Ponylines

[news]New sponsors, equine flu, polo books and much more

Prince Bahar, nephew of the ruling Sultanof Brunei, gave an impressive performance as a 2-goal amateur upon his return to high goal polo this summer at Santa Maria Polo Club in Sotogrande. He was riding and hitting well as his Ahmibah team – centred on 9-goaler Pablo MacDonough – won the 20-goal Pedro Domecq de la Riva Cup, subsidiary of the Gold Cup. Last year Bahar played only medium goal, winning as part of a team shared with Iñigo Zobel, son of Sotogrande’s founder. In 1997 Bahar’s Jeradong team took the 26-goal Enrique Zobel in Spain and the following year the 22-goal Prince of Wales Trophy in England. He started his European career in the 1990s when his father, Prince Jefri, hired nine high-goal Heguys to play and coach at Jefri’s Ahmibah Farm in Coworth Park. Now based at Zobel’s Ayala Polo Club outside Sotogrande, Bahar plans to play high goal there again in 2008.

Looking back over another English season that was blighted by bad weather and foot-and-mouth, I hope that everyone will agree that the polo managers and groundsmen deserve a very special vote of thanks for keeping the show on the road. In particular, in spite of torrential rain on the Friday, which brought much of the country to a halt, Cowdray managed to put everything in place for Gold Cup finals day on the Sunday and, after heavy rain the preceding week, investment in the grounds by Guards paid off handsomely for the Coronation Cup.

After a drawn-out Gold Cup final, spirits were raised by an outstanding game between two all-English teams on the morning of Cartier International Day. In the afternoon, for the Coronation Cup, which was played in memory and recognition of Gabriel Donoso, England dominated the first half, then let Chile back into the game in the fourth and fifth chukkas when they conceded control to Jaime Huidobro. When Luke Tomlinson was denied what looked like a certain goal to equalise in the last seconds, it appeared that a Chile win was meant to be. In the two test matches England won the first against New Zealand but lost the second against South America who, having been swamped in the first half by some wonderful open polo from the England team, used everything available to them in the second half to slow down the game.

During appalling weather in June, when the final of the Warwickshire had to be postponed, Beaufort and Longdole Polo Clubs between them hosted a very successful FIP Ambassadors Cup, some of which had to be played in the arena – a new experience for several of those taking part.

We were delighted to welcome a young Chilean team to play after the Gold Cup final for the John Cowdray Trophy, as well as young teams from Nigeria and Dubai to play on what has become a very successful SUPA Festival Day at Cirencester.

Congratulations are due to all the winning teams but the 22 goal Loro Piana, lead by Alfio Marchini, deserve a mention not just as winners of the Queen’s Cup and finalists of the Gold Cup, but also for their style of polo. They, along with Ellerston, who had a great match against the Black Bears in the semi finals of the Queen’s Cup, were a joy to watch with their open passing polo.

In the Victor Ludorum, there seems to be an increasing interest in the 18 goal, and Longdole are to be congratulated as the comfortable winners. In the other levels, entries were strong for all the tournaments and again congratulations are due to Wildmoor, winners of both the 15 and 12 goal, and Vampire Bats, winners of the 8 goal.

Many of the old criticisms remain: the umpiring, bad language, appealing, tapping, lack of English players in the 22 goal, handicapping. In many cases the criticisms are levied with some justification; but producing a solution, let alone agreeing one, is not easy. Nevertheless, whilst many players abandon what we are told is going to be a cold English winter to play in sunnier climes, the various committees and Stewards of the HPA will continue to try to find solutions to the various issues so that polo in England can continue to attract new players and be enjoyed by those play it.

Teenagers from the Big Horn Polo Club in Wyoming got the chance to play with top professionals at Skey Johnston’s nearby Flying H Polo Club. This was the second year of the Archie MacCarty Memorial tournament at the Flying H. The tournament, which Skey hosts specifically to give youngsters the chance to play with pros, is named after the late Archie MacCarty, once manager of the Johnston ranch. Three of Archie’s grandsons – Will, Ty and Ford – were among the six Big Horn players aged 16 to 19. They played with pros who included 10-goaler Miguel Novillo Astrada, Mariano Gonzales Owen Rinehart and Tiger Kneece.

This year the Archie MacCarty was supported by the North American Polo League (NAPL), which is committed to developing young talent in the US. The NAPL was formed early this year by the late Skeeter Johnston, Skey’s son, and John Goodman who has also been playing at the Flying H.

The Johnston club is one of the NAPL’s venues for its series of events across the country. HS

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Polo Club (RMASPC) celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Indian Mutiny in August with its second annual Heritage Day, sponsored by Habib Allied International Bank UK.

This year’s event featured a match between British military players and a team of retired cavalry officers from Pakistan, put together by Colonel Talha Saeed of the High Commission for Pakistan in London; the three other players flew in from Pakistan especially for the occasion. Major Mark Cann, director of the Combined Services Polo Association, led the British team. The day also included a ladies’ match between a team of English players and a Brazilian side. Sidelights included a re-enactment of the Delhi mutiny and demonstrations of tent pegging and ladies’ side-saddle riding. Heritage Day is the brainchild of the club’s Swiss polo manager Barbara Zingg, designed to emphasise the history of polo at the academy, where the likes of Winston Churchill learned the game in the 19th century. ‘Next year,’ said Zing, ‘we hope to stage a costumed reenactment of polo as it was played at Sandhurst and by British troops in India 122 years ago.’

RMASPC playing membership consists exclusively of academy cadets. HS

Only three of the 71 ponies on call for this year’s Queen’s Cup final at Guards Polo Club were English in origin. The winners, Loro Piana, had one from patron Alfio Marchini. The team had three Australian mounts and one each from Spain and South Africa. The remaining 29 were all from Argentina. The other finalist, Ellerston, had only two English ponies, from Richard Le Poer. This team had three Argentinian mounts and two from New Zealand. The other 29 were from Australia, where James Packer has one of the world’s greatest pony breeding operations at Ellerston in Queensland.

This summer’s Audi British Ladies Polo Tournament saw Cadenza triumph over Audi, winners for the past two years. The match was played before the England v South America test at Cowdray Park Polo Club.

John Goodman’s International Polo Club Palm Beach has a new President of Club Operations, John Wash, replacing Michael Brown. Wash comes from a country club management background in New York and Texas.

The US Polo Association (USPA) will move into new offices at America’s Polo Museum and Hall of Fame in Lake Worth, Florida, in the New Year. After September’s groundbreaking ceremonies for an extension to the museum, construction is due to be finished by the end of this year. The Florida HQ is in addition to the association’s existing offices in Lexington, Kentucky, with USPA executive director Peter Rizzo commuting between the two.

The Capitol Polo Club in Maryland teamed up with Equestrian Partners in Conservation this summer to stage its first Washington Green Cup, highlighting environmental issues in Montgomery County where there are more than 230 horse farms and almost 200 more producing feed for its equine population.

Polo-playing rock drummer Ginger Baker, late of Cream, reports his new grounds up and running in South Africa. Ginger plans to host a polo and jazz event on 3 November for the benefit of the Beautiful Gate Ministry that cares for Aids affected and infected children.

The foot-and-mouth outbreak, in addition to causing widespread problems for the farming community, had a knock-on effect on polo, resulting in the cancellation of the final weekend’s play at the Guards Polo Club to the disappointment of all concerned. quite tall, and, although not the fastest pony alive, she has great stamina and loves to play. I play arena polo in the winter so my ponies are kept fit and well all-year-round and not just chucked out in the winter. I’m convinced this is why Visty, and many of the other ponies I’ve had, continue to play into their twenties. Visty is still looking well and, although a little arthritic now, is keeping active teaching a 13-year-old boy the ropes and will continue to do so as long as she’s happy to.’

The Pacific Coast Open at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club was the most dramatic of all of America’s 20-goal tournaments this summer and produced a final that Lyndon Lea, English patron of winners Zacara, called ‘the best game I’ve ever played in anywhere, fast open polo’.

Earlier in the tournament, Memo Gracida, key player for California patron Tom Barrack’s Piocho side, was injured and sidelined in a pile-up with his team-mate Kris Kampsen. ‘Memo was coming at me from behind and his pony’s front legs tangled with my pony’s rear legs,’ said Lea. ‘Kris was coming from behind full speed and he and his pony crashed down onto Memo, a quite spectacular pile-up.’

Barrack was also injured, breaking a finger on his stick hand, but bravely went into the final against Zacara playing with a brace on his hand.

Then, with only two-and-a-half minutes to go in the final, Lea was injured. ‘The run-off behind goal at the condos end of the ground is short,’ he said. ‘I crossed the backline at full gallop and somehow managed to turn my pony 90 degrees to avoid going up the hill, but came off.’ The game was stopped for 25 minutes while Lea recovered to play on. Zacara beat Piocho 14-10 to take the trophy. Later it was found that Lea had cracked a vertebra in his fall.

The story doesn’t end there, however. ‘Tom Barrack was due to play in Sardinia after California, but had to have an operation on his hand,’ Lea said, ‘so he asked me to substitute for him on his Cala di Volpe team with Memo. We reached the finals but lost.’ HS Pictured above, from left: Ruki Baillieu Australian, Brandon Philips, Canadian, Michelle Butler of Tiffany, Nick Roldan USA and former FIP president Glen Holden.

Pony’s name Rovista Age 28 Sex Mare Colour Chesnut Height 15.3hh Origin Argentina

George Knowles, 65, is the polo-playing coowner of Baileys Horse Feeds, a 25-year-old family firm supplying scientifically formulated feeds for polo ponies and other sporting horses.

‘The Argentinian high-goal player, Juni Crotto, originally brought “Visty” to the UK and eventually sold her to a local farmer who in the winter hunted her with the Beaufort and in the summer played polo. After a couple of seasons though, he gave up and I bought her in 1992. I hadn’t played polo for 12 years so needed an experienced pony to get me back into the game. Visty was perfect. She’s a bit bigger than the average pony, which suited me as I’m

English ex-pat Arthur Fitzwilliam has lived and worked in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for 20 years. Previously a financial consultant, he is now CEO of Plantation Holdings, developers of a luxurious new polo, equestrian and residential resort rising out of the desert.

‘Most polo players learn the game on grass, but I got my start on desert sand, at the old Dubai Polo Club about 16 years ago. I was hooked from the start and remain so. Polo is such a complex game. You are always trying to learn more in horsemanship, stick work, tactics, always trying to master it. Early on I took lessons with Rege Ludwig in Virginia –on grass. Since then I’ve played in France, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, India and a bit in England where I have a house.

‘Home base for my polo is our Plantation development 15 minutes from the centre of Dubai city. It’s a long-term, $1.8 billion project centred on horse pursuits: all the equestrian disciplines, pleasure riding and, of course, polo. We’ve already started playing on the first of five grass grounds, four times a week, in the season that runs from October to April. I’ve brought in John Fisher from England as our polo manager and our first 50 ponies, from Argentina. Temporary air-conditioned stables and clubhouse are also in place.

‘Stage one of the Plantation development is almost complete –infrastructure such as roads and utilities –but we’re looking at a time-line of around two years for all the facilities: clubhouses, stables, polo, show jumping and dressage arenas, cross-country courses, residences. In short, everything a horseman or horsewoman could ask for. Plantation will have a luxury hotel and around a hundred, multimillion-dollar mansions all individually designed to give the feel of the deep south. We’re aiming for Plantation to be the best international equestrian resort in the world –and the best place to live in Dubai.’

In Argentina, watchmakers Jaeger-LeCoultre are sponsoring 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso’s La Dolfina team in the country’s Triple Crown series of tournaments, the Tortugas, Hurlingham, and Argentine Opens. La Dolfina are reigning champions in the latter two.

The Heguy-based Indios Chapaleufu II team in the Triple Crown is sponsored by the new polo and residential resort development Culu Culu.

The Park Hyatt Buenos Aires has put its name to the Alegria team that are trying to qualify for a place in the Triple Crown. Alegria is the only team with non-Argentinian players in its line-up: England’s Luke Tomlinson, Canada’s Fred Mannix and Australia’s Jack Baillieu.

Ralph Lauren’s Black Watch sponsored the Black Watch team that played at Bridgehampton and was also scheduled to play in the cancelled Jockey Club Open in Buenos Aires. The team included Ignacio Figueras who also models for the fashion giant.

In the USA, Creed was one of the event sponsors in the Veuve Clicquot Cup at Greenwich Polo Club in September – the first time the 247-year-old fragrance firm had undertaken sponsorship. HS

Inter-club polo in the Australian states of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland has been cancelled for the duration of the country’s first-ever epidemic of equine flu. Until now Australia has been one of the few countries in the world that has been free of the disease. Since the highly contagious virus was first detected in August, thought to have been brought in by a horse from the Northern Hemisphere, quarantines and restrictions on movement of horses has forced cancellation of many horse sports events. Racing, a multibillion dollar industry in Australia, has been badly hit. Overall more than 1,300 establishments with over 11,000 horses are involved.

The epidemic struck in the Australian spring breeding season. While equine flu usually only puts sports horses out of competition for several weeks, it can provoke potentially fatal complications in foals. The Australian government has imported tens of thousands of vaccine doses to start an inoculation programme in an effort to halt the epidemic before it spreads to other states. It appears that in the future, horsemen in Australia, like others elsewhere in the world, will have to make equine flu vaccination a standard veterinary procedure. HS

It is with great sadness that we learned of the tragic death of FIP Ambassador Patricio Mujica Brieba at his farm in Tecamac Mexico at the end of August. Son of Don Dario Mujica and Maria Brieba, he was born in Santiago, Chile in 1931. A consumate sportsman, Patricio loved to compete on the polo field, at the bridge table, on the tennis court and even occasionally on the golf course, where he found it a challenge to beat his lovely wife, Azita. As a great raconteur and a known bon vivant, Patricio loved a good cigar and a good story – dinners always went on late into the night. His great wit and charm are best demonstrated by one of his favourite stories. Having flown on Air France from New York to Paris – where he was meant to disembark – he managed to convince the pilot to let him stay onboard while the plane continued to Geneva in the name of true love. The beautiful, bemused woman seated next to him was destined to become his wife. He and Azita spent 24 wonderful years together. Patricio was a kind, generous sensitive man who was always delighted to help a friend. He was quick to feel others’ sadness and even quicker to share in their joy. As a polo player of the old school, he was known for his hospitality and generosity in lending horses to visiting players. He will be greatly missed by his many friends around the world. MELANIE VERE NICOLL

Profiles in Polo: The Players Who Changed the Game edited by Horace A Laffaye (McFarland & Co). Over 30 of polo’s most influential players throughout history are profiled in this book, based on the players’ overall impact on the game rather than simply prowess on the field, although many covered are considered all-time greats. With contributions from many of the world’s leading polo journalists, each chapter covers an individual player, including early pioneers, those from the ‘golden era’ between World War I and World War II, superstars, game-changers and great contemporaries. Horace A Laffaye, a player himself, is on the board of directors of the Museum of Polo. Foreword by The Prince of Wales.

Where the Rivers Run North by Sam Morton (Full Moon Press) is an historical novel that covers four eras in the history of Absaraka (now southern Montana and northern Wyoming) from the days when Native American tribes still dominated the landscape to the hardships of fledgling pioneer life to the era of fast-paced modern development. One thread runs throughout: the figure of the horse, whether running wild on the plains or competing on the racetrack. The book also contains connections with English noblemen and great horses with bloodlines from England and around the world. It reveals the unique historical impact of the Big Horn Polo Club by showing that over 118 years it has been a major hub for some of the sports major personalities. This is an epic story told with warmth and humour. It will appeal to – and inspire – anyone with an interest in history, horses and polo.

The Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club near Shanghai will in October showcase the sport of polo in a glamorous, inaugural three-day event to ‘reflect the polo lifestyle’. The Royal Salute Polo Gold Cup is being supported by several senior FIP members including president Patrick Guerrand Hermes who is contributing his leading professional player, and Australia ambassador Peter Yunghanns and delegate Graham McGregor. Four teams of mostly international professionals will be flown in, with Malcolm Borwick, Alasdair Archibald, Andrew Hine and France’s best player Brieuc Rigaux all confirmed. It’s one of the first, international polo events in China, with all ponies provided by the club and the Duke of Argyll presenting the winning trophy at this UKthemed event. Live performances will entertain spectators between the matches, and the final day will culminate in a gala dinner designed to raise money to support students travelling to the UK to train in horse and stable management and equine veterinary, of which no schools yet exist in China. www.ndhpolo.com for more info. ML

India’s Royal Mewar team beat Singapore 83 in a five-chukka match to win Cartier’s prestigious La Maillet d’Or trophy. The match was held at the Singapore Polo Club in damp June conditions that were reminiscent of the English summer. Around 800 spectators attended, including local supporters, dignitaries, and guests. The Maharana of Udaipur, His Highness Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, was guest of honour. A highlight was the fashion show sponsored by pologirlsclub.com, which specialises in polo-inspired fashion. Princess Bhargavi Kumari Mewar presented the Best Hat award to Mrs. Anju Bhojwani while Cartier’s Managing Director, Christopher Kilaniotis, presented the Best Dressed Gentleman award to Tan Puay Hiang. Winners for the Most Valuable Player and Best Polo Playing Pony also received prizes sponsored by La Martina and Cartier.

JUAN MARTIN NERO Nationality: Argentine Age: 26 Handicap: 10 in US and England; 9 in Argentina

Spectators and players love Juan Martin Nero’s style of polo: he uses his talent, his head and all his team members. This year, he went to 10 in America, then in England, where he led this season’s team sensation, Loro Piana. Nero grew up in the polo stronghold of Trenque Lauquen, 400 km from Buenos Aires. How did your career progress? I got a job with Talandracas, playing in Paris and Sotogrande. I went to England in 2003 with Talandracas, where Dubai knocked us out of the Gold Cup. Then I had my big break in 2004 when Marcos Heguy asked me to join Azzurra. We won the Gold Cup and my career took off because I was playing 22-goal instead of 14-goal. And more recently? I joined Loro Piana in 2006, with Milo Fernandez-Araujo. Milo and Marcos have been my greatest influences – I’ve picked so much up from them. Alfio Marchini has bought fantastic horses and we’re all great friends on the team. This year has been my best: reaching the final of the US Open and Gold Cup, winning the Queen’s Cup and Sotogrande Silver Cup – and getting to 10, which has always been my dream. When did you first play the Abierto? In 2004, I replaced Marcos Heguy in Chapa I after he hurt his arm. Chapa II beat us in the final. Since then I’ve played every year with Chapa I, who I grew up supporting. How do you rate yourself compared to Cambiaso? I can’t put myself in his league – he’s still the one to look up to. I’m four or five steps down. What’s your dream Argentine Open team? Actually, it’s the team I’ll play with in 2008 –Ellerstina – which will be Gonzalito and Facundo Pieres, Pablo MacDonough and me. Where do you like playing best? England. I love the country, but also the tough competition: there are so many wellorganised teams, with nearly all the world’s top players. Doing well is a challenge.