Lord Patrick Beresford

In late November, Lord Patrick Beresford watched some early games of the Argentine Open. His prediction that La Dolfina would again triumph proved incorrect. They lost in the final, 10-12, to Ellerstina. Here, he explores the development of Argentina’s polo industry

ILLusTrATION PHIL DIsLEy

The small town of Pilar lies some 35 miles north-west of Buenos Aires, the bustling capital of Argentina, home of the world’s greatest polo ground Palermo. In keeping with much of the countryside, the environs of Pilar are as flat as a board, and thanks to the vision of some polo luminaries such as Héctor Barrantes, Gonzalo Tanoira and Gonzalo Pieres, have developed into a centre of excellence that surely must now exceed even their founders’ wildest dreams.

Within an area of only a few square miles, some alongside each other separated by single or double lines of trees, some end to end with no marked division, lie more polo grounds than probably exist in the whole of the British Isles: full-sized and boarded, they are serviced by enormous American barn-type stables and all-weather exercise tracks and schooling grounds, clubhouses and mainly metalled thoroughfares, while dotted about are houses of varying elegance designed by the more affluent players. The fields, which to the eye appear as level as a billiard table, are slightly cambered to assist drainage and maintained to the highest possible standards. Throughout the daylight hours, petiseros or grooms in the traditional gaucho garb of beret and bombachas (baggy trousers) lead strings of gleaming ponies on exercise or on the way to and from play. Gone are the heavy-headed criollos of yesteryear and in their place is the sleek thoroughbred or near-thoroughbred, many now priced beyond a prince’s ransom.

In former times, the gauchos’ methods of breaking in and training horses were often considered at best rudimentary and, at worst, downright cruel. However, nowadays, the value of polo ponies is so high that far greater care is taken, not only initially – where the Monty roberts method has been adopted by many leading player-breeders, including, for instance, Adolfo Cambiaso and Memo Gracida – but also in early chukkas and games, where retired high-goal horsemen are employed to take over from the groom or domador (horse-breaker).

Furthermore, it now seems that the former Argentinian belief that, on a fit pony, every rib should show has been replaced by a degree of

condition more in keeping with European ideals. Where we still seem to differ is on the need to preserve equilibrium behind by removing the single outside stud from a pony’s back shoe after it has played, but perhaps this is because, in Argentina, there is far less hard-road exercise or standing in an unbedded stable. Apart from this, it would appear in general that farriery in Argentina, although hot-shoeing scarcely exists, is every bit as good if not better than our own.

A fairly recent development in the sale of polo ponies has been an annual public auction at the private stables of some of the leading breeders. At one such, that of Ellerstina on 21 November, 21 yearling fillies were offered, 20 of which were sold at an average price of $95,000 (around £58,000). Of course, they were all of near-perfect conformation and breeding, and immaculately presented, but if, nevertheless, that seems a lot of money, consider the sale that then followed of 16 embryos. These were listed with details of the dam and sire and expected date of birth, and were guaranteed to be female, a fact established, unbelievably, by a minute biopsy of the embryo at the time of its removal from the maternal womb. Prior to and during the bidding, both the natural and the recipient mothers were paraded in the ring – the former all classic mares who had distinguished themselves

in earlier or current Open tournaments, the latter stocky types with obviously equable temperaments and plenty of foal room, though –intentionally – not too much height.

Bidding for the embryos was just about as lively as for the yearlings and the prices achieved sometimes almost as high – the first three lots making $100,000, $90,000 and $55,000 respectively, for instance. Payment is due immediately, and purchase includes, of course, the surrogate mare, but no refund is made – or so I gathered – in the event of the foal being born with some deformity such as a crooked leg. Let us hope, on behalf of their new owners, that fortune will favour the brave, and that in eight to ten years’ time these embryos will have become stars at Palermo!

At the higher level, embryo transfer has now almost completely replaced natural reproduction. It is not cheap, at $3,000 to $4,000 a go – and more in the uK, I believe – but is carried out in specialised clinics that boast awe-inspiring technology. What remains to be seen is whether or not it will gradually be replaced by the more recently discovered and somehow alarming possibility of cloning.

On the evening following the Ellerstina auction, a similar sale took place at neighbouring Los Machitos, the stables of Mariano Aguerre. Here, prices were only marginally lower, 17 yearling fillies averaging $86,700 and 12 embryos $38,250. Proceedings were again conducted by the same auctioneer in his rapid-fire rat-a-tat style, while a variety of young ladies wandered around plying customers with glasses of champagne and other refreshments.

Around Pilar, the proliferation of players of a handicap that would be well respected in England, ie, four, five or six goals, is so great that it is as easy to organise 20-goal chukkas as it is to organise those of six or eight. Meanwhile, at the top level, no fewer than 14 teams entered the Open Championships (handicap range 40 to 28) of whom eight qualified for the quarter-finals in Palermo, led by last year’s winners, Cambiaso’s La Dolfina, now on 40 goals, and the Pieres’ Ellerstina (38). It is interesting to note that the youngest player involved is Nicolás Pieres, aged 21, and the oldest, Pite Merlos, aged 44, but that, even among this galaxy of stars, Cambiaso, aged 37 and his 20th year as a 10-goaler, still shines supreme. It will be really surprising if he does not continue to do so for several seasons to come.

The face of polo has been changed infinitely for the better, both in Argentina and in England, by the publishing of Javier Tanoira’s 2009 treatise (translated into English by sandy Harper), which put forward an effective means of reintroducing the backhander in preference to the stiflingly boring tapping round, of which Cambiaso was the main offender Now he has got to hit and run, and wow, what a spectacle that is!

Without question, Argentina is the cathedral of polo, Palermo with its towering stands the high altar, and Cambiaso now the high priest!