Hyde sported talent and horsepower, but not familiarity. At the end of the tournament, they had cemented their teamwork to defeat Dubai, starring superstar Camilo ‘Jeta’ Castagnola, 12-9, and take their place on the victors’ podium.
Andrey Borodin fielded two high-goal teams for the English polo season this year--Park Place and Park Place Vaara. The latter fell to Taladracas, 12-10, in the quarterfinal. “Andrey is a great patron,” said Park Place manager, Ash Price. “He always wants Park Place teams to be competitive, so both teams were encouraged to do their best throughout the season.”
Pieres arrived in England, fresh from back-to-back wins in the USPA Gold Cup and U.S. Open Polo Championship in Florida. He captained Park Place to reach the semifinals of the Queen’s Cup but the lineup hit speed bumps with Borodin and England’s Will Harper both sidelined by injury. Park Place needed to regroup and did so by replacing Harper with England’s 16-year-old Louis Hine, a Gold Cup winner in 2021, and by bringing in another homegrown player in 17-year-old Josh Hyde, a member of the Park Place winning team of the C.V. Whitney Cup in Florida, as well as a Queen’s Cup finalist at Guards Polo Club with the sister team, Park Place Vaara.
“There was a week between the Queen’s and the Gold Cup,” said Price. “Facu, Fran, Louis and Josh had never played together before, so we were starting with a whole new combination of players with very little time to prepare before the tournament started and only one team practice.”
Hyde had not expected to play alongside Pieres but, the team reshuffle opened up a place for him and he was glad to take it. He was living a polo player’s dream with a string
Photos by Alice Gipps Park Place’s Fran Elizalde makes it look easy while being rushed by Dubai in the Gold Cup final.of horses that left him without words.
“When I moved to the other team [from Park Place Vaara] I had a completely new string apart from one horse,” he said. “I had some of Park Place team horses, some of Andrey’s, maybe one or two of Facus, one of Fran’s. I had never played them before. When I got on them I was pretty speechless, to be honest. They helped me so much.”
Dubai arrived as the only of the 14 entries undefeated to the iconic setting of the Cowdray Park Lawns on finals day. Unofficial favorites to take home the coveted 22-goal trophy, the talents of Castagnola had lit up the tournament throughout and wowed the crowds.
“They all loved to come and watch him,” said Cowdray Park Polo Club manager Chris Bethel. “He is probably the most exciting polo player in the world. He’s just phenomenal, the things he can do. He was the star.”
Dubai had a set back in the Queen’s Cup. One of their key players, Jeronimo del Carril watched the games on TV in Argentina after his work visa failed to arrive on time and was substituted by Guillermo Terrera who joined Castagnola, Rashid Albwardy and Matt Perry. Delayed visas were a problem for more than one high-goal player in England this summer as the wheels of bureaucracy were reportedly clogged up by visa applications from Ukrainian refugees. Del Carril made it in time for the Gold Cup.
Park Place beat Dubai by a goal in the Queen’s Cup quarterfinal and the rematch came in Gold Cup league play.
Dubai came back with vengeance, winning 17-14.
“We started out really badly,” said Hyde. “And we were five
or six goals down and then we changed a few things. They sent me to different players [and] we kind of got back into it but we were never really close to them.”
Perversely, this defeat set the stage for Park Place’s eventual victory.
“We always knew Dubai was going to be a very strong team to play, but I don’t think we had quite found a system yet with our new lineup,” said Price. “I think the outcome of this game really motivated the boys though, because from there onwards they started getting stronger and stronger inside the field.”
Finals day for the Gold Cup is a highlight of the English summer social calendar and brings the crowds down from London to the charming town of Midhurst and the idyllic countryside of the Cowdray Park Estate.
The 16,000-acre Cowdray Park estate,
Park Place’s Josh Hyde, Louis Hine, Andrey Borodin, Fran Elizalde and Facundo Pieres Jeta Castagnola’s undeniable talents wowed the crowds.owned by Lord and Lady Cowdray, has hosted polo since 1910 when the Pearson family founded a small country club. Over the years, the Cowdray Park Polo Club has adapted to the times and survived as a dynamic and progressive estate.
Cowdray helped support the World War II effort, plowing fields and using the Ambersham polo grounds as a landing strip for reconnaissance use. John, the 3rd Viscount Cowdray, is considered the father of the modern-day game, having revived polo in the post-war years and presented the inaugural Gold Cup in 1956. The estate continues to move with the times and has much to offer guests, not least the opportunity to stay on the estate in a holiday cottage or even the chance to sample life within the historic walls of
Cowdray House itself.
“We had an amazing number of entries in this year’s Gold Cup,” said Jonathan Russell, chief executive of the Cowdray Park Estate.
“It was a very successful tournament. The fields were in pristine condition and the polo was highly competitive, which made for a great spectacle in front of the crowd on finals day.”
It was a record summer for Cowdray Park. According to Bethel, an unprecedented 600 games were played at the club in an untypical English summer that saw temperatures soar. The exceptional heat prompted stringent measures handed down through the Hurlingham Polo Association. The day after the Gold Cup final, a ban was placed on transporting horses in 40-degree Celsius-plus (104 Fahrenheit) temperatures.
Horses from Dubai’s string are walked in front of the cooling fans. England saw excessive heat this summer.
Facundo Pieres kept up the momentum from Florida to lead Park Place to victory.
For U.S. 4-goal player Matias Gonzalez, the England season was a mixed bag of near misses, team changes and priceless experiences.
Gonzalez’s first foray across the pond came last year when he played a couple of tournaments to cement his 4-goal handicap in time for his England high-goal debut this summer with Alessandro Bassoni’s Monterosso. His training started over the winter in Argentina, playing practices with his soon-to-be high-goal teammate Ignacio “Cubi” Toccalino.
The original Monterroso lineup, which also featured David “Pelon” Stirling, took the field for the opening 22-goal tournament at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club-the Prince of Wales Trophy. For Gonzalez, it was an eye-opening experience.
“Everything is different,” he said. “I think it’s the most competitive polo I’ve ever played. The fields and the horses--it’s like the Formula One of polo. Everyone is so well mounted, everyone’s facility is top-notch.”
Although they did not take home the silver in their opening campaign, they did manage to balance the books by claiming a 12-11 victory over Thai Polo, a team that Monterosso had lost to in the 2021 Prince of Wales Trophy final.
“It was a good revenge and it was a close game,” said Gonzalez. “We were leading at the half and they got really close. We beat them in a really great game. The boss was happy.”
Fortunes took a downturn before the start of the Queen’s Cup, with Stirling sidelined by a nagging bicep injury. Poroto Cambiaso substituted for their opening game against Twelve Oaks and continued to fill in for Stirling throughout most of the tournament as Monterosso struggled to find their form.
“There were some tough days at the office,” Gonzalez said.
The highlight of the summer, the British Open Championship for the Cowdray Park Gold Cup, saw Monterroso come tantalizingly close to making their mark on the English high goal.
“That’s where I felt like I broke out a couple
of good games,” said Gonzalez, “because I wasn’t playing that well, but in the Gold Cup I had some good performances.”
Monterosso’s opening game saw Pablo Mac Donough in the captain’s seat. Their first game was against Scone, starring Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso. The game went to overtime, with Poroto sealing victory with a penalty.
“We were leading and then made a mistake,” said Gonzalez. “In overtime, it’s anybody’s ball game. That was the first game of the group stage. We knew if we won that game, we would have a lot of momentum to move up to the next one, which was against Twelve Oaks.”
Once again, Monterosso was on the wrong side of a one-goal margin of an overtime victory against Twelve Oaks.
“We lost two crucial games in overtime,” Gonzalez said. “It’s crushing.”
He was impacted by the quintessential English settings. “The drive down to Cowdray is stunning,” he said. “The location of Windsor Park [home to Guards Polo Club] is unbelievable.”
But, as with most polo players, rather than sight-seeing, he was mostly at the barn. Monterosso shared the polo facility with their sister team Monterosso Vikings. Gonzalez not only learned from his own teammates but also Juan Martin Zubia, Diego Cavanagh and leading England player Mark Tomlinson.
Mixed fortunes aside, Gonzalez came away from England with some life-changing experiences and special memories, not least playing some two chukkers in a torrential downpour.
“One minute it was sunny, the next, the sky was really dark and it was raining hard. I kept waiting for the whistle to blow,” he said.
“Being with the guys in England was incredible,” he said. “Just learning from everyone about the organization of the horses while being every day at the stables with the team was an amazing experience. Hopefully, I will be back next summer. One-hundred percent, I would go back.”
Monterroso’s Matias Gonzalez, far right ©Tony Ramirez/www.ImagesofPolo.com ©Tony Ramirez/www.ImagesofPolo.com“If that had come a day earlier, I don’t know what we would have done,” Bethel reflected.
High-powered cooling fans were in place in the end zones to comfort the horses--highly valuable and sought-after commodities.
“Andrey is a real fanatic about horses and it’s a theme that runs through the whole team,” said Price. “There’s a very large focus on the horses in our team and their wellbeing.
“We are always looking out for top horses to purchase and we have bought from a variety of sellers over the last few years. We have a very good relationship with Ellerstina and we have been fortunate to buy many good horses from them. Hilario has been with our team for a long time and has also been key in our horse selections, always looking for opportunities to purchase good horses when we come across them.”
This persistent planning paid off for Park Place in the final. Park Place led by 4-1 at the end of the first chukker, a margin that had narrowed to one goal by halftime. Leading 10-6 in the second half, they kept the momentum to secure the 12-9 win and land the first British Open title for Borodin’s team. Elizalde was named MVP and his horse Van Nikita claimed the Best Playing Pony prize.
“Facu is an amazing captain. He’s very focused and he doesn’t beat around the bush,” said Hyde. “Defensively we were very organized. We had a man each and we left Facu
with Jeta and I think Facu would beat Jeta one on one maybe six times out of 10 so it seemed to work.”
Castagnola had been a crowd-pleaser throughout the Gold Cup. Large crowds had turned out to watch him square off against his cousin and uncle--Poroto and Adolfo Cambiaso--when Dubai played Scone in league play. The Gold Cup final proved a game too many.
“[Castagnola] couldn’t quite get it across the line in the final, I think because of horsepower,” said Bethel. “Facu Pieres’ horsepower with Park Place was just completely different. It was probably just a game too far for Dubai. It’s a long tournament--seven games, four league games, quarterfinals, semifinals and final. Park Place had a great string of horses and came strong in the latter stages.”
Park Place Vaara finished the season with a win in the Talacrest Prince of Wales’ Championship Cup held at Guards Polo Club Aug. 1-14. The team of Sam Wiseby/ Andrey Borodin, Juan Britos, Hilario Ulloa and Santos Merlos topped the six-team tournament with a 16-11 win over BP Polo in the final.
The duo of Britos and Ulloa led Park Place victory in the C.V. Whitney Cup earlier this year.
In the Prince of Wales’ subsidiary, Monterosso, with young American star Mackenzie Weisz, fell to Vikings, 10-8.
Park Place Vaara, with Juan Britos and Hilario Ulloa, followed up their C.V. Whitney Cup win by taking the seasonending Prince of Wales Championship Cup at Guards.Jared Zenni’s England season started earlier than he expected when he was called up as a substitute for Bautista Bayugar on Clinova for the Queen’s Cup at Guards Polo Club. Bayugar’s work visa was held up, leaving him helpless in Argentina and obliged to watch the games on TV.
Zenni, who had been invited to play for Thai Polo in the high goal by England’s Andrew Hine, had initially declined to play in the Queen’s Cup.
“Originally I was going to but I told An drew I don’t really have the horses to do it this year. I’m going to be a little short if you want to be competitive in the Gold Cup, and we’ll get ready for the Gold Cup with the Warwickshire.”
Being able to play Bayugar’s string al lowed Zenni to make his debut at Guards for Raja Karim’s Clinova alongside Alejandro Muzzio and England’s Malcolm Borwick.
“It must have been a bit uncomfortable for Bauti,” he remarked, “to not have his visa and not be able to play but he was a good sport about it. He’s a good guy,
a good friend.”
Clinova won one out of four games, narrowly missing out on victory against Zenni’s future Thai Polo teammates.
“We had a goal to win in the sixth chukker,” he said. “But we missed it. As a substitute, play ing someone else’s horses, you’re just kind of plugged in and along for the ride. It’s not your team, it’s not your project and you can only do the best you can.”
Playing in the Queen’s Cup afforded Zenni the chance to fulfill a lifetime objective.
“We played on the No. 1 ground at Guards. It
was definitely kind of a dream come true,” he said. “You always want to play on the best fields around the world. I can check that off my list at this point.”
Zenni joined the Thai Polo team for the Gold Cup alongside Hide’s son Ned Hine, Genaro Ringa and Charlie Hanbury. The fields at Cowdray Park, home to the Gold Cup for the British Open Championship, also impressed him, including one installed by and named after a fellow American, Brook Johnson of CS Brooks, who won the Gold Cup in 1996.
“Brooks Field was one of the best fields I played on,” said Zenni. “The fields were amazing. Ambersh am was very good, the Lawns were big fast fields so you can play kind of an open style of polo.”
As well as the fields, Zenni found the level of polo excep tional.
“I found it very competitive, just because of the amount of competitive teams there are and the number of players who are very competitive on their handicaps. The horse level is very high. If you show up you’ve got to do it right or you’re going to get a lesson,” Zenni said.
Thai Polo came away with a single league victory in the Gold Cup, but it was one that meant a lot to Jared.
“Beating King Power in the Gold Cup was a good moment because it was my first year in England,” Zenni said. “And to win in the 22 goal is very difficult. I ended up scoring the winning goal in overtime so that was a nice feeling.”
With one England high-goal season under his belt, Zenni is keen to return to the fray next summer while also taking in polo in the U.S. and Argentina.
“My idea is to go back next year,” he said. “We’ll see what happens. As a pro it takes a lot of horses to mount yourself in Argentina and Europe and the U.S. It’s definitely a process.”
Jared Zenni replaced Bautista Bayugar on Clinova before playing with Thai Polo. ©Tony Ramirez/www.ImagesofPolo.com ©Tony Ramirez/www.ImagesofPolo.comPerformance and soundness are the top factors that determine success in any equine athlete’s career, and what we are all looking for in our ponies. There are a multitude of factors that influence the longevity of a polo pony’s playing career; it’s age, conformation, gait, training intensity, farrier, vet, rider, saddle fit, physiotherapy, etc. can all play a vital role.
There is a growing awareness that the footing a horse trains, works and competes on plays a crucial role too, with a direct correlation between surfaces and soundness. Therefore, when it comes to arena polo and everyday training tracks the footing is very important to consider.
The U.S. hosts one of the largest arena polo scenes, with nearly 3,200 USPA members holding a current arena handicap and top players such as Kris Kampsen, Tommy Biddle, Marissa Wells and Julia Smith among the highest rated in the world. The most prominent arena polo tournament to win is the U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship, hosted by the Twilight Polo Club this year, along with one of the oldest and most prestigious 3- to
6-goal arena tournaments, The National Sherman Memorial.
“Arena season tends to be in the fall, winter and spring, but many clubs are arena-only and play year-round,” said Robin Sanchez, the USPA Arena Committee chair. “All collegiate, university and high school polo is played in the arena. The National Intercollegiate Championships and National Interscholastic Championships would definitely rank up there with the important and prestigious arena tournaments.”
While there is minimal arena polo in Argentina, the U.K. runs a competitive arena season from October to February during the winter months when grass fields are too wet. They also host some of the best players in the sport, with the U.K. and U.S. occasionally meeting to compete in international test matches.
Sanchez explained, “The Townsend Cup is an arena tournament played every other year against England at the highest level that the visiting team can support. It was played at New Bridge Polo Club in South Carolina in 2021.” When the U.S. team visits the U.K., the matches are usually
Alice Gipps A diverse range of surfaces are good for all-around conditioning.held at the All England Polo Club at Hickstead, one of the premier arena polo venues in the U.K.
Horses in the wild mostly walk, occasionally trot and very rarely use their top speeds. In contrast, polo ponies are asked to perform intricate maneuvers at high speed with the added weight of a rider and tack. The weight bearing structures of the horse need to accommodate the extra stresses, especially when performing at the absolute peak of their ability going flat out, then stopping and turning on a [dime]. Preparing the sport’s horses to be physically fit for tournaments is greatly beneficial as are the surface footings we train and compete on to maximize performance, while also minimize the injury risk.
“It’s well known that training of horses, both with respect to skill and physical fitness, is required in order to maximize performance, and if undertaken appropriately should reduce the risk of injury in competition, compared with the untrained horse,” said Dr. David Marlin, equine scientist and co-author of the book “Equine Exercise Physiology.”
Vets and scientists recommend the ideal training program incorporates training sessions on a diverse range of surfaces for all-round conditioning, recognizing that constant training on the same surface, however good, is counterproductive as the horse’s skeleton, tendons, muscles, ligaments and bones adapt to the stresses of varying terrain. This then prepares the horse for competition on alternative footings, accounting for
a change in weather or venue.
There is however, a fine line with training, as too much in terms of duration and intensity on heavy or hard surfaces has a greater prevalence for accumulative wear and tear or injury. On firmer surfaces, horses work less hard but there are more concussive forces through joints and bones, while in deep, soft surfaces the horses work harder, increasing muscle fatigue and the risk of soft tissue injury. Contrary to what you might expect, the number of injuries suffered on soft and heavy going is actually less than on hard or firm ground, likely because the average speed is reduced on softer going and speed tends to correlate with injury rate.
A 2010 study found that dressage arenas that became deep when wet and those with a sand base increased the risk of lameness. In Thoroughbred racing, hard surfaces have been identified as an increased risk factor for fatality in a 2006 study. This research has led to the development of synthetic surfaces that can be consistently kept at an optimal firmness.
Marlin explains, “Roadwork results in forces on the hoof around 20 times higher than working on good grass or artificial surfaces. A great deal of this is absorbed by the hoof, fetlock and bones below the knee but may still lead to damage to joints. Firm wet sand is better than roads but still around eight times harder than good grass or a good arena surface. Roadwork does not ‘harden’ or strengthen
Arena polo offers a close-up spectator experience but dust can be a problem. OC Polo uses a no-dust silica footing that is firm but has give, making it good for spectators, players and horses. Jim Bremnertendons. Roadwork does increase bone strength but you only need less than five minutes of trot per day to achieve this as roadwork also contributes to joint/cartilage deterioration. Roadwork trotting for less than five minutes per day increases adaptation to bones.
“The ideal surface has an intermediate shear resistance, which is low enough to allow the toe to penetrate as the hoof breaks over, but not so low as to slide away from the hoof as it pushes at the end of the stance phase. Natural, good going turf is pretty near perfect in this respect. Sand, which has low shear resistance, can be stabilized by the introduction of fibers. The fibers act like a root system, increasing the shear resistance of the sand.”
While playing on well-irrigated grass polo fields during the summer months may be ideal, it is a balancing act
for the perfect fitness regime, incorporating short training sessions on different footings. A good surface composition, base and maintenance are a necessity for the majority of the daily training, schooling or competing at speed during chukkers or a game, and you want to be using the safest surface for you and your ponies.
The variation in products offered worldwide for both exercise tracks and arenas are diverse. Wood chips or rubber for tracks are initially cost effective, however wood chips often degrade quickly and become heavy when wet, and both surfaces can become uneven and patchy without constant maintenance. A hard or concrete base, often used, decreases any ‘bounce’ and increases the slip risks. So these surfaces are far from ideal for year-round track fitness work and usually involve considerable time and effort to keep right.
Wood chips are initially cost effective, but become heavy when wet and require regular maintenance to keep even.
Alice Gipps
Sand has worked well and is often the main go-to surface material for polo arenas. Dan Colhoun, former Arena Committee chairman and former Governor-at-large for the USPA said, “I have designed and built many polo facilities, grass fields and indoor and outdoor arenas around the world as a civil engineer, designer and construction manager.”
He went on to explain that the type of sand needs to be a very specific crushed mixture for a playing surface, not natural sand, which has a different particle size and shape. Manufactured material is angular due to the crushing process and cubicle material does not cup-out as easily, providing a safe surface for polo that is not too hard or slick. The location and base are also crucial to accommodate drainage after heavy rain, with a nearby water source also essential as adequate water application before using the surface for dust suppression.
While the type of arena surfaces are imperative both for the ponies and players, they also affect spectators. Denny Geiler, owner of Orange County Polo Club in Silverado, California, said, “Arena polo is the best polo for spectators because they can see the action up close.”
Although experiencing the excitement and adrenaline is a huge draw, there is a downside. “The biggest problem is dust. Most arena footing is sand or dirt or a combination,”
Geiler explained. “Polo players will play on anything as long as they can play polo but spectators will not return if their hair, clothes and body are covered with dirt and they can’t see the action. Spectators are a financial source and the largest source of new players.”
Geiler has used a no-dust footing designed and developed by Corey Scholm. “The footing is a silica that is quarried and is small stones that are blended into a formula. It is applied less than 2-inches deep over a DG (decomposed granite) base. The depth of the formula has ‘give’ to it for the horses hooves but doesn’t create large foot prints,” Geiler explained “This allows the ball to set up for the beautiful crowd-pleaser shots hit about half the length of the arena. All the teams that visit our arena love the footing. It’s great for their horses and great for their game. We play about nine to 10 chukkers at a time. We drag after three chukkers but only water before the game. Not having to water during an evening of polo saves a lot to time.”
The cutting-edge advancement of all-year, all-weather surfaces means that synthetic footings are also becoming increasingly popular in polo. They have been used on racetracks for many years as they can be blended to copy natural turf conditions. Synthetic footings are a mix of specifically selected sand with additives, including fibers, that act like a grass-root structure. They are also often
Tommy Biddle said the Hickstead arena has one of the best surfaces he has played on. Alice Gippscombined with different waxes and other products such as emulsions to provide longterm performance.
They can be designed to be dust free with minimal kickback and tracking so horses do not easily cut out a track in the surface. Product mixes can be tailored to the climate so they do not change their properties significantly when subjected to both high and low temperatures. Minimal maintenance regimes are also often possible compared to other track and arena surface materials.
The wax coatings, combined with sand and fiber bind the materials together for less surface movement, stopping the footing from freezing or becoming heavy when wet. The waxing of the sand also prevents the surface from becoming dusty and reduces drying out. When compared to wood chip surfaces, the incidence of lameness and injuries is reduced on synthetic surfaces. This is supported by data from a waxed track, which showed a significant reduction in impact shock-related variables during trotting compared to a crushed sand track according to several studies conducted in 2009.
Synthetic surfaces were first developed by Martin Collins to mimic good-going turf as a solution to training and competing year-round in the U.K., known for its unfavorable winter weather. With 40 years experience, they provide surfaces proven to perform in varying climates worldwide at facilities in all spheres of elite level equestrian competition, including FEI events. One of their international bases is currently in Kentucky, and it provided the surface for the Global Champions show
jumping tour at Governor’s Island in New York held last month. The Ecotrack synthetic surface that was installed is considered one of the best for the world’s top show jumpers to compete on and is also a great surface for training tracks in any equine discipline, including polo. Also mentioned in the book “Equine Injury, Therapy and Rehabilitation” by author Mary Bromiley as the Rolls Royce of surfaces, Martin Collins surfaces are becoming more popular with polo organizations around the world due to the benefits of using their synthetic material. It has current installations at La Bamba in Argentina, Guards and Hickstead Polo Clubs in the U.K., Tang Polo in China, Singapore Polo Club in Singapore, and Polo Del Sol in Spain, to name a few.
While synthetic footings are leading the way forward when it comes to minimizing the risk of injury to the horses and ponies using artificial surfaces, the benefits are recognized by professional players. Arena polo legend Tommy Biddle visited the Hickstead polo arena in the U.K. for the first time in 2014 when he was playing off 10 goals. The polo club website quotes Biddle as saying it was the best surface he had ever played on, referring to the bespoke synthetic polo arena footing used for the England vs. USA international match.
Welfare is the top priority for any equestrian sport. Acknowledging the science and taking into consideration the footing where polo ponies are exercised daily and play arena polo is definitely important for the best chance of a long career alongside reaching optimum performance.
Wax-coated sand mixed with fibers reduces the chance of injury, has less surface movement and won’t dry out or freeze. Alice Gipps
Thirty-year-old Harry Landy has aspirations of one day playing in the U.S. Open Polo Championship but, knowing the commitment needed, that dream will have to wait. For now, his focus is on another equine passion--harness racing.
Landy is literally in the driver’s seat, guiding a sulky and horse several times a week during Stakes season as a driver for his Standardbred trotting horses, many he has trained himself.
Harness horses race at a specific gait--a trot or pace. The driver, seated in a sulky attached to the horse, steers the horse and keeps it in the correct gait. If the horse breaks into a gallop or goes off stride the horse can be disqualified. Races are one-mile, run on tracks made of stone dust and involve pari-mutuel betting.
Landy says harness racing can be as exciting as polo. “It’s extremely exhilarating. With polo you are working with the horse and your team. With Standardbreds and harness
racing, you are working together with your horse to put the horse in the right position to win,” he explained. “A lot of things have to go your way. You have to have the right trip. You have to have the right equipment. You’ve got to really focus in, and when it all works out, it is wonderful!
“It is like in polo. It doesn’t always work out, and you have to plan to do better and figure out what was wrong so you can win the next [time].”
In addition to racing, Landy is also manager of Congress Hill Farm in Monroe Township, New Jersey, a 200-acre training center his family bought about 40 years ago. The farm includes 200 stalls as well as three tracks: a 5/8-mile track, a straight half-mile track with deep sand and a track through the woods. Aside from his own horses, several harness trainers rent stalls and train horses at the facility. While Landy actively plays polo, he doesn’t have time to have any polo horses of his own. Instead, he leases horses when he plays. Between racing, training and managing,
Vicki Wright Landy’s love of horses started at an early age.his day is pretty full. He has about 25 horses in training and 10-15 mares in his breeding program.
“I get up around 6 a.m. and make sure all the tracks are in good shape ... then I start at my barn at 6:45-7. I get on the racetrack and take each horse out,” Landy explained. “Our horses generally jog about five miles a day, so 30 minutes each horse. I feed them lunch ... and generally race at night.”
With a lot of tracks on the East Coast, Landy does a lot of traveling between New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Delaware and Kentucky. When the stakes season is over in November, he primarily races at his home track, Freehold Raceway, just 15 minutes from his farm.
Similar to Thoroughbred racing, trainers often purchase Standardbred horses at yearling sales. Landy said they start training them right away and begin racing at 2. He said they can race until they are 14 years old.
“I buy 15 babies a year ... I try to find prices between $30,000-$50,000 for a yearling. Sometimes I go over [that
price range] if I really love [one],” Landy said. “I like to take my time with them and really work with them. Because I drive and train ... I am able to really focus in on each horse.”
Training young horses to harness and to keep stride, Landy says, involves a lot of repetition.
“It’s a lot of muscle memory and a lot of balance. For the young ones, it takes about a good eight to 10 months of repetitive training,” he explained. “[When] you get the horses, you learn almost what leg they land harder on, or they might come in and hit somewhere while they are trotting. You have to be able to fix it so they trot smoothly.”
According to Landy, horses are so well bred now that what used to take a good month to break the horse to the harness now takes about a week.
“In one week, I can have the horse pretty much harnessed up and jogging on the track by themselves,” he said. “It’s really neat that we’ve come a long way with the breed.”
Standardbreds make great horses. They have great temperaments. They are very willing to learn pretty much whatever you are willing to teach them.
--HARRY LANDYVicki Wright
Most races are run by gender so fillies and mares often race separately from colts and geldings. To make it to the races, a 2-year-old is generally trotting a two-minute mile.
“I start at three minutes on Jan. 1 and they will work their way down maybe five seconds every week from there,” Landy explained. “After their 3-year-old season, I’ll sell them. If they are well-bred mares, I might keep them, or if they seem like they are going to be top world champions, I’ll keep them but, pretty much everything gets sold.”
Like many equestrian disciplines, the top world champion horses are hard to find. “The best ones are so good, that it is harder to get [them]. You might buy 10 babies, and two or three are OK,” said Landy. “One out of 10 would be very good statistics if you were able to get that one that [could race in the] million dollar races.”
Landy said he has several really nice 2 -year-olds coming up, but his best horse now is HL Revadon. He competes at the highest level, has raced in major stakes races and has won almost $300,000 to date.
“I broke and trained him as a baby, and almost everything he knows we’ve kind of worked on together,” he said. “We are able to have a good relationship and compete at all different tracks on the East Coast. ... He is very intelligent and has all the professional attitude to be a top horse.”
According to Landy, there are a lot of similarities between good polo horses and racehorses. “Most of them are very relaxed, they’re not always on the bit and they are able to really embrace what you want them to do,” Landy remarked. “If a horse is too edgy and gets too excited,
there are too many variables ... and generally, it is really hard to do well. Horses that take care of themselves, they could last forever.”
Harness racing dates back to the 17th century. While the basics of the sport have not changed all that much, the sulkies (two-wheeled carts) have become more aerodynamic with lighter frames and better, more efficient wheels.
There are no weight limits on drivers, but Landy says its is pretty standard that professional drivers weigh between 140 and 160 pounds.
“I go to the gym regularly. I run probably three miles a day and I work out a bunch,” Landy said. “If you want to do this as a profession, you have to stay fit, healthy and in shape. If you fall out of shape, you are putting yourself at risk.”
After their racing careers are over, horses can be used in a variety of disciplines, including driving, eventing or even trail riding horses.
“Standardbreds make great horses. They have great temperaments. They are very willing to learn, pretty much whatever you are willing to teach them, and they’ve got strong legs,” Landy explained. “People have gone on to use them for endurance races. People use them for therapeutic riding. They are an amazing horse.”
Landy’s mother, Laurie founded the non-profit Special Strides therapeutic riding program, located on the family farm, in 1998. According to its website, the organization is devoted to improving the lives of individuals with special needs by combining therapy, horses and the natural
Michael Lisa Harry Landy guides 4-year-old filly Ledges to victory. Landy trained the horse himself.environment. Two or three of Landy’s former racehorses are now being used in the therapeutic riding program.
Landy’s love of horses began when he was very young. His earliest memories are of going to the barn every day and playing with the horses. When he was really young, he trail rode and did some small show jumping and barrel racing events.
He also was a competitive mogul skier. He went to school in Vermont, training for the Olympics when he was in high school but an injury forced him to give up the sport. He returned to New Jersey and focused on harness racing. His high school offered a class that allowed students to work in their chosen careers for half the day. This allowed him the time to start racing professionally as soon as he turned 18 and while still in high school.
So far, Landy has about 300 wins driving and 300 wins training, and has won $2 million driving and $2 million training. But, he still has plenty more he wants to do.
“A lot of our best drivers and trainers are between 40 and 50 years old, so I have 10 years of working at my craft to get to [the top] level,” Landy said. “There are professional drivers and professional trainers. I work on being a professional horseman doing both. You have to do more and work hard to get to the level you want to be at.”
Landy hopes to one day race in the Hambletonian Stakes, the sport’s most prestigious race for 3-year-old trotters, with a $1 million purse. He has gotten as far as a consolation race for it. He has also been in the Yonkers Trot--a $500,000 stakes race, and the Merrie Annabelle stake, a prestigious race for 2-year-old fillies.
Once he gets closer to reaching some of his goals and as his organization grows with people he can trust, Landy hopes to be able to step back and have more time to work on his polo goals.
“When that happens, I can focus on getting my own ponies and really work on that,” he said.
Until then, Landy plays closer to home during stakes season. This summer, he competed at Grayfields Polo Club (Andover, New Jersey), a little more than an hour away from his home. He played with Gaston Lisioli, who also supplied him with horses. His HL Polo team finished off the season with a narrow loss in the 6-goal Eastern Circuit Officers Cup final. Racing is held year-round, but when the weather gets bad in the winter, he can slip away to Wellington, Florida, to play. He tries to get down every two weeks or so.
Landy found polo through racing about eight years ago. He was stabled at Saratoga Springs in New York and wandered over to the polo club. He ended up meeting Mario Dino, who was running the club’s polo school at the time. As a horseman, he was able to quickly advance from lessons to practices and playing in matches. He says he absolutely fell in love with the sport.
Since then, he has played at Saratoga; Greenwich
(Greenwich, Connecticut); the former International Polo Club (Wellington, Florida) and at Jared Zenni’s Villa del Lago (Wellington, Florida).
“I just want to continue getting better. It is just such a great sport. With the racehorses, I am always working on the horse. Racing is almost all about making sure the horse is good enough to compete,” Landy said. “Polo is great because you’ve got to work on your game and then be there to have a good horse.”
Though Landy has some time before he starts obtaining a string, he is ready with a recently-built polo field in the infield of his farm’s training track.
During the high-goal season, Landy tunes in to Global Polo TV to watch some of the top players he admires. He would really like to play in Argentina this year and some day play in England.
“I enjoy watching Polito Pieres. He is so crafty with the ball. When he is in a game I definitely love to tune in and watch that,” Landy said. “It’s cool because when I started, these upcoming kids were really young, maybe 12 or 13. I saw them just starting to learn to play in a game, and now, kids like the Magrini brothers are unbelievable polo players, playing U.S. Open top polo.”
The local polo season is now over so Landy is keeping busy at the track and looking forward to his polo trips to Florida.
“There is nothing like winning a race, but then there is nothing like running down the field, going all the way with the ball while everyone is trying to take it away,” he said.
Michael Green Harry Landy impressed the crowds at Grayfields Polo Club in New Jersey.
Photo credit
Santa Barbara’s polo fields are nestled between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
The Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in Carpinteria, California, hosted its high-goal series in July and August. Previously held at the 16-goal level, the tournaments were raised to 20 goals this season.
Five teams filled the rosters for the three tournaments, including defending champion Klentner Ranch that swept the season last year. Antelope, bensoleimani.com (BSI) and Farmers & Merchants Bank (FMB) were back alongside newcomer L.I.N.Y., featuring former 10-goaler Matias Magrini and his up-and-coming 4-goal sons Santino and Keko Magrini along with 15-year-old Paquito de Narvaez.
Longtime Lucchese team owner John Muse decided to hang up his high-goal mallets this year so 6-goal Jeff Hall, who played for him for nearly a decade, joined BSI. He was looking forward to joining Ben Soleimani, Iñaki Laprida and Luckitas Criado, who had played for FMB last year. Criado had played well with Hall the previous year in Florida.
“The longer you play with someone, the more you get to know them and the better off you are going to be,” said Hall. “In California, we hit the ground playing together, knowing each other and then adding in Iñaki, who is a very simple player to play with. He plays classic polo ... and it all fell into place.”
The change in tournament handicap allowed Farmers & Merchants Bank to add more star power to its roster with Peke Gonzalez and Facundo Obregon complementing Danny Walker and Lucas Craido.
After a successful 2021, Klentner opted to keep its 18-goal lineup with Santiago Toccalino and Jesse Bray bookended by Jake and Justin Klentner.
Antelope’s Grant Palmer brought in a whole new lineup with Felipe Vercellino, Joaquin Avendaño and Matias Torres Zavaleta, who was fresh off a U.S. Open Polo Championship victory.
Games are held on Fridays and Sundays throughout the season, allowing players plenty of time to enjoy the many recreational activities available in the area, from hiking in the mountains to riding on the beach and surfing in the Pacific Ocean.
“I love it because I grew up there and went to school there until I was about 12, so it’s another home for me,” Hall said. “I met my wife there and got married there so Santa Barbara is a special place for us.”
Matias Magrini’s family also took advantage of the location.
“We love it. We go to the beach a lot. The boys did some surfing and my wife, daughter and I went hiking. We went pretty often,” he said.
Hall noted that the horses like it too. The mild Santa Barbara weather and cool nights help the horses recuperate quicker.
With the number of teams and limited time, tournaments were overlapped so the final and consolation of one tournament would count toward the first games of the next tournament. This was literally a win-win for the teams that prevailed but was adding insult to injury for the those on the losing side.
The season kicked off with the Robert Skene Trophy, July 8-17. In preliminary games, BSI topped both Antelope and Klentner Ranch, but Antelope came back to defeat L.I.N.Y. and Klentner got the best of FMB. In the last round, Klentner ousted L.I.N.Y. to earn a finalist spot.
In the final, BSI edged Klentner Ranch. Klentner began with a one-goal handicap and the teams traded goals in the first and second chukkers. Klentner increased its lead to two, 8-6, going into the half.
“All the teams out there are competitive. If you don’t play well, you can get beat by any of the teams. Basically, you’ve got to execute all the things you’ve been practicing and working on,” explained Hall. “We were definitely focused just to go get the job done. We knew if we played well we would win.”
BSI rallied in the fourth with three unanswered goals to take a narrow 9-8 lead. They carried the momentum into the fifth chukker, outscoring Klentner, 4-1, for a 13-9 advantage going into the final chukker. Klentner shut BSI down in the last seven minutes while closing the gap to two, 13-11, but time was not on its side and BSI took the trophies.
“For a moment they almost came back but we went back to playing classic polo, taking a man and playing four on four,” said Soleimani.
Jeff Hall was named MVP and Ben Soleimani’s Kilovatio, played by Inaki Laprida, was Best Playing Pony.
“The game was pretty tight for the first three chukkers, and in the fourth and fifth chukkers I had two really nice horses and I made the difference there,” Hall said.
Laprida counted on Kilovatio as a spare early in the game
and played him in the last chukker. “He’s a really good horse, a really solid horse,” he said. “He’s big but really handy for his size. I’m so comfortable on him.”
Soleimani remarked, “It’s an amazing team that is just rotating beautifully. Everybody is taking a man and playing for the other player. It’s one of the most fun teams I’ve ever played on.”
The same day, L.I.N.Y. defeated FMB, 14-8, in the Skene consolation match. The wins gave BSI and L.I.N.Y. a good start in the Silver Cup.
“I was really gearing up for the Silver Cup because that was going to give me my 10th win. I had the record already with
nine, so I really wanted to win it 10 times,” said Hall.
Defending champion Klentner Ranch’s struggles continued. Failing to count a single win, it was left out of the semifinal round.
BSI came off the final victory and stumbled early, falling to Antelope, 12-9.
“We came back from the final a little loose. When you’re playing, you’re so focused and ramped up and then you ... let your guard down,” Hall said. “But those guys were coming off a loss and they’re coming with a vengeance. Their focus level is just a little bit better and that is what
Jeff Hall picked up MVP honors in the Robert Skene Trophy and Silver Cup finals. David Lominskahappened. That was a very good team. I’m surprised they didn’t do better.”
BSI improved and entered the semifinal, 3-1. It faced Antelope (2-2) again in the semis. On the other side, L.I.N.Y. (3-1) faced FMB (2-2). Both BSI and L.I.N.Y. won their respective semifinal by two goals, setting up a showdown between the two strong teams.
Hall explained, “We played really well [in the semifinal]. It’s just going to come down to who is going to play better that day. It was very competitive, very even. We had a great day. The whole team played really well.”
L.I.N.Y. started with a handicap goal and struck first but BSI shot back, taking a 3-2 lead. They doubled up L.I.N.Y. in the second, 6-3. The teams traded goals in the third, leaving BSI ahead 8-5 at the half.
Things didn’t get better for L.I.N.Y. in the second half. They couldn’t seem to make up any ground as each score was answered by BSI, allowing it to take the 13-10 win.
“We felt like that was going to be our toughest game. We knew they had been playing really well. The last time we played them, we beat them by a goal, but we were trailing by a couple goals in the fifth chukker, so we definitely were not dominating them,” Hall explained. “That day, the team played amazing. It really did. We beat them pretty good.”
Despite the loss, Matias Magrini enjoyed playing with his sons. “It was a pleasure playing with them. It was kind of a last moment deal for the organization [to come to Santa Barbara] and we couldn’t bring all the best horses. We brought some, but not all of them. I would love to go more organized with them.”
The victory was especially sweet for Hall, who not only celebrated being named MVP but earning that 10th title he was hoping for in the historic Silver Cup with his family in attendance.
“I was super excited,” Hall said. “It was a big deal to me. I really like that tournament, I have a lot of history with it. That’s the oldest tournament in the United States so there are a lot of things I like about the Silver Cup.”
He was also pleased to receive his second MVP in a final. “They could give the MVP to many of the different players, and anyone could have gotten it in both finals, but its an extra bonus on top of the wins,” Hall explained. “All the planning is done off the field [with] the time and money
spent and the work with the horses ... so it’s great to see it all come together and get recognized.”
Matias Magrini said, “It was a great tournament. They played so well, they deserve to win. They played way better than us. All of them played well but Jeff Hall played the best I’ve seen him play in the last few years.”
In the consolation, Klentner Ranch took on Antelope. The match not only served as the first game in the Pacific Coast Open, but also the national America Cup.
In a match with half a dozen Penalty 2s, Klentner Ranch took a 4-2 lead after the second chukker before Antelope rallied to lead 7-6 after the fourth. The teams were tied 9-all going into the final period, but Klentner managed to regain the narrow edge, 11-10.
Matias Torres Zavaleta’s 12-year-old bay mare Open Easy Victory was Best Playing Pony.
The Silver Cup final victory gave BSI a first-game win in the Pacific Coast Open. The team was feeling good and liking their chances for a trifecta. It faced Klentner Ranch, a team it had defeated in every outing during the season. The game ended up being a turning point for BSI.
Klentner was hungry for another win and took a 4-3 lead after the first seven minutes. It increased the lead to 7-5 after the second. In the next 14 minutes, Bray seemed unstoppable, scoring three-in-a-row including back-
Jeff Hall ,Luckitas Criado, Iñaki Laprida and Ben Soleimani David Lominskato-back Penalty 5s from midfield. It allowed Klentner to double up BSI for the second time of the day.
To make matters worse, halfway through the fourth, Justin Klentner collided with Hall, with both hitting the ground. Fortunately, both horses and players were able to walk off the field. After a short break they remounted with Klentner in the penalty box for four minutes. Despite being short a player, Klentner added two more goals to go up 12-7 at the end of the fourth.
The struggles continued in the fifth with Klentner being awarded three Penalty 2s. BSI fought back in the last 14 minutes, pounding in seven goals but time ran out with Klentner ahead 17-14.
“We had a terrible day that day, it was probably our worst day. Ben got yellows, that’s when I had an accident and then broke my ribs in that game,” Hall recalled. “That was the end of our season, to be honest with you.”
It turned out Hall had broken two ribs in his back and was unable to play in the next game. He was replaced with 5-goaler Nico Escobar, who did an admirable job on Hall’s talented horses, and helped the team pick up a 14-11 victory over FMB.
The injury was unfortunate, especially when things were going so well for BSI. “It’s crushing, it’s like beyond a bummer, but stuff happens. You’ve got to overcome; you’ve got to be mentally tough and keep going. There’s no other direction other than that,” Hall said.
A tough-as-nails Hall was back in the saddle for his next
game. The team played well but was unable to get past a persistent Antelope, falling 10-9.
“I wasn’t 100%. I was taking injections in the ribs to try and play, and the injections started to wear off more and more,” Hall explained. “In the last game I played, they didn’t really take effect, so it was pretty painful. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t do it.”
L.I.N.Y., which started off with a first-game loss, made some changes, replacing 7-goaler Matias Magrini with 16-year-old 9-goal superstar Poroto Cambiaso, who was in town playing for Sarah Siegel-Magness.
“I was talking with [Poroto’s father] Adolfo and said if Poroto would like to play, I wouldn’t mind sitting down. I thought they would have a more competitive team than with me,” Matias Magrini explained. “The whole idea was to try to win the PCO. I was dying to play, but on the other hand, all what we do is for our kids. The idea was to try to benefit them as much as possible.”
The players excelled with their fathers serving as coaches, but Matias Magrini admits he and 9-goaler Paco de Narvaez let 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso take the lead. The kids charged out of the gate with a 13-6 defeat of Klentner.
“It’s amazing to have Cambiaso teaching you plays,” said Paquito de Narvaez, the youngest competitor in the tournament.
Just when it seemed the team was going to steamroll through the tournament, it faltered in its next outing, narrowly losing to Antelope, 12-11.
L.I.N.Y.’s Keko Magrini, Santino Magrini, Paquito de Narvaez and Poroto Cambiaso David Lominska“Everything was new. They had never played together and imagine, I am a turtle to play with and Poroto goes a 100 kilometers per hour,” explained Matias Magrini. “They had to adapt and they got beaten by a hell of a team. All of the teams were amazing so you need a little bit of luck.”
L.I.N.Y. found its footing against FMB, taking a convincing 13-7 win. All five teams ended preliminary play with 2-2 records, leaving the semifinal spots to be determined by a shootout. Antelope was eliminated, leaving L.I.N.Y. to face BSI and Klentner to face FMB.
Both semifinal matches ended up being one-sided with L.I.N.Y. prevailing 13-7 in what Poroto Cambiaso called one of their best games, and FMB finishing 14-6, setting up a competitive final two days later.
Keko Magrini said the strategy was to continue what they had been doing, have fun and enjoy it.
L.I.N.Y. jumped out to a 3-1 lead, in what turned out to be a foul-riddled final. A trio of Penalty 2s in the second, kept L.I.N.Y. ahead by three. FMB won the third, 3-2, to cut the difference to two, 7-5, going into the halftime break.
Cambiaso found the mark on three penalty opportunities, while FMB was held to a single goal for a 10-6 L.I.N.Y. advantage. FMB was getting frustrated and it showed.
Gonzalez turned that energy into goals in the last two periods, scoring four times added to one from Criado while L.I.N.Y. was held to two. Trailing 11-10 with just under a minute left, Cambiaso scored, leaving the team pumping their fists in celebration. Undeterred, Gonzalez
kept fighting until the last second, taking the ball from the lineup to score with 10 seconds left. FMB had lost the fight despite a valiant effort.
Sixteen-year-old Poroto Cambiaso was named MVP, while Dolfina Ojos, a 7-year-old black mare owned by La Dolfina and played by Cambiaso, was Best Playing Pony.
“We knew it was an incredible team and the final was going to be a unique game,” said Poroto Cambiaso. “This is a really important tournament, and it means a lot to me to be playing here in Santa Barbara. I want to thank Sarah, who allowed me to play, and the boys who invited me to play.”
Matias Magrini said, “This win means a lot. I hope they realize the achievement of winning the Pacific Coast Open. Hard work pays off! They played a great final against a great team.”
Playing in Santa Barbara for the first time, Santino Magrini enjoyed sharing the win with this brother. “I’ve won a lot of trophies with my father and a couple with Keko but this is the biggest we’ve won together,” he said. “It feels great!”
Gonzalez didn’t go home empty-handed. His pretty grey mare, 8-year-old GT Polleruda, was recognized as best Argentine-bred horse of the final.
“I’m really happy for her because she played great for me the entire season,” Gonzalez said. “She was better and better each game we played so I’m really happy she got the blanket today.”
Keko and Santino Magrini, right, wait for Peke Gonzalez to send the ball in the PCO final. David LominskaOn the stage of the 134th International Exhibition of Livestock, Agriculture and Industry held in Buenos Aires, the Argentine Polo Association organized an exhibition of arena polo featuring the best players, a world champion and one of the women spreading women’s polo with her game.
The grounds of the Sociedad Rural Argentina in Palermo hosted a real party with a day on the sand organized within the framework of the 100th anniversary of the AAP. The fans who filled the stands enjoyed the best polo in the world from the reins of its consecrated figures.
The match held at the Center Court was experienced as a prelude to
the Triple Crown that started in September. On this special occasion, Argentina Blanco (Facundo Pieres, Camilo “Jeta” Castagnola, Agustina Imaz) faced Argentina Azul (Bartolomé “Barto” Castagnola Jr., Adolfo “Poroto” Cambiaso Jr, Ina Lalor). Another great figure of Argentine sport, the winger of the national rugby team (known as Los Pumas), Juan Imhoff, was in charge of bowling in the ball to start the match.
Beyond the hierarchy of the names that participated in the meeting, the truth is the sand presented them with an unusual demand. Few of them had previous experience playing on this surface. Argentina Azul ended up
winning by a clear 5-2. The match was played in three chukkers and was very entertaining throughout.
Azul started with an initial advantage of one goal, which it increased to three goals in the second period. The pace slowed down considerably in the last chukker, which ended in a draw, allowing Azul to hang on for the win. Barto Castagnola led with two goals while Cambiaso and Lalor scored one each. For the losing team, Jeta Castagnola and Pieres scored. After the game, it was all smiles among the players as they signed autographs and took pictures with spectators.
“Although this is my third time at La Rural, I have never played here before. Every time we have a little time to come to Buenos Aires, we try to get away and spend a few days here.
Playing with my cousins, Facu and the girls was a great program. And also playing on the sand is different,” said Cambiaso, once the match was over and before leaving for Santa Barbara to play the season there. “I had only played on the beach once before,
Facundo Pieres, Jeta Castagnola, Agustina Imaz, Ina Lalor, Poroto Cambiaso and Barto Castagnolabut we did well. We loosened up in the last chukker just to even the final score. We had a lot of fun in the stables laughing all together.”
Poroto was not the only member of the Cambiaso family with a leading role at La Rural. His 11-year-old sister Myla presented for the first time some of the best horses of La Dolfina’s breeding. Their father, Adolfito did not hide his enormous satisfaction on his social networks.
“Thanks to all my work team and the organizers of Expo Rural 2022. This is one of the things I enjoy the most during the year and, whenever I can, I do not hesitate to return from abroad to be part of this unforgettable and unique experience in the world with my family,” Adolfito Cambiaso wrote. “A special thanks to Argentino Businska (tamer of La Dolfina) for the great work done throughout the year and that clearly has its fruits. To my children Mia, Poro and Myla, because with them this experience is undoubtedly more beautiful.”
Last year, Myla participated in the National Championships held at the Argentine Equestrian Club. She did so in the Escuela Menor (Junior School) category and came away fourth in the 0.80 meter test with her mare Gitana, only half-a-point away from the podium in the final classification.
It was also a special day for Facundo Pieres. The Ellerstina man is not usually in the country at this time of the year, but he traveled to Buenos Aires to join the exhibition.
“I’m happy, enjoying myself, seeing the horses and many friends, people who care and live from this,” said Pieres, who comes from practically sweeping
the most important tournaments: the USPA Gold Cup and U.S. Open Polo Championship in Florida and the British Open in England.
Jeta Castagnola also enjoyed himself. “The atmosphere of the people seemed like Palermo. I didn’t think there would be such a big crowd. The truth is that we had a lot of fun. I had only played once in the sand. It’s quite difficult, but it’s fun. The sand makes you tired because it is very heavy, it is a lot of effort. They beat us well anyway,” said the player from La Natividad before leaving for Spain to play the season in Sotogrande.
On the other hand, Imaz, champion with Argentina in the inaugural Women’s Polo World Cup last April in ‘La Catedral’, made a lifelong memory.
“I will never forget playing with four cracks, two 10 handicap champions of Palermo. It was my first time playing in the sand and I ended up shaken. In the first chukker, I was already thinking thank goodness there are few [chukkers],” she said.
Over the years, Rural Exposition has become the most important business environment of the Argentine agro-industrial community, being the meeting point for producers, contractors, businessmen, professionals, students and technicians from the country and the world. As every year, there was a schedule full of polo activities with a large number of activities on the Argentine Polo Breeders fields and other activities of the AAP.
This year’s Grand Champions were celebrated by Adolfito Cambiaso who highlighted the magnificent riding work of Businska. With Vizcacha Benoit and Fran Iraztorsa as judges, and David “Pelón” Stirling with an expert eye as referee, the stallion DS Popular Quinto Clon 1 and the mare Dolfina Chalchalera, both under Businska’s tutelage, won the main prizes of the competition, Grand Champion Male Polo Argentino and Grand Champion Female Polo Argentino.
Barto Castagnola, Facundo Pieres and Poroto Cambiaso play for a packed house.Runners-up:
Bignoli
MVP:
Rodriguez-Mera
Best Playing Pony:
Rodriguez-Mera’s
Point to Point/Highfields, led by Bautista Micheletti, edged Dragonfly/Pineapples to redeem an earlier loss to their opponent and take the National Eight Goal title.
Dragonfly/Pineapples’ Marcos Bignoli and Martin Ravina jumped out with goals in the first chukker while Point to Point was silenced. The pair struck again in the second, but Micheletti and Francisco Rodriguez-Mera matched their goals to get in the game. Micheletti and RodriguezMera combined for four goals in the third but Dragonfly/ Pineapples kept pace to stay ahead, 8-6, at the half. Micheletti sunk a pair of Penalty 2s in the fourth, while shutting out Dragonfly to knot the match at 8-all. Ravina and Micheletti swapped Penalty 4s in the fifth and final chukker but field goals by Micheletti and MVP RodriguezMera gave Point to Point/Highfields the advantage. Rodriguez-Mera’s Argentine mare Bongui was Best Playing Pony. He relied on her in the second and sixth chukkers.
Breanna Gunnell, Francisco RodriguezMera, Bautista Micheletti, Michael Liss
Joanne Maisano
Final
Winner:
MVP:
Best
Trotz
In a rematch of the final game of bracket play, Black Oak narrowly edged Avid/Longmeadow by a single goal to take the Chairman’s Cup title.
Both teams came to the final with 2-1 records. After an even first chukker, 2-2, Black Oak grabbed a 5-3 lead after the second and increased it to 7-4 at the half.
Ernesto Trotz scored two for Avid/Longmeadow to Black Oak’s one in the fourth, cutting the deficit. The teams swapped goals in the fifth, keeping the difference two going into the sixth chukker.
Viana scored early in the sixth, but a Penalty 1 negated it. Viana added another, only to have Trotz answer with backto-back goals. With just a goal separating them, 12-11, Black Oak ran out the clock to take the Chairman’s Cup. Ernesto Trotz was named MVP, and Milonga, a 7-year-old chestnut American Thoroughbred owned by Felipe and Nachi Viana, was Best Playing Pony.
Dispatches from the world of polo
Avid’s Reed Miller tries to stop a run by Black Oak’s Johann Colloredo-Mansfield.
Jacqueline Miller
Final score: 7-6 OT
Winner: Hawkwood Polo (Barclay Knapp, Sophie Grant, Leandro Berrios, Martin Ravina)
Runners-up:
Taylor Hill Farm/La Monarquia (Sarah Martin, C.J. Martin, Martin Estrada, Marcos Onetto, Megan Maunbay)
MVP: Martin Ravina
Best Playing Pony: Martin Estrada’s Tachuela
Hawkwood Polo defended its title, coming from behind against a tough Taylor Hill Farm/La Monarquia team.
Taylor Hill Farm/La Monarquia took an early 3-1 lead in the first chukker and expanded it to 4-1 going into the half. Hawkwood Polo fought back in the third chukker to come within a goal. The team kept up the pressure in the fourth, leveling the score early on.
The teams traded 60-yard penalties to keep the match tied through the end of the chukker and force overtime. A Penalty 4 conversion by MVP Martin Ravina in extra time sealed the deal for Hawkwood Polo.
Martin Estrada’s Tachuela, a pretty bay mare, was named Best Playing Pony. The mare is an off-the-track Thoroughbred that Estrada not only plays competitively, but also uses for coaching chukkers in his polo school. He said she is a sweetheart and a favorite among his students.
polo Hawkwood Polo’s Barclay Knapp, Sophie Grant, Leandro Berrios and MVP Martin Ravina. Elizabeth HedleyFinal score: 8-6
Winner: Dragonfly/Pineapples
Runners-up: Point to Point/Highfields
Liss,
MVP: Michael Liss
Rodriguez-Mera)
Best Playing Pony: Martin Ravina’s Lolita
After facing off in the final of the National Eight Goal, Dragonfly/Pineapples and Point to Point/Highfields met again in the final of the Regional President’s Cup. This time, Point to Point/Highfields prevailed.
Duilio Diaz put Point to Point on the board first, but Martin Ravina shot back with three strikes to give Dragonfly a 3-1 lead. Diaz and Michael Liss fought back to level the score, 3-all. Dragonfly owned the third chukker, outscoring Point to Point 3-1 and ending the half ahead, 6-4.
The teams traded goals in the fourth and fifth, allowing Dragonfly to hold on to the two-goal advantage for the win.
Liss was named MVP and Martin Ravina’s 9-year-old homebred mare, Lolita was Best Playing Pony.
“It feels great to have a Best Playing Pony because we breed horse[s] back home in Argentine with my father, and knowing this mare since she was a baby, it’s amazing. [It] takes a lot of work to have a good horse,” he said.
Dispatches from the world of polo Dragonfly’s Marcos Bignoli Jr., front, challenges Point to Point’s Francisco Rodriguez-Mera for the ball. Joanne MaisanoFinal score:
Winner:
to Point
Runners-up:
MVP: Francisco Rodriguez-Mera
Best Playing Pony: Tolito Ocampo’s
Point to Point got the best of Salamander in the final of the Eastern Challenge to win, 14-12. Half of the Point to Point goals came off the mallet of Bautista Micheletti.
Tolito Ocampo nailed two goals in the opening chukker, added to a handicap goal, but Micheletti answered with two, including a Penalty 2. Ocampo sandwiched goals around one from Felipe Viana in the second, but two from Micheletti and one from Rodriguez-Mera put Point to Point ahead, 6-5. They increased the lead to three, 9-6, at the halftime break.
Salamander began chipping away at the deficit while slowing the Point to Point offense. They outscored Point to Point, 3-2, in the fourth and Sunblad scored two unanswered goals in the fifth to tie the match at 11.
Rodriguez-Mera tipped the scales for Point to Point early in the sixth. Micheletti followed with a penalty conversion before Ocampo responded. Rodriguez-Mera slammed in one more goal to ensure the victory.
Manuel Sunblad rushes in to stop Bautista Micheletti from reaching the ball. Tony Gibson
Aug.
Final
Winner:
Farm
Runners-up:
MVP: Cindy Halle
Best Playing Pony:
Blevins’ Toby
Marlan Farm took an early lead in the Women’s Arena Handicap and never looked back, defeating Five String Farm in a spirited match.
Beginning with a one-goal handicap, Kelly Wells added to it early in the first. Sierra Blevins gave a one-two punch before Cindy Halle put Five String on the board with backto-back goals. Marlan outscored Five String, 5-4, in the second to take a 9-6 lead into the half.
Halle matched Blevins three goals in the third, but one of Blevins’ was a two-pointer. Wells sunk a penalty to put Marlan ahead, 14-9. Halle scored early in the fourth, but Marlan answered with goals from each player. Bianchi added one last goal but it was too little to late and Marlan had the win.
Scoring 10 of her team’s 11 goals, Cindy Halle was MVP while Blevins’ 17-year-old gray gelding, Toby was Best Playing Pony. Blevins played him in the third chukker.
Dispatches from the world of polo Marlan Farm’s Kelly Wells, Sierra Blevins and Izzy Brockett won the Women’s Arena Handicap at Twilight Polo. Mike RyanCONGRESSIONAL CUP
2-6
CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL OSWEGO, ILLINOIS
JUNE 29-JULY 8 LAS BRISAS POLO WHITE
SPORTSMANSHIP CUP -2-4 ST. CROIX POLO CLUB WOODVILLE, WISCONSIN JULY 9-10 ST. CROIX BLACK
USPA/PTF SENIORS 0-4
GEN. S. BROWN 2-6
WOMEN’S CHALLENGE 4-6
CONGRESSIONAL CUP 2-4
BLACKBERRY POLO CLUB BATAVIA, ILLINOIS
CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL OSWEGO, ILLINOIS
JULY 16-17 GRAND RAPIDS
JULY 20-29 LAS BRISAS
TWIN CITY POLO CLUB LONG LAKE, MINNESOTA JULY 23-24 SPRINGFIELD
TWIN CITY POLO CLUB LONG LAKE, MINNESOTA AUG. 4-7 ADAEA HOME HEALTH
PLAYERS CUP 0-4 ST. LOUIS POLO CLUB ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
AMATEUR CUP 0-2
BLACKBERRY POLO CLUB BATAVIA, ILLINIOIS
PLAYERS CUP 0-4 SPRINGFIELD-CANADA W SAINT PAUL, MANITOBA
AUG. 5-7 RIVERBEND FARMS
AUG. 20-21 MORGAN CREEK
AUG. 26-28 ROCKING S RIVAL
SPORTSMANSHIP CUP ANY-0 SPRINGFIELD-CANADA W SAINT PAUL, MANITOBA AUG. 26-28 ELDEN’S EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE
SPORTSMANSHIP CUP 2-6 OAK BROOK OAK BROOK, ILLINOIS
AUG. 26-31 OAK BROOK POLO ACADEMY
AMATEUR CUP -2-4 ST. CROIX POLO CLUB WOODVILLE, WISCONSIN SEPT. 10-11 SIMPACTICO
TOURNAMENT NAME
GOAL LEVEL HOST CLUB CITY, STATE
GEN. GEORGE S. PATTON JR. 2-4
PLAYERS CUP
CONSTITUTION CUP
0-4
0-4
MASTERS CUP -2-2
WOMEN’S CHALLENGE 8-12
GOVERNOR’S CUP
MASTERS CUP
CONGRESSIONAL CUP
CENTENNIAL CUP
CENTENNIAL CUP
0-6
0-4
0-2
0-6
0-4
MARYLAND POLO CLUB JARRETTSVILLE, MARYLAND
SPRINGBOK POLO CLUB MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA
LIGONIER POLO ASSOCIATION LIGONIER, PENNSYLVANIA
LANCASTER POLO CLUB LITITZ, PENNSYLVANIA
MARYLAND POLO CLUB JARRETTSVILLE, MARYLAND
FOXLEASE POLO CLUB LLC UPPERVILLE, VIRGINIA
DATE WINNER
JUNE 23-26 WEST SHORE
JUNE 24-JULY 4 SPRINGBOK POLO
JULY 2-3 LIGONIER POLO
JULY 2-4 VICTORY FARM/BOOTHWYN PHARMACY
JULY 7-10 TTR SOTHEBY’S
JULY 7-30 ROYAL BANK CANADA
TWILIGHT POLO CLUB MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA JULY 29-31 PIEDMONT POLO
SPRINGBOK POLO CLUB MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA
AUG. 13-21 WOODROW FARM
FOXLEASE POLO CLUB LLC UPPERVILLE, VIRGINIA AUG. 19-29 I4I/TTR
LIGONIER POLO ASSOCIATION LIGONIER, PENNSYLVANIA AUG. 27-28 WOODMERE
SCORE
MVP
LAS BRISAS GREEN
7-4½
TWIN CITIES 2-1
G SQUARED 6-4½
MARIANO GUTIERREZ
MATIAS OBREGON’S MIMOSA ST. CROIX BLUE 1-0
LAURALEE UMPHREY PAUL CINCOSKI’S CHOCHA
WHITNEY VOGT LEONARD MONSON
MARIANO GUTIERREZ
TWIN CITY POLO CLUB 3-2½ THERESE VOLMER
TWIN CITY POLO CLUB 8-6
NO-H2O 7-5
MATIAS OBREGON’S HONG KONG PAIGE BILLEK
MANUEL ONTIVEROS LARA GASTON RAIMONDO’S INGRID
WINIFRED BRANSCUM ANNE BRANSCUM’S THIS MEANS WAR
BARRINGTON HILLS POLO CLUB 12-1½ ESTELLA MAZZIE TOD RACKLEY’S BIANCA WILL BOLAND
TWIN CITY TROOP 7-3½
GARRETT SMITH
TONI BASALDUA’S RAQUEL RICARDO GARCIA CRAIG’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE 2-1
DAVIS MCCLARTY DAVIS MCCLARTY’S PAELLA CHET NELSON
LAS BRISAS 4-3 SAWYER LEFFINGWELL CAROLINE STAUFFER’S NANA MATT LIND
ST. CROIX WHITE 5-3
AUSTIN FIGGE NACHO PIZARRO’S LUCA
PINKARD PROPERTIES
7-6
GREENHILL POLO 5-3
JACOB BROWN DENNYS SANTANA’S 3 SIERRA BLEVINS
LUCIANO DIAZ DAVID GREENHILL’S TAN TAN HORACIO LIZASO
ANTONIO VILLAMIL ALEX BURKLAND’S CAPITAN WTR 10-4½ SHARIAH HARRIS JACOB BROWN’S DANDY
WOODMERE 6-5
PINKARD PROPERTIES 7-6
PINEAPPLE’S/TWILIGHT
7-5
BROOKFIELD POLO 6-5
ROCK ROLLINS POLO 6-5
LAURA BROWN ISABELLA WOLF’S GARDENIA AURORA KNOX
DOUG BARNES BOB PARR’S TOBI
JOAQUIN ALTUNA LIAM LOTT’S TAMMI
EMILY MEYER AUGUSTINE MAUHUM’S RULETA
GREENHILL/SPRINGBOX
7-3 ½
DUILIO DIAZ
JUSTO MOURINO’S RAYUELA LIGONIER 4-2½
ANTONIO VILLAMIL ANTONIO VILLAMIL’S BLUEBERRY JUAN GIMINEZ VILLAMIL
Dispatches from the world of poloTOURNAMENT NAME
GOAL LEVEL HOST CLUB CITY, STATE
CENTENNIAL CUP 0-6 DENVER POLO CLUB SEDALIA, COLORADO
PLAYERS CUP 0-4
DATE WINNER
JUNE 26-JULY 3 COORS
FAIRFIELD POLO CLUB HAYSVILLE, KANSAS JULY 1-3 OKLAHOMA CITY
ARENA CHALLENGE CUP ANY-4 NWA POLO CLUB GRAVETTE, ARKANSAS JULY 9-10 NWA POLO
CONGRESSIONAL CUP 0-4
GOVERNORS CUP 2-5
FAIRFIELD POLO CLUB HAYSVILLE, KANSAS JULY 22-24 TULSA POLO CLUB
DENVER POLO CLUB SEDALIA, COLORADO AUG. 5-7 UBS
ARENA WOMEN’S CHALLENGE 4-8 NWA POLO CLUB
CONSTITUTION CUP 0-4
GRAVETTE, ARKANSAS
AUG. 13-14 NWA
FAIRFIELD POLO CLUB HAYSVILLE, KANSAS SEPT. 2-4 CUSTOM STUCCO
AMATEUR CUP 0-3 FAIRFIELD POLO CLUB HAYSVILLE, KANSAS SEPT. 9-11 CUSTOM STUCCO
ARENA AMATEUR CUP -1-2 FAIRFIELD POLO CLUB HAYSVILLE, KANSAS SEPT. 9-11 HAUL YA
GOAL LEVEL HOST CLUB CITY, STATE DATE WINNER
MASTERS CUP 6-10 HAWAII POLO CLUB WAIALUA, HAWAII
SPORTSMANSHIP CUP 6-12 HAWAII POLO CLUB WAIALUA, HAWAII
JULY 4-10 EQUUS
JULY 11-17 LAZY L RANCH
JULY 18-24 EQUUS HOTEL INTRA-CIRCUIT CUP 8-12 HAWAII POLO CLUB WAIALUA, HAWAII JULY 25-31 HAWAII POLO LIFE
GOVERNOR’S CUP 0-6 HAWAII POLO CLUB WAIALUA, HAWAII
WOMEN’S CHALLENGE 4-8 HONOLULU POLO CLUB WAIMANALO, HAWAII JULY 27-31 HI COUNTRY POLO
AMATEUR CUP ANY-4 HAWAII POLO CLUB WAIALUA, HAWAII
SPORTSMANSHIP CUP 2-6
LEXINGTON POLO ASSOCIATION LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY
AUG. 28 LAZY L RANCH
JUNE 29-JULY 3 OREA POLO
MA STERS CUP 7-9 BLISS POLO CLUB LEVERING, MICHIGAN JULY 13-20 BLISS
CONGRESSIONAL CUP 7-9 BLISS POLO CLUB LEVERING, MICHIGAN AUG. 14-21 ORCHARD HILL
VALIENTE
8-6½
WICHITA 3½-3
MARIPOSA 10-8
KICKING HORSE RANCH 4½-4
COORS 8-6½
OSU 9-2
BANK OF AMERICA 6-4½
SUTTER BUTTES 8-3½
BRUCE GOTTWALD III
JASON WATES’ CLASSY
KARSON BIZZELL WILL DARRAH’S GITANO
ROBERT KOEHLER MICHAEL SCOTT’S SWEETHEART GREG SUMMERS
KARSON BIZZELL MICHAEL WOLFE’S VICTORIA
LUKE CLARKE
ERICA GANDOMCAR’S MERCEDES
ROXY KEYFAUVER KIM MAYER’S JADE
CASEY HOSKINS MICHAEL CARNEY’S LITTLE BEAR
CASEY HOSKINS
FREDDY’S 4-2 LILY WAKIM
RAEANN MAGILL’S SHANIA MICHAEL WOLFE
LAZY L RANCH 6-5
JULIAN ALVAREZ
RUSTAN TONGG’S PEACH
SIRI MASTERSON
NOH FOODS 4-2 FACUNDO IGLESIAS DEVON DAILEY’S KILLER CALI ARTHUR MORGENSTERN III
HAWAII POLO LIFE 2-1
CHRIS DAWSON’S DOLFINA HORTENSIA ANGUS MCKELVIE EQUUS 5-2
HAWAII POLO LIFE 3½-3
HI COUNTRY POLO 8-3½
ANGUS MCKELVIE DEVON DAILEY’S ANTE UP ARTHUR MORGENSTERN III
ALANA BENZ
LEVI RITA
CHRIS DAWSON’S SANTANA OLIVIA CORDS
JESS COLE’S ANNA
KATHERINE BERRY BUSH
LANHAM INSULATION/WALKER POLO 8-7
HARDSCRABBLE 14-8
HARDSCRABBLE 14-10
PETRA SOBOTOVA
MATIAS BUSQUET’S MARUJA
HARRISON CALDWELL MASON LAMPTON SR.’S FANCY
HARRISON CALDWELL MARCOS ALBERDI’S NARCISO
Dispatches from the world of poloCONGRESSIONAL CUP
GOVERNOR’S CUP
0-4 WESTCHESTER POLO CLUB PORTSMOUTH, RHODE ISLAND JUNE 17-JULY 3 GLEN FARM
0-5
GIANT VALLEY POLO CLUB HAMDEN, CONNECTICUT JULY 6-10 HERITAGE FARM
HALL OF FAME CHALLENGE CUP 0-4 SKANEATELES POLO CLUB SKANEATELES, NEW YORK JULY 7-10 SHAMROCK
CENTENNIAL CUP 0-2 SUGARBUSH POLO CLUB NORTH FERRISBURG, VERMONT JULY 15-18 TEAM 4
CENTENNIAL CUP 4-8 MASHOMACK POLO CLUB PINE PLAINS, NEW YORK
SPORTSMANSHIP CUP -2-4
JULY 27-AUG. 14 DAZOS POLO TEAM
GIANT VALLEY POLO CLUB HAMDEN, CONNECTICUT JULY 28-31 LADDER HILL POLO
AMATEUR CUP -4-1 CENTRAL NEW YORK POLO CLUB ITHACA, NEW YORK AUG. 4-7 WHITE WINTER
CONGRESSIONAL CUP 0-2
MASTERS CUP 4-6
CENTRAL NEW YORK POLO CLUB ITHACA, NEW YORK AUG. 4-7 CESAR’S MARAUDERS
FARMINGTON POLO CLUB FARMINGTON, CONNECTICUT AUG. 10-11 GTFO
SPORTSMANSHIP CUP 0-4 SKANEATELES POLO CLUB SKANEATELES, NEW YORK AUG. 11-14 SKANEATELES
I/I ALUMNI TOURNAMENT ANY-4 BOSTON POLO CLUB GEORGETOWN, MASSACHUSETTS
AUG. 27 BOSTON POLO
ARENA CHALLENGE CUP ANY-4 BOSTON POLO CLUB GEORGETOWN, MASSACHUSETTS SEPT. 2-8 BOSTON POLO WHITE
PLAYERS CUP 0-4 WILL ROGERS POLO CLUB PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA
ARENA CONGRESSIONAL CUP -1-1
GEN. GEORGE S. PATTON JR. 2-4
CONGRESSIONAL CUP 8-12
ARENA CONSTITUTION CUP -1-1
GEN. GEORGE S. PATTON JR. 2-5
OFFICERS CUP 4-8
SPORTSMANSHIP CUP 2-6
LAKESIDE POLO CLUB LAKESIDE, CALIFORNIA
LAKESIDE POLO CLUB LAKESIDE, CALIFORNIA
LA HERRADURA POLO CLUB LLC SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA
POWAY POLO CLUB POWAY, CALIFORNIA
POWAY POLO CLUB POWAY, CALIFORNIA
FOLDED HILLS POLO LLC GAVIOTA, CALIFORNIA
WINE COUNTRY POLO CLUB SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA
WOMEN’S CHALLENGE 1-6 WILL ROGERS POLO CLUB PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA
CONGRESSIONAL CUP 2-6
WINE COUNTRY POLO CLUB SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA
JUNE 18-19 PASEDENA POLO
JUNE 25-26 FAWKES POLO
JUNE 25-26 LOS TACOS BRAVOS
JUNE 25-JULY 3 MOKAROW FARMS
JULY 2-3 FAWKES POLO
JULY 2-3 POLODEO RANCH
JULY 7-16 SOL DE AGOSTO
JULY 9-10 ACT COMPASS LA FORTUNA
JULY 23-24 CELEBRITY/AMERICAN POLO GIRLS
AUG. 6-7 NORDBY CONSTRUCTION
GEN. GEORGE S. PATTON JR. 6-8 FOLDED HILLS POLO LLC GAVIOTA, CALIFORNIA AUG. 18-27 FOLDED HILLS
WOMEN’S CHALLENGE 7-12 LA HERRADURA POLO CLUB LLC SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA
CENTENNIAL CUP 2-6
AUG. 24-28 LA QUINTA NORTE
WINE COUNTRY POLO CLUB SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA SEPT. 3-4 GEORGE PETERSEN INSURANCE
POLOMBIA 9-8
VASCULAR INSTITUTE/CEDAR VIEW 8-6½
MIDLAND 8-4½ TEAM 2/TEAM 3 9-6½
SAVANNA 10-8
HARD BOOT 6-5
ITHACA BAKERY 7-3
HARD BOOT 7-3
WILLOW TREE 7½-7
WHITE WINTER 5-4
STUART CAMPBELL S. CAMBELL’S START THE BALL ROLLING PETER JENKINS
LUIS GALVAN
PEDRO MUR
BENJAMIN DANIELS’ SNEAKY ANDREW GALE
AGUSTIN PALOMEQUE IV ROBI BILBOA’S JESSICA
DANIEL ARNOLD HUNTER JELSCH’S ASHER
JASMINE UMRIGAR’S GASTON
HUNTER JELSCH’S ASHER
FERNANDO MORGANTI PELOSINI ZACH GROB’S CAMBRIA
STUART CAMPBELL’S MAGOO
TATE LAVITT BROOKE HENEHAN’S CHARMING BOSTON POLO BLACK 8-6 GEORGE KRABBE AUGIE GROTNIK’S M&M
UCONN 4½-3
LAKESIDE POLO
7-6
PIERS BOSSOM PIERS BOSSOM’S HAVANO
MARC SCHNOEBELEN MAIA SCHNOEBELEN’S TANANI JIE FENG
TRUST ME POLO 15-14 MOLLY AGEE SHAUN CORNELL’S BUDDY SHAUN CORNELL INDIA 9-6
RANCHO ARROYO 15-5
MARIANO GRACIDA RODRIGO FERNANDEZ’S STRIPES SUZETTE YAMANI
JASMINE LU ZOEY NEWTON’S ATLAS REBEKAH SEGIEN
GARRETT BANKHEAD MOLLY AGEE BANKHEAD’S LOUIE FARIS HANNA LUCCHESE 11-10
LAKESIDE POLO CLUB 16-7
ACT COMPASS HAYFORK RANCH 6-4
JUAN DE NARVAEZ SEGUNDO SARAVI’S DELMAY FORTYLUZ
PATRICK O’BRIEN MARTIN TASSARA’S NOCHE KARL HASZ
MEGAN JUDGE MEGAN JUDGE’S MONKEY
ENGEL AND VÖLKERS
7-6
WAQAAS AL-SIDDIQ CARLOS RIVAS’ BURBUJA STG/POLO CHAMPAGNE 12-7
CHRISTOPHER BUSCH ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ’S DOBEL
SUMMER IN A BOTTLE 6½-3
VLADIMIR RIVKIN’S ASAFATA JENS LERMUSIAUX
RADHIKA MAY MEMO GRACIDA’S CHAPPARAL TIAMO HUDSPETH NORDBY CONSTRUCTION 5-4½ HENRY BAILEY
Dispatches from the world of poloWOMEN’S CHALLENGE 4-7
SPORTSMANSHIP CUP -1-1
SPORTSMANSHIP CUP 0-3
MASTERS CUP -3-0
MASTERS CUP 0-2
GOVERNOR’S CUP 0-6
PLAYERS CUP 0-4
MASTERS CUP 3-6
GOVERNOR’S CUP 0-6
GOVERNOR’S CUP -2-0
OFFICERS CUP 4-8
MASTERS CUP -1-3
MASTERS CUP -4 - -1
LA CONNER POLO CLUB
LA CONNER, WASHINGTON JUNE 25-26
SEATTLE POLO AND EQUESTRIAN CLUB ENUMCLAW, WASHINGTON JULY 8-10
SEATTLE POLO AND EQUESTRIAN CLUB ENUMCLAW, WASHINGTON JULY 9-10
VANCOUVER POLO CLUB
DELTA, CANADA JULY 16-17
VANCOUVER POLO CLUB DELTA, CANADA JULY 16-17
BIG HORN POLO CLUB
LA GRANDE POLO CLUB
JACKSON HOLE POLO CLUB
SEATTLE POLO AND EQUESTRIAN CLUB
SHERIDAN, WYOMING JULY 17-24
LA GRANDE, OREGON JULY 23-24
JACKSON, WYOMING JULY 29-30
ENUMCLAW, WASHINGTON JULY 29-31
SEATTLE POLO AND EQUESTRIAN CLUB ENUMCLAW, WASHINGTON JULY 29-31
JACKSON HOLE POLO CLUB
OKANAGAN POLO CLUB
OKANAGAN POLO CLUB
WOMEN’S CHALLENGE 8-12 BIG HORN POLO CLUB
PLAYERS CUP 0-4 SPOKANE POLO CLUB
CENTENNIAL CUP -1-0
SPOKANE POLO CLUB
JACKSON, WYOMING JULY 29-31
KELOWNA, CANADA JULY 30-AUG. 1
KELOWNA, CANADA JULY 30-AUG. 1
SHERIDAN, WYOMING AUG. 12-14
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON SEPT. 2-4
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON SEPT. 3-4
TOURNAMENT NAME
GOAL LEVEL
GEN. GEORGE S. PATTON JR. -1-2
ARENA CONGRESSIONAL CUP 0-6
CENTENNIAL CUP -1-2
HOST CLUB
EL CASO POLO & EQUESTRIAN CENTER
EL CASO POLO & EQUESTRIAN CENTER
QUEMADO, NEW MEXICO JULY 23-24
QUEMADO, NEW MEXICO JULY 30-31
EL CASO POLO & EQUESTRIAN CENTER QUEMADO, NEW MEXICO AUG. 6-7
RANCHO POQUITO SHERYL SICK
ANNA ANDERSON’S ROOSTER
BEND SEATTLE POLO 5-5 CAMERON SMITH CAMERON SMITH’S BEST WESTERN
STYLED EQUESTRIAN DIX FARMS 5½-4
JOSEPH COORS III MIRANDA LUNA’S ANASTASIA AUSTIN STATION DENTAL DOMINO HIGH VOLTAGE 8-3½ NASH BRYAN LYNN WALES’ GIRAFA
DEWSON PROPERTIES KERR CONSTRUCTION 8-5
EVERGREEN ASHBLUE 8½-5
QUINN EVANS GRAYMAR FARM’S CARITA CITY GARBAGE YOLO POLO 6-4 JASON LARVIK’S CANELA
PRAIRIE JUSTICE DEER CREEK 6½-6 BAILEY SMITH MARCOS VILLANUEVA’S BLUE
WILDFIRE POLO HERON HILL 7-6½ JASON LARVIK GEORGE DILL’S LITTLE BEAR HERON HILL SEATTLE POLO 5-4 MARISSA WELLS GEORGE DILL’S CAVIAR CURTIS LINDAHL
SHOOTIN’ IRON LAZY 3 11-7 GARY ROUBIN LAZY 3 RANCH’S REMINGTON
OK GP2 4-2 WADE GABOURY RUTH PETER’S FLASH
OK2 VANCOUVER 7-4 MACIA NELSON CLAUDIA TORNQUIST’S CELLO
TEAM C TEAM D 5-4 CARTER NIX SAN SABA’S RENATA DIX FARM LA GRANDE POLO 12-3 MARISSA WELLS SUZY DIX’S COWBOY
DESIGNATED DRINKERS SEATTLE POLO 5-4½ JOSEPH COORS III COLBY SMITH’S DREAM
RANCHO NARANJO OJOS LOCOS 7½-4
RANCHO NARANJO POLLO LOCOS 9-6 ALEC FELHABER SR. LANCE EASTERLING’S CORONA ALEC FELHABER JR.
EL CASO RANCHO NARANJO 1-0 ALLISON FREEMAN RANCHO NARANJO’S MACHO ALEC FELHABER SR.
Dispatches from the world of poloOak Brook Polo in Oak Brook, Illinois, is celebrating 100 years. It is impossible to celebrate the momentous occasion without celebrating the Butler family, but there are others that have helped carry the torch.
The Butler family has been a part of the area since the mid-1800s when Julius Wales Butler moved to Chicago to clerk for his brother’s paper business and general store. He eventually became partner in a company that handled the paper
coming out of his brother’s mill. In 1872, the company became the J.W. Butler Paper Company, which grew into a successful nationwide business. When Julius Butler died in 1912, his son Frank Osgood Butler took over the business.
Frank Butler was an avid equestrian who owned large cattle ranches in Montana and South Dakota, where he played casual polo with other cowboys on the ranch.
In the 1890s, Frank Butler purchased land 17 miles west of Chicago called Oak Brook Farm and added to it, purchasing an adjoining Natoma dairy farm.
Frank Butler’s son Paul shared his father’s love of polo and had been playing at the Onwentsia Polo Club in Lake Forest, Illinois. In 1922, Paul
Polo action at Oak Brook Polo Club in 1935. Chicago History Museum (SDN-010479)and his father founded the Oak Brook Polo Club on his father’s property. At that time, Meadow Brook Polo Club in New York was the polo capital, but Paul Butler envisioned the day Oak Brook would become the epicenter of the sport.
Starting in the early 1930s, Paul Butler acquired land adjoining his father’s, adding to the family’s holdings, with the intention of eventually developing it.
The polo fields were plowed under during World War II but Butler began
rebuilding them shortly after.
While Paul Butler’s primary passion was polo and his primary job was chairman of the paper company, he had several other interests. After serving as a pilot in World War I, in 1945, he founded Butler Aviation Corporation, then the largest aviation company in the U.S. Additionally, he began building out Oak Brook’s 3,600 acres into a complex for businesses, residences and a vast array of recreational facilities. The Village of Oak Brook
was incorporated in 1958 and included residential subdivisions, office buildings and shopping centers. Adjacent to it he built the International Sports Core, comprised of golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools, a game preserve, archery ranges, horse show rings, cross country courses, a landing strip and plenty of open land.
Every facet of the planning of all areas was carefully supervised by Paul Butler.
He co-founded the Bank of Oak Brook, the Butler National Golf Club, the Oak Brook Bath & Tennis Club and the Oak Brook Utility Company, and organized the development company Oak Brook Venture. Oak Brook became known as the town that polo built.
Despite the development, the polo facilities didn’t suffer. By then the club had grown to 14 polo fields and stabling for 400 horses, a clubhouse, grandstands and 36 miles of treelined trails.
When Meadow Brook was sold for development, the USPA asked Oak Brook to host the U.S. Open Polo Championship. Except for two years when it was held in California, the tournament was held at Oak Brook from 1954 until 1979.
In 1954, the USPA moved its headquarters there until 1986. During that time, numerous club and national events were held there.
The club’s location in the middle of the country made it ideally situated for teams to visit. Open teams came from Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania,Texas, Florida, California and Mexico.
Paul Butler won six U.S. Open and four Butler Handicap titles. He also took teams to play internationally and hosted teams from Argentina, Mexico, England and India.
Two of Paul Butler’s four children, Michael and Jorie, shared their father’s love of the sport and helped
A 1971 ad for Oak Brook property highlights the town’s polo action.manage the polo operations. In 1969, Jorie Butler was the second woman to join the USPA after it began admitting women in 1956 when Elizabeth Dailey joined.
Jorie Butler was overseeing the club’s day-to-day organization, including game schedules, field maintenance and other polo-related activities as well as running the Bath and Tennis Club in the 1970s.
U.S. Open team participation doubled from six teams in 1976 to 12 in 1977. The club held a polo pony auction that year in conjunction with the tournament, where 100 polo ponies were available for purchase. Another 12 teams played the following year as well.
Michael Butler helped manage the club and focused on promoting the sport to players and spectators alike. He also volunteered his time as a
USPA circuit governor for 17 years.
Over the years, he played with polo greats like Jackie Murphy, Cecil Smith, Bob Skene, Bill Atkinson, Ronnie Tongg and Stuart Mackenzie, not only at Oak Brook but at places like Santa Barbara and England.
Thanks to his efforts, the club regularly hosted royalty and celebrities, including Prince Charles, Lord Cowdray, Maj. Ronald Ferguson, Lord Patrick Beresford, King Hussein, the Maharaja of Jaipur, Audrey Hepburn, Stephanie Powers, Mick Jagger, Frank Zappa, George Plimpton and Susan St. James.
While the club embraced high-goal polo for many years, Michael Butler felt family polo was key to the sport.
“To this day, I still feel 16-goal polo is the best polo to watch,” Michael Butler said in 2020.
The club’s past 100 years have not
been without struggles. In 1978, the family sold the Sports Core’s 270 acres, including the polo fields, to the Village, something that had long been in the plans. The following year, after two decades, the U.S. Open was moved to Retama Polo Club in Texas.
By that time, the club was down to six fields but before long, three polo fields were transformed into a golf course and 200 stalls were razed for the McDonald’s world headquarters. Gate revenues were low, membership was dropping and sponsorships had bottomed out.
Tragically, Paul Butler died in 1981, after being struck by a car apparently while walking near his house where he had been out taking photos, a hobby of his.
Jorie Butler ran the club for some time before Michael Butler stepped
The club held a polo pony auction in 1977 in conjunction with the U.S. Open, which attracted 12 teams. Oak Brook Polo Clubin to oversee the club’s operation. Within a few short years, things were looking up. Sponsorship grew fivefold, social memberships grew to 300 and tournament participation doubled. But, the polo facilities were dwindling.
In 1987, a mid-August deluge pummeled the area with 11 inches of rain. Two days later, Salt Creek crested leaving the then Field No. 1 under eight feet of water. It took five days for the water to recede, leaving the International field destroyed, along with grandstands, walkways and concession stands.
The season was over too soon but Michael Butler focused on the next season. He moved the stadium
Spectators line the Cecil Smith Field for an afternoon of polo. Jack Murphy, Billy Linfoot, Jorie Butler, Paul Butler, Charles Smith, Ronnie Tongg and Norty Knox in 1965. Oak Brook Polo Club Oak Brook Polo Cluband concessions to Field No. 2, the Cecil Smith Field, located on higher ground further from the creek and did what he could to repair the damage to Field No. 1 so it could be used for practices.
Michael Butler estimated at the time that lost revenues from the shortened season and repairs had cost him $500,000.
By 1990, the Oak Brook Village board
terminated the club’s final year of its lease. Soon after, the club filed for bankruptcy. The Village entered into a lease with a group called the Polo and Equestrian Club of Oak Brook led by Bill O’Leary and Jim Tuohy for the 1991 season, and later renewed the lease for three more years.
“In its heyday, Oak Brook was elegant, had tons of fields and the atmosphere was very nice. ... We actually took it over to save
polo because it was closing down,” Jim Tuohy explained. “It just made sense to do that, to take it over and keep it going, and that is what we did.”
Tuohy said they added about 60 more stalls to the existing 12-stall barn so players could keep their horses on the property and wouldn’t have to truck in for practices. They had the use of three polo fields, one of which consistently flooded, according to Tuohy.
“Sunny Hale worked for us then. She was young, I think it was one of her first jobs,” Tuohy remembers. “She was such a cool girl and organized a league for wives and girlfriends to play on Mondays.”
The guys then played Tuesdays through Fridays and Sundays.
Tuohy said that after the Polo and Equestrian Club left, The Village knocked down the last of the stabling and built a library and a parking lot on some of the property.
At one point, the club shut down temporarily. Still, The Village was keen to keep polo going as it was part of the area’s identity. They made arrangements with a group of players from Naperville, including John Kuhn, Arie Hoogendorn, Bill Reid, Dicky Kuhn and John Greene, to use the last remaining field on Sundays. That lasted a year or two.
In 2009, during the height of the recession, the Village installed golf greens on the club’s Cecil Smith Field. That left just the original Field No. 1, which also operated as a practice range for the private Oak Brook Golf Club.
Prince Charles greets guests during a visit to Oak Brook in 1986. Oak Brook Polo ClubSeveral other people tried to run the club over the years, as did the Village itself, but without much success. Finally, in 2016, the Village entered into an agreement with current club president Jim Drury, who continues to run it today.
Several years ago, local clubs and polo facilities in the area, including Oak Brook, joined forces to support the growth and sustainability of polo through the non-profit Chicago Polo Association.
Last year, the polo club signed a longterm agreement with the Village of Oak Brook to take back the Cecil Smith Field for its polo operations. Extensive work was needed to put the field back into playing condition,
including removing the sand traps, bunkers and hills, leveling it and adding grass, all while working with a fairly short growing season.
“The future of polo in Oak Brook greatly depended on the club’s move to [the] Cecil Smith [Field],” Drury said. “Polo now has a brighter future on and off the field as we continue to work on returning our club to its original glory while ushering in a new generation of fans, players and new ideas. ...”
According to managing director, Danny O’Leary, the club doesn’t operate like a traditional club.
“We host Sunday spectator matches that are either exhibitions, international friendlies [or are]
associated with a tournament in the Chicago Polo Association network,” he wrote.
The highlight of the club’s season is the Butler International Cup, which is generally between teams representing two or three countries. O’Leary said they also host the Oak Brook and Chicago Polo Opens, which they are trying to build into 12-goal tournaments.
Thanks to Drury’s efforts, polo remains at Oak Brook 100 years after it began. Thousands of spectators continue to come out each week during the summer to see the sport responsible for the town’s creation.
Harold Barry (with horse), Jorie Butler, Allan Scherer and Maggie Scherer in 1971.
Oak Brook Polo Club
