Autumn 2009 by Hurlingham Polo Magazine

hurlingham polo association magazine

WINTER ISSUE OCTOBER 2009

WINTER 2009

GOLD RUSH [cup fever in Switzerland, Spain & UK] HAPPY ANNIVERSARY [25 years for Cartier] A NEED FOR SPEED [essay on Argentine polo] BESPOKE BEAUTY [the art of gun craft] 00. Hurlingham Cover.indd 1

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Proud sponsors of: Away team, Cartier International Polo, London Cambridge team, Varsity Polo England team, 2008 FIP World Cup, Mexico EFG Bank team, Palm Beach Season EFG Bank team in Outback 40 Goal Challenge Cartier International Polo 2008, Shanghai Scandinavian Polo Open JLC Polo Masters, Veytay Switzerland Verbier Polo Cup, Switzerland

Photo: David Lominska

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25/9/09 10:59:42

A private bank unlike any other. A record of dynamic growth. Built on giving clients the service they expect and deserve.

Practitioners of the craft of private banking

EFG International’s global family of private banking businesses operates in 55 locations in over 30 countries. These include London, Zurich, Geneva, Paris, Monaco, Luxembourg, Stockholm, New York, Miami, Toronto, The Bahamas, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore. www.efginternational.com

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25/9/09 10:59:52

REVERSO. SWITCH TIME ZONES IN A SECOND.

GRANDE REVERSO 986 DUODATE. Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 986/1000® Created in 1931 for polo players, the legendary Reverso houses an ingenious patented system: two back-to-back dials driven by a single mechanical movement indicate two time zones adjustable by a single crown. The full measure of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s inventiveness in an upsized version of the reversible case.

HAVE YOU EVER WORN A REAL WATCH?

Jaeger-LeCoultre and UNESCO in partnership for conservation of World Heritage sites. A real commitment to a precious cause. www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

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hurlingham [ contents ]

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Ponylines

News from around the polo world, plus interviews and the Chief Executive’s column

Talk

John Wash, Holland & Holland, H.H The Rajmata Gayatri Devi Of Jaipur, Genghis Khan Polo Club BJG? MPNC V^pk a`q`m di Nrdou`mg\i_' Nk\di ! PFX C<KKT <IIDQ@MN<MT V-0 t`\mn ajm >\mod`mX < I@@? AJM NK@@? V`nn\t ji <mb`iodi` kjgjX =@NKJF@ =@<POT Voc` \mo ja bpi ^m\aoX

On the cover: Facundo Pieres

Profile

Luis Lalor, president of the Associación Argentina de Polo (AAP)

COVER IMAGE ALINE COQUELLE CENTAUR PHOTOGRAPHIC/GUARDSPOLOCLUB, PHOTOTIME ST TOPEZ, HOLLY BEINHORN

26 Culture

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Javier Tanoira’s insightful essay examines the changing face of Argentine polo

Heritage

25 years of one of polo’s grandest celebrations, The Cartier International

Literature

Photographer Aline Coquelle reveals the passion that inspired her book on polo

Marketing

A leading sponsor of polo, Piaget is backing the sport with teams, tournaments and products

Action

Reports and pictures from across the globe, including the British, Swiss and Spanish Gold Cups, The Revenge, The Perfect Match, The International, Queen’s Cup and Pacific Coast Open

Archive

Alex Webbe bids farewell to American polo giant, the Oak Brook Club

1/10/09 10:55:51

foreword Roderick Vere Nicoll Publisher

Welcome to the latest issue of the Hurlingham Polo Association magazine, which covers the topics and events from this summer’s polo. When one thinks back to the summer of 2009, there is one family name that dominated the polo world: Pieres. Facundo is on the cover having won the Gold Cups in the UK and France as well as The International. His older brother, Gonzalito, was the MVP in the British Gold Cup and also won the Spanish Gold Cup. In Talk, John Wash, the CEO of IPC gives an account on how to manage a crisis, as he did in April following the tragedy of the Lechuza ponies. The three Cs of Credibility in Crisis – compassion, competence and confidence, as well as simple common sense – are well worth remembering in any challenging situation. Looking for a luxury gift this Christmas? Turn to page 18, where our editor, Arabella Dickie, discovers the beauty of bespoke, engraved shotguns. On a sadder note, Patrick Beresford pays tribute to one of the polo world’s longest-standing, and best-loved followers, the Rajmata of Japiur, who passed away on 27 July. In Features, we profile Luis Lalor, who is the new president of the Argentine Polo Association. He tells us of his goals and what sport the majority of the ruling Consejo play after meetings. Javier Tanoira has written an insightful essay – 75 pages but we have reduced it to 4– on the state of Argentine polo. See if you agree with what he says, in particular his suggestions for putting speed back into the game. 2009 is the 25th anniversary of Cartier sponsoring the Coronation Cup. It is the biggest polo event in world and one of the best partnerships between a sport and a company; Herbert Spencer writes about the history. If you were lucky enough to be in Europe this summer you would have seen some great displays of polo, most of which we cover in The Action. The Queen’s Cup was outstanding, with Apes Hill winning in over time. In the British Gold Cup, you will read about the pinpoint passing and fabulous horse power of La Bamba. The International was special this year in that the world’s two best professionals played together for Argentina. England fought hard but nobody was surprised by the result. Finally, I invite you to visit hurlinghampolo.com, where we have match reports and news from around the world, including all the Triple Crown games. We will also have some good ideas for Christmas. Once again, I would like to thank all the people who bring Hurlingham to life. See you at La Victoria!

contributors Aline Coquelle has lived in Paris since the age of 18. She is a nomadic photographer, passionate about travelling. It is through photography and writing that Aline hopes to share her experiences with others. Her first book, Polo, The Nomadic Tribe, explores all that she loves about polo: the passion, the adrenaline and the characters.

Ad minciduisi tat. Utplayed alit, sepolo tie for Patrick Beresford doloboreros nisi.Perat. Iscip euipisit the army (Kenya and India), Englandwis nis dolor iril dignim exWindsor eum aliquis(UKad and Argentina) and Park. modwas ex exeraesto conse He part of theconsequam, winning team at dolutate modolor the British Open intionsequam 1966 and quisl 1969.ipisis A nim ip euis num eu feumsan long-standing member of thevendipisGuards mod iusci2000, blandrem nostrud te vel Polo exerit Club until Patrick was also iure venim dolore et founder chairman of the HPA Polo Pony Welfare Committee and an HPA Steward from 1996-2000. Alston Beinhorn hasalit, played Ad minciduisi tat. Ut se tiepolo in many parts ofnisi.Perat. the worldIscip for over 30 wis doloboreros euipisit years. 2009 he first ex played nis ad In dolor iril dignim eum elephant aliquispolo he foundconse mod in exThailand, exeraestowhich consequam, unexpectedly competitive. When notipisis on dolutate modolor tionsequam quisl the is aeu banker, Texas rancher, nim pitch, ip euishenum feumsan vendipisand Alston nostrud currentlytelives modworld exerittraveller. iusci blandrem vel in Singapore where iure venim dolore et he is vice-president of the Singapore Polo Club.

Herbert Spencer hasalit, had long Ad minciduisi tat. Ut seatie career as a foreign correspondent, doloboreros nisi.Perat. Iscip euipisit wis publisher, editor, writerex and nis ad dolor iril dignim eum aliquisphotographer. His consequam, work on a wide mod ex exeraesto conse range of modolor subjects tionsequam has appeared in more dolutate quisl ipisis than in some nim ip100 euiseminent num eumagazines feumsan vendipis20 Herbert has nostrud producedte vel modcountries. exerit iusci blandrem five including iure books venim dolore et two on polo, a sport he has covered worldwide for almost 40 years.

HURLINGHAM MAGAZINE Publisher Roderick Vere Nicoll Executive Editor Peter Howarth Editor Arabella Dickie Deputy Editor Herbert Spencer Contributing Editor Sarah Eakin Editor-At-Large Alex Webbe Designer Zai Shamis

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. All the information contained in this publication is correct at the time of going to press. The HURLINGHAM Polo Association magazine (ISSN 1750-0486) is published by Hurlingham Media. The magazine is designed and produced on behalf of Hurlingham Media by Show Media Ltd. It is published on behalf of the Hurlingham Polo Association by Hurlingham Media. The products and services advertised are not necessarily endorsed by or connected with the publisher or the Hurlingham Polo Association. The editorial opinions expressed in this publication are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of the publisher or the Hurlingham Polo Association. Hurlingham magazine welcome feedback from readers: hurlinghammedia@hpa-polo.co.uk

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Hurlingham Media 47-49 Chelsea Manor St, London SW3 5RZ +44 (0) 203 239 9347 hurlingham@hpa-polo.co.uk www.hurlinghampolo.com SHOW MEDIA Editorial Managing Director Peter Howarth 1-2 Ravey Street, London EC2A 4QP + 44 (0) 203 222 0101 info@showmedia.net www.showmedia.net

1/10/09 10:23:52

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ponylines [news] Championships, book launches, bright young things and much more

©TONY RAMIREZ/WWW.IMAGESOFPOLO.COM

ONE TO WATCH: BEST AMATEUR Seventeen-year old Rashid Albwardy is thought to be the youngest amateur player ever to compete in the British Open Championship for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup. A 0-goaler with no high-goal experience until this year, Rashid played at No. 1 for Dubai, in front of 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso. He scored seven goals in their six matches in the Open, which they finally lost to La Bamba de Areco. After the Open the HPA raised Rashid’s handicap to 1 for 2010. Rashid began playing polo at the age of 10 at the Albwardy farm in the United Arab Emirates, taught by his father Ali. Since then he had only played low goal in Dubai, but has been coached by Martin Valent, the Dubai team manager, in both Dubai and England. Rashid is currently studying for a MBA degree in London with a view to joining his father’s business in the UAE, but is likely to be back in the highgoal Dubai team next season.

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hurlingham [ ponylines]

Chief executive

CALCUTTA POLO CLUB

As we approach the end of another season, the main issue has been – once again – the weather. The forecasters promised us a ‘barbecue summer’, only to change their minds once it became blindingly obvious they had got it horribly wrong. Once again the polo managers were faced with the re-scheduling of matches and the groundsmen with restoring badly cut-up ground in time for the games the next day. Generally, with the exception of the high goal, entries in most tournaments have been noticeably down this season. Although the overall membership has not seen a major reduction, the reduced income from entry fees will doubtless have had an effect on most club balance sheets. On Cartier’s International Day, the England team are to be congratulated for taking on the best country and the two best players in the world and for putting up a great fight. As in any game, there were chances which, if the England players had taken them, could have produced a much closer score. But scoring goals under extreme pressure is never easy. Those who attended were privileged to see two great players on the same team for the first time in a truly competitive game. There is no doubt that the high goal was as competitive as it has ever been, and Sir Cow Williams’s Apes Hill team was deservedly rewarded with the Queen’s Cup. In the Gold Cup final, Gonzalito and Facundo Pieres rose to the occasion and provided a winning performance for Jean-Francois Decaux, who could not resist a victory roll off the back of his horse as the final bell went, such was his delight at winning. As we end the season and go into a winter on which, to date, the forecasters have yet to give a view, there does not appear to be a sudden surge of ponies for sale and therefore one hopes that most are planning to play again next year. However, there is no doubt that there has been an earlier-than-usual departure of players, and not everyone seems to share the view of our government that things are getting better. During the winter England teams will play in Thailand in December, New Zealand in February, and the Copa de las Naciones in Argentina in April. We also look forward to playing Arena Test matches in South Africa in October and against a 24-goal US team for the Bryan Morrison Trophy in February.

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CALCUTTA POLO CLUB CELEBRATES 150 YEARS The first polo match I ever saw as a teenager was not in England, Argentina or Australia, but in Calcutta, Bengal. It was a nostalgic moment as I watched the game at Calcutta Polo Club’s Pat Williamson Ground with the majestic Victoria Memorial in the background. My parents, who used to travel a lot for the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) of India, would tell me stories of locals playing fabulous polo in Manipur and Assam. Nevertheless, it was watching that first match at Calcutta Polo Club that made me a true polo enthusiast. The Calcutta Polo Club - the oldest polo club in the world - was established in 1862 by two English soldiers, Captain Robert Stewart and Major General Joe Shearer. They were inspired by the game in Manipur, which they later introduced to their peers in England. The club has the distinction of running the oldest and first ever instituted polo trophy, The Ezra Cup (1880), as well as The Carmichael Cup (1910) and The Stewarts Cup (1932). Globally, the polo arena is fast gaining popularity and Calcutta Polo Club’s 150th anniversary is a significant milestone in the game’s history. I would like to wish the club a fantastic birthday. INDRANIL HALDER

JAEGER-LECOULTRE CHARITY MATCH On 12 June, for the third year running, the Swiss watch manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre held a charity polo game attended by nearly 300 guests. Guillain Maspetiol, UK Brand Director, welcomed international and local celebrities at the Ham Polo Club in Richmond. Guests enjoyed a beautiful sunny day in London’s countryside and were treated to cocktails, followed by an Argentinean lunch. A gentlemen’s polo game followed in the afternoon, featuring the world’s best polo player and Jaeger-LeCoultre brand ambassador, Adolfo Cambiaso. The opposite team was lead by Argentinean professional Lolo Castagnola. The match was a hard fought and fast moving battle which ended in a 2-2 tie. The event also featured an auction for two charities: ‘Ideas del Sur’ - an Argentinean organisation devoted to underprivileged children - and the British charity, ‘Maggie’s Centres’. Prizes included Jaeger-LeCoultre watches, a polo clinic and helicopter ride with Clare Milford Haven, and one of Adolfo Cambiaso’s personal horses to be chosen at his ranch in Argentina. The day raised £55,000 overall.

30/9/09 16:55:23

hurlingham [ ponylines]

CHUKKAS Good news for Cowdray Park! James Packer is going to put in two polo fields at Manor Farm in Selham which is adjacent to Ambersham. The land is owned by the Cowdray Estate and the current tenant of 50 years, Roger Comber, is retiring. The Packers are known for building the best polo pitches in the world. Jim Gilmore says that these will be the best yet and better than George Milford Haven’s new field at Trippetts! Bobby Aguirre has been seen in Midhurst, buying new equipment and looking for a groundsman for Stedham.

This summer Britney Spears launched her new video, Radar, which you can see on YouTube. The video was filmed at the USPA’s Pacific Coast Circuit, Governor Pat Nesbitt’s ranch in Santa Barbara. In mid-September, Gossip Girl, Season 3, featured an opening episode at the Greenwich Polo Club. The leading girl, Serena, is invited to throw the first ball in by Nacho Figueras of Black Watch. The episode was watched by over 3.5 million viewers.

PONY POLO CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS The Pony Polo Club Championships, sponsored by City Capital Corporation, were held 7-9 August at Cowdray Park, West Sussex. The Championships hosted the annual finals for both the Pony Club and Junior HPA Polo sections as well as celebrating the event’s 50th anniversary. The three strong days of youth polo enjoyed fantastic weather, which aided more than 200 players to battle it out for victory in their sections. On Sunday 9 August the spectacular parade of all Championship players took place at a special 50th anniversary lunch. After, everyone enjoyed the nail-biting section finals culminating with the Gannon, which saw Cowdray Park take victory. The Championships have been played at six different locations throughout their 50-year history, beginning at Aldershot in 1959, when Brigadier Jack Gannon and Major Claude Davenport organized five Pony Club Branch teams to play at the Mons Officer Cadet School. The Championships have changed venue several times throughout the years before finally settling at Cowdray Park in 1977. ‘The whole weekend has run so well’, commented Cherry Michell, Chairman of The Pony Club. ‘The weather has helped tremendously and everyone has felt so proud to be a part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.’

Nina Vestey Clarkin was raised to four goals by the HPA in the September handicap meeting. Nina is now the highest ranked woman player in the world. America’s Sunny Hale and England’s Claire Tomlinson reached five goals at the height of their careers!

While the high-goal season is still a few months away, The Villages Polo Club of Central Florida and Wellington’s Grand Champions Polo Club will both begin their Fall seasons on the opening weekend of October. Grand Champions will continue to coordinate its efforts with Port Mayaca Polo Club, while things remain quiet at the Hobe Sound Polo Club.

La Bamba de Areco, a boutique hotel owned by Jean-Francois Decaux, will be co-sponsoring Ellerstina in the Triple Crown. Since 2005, Burco America has been the main sponsor of La Aguada. This year they will continue with Tupungato Winelands, their newest real estate development in Mendoza Province, Argentina, which will be the main sponsor, along with BMW and La Martina.

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THE LOVE OF MY LIFE… Pony’s name Age Sex Colour Height Origin

Crafty Politician 12 Stallion Chestnut 15’1’’ American Thoroughbred

Crafty (stable name) has always been one of my top three playing ponies. He raced all over the world – USA, Europe, Japan – before coming to the UK to be trained by Gary Moore who sold him at Ascot Sales in 2004. He was playing polo a mere six weeks later, and in August of that year won the Retraining of Racehorses prize at pony club. He is one of the most relaxed horses at polo – intelligent with great stamina and a willingness to learn. Most importantly, he loves the game and in 2008 was part of the team that travelled to Germany and won the FIP European Championships. In 2009 he played the latter part of the Gold Cup in England and the Gold Cup in Spain. Crafty also has four good stud seasons behind him. His first progeny - aged three now stick and ball gently. They are easy, willing and very sensible; I have very high hopes for their future in polo. Crafty covers during the season while playing and winters with his sons and other geldings. To leave racing late, aged seven, and to switch roles to become an accomplished high goal polo pony as well as have a successful stud career definitely deserves recognition. MAX ROUTLEDGE

©TONY RAMIREZ/WWW.IMAGESOFPOLO.COM, THE PONY CLUB/KIT HOUGHTON

Cambiaso is returning to Palm Beach after a short-lived hiatus. He will be playing 26 goal at IPC with George Rawlins’ Crab Orchard along with Julio Arellano and Hilario Ulloa. Bob Jornayvaz’s Valiente is playing the 26 goal with Nacho Novillo Astrada. For the first time, IPC will have 8 and 14 goal leagues during the season.

1/10/09 10:24:59

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29/9/09 11:16:31

hurlingham [ ponylines]

NEW RULES FROM THE AAP Following the discussion provoked by Javier Tanoira’s essay (see page 25), the AAP has changed a few rules and issued new guidelines to polo umpires. 1. When going back towards your own goal in defence you have to hit a backhander. This applies anywhere on the field. You cannot change the line of the ball and turn it in front of your opponent if he is coming up behind to try and take it off you; you now have to hit a backhander. Obviously if you are way out on your own and no one else is following the line you can still turn with the ball. If your opponent regains possession then you had better learn to hit a better backhander next time. This has speeded things up enormously. 2. No more ‘walking’ with the ball. You have to gallop with it. Nero (Ellerstina) was the first (and last) player to be blown for walking on Saturday. The others quickly got the message and of course they are skilled enough players to adapt their game at once. 3. The umpires have limited the time taken to hit a penalty. You now only have one shot. If your pony suddenly changes legs or stumbles, it’s tough luck. You have to hit the penalty first time whatever. The results are now being seen in a very positive way at the Tortugas Open. Players and public are unanimous that the first three games were more beautiful than just about anything that was seen last year. Obviously there will be more pressure on the players for Hurlingham and Palermo, and we don’t know how they will cope, but so far the outcome has been extremely promising. There were only 15 fouls in the Ellerstina (10) / La Aguada (5) game on 26 September, which is less than two fouls per chukka. There are now more field goals and fewer penalty goals, which is a very encouraging sign. Well done the AAP. SANDY HARPER

PHOTOTIME ST TROPEZ / P.RAFFIN, MERCURIA ENERGY

THE EVOLUTION OF POLO The Evolution of Polo, a new book on the game has been published by McFarland and Co. The book presents a wealth of information crammed within its 354 pages. It is a historical work, as well as offering diverse opinions on the current state of the game. Tracing the development of the game from its origins as a pastime by tribesmen in Central Asia to the current era of professional players sponsored by wealthy patrons, this work is a sociological narrative of how polo grew around the world, invariably attached to English pioneers. It is a carefully researched work, with copious notes attached to each of the 29 chapters. There are more than 100 illustrations and drawings, seventeen in colour. The author is Horace A. Laffaye, a polo player who is on the Board of Directors of the Museum of Polo in Florida. Cirencester Park’s member, Nigel a Brassard, contributes a thoughtful Foreword.

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HOOKED ON POLO CORINNE SCHULER is the founder and president of the Saint-Tropez Polo Club. She was the women’s champion in France from 2004 to 2006 and now captains her own Saint-Tropez Polo Team, which includes two professional Argentinean players and her son. The French Polo Federation has given her a handicap of 0+. ‘Although always a great horse-lover, I was forced to give up my equestrian interests due to an allergy to horse hair which made it nearimpossible to ride. Fortunately my degree in medicine came in handy as it allowed me to carry out research into a vaccine that I was then able to test and successfully use on myself. Shortly after taking up riding again, one of my dear friends, François de la Brosse, introduced me to the world of polo. I became so keen on it that I founded my own club in Saint-Tropez in 1998 – a dream come true for me. Although it was started purely for fun, the club gradually turned into a business. ‘I am proud to say that the Saint-Tropez Polo Club is one of the most active in Europe. During the summer season (from March to October) there are about 15 international tournaments in which teams and sponsors from four continents take part. Each tournament has its own theme and there are gala dinners, dances and fashion shows. Polo matches are open to all with no entrance fee. ‘I am also negotiating with the owners of the neighbouring land so that I can enlarge my property and offer even more facilities. I want to make another two polo fields so that we can compete with other European clubs. Essentially the aim of all this is to draw attention to the world of polo. At the moment it is seen as belonging only to an elite few, but it can be open to everyone, including children. Today I divide my time between Geneva and Milan and am busy bringing up my children - I like to call myself a ‘Mother Hen’ - and organising the Polo Club. From March to June, I train with my team at the club every weekend. As soon as my children break up for the holidays, I move to Saint-Tropez for three months and, as well as training, I take part in all the tournaments.’

1/10/09 10:26:55

hurlingham [ ponylines]

The EFG Bank Scandinavian Polo Open took place at Almare Stäket near Stockholm on the 22-23 August. This year the event celebrated its 10th anniversary as well as hosting the inaugural meeting of the Swedish Polo Association. Over the two days, four teams took part: EFG Bank - Almare Stäket; Stockholm Polo Club; Team Quilvest from Germany and Poland; and Villa Natura from Poland. The polo field had been well prepared and coped admirably with heavy rain prior to the event. In the semi finals, Team Quilvest defeated

the Stockholm Polo Club and EFG Bank - Almare Stäket prevailed against Villa Natura. The final turned out to be a strangely lop-sided game, but was entertaining nonetheless. EFG Bank - Almare Stäket led 2-0 at the end of the first chukka. However they failed to score in the next two, while conceding eight goals to Team Quilvest. While the fourth and final chukka was close, Team Quilvest held on to prevail 9-4. Villa Natura finished third. An award for the most improved player went to Anna Olsson of Villa Natura. A great weekend of polo was enjoyed by all. NICOLA GAPP

WATERGATE BAY BEACH POLO ATTRACTS RECORD CROWDS With teams composed of professional players and England internationals, the 3,000 strong crowd who attended the Veuve Clicquot Polo on the Beach event at Cornwall’s Watergate Bay on 14 September were treated to a highly entertaining match. The Midas team of Barbara Zingg, Ed Olof and Tim Vaux started the match with a 1½ goal advantage, however all the early pressure in the first chukka came from South West Polo, composed of Andy Burgess and brothers Richard and Andrew Blake Thomas, who dominated the opening period to end 2 –1½ . Pressure continued in the second chukka and South West Polo went into half time leading 5–2½. Andy Burgess’s team dominated the second half of this very entertaining match and by the end of the third chukka there was little chance of recovery for Midas. The fourth and final chukka produced wonderful play from both sides, but time was not on the Midas side and the result was sealed at 10–4½ in favour of South West Polo. South West Polo team captain and event organiser Andy Burgess, who was clearly delighted with the response from the spectators, said: ‘It is great to get so many people here to see for themselves how exciting polo is. This event gets better every year and huge thanks go to everyone at Watergate Bay for making it happen.’

SADDLE UP WITH... IGNUS DU PLESSIS Nationality South African Age 20 Handicap 6 in England, South Africa and Argentina

Ignus ‘Nachi’ du Plessis was born in Swartberg in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He still considers Swartberg his ‘home club’ although is now spending much more time abroad as a rising international professional. While playing for the Sumaya Polo Team in England this season, Nachi competed in the semi-finals of the British Open and was named Most Valuable Player of the final of the Queen’s Cup. After the English season he played for Broncos in the Gold Cup at Sotogrande. Last year Nachi won the Warwickshire Cup with Les Lions II and in Argentina played for Los Indios in the 34-goal Jockey Club Open and for Miramar in the 29-goal Cámara de Diputados. Do you come from a polo family? My father only played a bit, I think as a 0-goaler. I’ve ridden as long as I can remember and took up polo when I was 9 or 10. It was Shelby Williamson who first got me started, then later I learned a lot from Eduardo Heguy. My brother Jean also plays; he is handicap 4. Have you played for South Africa? Yes, I’ve been on the national team and it would be an honour to be selected again. However, with my other commitments it’s also a question of when I’m available. How are you fixed for ponies? I’ve got 19 young ones at home, all South African including thoroughbreds; racing is big there. I keep nine in England and consider myself pretty well mounted. What next? The HPA has put my handicap up to 7 for 2010 and I’m also going up to 7 in South Africa in December. I don’t know how it will go in Argentina at the end of the year. I will be back in England next summer but over the next few months I’ll be playing in Argentina again.

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©TONY RAMIREZ/WWW.IMAGESOFPOLO.COM

SCANDINAVIAN POLO OPEN

30/9/09 16:55:37

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23/9/09

14:12:22

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29/9/09 11:18:13

hurlingham [ talk ]

beyond tragedy

DAVID LOMINSKA/WWW.POLOGRAPHICS.COM, ALLEN EYESTONE

International Polo Club Palm Beach President, John Wash, reflects on the strategy that helped the club, and the sport of polo, through the dark days of last spring When I reflect on several very trying days in April when the International Polo Club Palm Beach was faced with the aftermath of the loss of the lives of 21 of the sport’s top equine athletes, I am comforted by the knowledge that we did everything possible to stick to the facts. Following the three Cs of Credibility in Crisis – compassion, competence and confidence – and simple common sense, we weathered the immediate storm in one of the worst polo scenarios. I knew from the moment I was informed of the situation that whatever IPC said or did could have a long-term effect on the future of polo. It was imperative to contain the situation to stop both public and media speculation running wild. IPC already had a crisis management plan in place, and was prepared to deal with almost anything, but the incidents that unfolded during the week of 19 April tested everyone’s limits. We simply told the truth, and told it with one voice. Delivery was critical to the welfare

I knew that whatever IPC said or did could have a long-term effect on the future of polo

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of our organisation and our sport. The club was visited over the subsequent weeks by hundreds of TV, radio and newspaper representatives. Telephone calls poured in. Every enquiry was given time and attention, and was answered in one of three ways: ● We know the answer, and here is all the information we have. ● We don’t have all the information yet, but here is what we do know. ● We don’t know the answer to that question yet, but we will find out. Obviously, during a tragedy of this magnitude, the media and public were most concerned that IPC would rectify issues that led to this disaster. I made the club’s position clear: that IPC was simply the polo venue; the horses weren’t boarded or fed on site; IPC provided the playing fields only. Our position was that before reform could be implemented we needed all the answers. Once answers were given, IPC would assist in championing changes to benefit polo. Since we already had security, a police presence and a veterinarian contingency plan I felt that we were in good hands, initially, but we were forced to utilise every asset we could commandeer. The response from the polo community was impressive. Instantly, volunteers stepped forward to help organise the blue tarpaulins that would shield the falling horses, and then another

group organised trailers to remove the deceased animals. The caterer made available every bag of ice it had, in an effort to cool down the affected horses. After some consideration, I rejected initial suggestions to cancel the event. I believed that such a response would only add fuel to speculation and have an adverse effect not only on IPC, but the sport of polo in general. I determined that the show must go on – and it did. Taking the lead in meeting with the media, I made it quite clear that I would address all of their questions. There were no knee-jerk reactions, IPC didn’t shut down, I didn’t let other people’s actions dictate how we responded, and in the end this approach proved to be our biggest asset. I arranged for several spokespeople from the polo community to meet with press representatives in an effort to convey the reality of the sport. That week a special media tent was erected to handle the international media coverage. Food, drink and hospitality were provided as they learned about IPC, the sport, the athletes and the love, care and respect of the polo ponies.

top: The club holds a memorial for the 21 horses left: John Wash

1/10/09 10:28:09

hurlingham [ talk ]

the perfect shot A made-to-measure, uniquely engraved set of shotguns, a collaboration of master craftsmen to produce a truly personal work of art, Arabella Dickie discovers

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Just as a businessman covets a finely tailored suit, it is the dream of every keen shot to possess their very own made-tomeasure shotgun or rifle. Indeed, a bespoke gun’s fit is nothing short of perfect while its appearance boasts a uniqueness to which only the owner, who has specified every last detail, can lay claim. For those who fantasise about pulling the trigger of their very own masterpiece, venerable London gunmakers Holland & Holland can bring this vision to life. The company prides itself on a combination of tradition and vision that they claim makes a Holland & Holland gun that most rare of creations: a work of art where the emphasis is balanced equally between the function of its design and the beauty of its aesthetics. The result is a gun capable of handling high-performance cartridges and ammunition; a gun that will give reliable service to its owner and his heirs for generations; and a gun that will give unmatched pleasure all the while. So how does the process of a bespoke creation begin? Every Holland & Holland

Elaborate designs for the engravings range from motor cars and family portraits to polo action shots – and even the Kama Sutra

EDIT

gun starts its life in the firm’s Mayfair showrooms. The client makes a number of choices based on their idea of what they actually want and the vision is conceived – on paper at least. Body measurements are the next step. Holland & Holland craftsmen work to tolerances of 1/16th of an inch – more accurate than a Savile Row tailor. The fitting done, the order is sent to the factory. Here, the first parts of the gun to be given life are the barrels. Holland & Holland is unique in making all its barrels in house. Even the tubes are made entirely in their own machine shops, meaning that the customer’s requirements can be built in from the very first cut of steel. Shortly after, attention is turned to the aesthetics. Choosing wood for the gun’s stock allows each customer’s personality to truly shine, for each stock blank varies

dramatically. Customers will normally already have a good idea, such as whether they prefer straighter flowing lines running through the stock or very elaborate figuring. Holland & Holland uses only Turkish walnut for its stocks. However, due to the cut of the wood and the effect of oiling it, colour can vary from almost yellow, through orange, reds, browns, almost to black. It then takes a month or two for the craftsman to build the exact measurements into the piece of wood. One of the latest stages of the process – the purely decorative process of engraving – is undoubtedly the highlight for many imminent gun owners. In the past few decades the firearms industry has witnessed an increasing prominence given to the work of artist engravers, whose handicraft can even overshadow that of the gunmakers. It is with the engraving that the client can let their true interests shine and the options are limited only by one’s imagination. Favourites include timeless patterns such as scrollwork and ribbon. More elaborate choices from the Kama Sutra to 1920s motorcars and portraits of family members have also been reproduced on the side of guns to breathtaking effect. Another popular alternative among sporting-mad clients are ‘action’ shot engravings, taken from hunting or polo scenes. The guns featured in this article were commissioned 14 years ago by art dealer and racehorse owner Alec Wildenstein. They were a gift to his brother, Guy, a passionate horseman and organiser of the Diables Bleus polo team, which counted HRH Prince Charles among its members. After action photographs had been selected and worked up as designs, Belgian master engraver Philippe Grifnée set to work. Grifnée graduated from the school of engraving in Liège, Belgium in 1970 after studying under renowned engraver René Delcour. His exquisite work is highly sought after among gunmakers and collectors worldwide, and has been honoured by the Belgian government. Although work of this sort attracts much interest, around 90 per cent of Holland & Holland commissions follow a more traditional and conservative format – often to safeguard future resale values. Then again, when you’re the proud owner of a shiny new shooter that has been 18 months or more in the making, it’s unlikely that the prospect of resale is at the forefront of your mind.

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25/9/09 16:02:49

LEFT AND BELOW LEFT One of the trio of guns commissioned by the late Alec Wildenstein for his polo-loving brother Guy

INTERVIEW: GUY WILDENSTEIN

a result you get through a lot of cartridges, so having three guns is a safety precaution.

Wildenstein was one of the most successful players of his time, taking first place at the Deauville Gold Cup in 1970, 1973 and 1975. He also reached the final of the British Open three times and went on to win the US Open in 1988, 1989 and 1990.

Where are the etchings on the guns taken from? The images are action shots of me during a polo game. My wife lent Alec my polo albums and he made the choice from them.

The shotguns were given to you as a present. Who were they from and what occasion did they mark? The guns were a surprise gift from my brother, Alec, for my 50th birthday. We were shooting at Castle Hill in Devon – the estate of Lord and Lady Arran – and, as we arrived, they were waiting in the gunroom. Why Holland & Holland? My brother has unfortunately passed away but I believe he chose Holland & Holland because they have the skilled craftsmen to perform this kind of engraving. Why three guns? In driven shoots and at Castle Hill in particular there are lots of birds and very high birds, often just out of reach. Just as my brother did, I prefer the more challenging shots. As

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Why was a polo scene chosen? Polo was my passion for 32 years and my brother knew that 50 was the age I had decided to retire. Why did you stop playing at so specific an age? When I started playing, I shared a team with Baron Elie de Rothschild and his son, my lifelong friend Nathaniel. Elie retired at 50 after losing an eye in a practice match. He told me later that after 50 one loses one’s reflexes and the game becomes too dangerous. He often joked about it, saying to me that one can be a blind banker but it’s impossible to be a blind art dealer. His advice stayed with me and when the time came, I made this difficult decision. What are your greatest memories from the game? From my long career in polo, my fondest memories are my horses. I can remember each and every one of them, especially the good ones: Bolita, whom I got in 1966 from Alberto-Pedro Hegui; Bypass, whom I bought from Memo Gracida; and, of course, Everest – an extraordinary horse given to me by my father from his racing stable.

1/10/09 10:29:32

hurlingham [ talk ]

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obituary: H.H The Rajmata Gayatri Devi Of Jaipur With the death of the Rajamata Devi Of Jaipur on 27 July, the polo world lost its longest standing and best-loved follower, says Patrick Beresford Born in 1919, a younger daughter of the Maharaja of Cooch Bohar, she had been affectionately nicknamed “Ayesha” after the heroine of the then-popular H Rider Haggard novel, Ayesha, the Return of She, whose qualities of great beauty and steely determination, even in childhood, she so obviously shared. The death of her father in 1922 propelled her mother, already proclaimed ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’ by Vogue magazine, into early widowhood. But not for her the traditional purdah, she was far too independent a spirit for that, and in 1927 took the children to school in England. A brilliant horsewoman and an intrepid gambler, in the winter months her base was Melton Mowbray – then the playground

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of the sporting set – with a string of eight hunters, and in the summer Le Touquet in northern France. Back in India in 1932, the 22-year-old handsome and about-to-be famous polo-playing Maharaja of Jaipur came as a house guest for the Calcutta tournament. An adopted son of an heir-less father, and widely known simply as Jai, the world was already his footstool. Ayesha, although only 12, fell deeply in love with him. For the next six years, Jai continued to come alone to England to play the London season. In a marriage arranged when he was only 13, he wedded the sister of Maharaja of Jodhpur, 12 years his senior and in another marriage arranged eight years later, her niece. These two wives came to

be known as 1st Her Highness and 2nd Her Highness. Meanwhile Ayesha had enrolled in the Monkey Club Finishing School in London and, to her total, disbelief Jai began taking her to parties and nightclubs. It was a fairytale romance, and despite some opposition from both families, they were married with full ceremonial honours in Cooch Behar in 1940. After the Second World War, the British Government despatched Lord Mountbatten to Delhi to supervise the handover of power to an independent India. This also signalled the end of Stately Rule by the 249 Maharajas, and the loss of millions of lives in interreligious massacres – though not in Jaipur where Jai, by the force of his personality, prevented any such horrors occurring.

24/9/09 10:00:28

1 Ayesha addressing an election rally during her election campaign, 1967 2 Jacqueline Kennedy and Ayesha prize giving at Jaipur, 1968 3 HH Maharaja of Jaipur, FIP President Patrick Guerrand Hermes, HH Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodpur and Ayesha 4 Ayesha

With her amazing charm, Ayesha lightened the lives of all with whom she came into contact

RAJKUMAR SINGH, RAJASTHAN POLO CLUB/JAIPUR

Although she had always kept out of politics, Ayesha had been extremely active in the State of Jaipur in preserving the ancient walls and buildings of the city, in founding the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ School, a museum in the old city palace, and in the emancipation of Indian women generally. However, in 1961 she took the bold step of joining the Swatantra (Independent) party, hoping she could help it become a serious opposition to the ruling Congress party. Within a year she had not only been persuaded to lead it in the state, but also to stand for a seat in the Lok Sabha (Lower House). In 1962 she was campaigning on the road,covering vast distances and visiting even the remotest villages, spread across an area of 16,000 square miles. Everywhere she went the great Indian tradition of hospitality abounded, and to her amazement Ayesha discovered, in her own words, that ‘most villagers, despite the simplicity of their lives and the cruel experiences of famine and crop failure, possessed a dignity and self-respect’ that made her ‘feel both admiration and something close to envy’. She also discovered to her surprise that public speaking, which had always made

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her extremely nervous, now sometimes gave her ‘a sensation of warmth’. Her campaign earned her a flattering article in Time magazine, under the heading of ‘Whistle-stopping Maharani’, and more seriously a place in the Guinness Book of World Records when her majority – over 175,000 – was declared. From the outset she was to prove a thorn in the side of the government and of the Prime Minister Pandit Nehru, for whom she nevertheless held a deep respect. Meanwhile Jai had been appointed Indian Ambassador to Spain. It was extremely difficult for Ayesha to spend as much time with him as she would have liked, however she did manage to combine her dual but distant roles of Lady Ambassadoress and a member of parliament, to most people’s admiration. For Ayesha the year 1970 was to prove the most tragic of her life. While still in hospital following a major operation, she learnt of the death from a heart attack of her adored brother Bhayia, aged only 55. With his engaging smile and infectious sense of humour – so similar to her own – he was an irreplaceable companion. Even worse was soon to follow. In late June, while playing in the County Cup at

Cirencester, Jai collapsed at half-time and died before he reached hospital. Though distraught with grief, for his sake, she decided to continue to represent Rajasthan in the Lok Sabha, and was duly re-elected the following year, her attacks on the ruling Congress party remaining unabated. In 1997, tragedy struck once more, when her son Jagat collapsed and died. Ayesha had now lost the three most important men in her life. Nevertheless, she continued to travel extensively, and with her amazing charm to lighten the lives of all with whom she came into contact. During the summer months in London this year she was obliged to spend a great deal of time in the King Edward VII Hospital. Unable to walk and in considerable discomfort, any semblance of a joke still brought to her lustrous eyes a familiar and much-loved twinkle. On 18 July she was flown back to India and nine days later died peacefully near her beloved home, bringing to a close an extraordinary life that had seen extremes of joy and of sadness, of opulence and deprivation. Her funeral soon afterwards attracted the mightiest crowds to Jaipur that had ever been assembled since her husband’s death 39 years earlier.

28/9/09 10:11:33

hurlingham [ talk ]

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In the rarified air of the Mongolian peaks, an ancient breed of riders and ponies are being readied to take on the world of polo, reports Alston Beinhorn On the high grassy steppes of central Mongolia near Kharkhorin, the capital of Genghis Khan’s 13th-century Mongol empire, lies a polo club like no other. Twenty-five traditional rounded white felt tents or gers, comprising the Genghis Khan Polo and Riding Club’s carefully conceived dining, sleeping, bathing and massage facilities for about 30 guests, are perched on a steep bluff overlooking the wide Orkhon river valley below. Beyond the gers rises the No. 1 polo field. Its run-off area extends gracefully beyond the far goalposts up towards a grassy mountain ridge, perhaps 20 miles away. One can see clearly for tens, even hundreds, of miles in most directions, all under Mongolia’s Eternal Blue Sky.

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Mongolia today is probably the last of the world’s open frontiers, having no fences throughout its entire mountainous plateau. Half the size of Europe, it is the world’s most sparsely populated country, with only 1.4 inhabitants per square kilometre. Given that about a third of its three million people live in the capital Ulaanbataar alone, that leaves less than one million pastoral herders to care for its 35 million sheep, goats, yaks, cattle, horses and camels that graze across its high Alpine forests, grassy steppes, or the scrubby Gobi desert. The Genghis Khan Club, set up in 1998, is the brainchild of Christopher Giercke, a native German based in Nepal. Together with his Mongolian wife Enkhe and a group of international polo players, Giercke has created an atmosphere in keeping with the ancient traditions Mongolia’s nomadic herders still adhere to today. His gers are put together by traditional methods, using camel rawhide rather than wire and nails, and are covered by locally made, pure wool felt. The wooden furniture is made and delicately hand painted by his local staff (who also play polo, cook, and school horses). Additional creature comforts such as plumbing and pure cashmere blankets make for a comfortable stay. Dinner time, however, is a departure from traditional Mongol meals, where one

The Mongolian riders have to be, without doubt, some of the world’s best and most avid horsemen stands and shares chunky goat or sheep cuts from the same pot, along with airag, the fermented mare’s milk locals devour each foaling season. Mostly European cuisine and Spanish wine is served on white tablecloths with silver service in the candle-lit dining ger to the accompaniment of live piano music played by a pianist brought in from the Ulaanbaatar Music Conservatory. The main focus of the club is, of course, the polo. The Mongolian riders have to be, without doubt, some of the world’s best and most avid horsemen. And no one is working harder to bring polo to them than Giercke. From the beginning, he enlisted the help of Raj Kalaan, a 5-goal former commandant of the Indian Army’s 61st Calvary, and Gustavo Giai from Bariloche, who both ensured that all things polo were done properly. They showed the local horsemen how to school the Mongol horses for polo, brought in English polo

HOLLY BEINHORN

steppe up to the challenge

24/9/09 10:47:31

1 Lots of run-off room, Mongolian style 2 Alston Beinhorn after a

5 5

chukka 3 Summer Beinhorn, ﬁ eldside, waiting to play 4 Traditional felt-lined gers at the Club 5 Local player and folk artist, Chooka, taking a break with ponies between chukkas

tack, and had the 44–46in mallets especially made in India. They laid out the fields, and taught the Mongols the rules of polo, although in the locals’ extreme exuberance to ride fast and hard, those rules are sometimes forgotten. Riding and playing polo on Mongol horses is an experience that takes a day or two to master. They are largely the same bloodstock that has been used for over a thousand years, and they were the formidable force transporting conquering warriors all the way to modern Hungary.The ponies stand only 12 or so hands high and have proportionally shorter backs, heads and necks. Their girth size, however, is typically 42 inches, the same as many TB polo ponies. This gives them their tremendous heart and lung capacity, producing short, repeated bursts of extraordinary speed, even going up mountains. Add in the fact that their dark,

In the locals’ extreme exuberance to ride fast and hard, rules are sometimes forgotten

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naturally shaped hooves never require trimming or shoeing, in spite of the often rocky terrain, and one has a horse than can trek up and down mountains for several hours in the morning before playing a couple of lengthy chukkas in the afternoon. Tendons are hardly a problem, since the ponies spend their nights standing knee deep in the shallow, cold-flowing waters of the Orkhon river below camp. Genghis Khan Polo and Riding Club is committed to the nation’s youth too, through its work with schools across Mongolia. Last winter, Giercke again provided wooden horses and indoor training to 17 schools in eight provinces. And this summer, 50 of the most promising

schoolboys were given transportation and lodging at the club for a week of mounted practice with Raj Kalaan, followed by the 4th National Children’s Polo Championship. The winter training programme, followed by outdoor instructional chukkas and a national championship each summer at the Club, has become an annual event in conjunction with the Mongolian chapter of FIP. Given the Mongols’ innate horsemanship skills, so seriously honed over the centuries, it is quite possible that in a few years the international polo world will see a new Mongol breed of polo player, whose horsemanship, competitiveness and game skills are among the best in the world.

22/9/09 10:13:31

hurlingham [ proﬁle ]

Luis Lalor Maintaining Argentina’s position in the international polo fraternity is a family tradition for the head of the AAP, says Herbert Spencer ILLUSTRATION PHIL DISLEY

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Luis Lalor is the third member of his family to serve as president of the Associación Argentina de Polo (AAP), the body that governs the sport in the world’s leading polo-playing country. At 48, and only recently retired from a professional playing career that took him to a 9-goal handicap, he is the youngest of the men at the top of the major national polo associations. ‘My late uncle Alfie (Alfredo), a 5-goaler, was AAP president from 1969 to 1972,’ says Luis. ‘It was he who created the association’s national centre at Pilar, purchasing the land and “castle” and building our eight grounds there. My father (Luis “Gallego” Alberto), who was once handicap 8, served between 1975 and 1978 and in his first year organised the centenary of polo in Argentina and the sport’s first ever 40–40 match. I’m honoured to follow in their footsteps.’ Luis Eduardo Lalor (Luisito) was born 2 December 1960 in Buenos Aires. ‘With my father, uncles and cousins all playing, I had a great advantage,’ he says. ‘I’m not sure when I first sat in a saddle or held a polo stick, but I do remember when I was first learning to play, my pony just wouldn’t budge if there was a ball under her. It took me ages to get her to get up and go on the polo ground.’ When he was ten, Luis played in his first tournament, Los Potrillos. ‘Today our annual tournaments for kids from ten to 14-yearsold, including Los Potrillos, are huge,’ he says. ‘There are 60 to 70 teams playing, all in one day, at Pilar and Los Indios. ‘I played in my first high-goal competition when I was 14,’ Luis recalls. ‘I was 1 goal, my father was 7, and we played with two 10-goalers, Frankie and Gaston Dorignac, a 28-goal Tortugas-La Alicia team, and we won the 1975 Copa de Provincia.’ That same year Luis’ handicap was raised from 1 to 3; he went to 9 in 1987. Over the years he has won a number of important Argentine tournaments, including the high-goal Hurlingham, Tortugas, Jockey Club, and Indios Opens. He was twice a finalist in the abierto, the Argentine Open Championship, first with Coronel Suarez in 1982 and then with Pilarchico in 1989. ‘In Argentina, polo is considered an all-amateur sport, with players competing for glory not money,’ Luis explains. ‘It’s only when our players go abroad to play pro-am polo for team patrons that they are

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considered professionals, earning pro fees.’ His own professional career took off in 1984 when he went to the US to play for George Haas’s 26-goal team and he competed in America until 2003. Amongst other victories he won the USPA Gold Cup in 1990, playing with 15-year-old Adolfo Cambiaso on Adam Lindemann’s Cellular One team, and in 1995 took Boca Raton’s $100,000 International Gold Cup with Peter Orthwein’s Airstream. Luis has also played professionally in a dozen other countries in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. In Spain he won the Sotogrande Gold Cup three years running. In France he took the Deauville Silver Cup in 1995 and competed there again in 2000, 2002 and 2006. ‘Surprisingly I’ve never played in England,’ Luis says ruefully, ‘but my uncle Tito (Ernesto) played there for a number of years. He won the Coronation Cup for Argentina in 1953 and the British Open for the Cowdray Park Gold Cup in 1957, playing for Prince Phillip’s Windsor Park team.’ It was in 2006, in Deauville, that Luis last played professionally. ‘I still hold a 6-goal handicap,’ he says, ‘and I play in 20-goal tournaments in Argentina. My son Lucas, 19, is handicap 3 and together we won the 2008 Metropolitano. Lucas also played in England with Charles Beresford last season. In Argentina my daughter Ina, 17, was the only girl playing in the intercollegiate and she won the tournament in 2007.’ Luis’s ‘day job’ is as a farmer and rancher, growing soya beans and raising cattle on his 1,200-acre estancia San Lucas in Nueve de Julio west of Buenos Aires. ‘We also breed and train ponies for medium-goal and low-goal polo, with three stallions and 15 brood mares,’ he says. In May 2008, Luis became assistant secretary of the AAP and a member of its Consejo Directivo, the equivalent of the Stewards of the Hurlingham Polo Association

‘There are polo grounds everywhere and more and more foreigners are coming to Argentina to train with our players’

(HPA) and the Board of Governors of the US Polo Association (USPA). ‘After the 2008 season,’ he said, ‘they asked if I would be willing to succeed Frankie Dorignac as president. It’s not something I had looked for or expected. I discussed it with my wife Ines and we decided they would not have asked me if they didn’t think I could make a contribution. And I thought about how my uncle and father had headed the organisation all those years ago. So I said okay.’ He was elected to the top job at the AAP’s AGM in May of this year. ‘The size of the polo “industry” in Argentina is quite unbelievable,’ Luis says. ‘It’s difficult to estimate how many thousands of people are involved or how much money polo feeds into the national economy, but it’s huge. There are polo grounds everywhere and more and more foreigners are coming to Argentina to train with our players, hoping to improve their handicaps. Quite a number have bought land to establish bases here. The government recognises this, so the sport gets strong support from the tourism ministry, helping to promote polo to bring foreign visitors to our country. ‘Like the HPA, the AAP is an association of clubs,’ explains Luis. ‘We have some 200 clubs now – a growth of around 15 per cent over the past ten years.’ The AAP has a staff of 13, divided between its headquarters at the national stadium at Palermo in Buenos Aires and its centre at Pilar. ‘My sister Luz has worked for the association for 20 years and is in charge of all our tournaments,’ Luis says. A retired general, Mauricio Fernández Funes, is executive director. Luis estimates there are some 5–6,000 Argentine players, but only around 2,000 are currently registered with, and handicapped by, the association, with others just ‘practising’ at clubs or working overseas. ‘This is far from satisfactory,’ the president says, ‘so now we want to see that every Argentine who plays at home or abroad is registered with the AAP. It’s not a question of collecting more fees, but to ensure that all Argentine players are properly handicapped by the AAP and insured by the association.’ According to Luis, the Argentine association is in ‘excellent’ financial shape. ‘We have money,’ he says, ‘and we are

22/9/09 10:23:49

‘One day when I’m too old to swing a stick from a polo pony, you’ll still ﬁnd me out on a pelota court somewhere’

spending it on our ten grounds at Palermo and Pilar and making grants to clubs for such things as scoreboards, irrigation equipment and tractors.’ The AAP’s main source of revenue, he says, is the Open, with about 70 per cent of the gross coming from corporate sponsorship sold through the association’s marketing agent ESPN. Luis has already set several goals for his presidency of the AAP. ‘I would like to buy more land at Pilar for two or three additional association grounds,’ he says, ‘and at Palermo I would like to find funding to build a new grandstand opposite the existing big one to increase seating capacity from 16,000 to 20,000 or more. We also need to recruit and train more professional umpires, as some of those we have now are getting on in years.’ The AAP maintains good relations with the Argentine players’ association, says Luis.

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The Associación Argentina de Jugadores de Polo (AAJP) is restricted to the country’s 7–10 handicap players. ‘It’s very useful for them to make suggestions on such things as the rules and umpiring,’ he says, ‘and we always negotiate with them well in advance on expenses paid by the AAP to teams playing in the abierto.’ On the international front, says Luis, he wants to develop the AAP’s new 26/ 28-goal Copa de las Naciones tournament, inaugurated earlier this year, by including more national teams in 2010. ‘We are also talking with the USPA about playing a USA v Argentina international in Florida at around 30 goals, the highest the Americans can manage,’ he says. He was pleased when the HPA invited Argentina to play England for the Coronation Cup at 26 goals this year and delighted when Argentina took the trophy.

However, for such internationals as the long-dormant Copa de las Americans, ‘we will always insist on fielding our best players, to the maximum of 40-goal handicap, the level at which our own “Triple Crown” is played.’ With the world’s only 10-goal players (there are currently ten Argentines so rated), no other country can match Argentina in this. Meanwhile, Luis Lalor’s other sport is la pelota a paleta, a version of the Basque court game played with a wooden racquet. ‘In Argentina there are thousands of players of all ages, from teenagers to men in their 80s, and hundreds of courts,’ he says. ‘Eight of the 14 members of the AAP’s consejo are aficionados and we often go straight from meetings to an old court to play before dinner. Maybe one day when I’m too old to swing a stick from a polo pony, you’ll still find me out on a pelota court somewhere.’

22/9/09 10:24:00

hurlingham [ feature ]

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the need for speed Javier Tanoira’s insightful essay on Argentinean polo examines the game’s dwindling speed as the pressure to win increases, finds Melanie Vere Nicoll In an insightful and thought-provoking essay, Javier Tanoira examines polo in Argentina and how it has changed in the 140 years since the rules were first recorded. Drawing on meetings with current and former players, referees, management, spectators, journalists, horse breeders and veterinarians, Reflecting on Polo in Argentina is an informed and objective commentary of the sport. He pulls no punches, however, when he comments in his preface: ‘In January 2009 I was meditating on the high-goal polo season that had just come to a close and I realised that polo was not only changing, but that it was heading towards something that I definitely did not

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like. I had attended most of the Triple Crown matches for one reason or another, and I couldn’t remember having watched a single game that I could consider entertaining. The Open final between La Dolfina and Ellerstina was the cherry on the cake: it was a cut-up, slow game, fouls galore, where the only thing worth watching was the final outcome in the supplementary chukka. I became aware that players found that they were more efficient when forcing a slow game in which being in possession of the ball and not passing it was key, and by scoring through penalties.’ Tanoira first analyses the existing circumstances of Argentinian high-goal

polo, which he defines as the game that to date is played only in Argentina between the months of September and December. It is made up of three main tournaments: the Tortugas Open, the Hurlingham Open and the Argentine Open – together known as the Triple Crown. These tournaments are unique in the world, he says, because they are open by definition, meaning there is no handicap limit and almost no patrons. Further narrowing his definition, Tanoira describes the three basic characteristics needed by a high-goal player: anticipation, horsemanship and skill at handling the ball. He underlines the close relationship between these variables

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1 Sticks in the air at the ﬁnals of the 2008 Argentine Open 2 Cambiaso slowing down, waiting to dribble past

MERCURIA ENERGY

3 Javier Tanoira

and further observes that the common factor present in all three is speed: ‘The level of play is defined by the speed at which the action takes place. The greater the speed, the greater the excitement, the greater the degree of difficulty and consequently the greater the level of play.’ It is this, Tanoira believes, that is being lost in the game of high-goal polo to the detriment of the entire sport. Tanoira pinpoints the time when polo became a truly professional sport to the early 1980s. It was then that wealthy patrons began to appear on the scene with large amounts of money and a desire to win above all else. This was also the point at which polo players realised that instead of moving around at full speed and hitting the ball hard, it was much more profitable to keep the ball under control and at the same time greatly increase the chances of causing the opponent to commit a foul. However, the author is quick to point out that this change in play was accompanied by an explosion of talent in the 1990s as demonstrated by players such as the Piereses, the Heguys, the Gracidas, Pite Merlos, Cristian Laprida, Piki Diaz Alberdi and others,

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who were all virtuosos of stick-and-ball and individual technique, and sometime later Adolfo Cambiaso who has held the title of best polo player in the world for more than 15 years. There’s no question in the author’s mind that polo has been greatly enriched by these more complete players. This is why he suggests that they be given a set of rules that will demand they display their skills and at the same time protect them from danger. The appearance of Cambiaso on the scene created a hitherto unknown factor in the high-goal in that he was capable of developing a play that none of the other players on the field could successfully copy. The play in question – the famous ‘pasadita’ or over-taking – occurred when he would overtake an opponent from behind while holding the ball under control. While most of the secret of this very difficult play is timing, he must first speed up his horse and then hit the ball all the while knowing that he will manage to overtake the other player. Cambiaso is known as the only player who is successful at this daring manoeuvre most of the times he attempts it. Hence, if

‘The speed of the game deﬁnes the level of play. The greater the speed, the greater the difﬁculty and the excitement’

24/9/09 10:49:34

hurlingham [ feature ] 1

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the other three players on his team were riding off the other three opponents once he had overtaken his, the way towards the goalposts would be clear. This has created a new model of play in high-goal that Tanoira views as the principal cause of polo quality impoverishment today: blocking. He is, however, quick to point out that this is in no way a criticism of the players, as they are playing in the most effective way to win today. In the author’s words, ‘there has been an evolution in polo but the regulations are not accompanying that evolution. Polo is being played in 2009 with a set of rules created in 1886’. Surely, Tanoira argues, there can be nothing wrong with changing and improving these rules to facilitate a return to the fast open polo that was previously played in Argentina? Tanoira believes that there are two equally important issues that need to be addressed through an updating of the rules. The first is to try and open up the game and the second is to restore a rhythm to the play through a decrease in the number of fouls. In order to eradicate the “slowness” that is now endemic in high goal polo the author suggests that: ‘If the “walking” penalty is “holding of the ball while walking”, then why can’t we implement

There has been an evolution in polo, but the game is being played in 2009 with a set of rules created in 1886

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one that reads “holding the ball at a gallop”?’ The time span permitted for a player to keep possession would be sufficient for him to gain control and get a clear picture of the field and the positions of his team mates and opponents. Tanoira further suggests that if this penalty were properly applied it would eliminate the need for blocking as the team in possession of the ball would be obliged to speed up the game. Furthermore, a total ban on blocking would ‘contribute towards all players (particularly the younger ones and those with lower handicaps) learning to play polo and hitting the ball instead of spending most of their time blocking people off’. This in turn would eliminate the use of players who are very good horsemen but are employed on the field as nothing more than robots, whose function is to ride off, cancel out an opponent and never touch the ball. As Tanoira asks: ‘How can (these players) possibly hit the ball if they’ve spent the last five years of their lives cancelling out, blocking and hooking sticks?’ There are other areas of debate too, such as turning versus backing the ball, and Tanoira relates many relevant suggestions made by former 10-goal players that would be fairly easy to apply to further speed up the game. It is a thought-provoking statistic that 40 per cent more fouls are committed per game today than 25 years ago. Tanoira believes that in the case of fouls committed in defence (60, 40, 30-yard and from-the-spot penalties) the penalty is sufficient and does not need to be made any tougher. However, fouls committed while in attack are very low-cost to the player, which is why they are committed more often. The author lists three

ideas in support of tougher penalties for fouls committed while in attack, all of which are attributable to 10-goal players, winners of the Open and ‘men whom I respect on and off the field’. The first is that counting from the beginning of the match, for every three field goals scored by a team they will receive an extra goal automatically. This would ensure that the team defending is not tempted to stop the opponent from making a goal by incurring a foul. The second suggestion is that a goal should be worth double if made from behind the 60-yard line. This would encourage shots being taken from much further out, similar to basketball where a shot from outside the semi-circle is worth triple. The final idea is that for every four fouls committed in defence, one goal is taken from the responsible team. This rule would toughen the fouls penalty and provide teams with the incentive to make field goals on the one hand while penalising the defending team more severely if it commits a foul. A further interesting change to the rules would involve discouraging hitting the ball out of play by giving possession to the opposite team to the one that threw the ball out – a move that could eliminate up to 25 per cent of throwins. The immediate effect of this rule would be that the ball would go out less frequently as it wouldn’t suit any player in possession to send it out of play. Another suggestion is to eliminate the midfield throw in after each goal, instead allowing the team that converted the goal to hit in from the back line. As Tanoira asks: ‘If it works perfectly in practice matches why can’t it work in official

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MERCURIA ENERGY

ones?’. He further points out that ‘with these alterations we will have eliminated almost 95 per cent of throw-ins in a polo match, with the exception of the one at the beginning of the match.’ Of course no discussion of high-goal polo would be complete without an examination of the horses that are the soul of the sport. Tanoira again fields fresh and interesting ideas, including the possibility of a rule requiring the players to present a list of 14 horses before the first match of the Triple Crown and limiting themselves to only those ponies. Although he calls this a ‘beautiful utopia’ the author concedes that the players will never want to try it out. He further highlights the fact that: ‘Most of the good mares belonging to players of the 80s lasted seven to eight seasons on average. Nowadays the average is four, with luck... the difference is to be found in what a player demands that his horse do now and what he expected from him before. Today a horse has to do much more complex things: take orders and counter-orders within micro-seconds, run, stop, spin around like a coin, shoot forwards and after two gaits stop dead again’ – all leading to more wear and tear than in past years. He further points out that in videos of matches in the 80s it is noticeable that the players never stopped completely dead. ‘They ran all the way through the chukka...

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so we would be perfectly right in saying that what wears the polo pony down most is not running but stopping (and starting again, of course).’ This further supports his theory that an open running game of polo is better for all involved; spectators, players and horses. Tanoira does not shy away from the difficult topic of umpiring and looks to other professional sports such as football, tennis and rugby for ideas on how to help the umpire impose verdicts and sanction fouls. While underlining his belief that Argentine umpires are the best in the world he suggests that a good school for referees would be welcome, along with a general change in attitude that would reinforce the message that being a polo referee is an honourable and decent occupation. This is only a sample of the many stimulating ideas in this excellent launch pad for discussion and reform. In his acknowledgements, Tanoira thanks a comprehensive and authoritative range of players and experts involved in the sport who have provided ideas and support, before very sensibly concluding: ‘The idea is not to go too fast. If we are changing something that was written 140 years ago, we must make sure that what we are inserting is better than what we are erasing.’ To read the essay in its entirety in English or in Spanish go to www.hurlinghampolo.com

No discussion of polo would be complete without an examination of the horses that are the soul of the sport

Above left Paco de Narvaez in black and Javier Novillo Astrada in white Above Marcos di Paola going behind Bautista Heguy

24/9/09 10:53:24

hurlingham [ feature ]

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2009

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2006

2005

1 Arnaud Bamberger looks on as Prince Charles presents the cup to Adolfo Cambiaso 2 Prince Harry, Satnam Dhillon, Malcolm Borwick

and Nacho Gonzalez 3 Her Majesty

1992

The Queen and Howard Hipwood 4 Glen Gilmore

Cartier’s 25 years of loyalty to the cause Associated with polo for over a century, Cartier marks the silver jubilee of one of the sport’s grandest international celebrations – the Cartier International – in style, reports Herbert Spencer From the Himalayas to the Alps, from the steamy jungles of Nepal to the deserts of Arabia, from Florida’s Gold Coast to the People’s Republic of China – and in a royal park in England – for more than a quarter of a century the name Cartier has been associated with polo, both traditional and exotic. No other corporate sponsor of the sport has been so much and for so long in evidence worldwide. The jewel in Cartier’s polo crown is, of course, the Hurlingham Polo Association’s Cartier International, the world’s biggest one-day polo event, which celebrated its silver jubilee this year. ‘I can’t think of any firm that has remained a sponsor of any one sporting

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event for as long as Cartier has been with us,’ says Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers, chairman of the HPA. ‘Cartier’s sponsorship of our International Day over the past 25 years has made a tremendous contribution to UK polo.’ Arguably the world’s most famous jeweller, Cartier is certainly one of the largest, with some 200 branches in 125 countries. Louis-François Cartier founded the firm in 1847 when he took over the small Paris shop where he was apprenticed. Over the next 50 years, he and his descendants established Cartier’s international credentials with upmarket shops in Paris, London, New York and Moscow. Because of Cartier’s flair for artistic and exquisite creations in precious metal and

Hurlingham Polo Association’s Cartier International, the world’s biggest one-day polo event, is the jewel in Cartier’s polo crown

25/9/09 11:08:58

hurlingham [ feature ]

1984

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2008

1 Morning Game presentation between winners Spain and HRH 2 Julian Hipwood (left) and Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers

3 Arnaud Bamberger applauds

2009

gemstones, royal patronage followed. The jeweller was granted its first royal warrants by Great Britain’s King Edward VII and Spain’s Alfonso XIII in 1904; these were followed by warrants from the monarchs of Portugal, Siam, Russia, Greece, Italy and others. Cartier’s connections with polo date back to the early 20th century, when the firm made specially commissioned, polo-themed jewellery for, among others, India’s poloplaying maharajas. In 1925 the firm created a small winged horse figure in gold, to be presented as a trophy at a polo event in England the following year. Today a replica of that 1920s Pegasus is the prize for the most valuable player in the Coronation Cup match at the Cartier International. Fast-forward to the 1980s, a decade in which the sport was booming as never before, when Cartier first became a polo

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Prince Charles presenting to Luke Tomlinson

sponsor. Its sponsorship began in 1983 when Ralph Destino, CEO of Cartier Inc in the US, inaugurated the high-goal Cartier International Polo tournament at Palm Beach Polo & Country Club on Florida’s Gold Coast. In England the following year, Cartier became the title sponsor of the HPA’s International Day, an annual event that started at Cowdray Park Polo Club in 1971, before moving to Guards Club in Windsor Great Park to be closer to London. By 1983 the event was already well established and drawing 10–15,000 spectators to watch England teams play a succession of visiting national sides for the 1911 Coronation Cup and the Silver Jubilee Cup. A big draw was the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, who presented the trophies, and Prince Charles, who played for England’s second team.

Since Cartier took over sponsorship of the HPA event in 1984, the firm has put its own elegant stamp on the day, building it into one of the quintessential sporting and social events of the English season. It has seen crowds of 25,000 plus, far more than have attended any other polo event in the world. Having covered the HPA’s first International Day in 1971 and then so many of Cartier’s days over the years, I was invited by Arnaud Bamberger, managing director of Cartier UK, to join in the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of Cartier International Polo. I was just one of more than 600 specially invited guests – Cartier clients and leading lights from the worlds of fashion and showbusiness – asked to lunch in the Cartier marquee. Some 20,000 people gathered at the Guards’ Club for the event this year. Around

1/10/09 10:34:26

2003

2007

2006

1 (from left) Henry Brett, Andrew

6 Jaime Huidobro, José Donoso,

Hine, Luke Tomlinson and Will

Martin Zegers and José Zegers

2007

Lucas 2 The Grenadier Guards

1987

the Queen’s Ground, with its Royal Box, was a sea of white marquees: Cartier’s centerpiece at one end, the HPA’s at the other. The day kicked off in the morning with a 21-goal match for the Golden Jubilee Trophy between two teams of leading professionals from the England squad (those not selected for the senior national team playing for the Coronation Cup). Audi sponsored the Prince of Wales’s team and the Financial Times supported the Hurlingham side,which won the match 8–3. Then came lunch, as thousands of attendees laid out picnics or sat down to champagne fare. At Cartier, the lining of the marquee roof was decorated with 74 large photographic images documenting the event’s 25 year history. After lunch I hitched a ride in the back of Arnaud Bamberger’s golf cart, which took

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3 Mauri warriors 4 Goldie Hawn

1995

and Jane Seymour 5 Claudia Schiffer and David Copperﬁeld

him across the Queen’s Ground to the Royal Box for the afternoon’s events. The big parade before the Coronation Cup main match between Argentina, sponsored by EFG, and England (see The Action pages 50–51) featured a red-coated military band, the Household Cavalry, young players from Pony Club Polo and huntsmen with their hounds. Royalty was represented by HRH the Prince of Wales, who presented the trophies and prizes together with Arnaud Bamberger. Prior to that, Prince Charles met a group of players from various countries who had competed for the Coronation Cup in Cartier Internationals over the past 25 years. The new Cartier 25th Anniversary Polo Award went to Julian Hipwood, the former 9-goal player who captained England for 20 years. The Prince also presented the HPA’s Ferguson Cup to Charlie Hanbury, as most promising young player.

Cartier’s sponsorship of the International Day over the past 25 years has made a tremendous contribution to polo in the UK

1/10/09 11:00:04

hurlingham [ feature ]

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25/9/09 11:25:04

Horsemen of the steppes Genghis Khan Polo Camp, Orkhon Valley, Mongolia, August 2006

kindred spirits Photographer Aline Coquelle joined the travelling caravan of the polo world for six years. The result is Polo, The Nomadic Tribe, an evocative collection of photographs and stories from the sport’s greatest talents

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23/9/09

13:49:45

hurlingham [ feature ] 1

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Polo, The Nomadic Tribe is a book is dedicated to two passions, photography and travel, both linked to a third – the beating heart of the book – polo. A trilogy linked by a philosophy: living with passion. Six years of travels, of meetings, souvenirs, friendship, adventures. Six years following the nomadic caravan of polo from Mongolia to Argentina, the USA to Dubai, Mongolia to England, India to France… When I visited Argentina for the first time, I was unaware of a particular cultural phenomenon raging in the pampas, one that has spread through every continent for more than twenty-five hundred years and been passed down from generation to generation, overwhelming the hearts and minds of each

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clan member. These passionately entranced ones are obsessed with horses, devoted, adoring. They talk about horses, live surrounded by horses, and dream only of horses. They take on the role of ultimate progenitor, performing complex manipulations on elite embryos to produce the ideal cavalry. Their addiction? They need high doses of adrenaline, they crave both absolute freedom and intense pressure, and they have a fierce determination to excel and to conquer, as part of a brotherhood. And let’s not forget their innate sense of style, their timeless elegance, and a je ne sais quoi that reflects a sophisticated, cosmopolitan way of life.

1 Shandur, in Pakistan’s North West Frontier, July 2008. At 3800m above sea level, it is the world’s highest polo ﬁeld 2 Polo horses training at 6.30am, Palm Desert, Dubai, March 2008 3 Genghis Khan Polo Cup ﬁnal, Orkhon Valley, Mongolia, August 2006 4 Fighter, Altaf Ali Shah’s horse; a Chitral team winner

25/9/09 11:26:19

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hurlingham [ feature ]

Polo is their collective gene. It is a crucial part of their DNA that they simply cannot live without. Whatever the case, a polo addict remains an addict for life. This is passion, this is love, this is a trance and an outlet – a deep physical, social, and cultural phenomenon that links you to the eternal polo nomadic tribe. From Shandur to Buenos Aires, from Rabat to Orkhon Valley, from Palm Beach to Jaipur, the notion of creating a book about these wild-eyed illuminati became quite obvious to me as I photographed the clans and the individuals. Love can be irrational when choosing a subject to photograph. The sport drew me in, with its sense of brotherhood, with its spirit of the great outdoors, its natural setting a veritable open-air photography studio, saturated with the light of exclusive landscapes, reaching to the ocean shores and to the summits of secret mountains. Country by country, the best talents and emblematic signatures of polo – Adolfo Cambiaso, Carlos Gracida, Alberto Pedro Heguy – have written down their thoughts on this unique sport and way of life. His Highness Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh of Jaipur, Patrick Guerrand Hermès, Roderick Vere Nicoll, Nicholas JA Colquhoun-Denvers, Ali Albwardy, Marcos Uranga, Adam Snow and many others – have handed down stories, along with photographs of the illustrious international polo families and patrons. The sequence of chapters does not follow a particular chronology, nor an alphabetical list of countries. Rather, it follows the rhythm of the spirit of polo – polo’s own paradoxical tempo – through which the direction of play can change, like a sudden rain shower, a sharp stop, a tight curve; from the pampas to the cities, from desert oases to lands of eternal snow, from the ‘happy few’ to the horsemen of the steppes. The book represents only the beginning of my journey through the world’s polo tribes (and by extension, through the other nomadic clans). The future holds more adventures to discover and share, from Jordan, Brazil, Nigeria, China, Russia, Kenya, Costa Rica, Thailand or South Africa… Polo, The Nomadic Tribe, by Aline Coquelle, published by Assouline, £85 www.alinecoquelle.com www.assouline.com

1 Cups for the 2008 Paris Open ﬁnal presented by (left to right) Madame Alain Buisson, Madame René GalyDejean, Princesse Charles Emmanuel de Bourbon-Parme, Madame Antonio Victor Monteiro 2 Chitral and Gilgit teams ﬁghting during the Shandur Polo Tournament, Pakistan, August 2008

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ALL PHOTOS ALINE COQUELLE

A polo addict remains an addict for life. This is passion, this is love, this is a trance and an outlet

1/10/09 10:35:22

For the Beginner & the Best Since 1890, the United States Polo Association has been committed to providing membership services to polo players and polo clubs across the country. Polo is a powerful combination of horse and rider, embodying breathtaking skill, fierce determination, gracious sportsmanship and, above all, a tradition unique to the world of equestrian sports. Join today and belong to a dedicated group of men and women who are members of the USPA.

Visit us at www.uspolo.org Jeff Blake is a USPA Player Member rated at 6 goals and MVP of the 2008 Stanford U.S. Open Polo Championship.

Membership Benefits: • Player Handicap Rating and membership card • USPA Polo Plus Discounts on products/services including John Deere, Sherwin-Williams, UPS & more • Insurance coverage: $1 million excess participant liability • Monthly subscription to Polo Players’ Edition magazine

4037 Iron Works Parkway Suite 110 Lexington, KY 40511

Hurl_Winter09_USPA.indd 1

• USPA Yearbook & Member Directory • Rules and Rules Interpretation Guide • Services including club development, umpire and player clinics, interscholastic/ intercollegiate polo and more • Online access to handicaps and membership info

Membership Information 800.232.USPA or uspa@uspolo.org

25/9/09 10:58:13

hurlingham [ feature ]

perfect timing A leading sponsor of polo as early as the Eighties, Piaget is backing the sport with teams and tournaments and launching new versions of its classic Piaget Polo watch, says Herbert Spencer

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Yves Georges Piaget, chairman of one of the world’s most famous luxury watch firms, is mad about horses – has been ever since he was a boy on the family’s farm in the Alps, where there was one dray horse and lots of cows. ‘I always found the horse much more interesting than the cows,’ he muses. He went on to become a keen equestrian, showjumping ‘for fun’, and, at 67, still hacks at home in Switzerland and owns horses that compete on the international showjumping circuit with one of the national team’s leading riders in the saddle. It was Yves’ love of horses, along with an unrivalled eye for upscale marketing that, 30 years ago, inspired him to name a wristwatch the Piaget Polo and to become one of the sport’s most enthusiastic corporate sponsors. If the Eighties were when Piaget was most visible in polo sponsorship, today the brand is back in a big way, from the American East Coast – New York, the Hamptons on Long Island, Connecticut and down to high-goal in Florida – to Argentina, where it has a team competing in the ‘Triple Crown’, the world’s highest-rated polo tournament, played at up to the maximum of 40 goals. The story of Piaget started in 1874 when George-Edouard Piaget, a 19-year old farmer in the village of La-Côte-aux-Fees, high in Switzerland’s Jura mountains, turned his hand to making movements for fob watches,

and subsequently wristwatches. Successive generations of the family became famous for making ultra-thin movements. Over the years Piaget-made movements have been supplied to brands such as Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Cartier, Ebel, Longines, Omega, Rolex, and Vacheron Constantin. It was not until World War II, in 1943, that Gerald and Valentin Piaget, grandsons of the founder, registered the name Piaget as a brand in its own right. Over the succeeding seven decades Piaget has produced virtually all of its models in precious metals: gold, silver and platinum. Piaget watches are traditionally regarded as pieces of jewellery, many incorporating precious stones, as well as timepieces. However more ‘sporty’ versions, like the Piaget Polo fortyfive, are now being created in its original workshops in La-Côte-aux-Fees and its new headquarters in Geneva. Philippe Léopold-Metzger, CEO of Piaget, says 80 percent of the company’s revenue is still from watches, with 20 percent from pure jewellery. In 1988 luxury brands group Vendôme took a majority share of Piaget, before becoming sole owner in 1993. Vendôme is now part of the South African-owned Richemont group, so Piaget is in a stable of luxury brands that includes Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, IWC, Van Cleef & Arpels and Montblanc.

30/9/09 09:23:12

Marcos Heguy with his English string, June 2009

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29/9/09 11:22:21

hurlingham [ feature ]

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‘Throughout these mergers,’ says Yves Piaget, scion of the family firm who has remained chairman, ‘Piaget has been allowed to retain its own traditional character and philosophy of production and marketing.’ So just what first prompted Piaget to adopt polo as a marketing tool? ‘I saw my first polo match in 1975 or thereabouts, in Argentina,’ explains Yves Piaget. ‘Polo demands the same level of skill that Piaget employs in creating fine watches and it’s a team effort as is our watchmaking. And, most importantly, it encompasses a luxury lifestyle second to none; the social side of the sport attracts the kind of people who buy Piaget watches.’ It was in 1979 that Yves hit upon the name Piaget Polo for one of the company’s flagship watches – and decided the association should not be in name only. From 1981 to 1986 Piaget sponsored the $100,000 World Cup at Palm Beach Polo & Country Club (PBPCC), then the biggest and wealthiest polo centre in the world. To launch the Piaget Polo watch there and present the Piaget World Cup the first year, Yves recruited Swiss actress Ursula Andress, who had become an international sex symbol following her appearance as Honey Ryder in the first James Bond film Dr No. ‘Ursula and I became friends, just as I have with all the other celebrities we’ve worked with in promoting Piaget watches,’ Yves says. The Piaget World Cup attracted teams handicapped at 30-plus goals, the highest level at which polo in America was played. Piaget used the final weekend of the World Cup every year to help realise the company’s

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policy of supporting good causes. ‘Each year, on the night before the World Cup final, we sponsored a big charity gala that attracted all of Palm Beach’s social elite,’ Yves says. The company extended its fund-raising activities with ‘Chukkas for Charity’, a series of celebrity exhibition matches in the New York area. Ever the showman, Yves once had a Piaget celebrity team in full polo kit parade down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Charity events were held at Westbury on Long Island, Greenwich Polo Club and at Saratoga during the racing season. ‘Our celebrity players included film and television stars like Stefanie Powers [Hart To Hart], Pamela Sue Martin [Fallon Carrington in Dynasty], Alex Cord [Airwolf], Bill Devane and Doug Sheehan [Knots Landing],’ Yves recalls. ‘Piaget was a pioneer in the sponsoring of polo,’ says Beatrice Vuille-Willemetz, the firm’s communications director. ‘The involvement of the brand in this noble sport was linked to the launch of the Piaget Polo watch in 1979 and the sport contributed a great deal in building the image of this successful line.’ To celebrate the 30th anniversary of this iconic collection, Piaget has launched five new versions, including the Piaget Polo FortyFive, a new sporty-looking model crafted from robust titanium. Vuille-Willemetz continues, ‘This launch, as well as the increasing importance of the whole Piaget Polo line, has motivated Piaget to become once again an important actor in sponsoring the sport.’ In Argentina Piaget partnered with Pilará, a luxury residential development with polo,

Ever the showman, Yves once had a Piaget team in full polo kit parade down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan

29/9/09 11:25:12

1 Actors Doug Sheehan (in red) and William Devane (in blue) with Yves Georges Piaget 2 Jon Hamm with the CEO of Piaget, Philippe Léopold-Metzger 3 Ursula Andress 4 (from left) Marcos Heguy, Sebastiàn Marlos, Beatrice Vuille-Willemetz, Piaget’s Director of Communications, Santiago Chavanne and Agustín Merlos 5 A Piaget craftsman 6 The Piaget Polo FortyFive

ALINE COQUELLE, LILA PHOTO/WWW.LILAPHOTO.COM

tennis and golf clubs, to field a 37-goal PilaráPiaget team, spearheaded by legendary 10-goalers Marcos Heguy and Agustin Merlos, along with Sebastiàn Merlos and Santiago Chavanne, in Argentina’s ‘Triple Crown’ series of open championships. The team came within two goals of winning the Hurlingham Open and made it to the semi-finals of the Argentine Open. A second, 26-goal PilaráPiaget side competed in the Camara de Diputados tournament in 2008. Earlier this year Piaget returned to polo sponsorship in North America, becoming title sponsor of the USPA Gold Cup at International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPCPB) – Yves confirms that Piaget will be backing the tournament in 2010, too. The 26-goal Gold Cup is second only to the US Open among America’s three top tournaments. ‘John Goodman’s club (IPCPB), with its magnificent stadium, is a worthy successor to the old Palm Beach Polo,’ Yves says. Piaget was also one of the sponsors of the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic on Governor’s Island in New York, where Prince Harry and other members of his winning Sentebale team were each presented with the new Piaget Polo FortyFive wristwatch. This summer the company returned to Long Island where it sponsored the Piaget Polo Hamptons Cup at Bridgehampton Polo Club and in September the Piaget Greenwich Cup at Greenwich Polo Club in Connecticut. Piaget, a prestigious brand that can trace its ancestry back to watchmakers in nineteenth-century Switzerland, is once again right at the heart of polo.

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1/10/09 10:36:45

POLO CLUB

S A I N T- T R O P E Z Calendar 2010

à Gassin

March-October matches every day INFO: www.polo-st-tropez.com

March - April - May - June September and October PRACTICES «POLO WEEK-END»* & MATCHES

April 2nd - 11th EASTER POLO TOURNAMENT (8-12 GOALS)

April 23rd - May 2nd HIPPOCAMPUS CUP (8-12 GOALS)

May 21st - May 24th PENTECOST TOURNAMENT (8-12 GOALS)

June 11th - 21st POLO CLUB SAINT-TROPEZ 12th ANNIVERSARY TOURNAMENT (12-15 GOALS)

July 2nd - 11th INTERNATIONAL POLO CUP SAINT-TROPEZ - VICOMTE A. TROPHY (12-15 GOALS)

July 15th - 25th OPEN DE GASSIN POLO TOURNAMENT (12-15 GOALS)

August 5th - 15th COTE D’AZUR POLO CUP (8-12 GOALS)

August 19th - 29th OPEN DU SOLEIL POLO TOURNAMENT (8-12 GOALS)

September 3rd - 5th POLO SILVER CUP (12-15 GOALS)

September 10th - 12th POLO GOLD CUP (12-15 GOALS)

October 14th 3rd FRANCE / INDIA BUSINESS CUP

* Package "Polo week-end" on request (on all week-ends in March, April, May, June and September): Helicopter, taxi, car rental with or without driver. Hotel, Beach Lunches, Restaurant outings, night clubs, polo lessonns, practices, games, matches and children horse riding lessons available.

INTERNATIONAL POLO TOURNAMENTS_MATCHES EVERY DAY MARCH-OCTOBER_POLO SCHOOL_RIDING SCHOOL_CLUB HOUSE RESTAURANT “La Table du Polo” AND BAR_RECEPTION AND EVENT AREAS_POLO SHOP

Saturday @ Polo “Match & Happy hour” every Saturday April-October at 5 pm

Polo Club Saint-Tropez Route du Bourrian 83580 Gassin France T. +33(0)4 94 55 22 12 F. +33(0)4 94 56 50 66 E. contact@polo-st-tropez.com www.polo-st-tropez.com

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28/9/09 09:44:24

the action [drama] Catch up with all the latest action from around the world

CENTAURPHOTOGRAPHIC/GUARDSPOLOCLUB

Above Cambiaso serves to win the match

46 Queen’s Cup

54 Swiss Gold Cup

58 British Beach Polo

Her Majesty The Queen watches a brilliant ﬁnal between Apes Hill and Sumaya

Against a dramatic Alpine backdrop Gstaad Palace retains its champion’s title

The celebrity hot spot of Sandbanks is transformed into beach polo paradise

48 Gold Cup

55 Deauville

60 Saint Tropez

Clare Milford Haven sees La Bamba battle against Dubai all the way to the podium

The ﬁrst-ever polo match broadcast live to 111 countries is something of an anti-climax

Title-holders Sainte Memse ﬁght hard to defend the Open du Soleil

50 The International

56 Warwickshire

62 The Perfect Match

The all-round Argentine teamwork proves too much pressure for an English side

Spectators and players alike revel in a memorable Cup

The 40-40 match marks the Polo de Paris Club’s largest event since the 1924 Olympics

52 Sotogrande

57 Westbury International

63 Santa Barbara

The Spanish resort provides a ﬁtting venue for the Gold Cup Jaeger-LeCoultre ﬁnals

Newcomer Nicky Gojkovic soaks up the atmosphere of the Westbury International

Grants Farm and ERG go head to head as the Paciﬁc Coast Open celebrates its 102nd year

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1/10/09 11:02:38

hurlingham [ action ]

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Queen’s Cup This year’s Harcourt Developments Queen’s Cup was won by an all-professional side sponsored by Sir Charles “Cow” Williams. The final, on 14 June, had a fabulous edge-of-theseat feeling and was fiercely contested – so much so that the match ended up going to a seventh chukka. Young England player Charlie Hanbury scored the “golden goal” for Apes Hill, after some magnificent teamwork by Juan Gris Zavaleta and England captain Luke Tomlinson. Apes Hill Club Barbados came into being three years ago, launched with much pomp and ceremony at Wentworth Golf Club by Sir Charles, himself a keen polo player. Initially the idea was to give four English professionals the

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chance to compete in the Queen’s and Gold Cups without a playing patron but with sound financial investment. For the first two years, Apes Hill had some success, but handicap changes saw Ed Hitchman and Tom Morley shipped out, with Hanbury and the Argentine player Zavaleta brought in to replace them. The Argentinian was an interesting choice. He had faced Tomlinson in a tournament in Sotogrande and proven his handiness, but it is perhaps a shame none of the other good 6-goal English boys were offered the chance. Still, a team consisting of three Brits is not bad, especially when they play in such a tough tournament and end it by being presented with a beautiful trophy by Her Majesty The Queen.

Apes Hill had a fairly easy time of it throughout the tournament, sailing unbeaten through their league stages. They faced La Bamba de Areco in the quarter-finals, and despite torrential rain and hail, beat them comfortably 13–10. The semi-finals saw them adopt a more tactical approach. They faced Victor Vargas’ Lechuza Caracas and beat them by a three-goal margin, thus securing their place in the final. Tomlinson, however, maintained that Apes Hill were the underdogs throughout: ‘We were a new team, not having played together very much. We lost two of our original cast due to handicap changes and only really started practising in earnest in March. We tried to

CENTAURPHOTOGRAPHIC/GUARDSPOLOCLUB

Tournament finales don’t get more exciting than the thrilling climax between Apes Hill and Sumaya played out in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen, says Antje Doel

1/10/09 11:21:17

‘To be honest, we gave ourselves very poor odds’ Luke Tomlinson

forge a team spirit and get to know each others’ play but, to be honest, we gave ourselves very poor odds.’ Sumaya, on the other hand, had seen it all before, reaching last year’s final and unluckily losing to Ellerston by a goal. That side looks destined always to be the bridesmaid in this tournament. This time they got to the final despite a less than easy passage in the league and semi-final stages. Dubai were their opponents in the semis and they only just squeaked into the final by one goal, which was down to a technical penalty – upgraded from a penalty four to a penalty two after Adolfo Cambiaso argued with the umpires. It was the turning point in the match and Dubai lost their chance of a place in the final. Luckily for the crowds gathered to watch the spectacular final, the weather behaved and everyone was treated to a thrilling match – one of the best this season – in glorious sunshine. It was a big occasion, with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh watching

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1 Hilario Ulloa (left) evades Luke Tomlinson’s hook 2 Ignus de Plessis (MVP) with the ball 3 Her Majesty The Queen presents the prize to Luke Tomlinson

from the Royal Box, while spectators packed the grandstands and the terrace of the lavish new Guards clubhouse. The first couple of chukkas were fairly even, with Tomlinson opening the scoring for Apes Hill. However, Sumaya’s Hilario Ulloa equalised from the throw-in. At the start of the third chukka the scores were all tied at two each. However, some magnificent polo and team play, as well as a couple of solo runs by Zavaleta and Hanbury, soon saw Apes Hill open up a three-goal lead. Perhaps Apes Hill thought they had done enough, but Sumaya are a team never to be underestimated. Thanks to a couple of fouls by Apes Hill and some nifty penalty conversions by the unstoppable Ulloa, Sumaya found themselves once more breathing down the necks of their opponents. By this time the crowds were screaming themselves hoarse. What a match, what an atmosphere. If only all polo tournaments could be like this. The buzz was like that of an FA Cup final.

A penalty three in favour of Sumaya saw Ulloa level the scores and after a magnificent run by Hilario, Sumaya took the lead for the first time in the match. It was Apes Hill’s turn to play catch-up. By the start of the sixth chukka both teams were level on nine goals apiece. Two more goals from each team saw them all-square at 11–11. The match went into an extra chukka. And it was young Charlie Hanbury who scored the winner. That boy was smiling for days afterwards. The final score: Apes Hill 12, Sumaya 11. Speaking after the match, Sumaya patron Osama Aboughazale and Cow Williams said they wished they had a time machine to transport them back in time, so that they might have been young enough to be on the field taking part. Ever the gentleman, Aboughazale said, ‘I am disappointed my team didn’t win, but pleased that Apes Hill triumphed, because they are our friends and a nice team to play against.’ What a sportsman.

1/10/09 11:21:23

hurlingham [ action ]

Gold Cup Under tempestuous skies, Clare Milford Haven saw the Pieres partnership give a battling performance to take La Bamba all the way to the podium

On the day of the final, storm clouds raged overhead as gazebos attempted to take flight

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Trippetts made up for that loss, providing amphitheatre-style viewing on the raised banks and a new venue for the high-goal games. On the day of the final at Lawns, storm clouds raged overhead as gazebos attempted to take flight, and most of the Veuve Cliquot guests took refuge in the tent and comfort in the champagne. Dress code and style were forced to take a back seat, with only the hardened fashionistas shivering in their minis and high-wedged shoes. Only the die-hard polo players and ardent followers occupied the stands, umbrellas at the ready. Most of the first three chukkas, were, to be brutal, very dull. All six goals came from penalties and it wasn’t until Cambiaso broke away, carving through the field like a knife through butter, and made one of his incredible goals halfway through the third to take Dubai to 5–2, that this final came to life. Cambiaso was swiftly matched by an impressive field goal by Gonzalito Pieres, and things started to hot up on the field as

rapidly as the weather started to cool down. With the wind and rain against him, Facundo Pieres managed, with impressive height and distance, to convert another 60-yard penalty for La Bamba, followed by a goal taken down the ground from the throw-in, making it 5–5. With only seconds remaining before half time, the dashing Jean-François Decaux took his team into the lead for the first time, with a neat goal on the nearside, making the score 6–5 in favour of La Bamba. Unhappy with being behind at halftime, Dubai came out fighting in the fourth chukka and, with Cambiaso back on Caridad, they scored another four goals, with only one in reply, taking back the advantage again to enter the fifth chukka 9–7. But, with Facundo now back on Sheltie, he and his brother started passing the ball relentlessly to each other and it seemed that nothing could stop them, scoring two goals each to take La Bamba back into the lead, 11–10. The Pieres brothers succeeded in rattling the Dubai cage, and the

RICHARD YOUNG

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Having been fortunate enough to have played in last year’s High Goal season, with the Bucking Broncos, it is an understatement to say that there was a certain amount of yearning in my loins as I watched this year’s games from the sidelines. Knowing also that any zero-goal substitute would be hand-picked from the ever burgeoning group of up-and-coming, agile, fearless young men – a category I missed out on in every way – my place beyond the boards, on the tailgate of my car, was firmly set in stone. As last year’s only 21-goal team entered into the Veuve Cliquot Gold Cup, I was amused to see that this year, it was the only two 21-goal teams that made it to the final! Not a bad effort, when every goal counts in this fiercely competitive 22-goal Open Championship. After four weeks of really good, exciting games, it was down to La Bamba de Areco to fight it out against Dubai. The structure of the leagues this year made for much better, and possibly fairer, polo. Giving each team four league games before the quarter-finals gave everyone a fair crack of the whip and, coupled with the new tapping rule, it made for good, open polo. This was the brainchild of Cowdray Park Polo Manager Chris Bethell: ‘My dream of producing a solid but fairly structured tournament was the result of a campaign for the last five years to extend the Gold Cup by an extra week to give each team four league games, to reduce the effect of any hiccup a team might have in their early league games. It makes the Gold Cup the hardest 22-goal tournament in the world.’ Injuries along the way seemed more prevalent than usual, with riding muscles pinging like guitar strings and arm injuries giving opportunities for young guns to make their mark with the big shots. Making their debut from the whippersnapper brigade were William Beresford, John Kent (sub for three different teams), Nicholas Johnson (sub for Eduoard Carmignac) and 17-year-old Rashid Albwardy. Lila Pearson was the only warrior queen out there, putting together a last-minute team, the Cowdray Vikings. They gave a very good account of themselves, came ninth out of the 17 teams entered, and went on to win the Ashton Cup. The Ellerston grounds at Stedham were sadly missed this year but the No. 1 field at

24/9/09 10:34:33

MATCH STATISTICS MVP: Gonzalito Pieres Best Playing Pony: Shannon (Gonzalito Pieres) Highest goal scorer: Facundo Pieres TEAMS DUBAI: 1. Rashid Albwardy 0 2. Martin Valent 4 3. Cristian Laprida 7 Bk Adolfo Cambiaso 10 LA BAMBA DE ARECO: 1. Jean Francois Decaux 0 2. Gonzalito Pieres 10 3. Facundo Pieres 10 Bk Tomas Garabini Islas 1

1 The winning team La Bamba de Areco 2 Action in front of the big screen 3 Gonzalito Pieres (MVP)

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The Pieres brothers succeeded in rattling the Dubai cage, and tension was visibly mounting between the players tension was visibly mounting between the players in the green shirts. Cambiaso seemed to lose confidence in his teammates and tried to do too much alone. La Bamba won 13–10. La Bamba might have been lucky to get to the final, but they more than justified their position there. I think it would be fair to say that, had Milo Fernandez Araujo not had his injury, the final would have been between Sumaya and Dubai. However, the horses from La Bamba’s stable helped provide the extra staying power needed in such a final.

28/9/09 10:10:18

hurlingham [ action ]

The International A spirited England side on mix-and-match mounts fail to make a dent, reports Herbert Spencer, against the all-round teamwork of a dominant Argentina No one was surprised when Argentina trounced England to take the Coronation Cup at the Cartier International, flagship event of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA), at the end of July. The only surprise in Windsor Great Park, perhaps, was that the home team held the visitors to a 12–5 scoreline, not that unusual a goal spread in high-goal polo. The two teams were equal in handicap at 26 goals, which on the face of it should have produced an even contest. But handicapping in polo, of players and therefore teams, is subjective and can be deceiving. The die was cast when the Asociación Argentina de Polo (AAP) selected two 10-goal players for the EFG-sponsored Argentina national team, while the HPA could only manage two 7-goalers, their highest-rated professionals, to spearhead Audi England. Not only that but one of Argentina’s 10-goalers was Adolfo Cambiaso, considered the world’s best player, whose handicap might be 12 or more if the maximum were not 10. The other was Facundo Pieres, one of the princes-inwaiting for the top spot who might also be worth more than 10 under a different system. It is, however, useless to dwell on handicaps, as accurate or inaccurate as the handicapping system might be country to country. The fact is that, in a dozen or so encounters between England and allArgentine teams over the past 50 years, for the Coronation Cup and in other international tests at different handicap levels, the English have won only once.

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But, after all, the Argentines have also beat everyone else over that period, proof positive that it has been the world’s number one poloplaying nation since the Second World War. Pony power also played a big part in the South American triumph. Argentina’s 37 ponies all came from one of two of the most powerful strings of the English pro-am season: those of Cambiaso and the Dubai polo team and the Ellerstina mounts of Facundo Pieres and his 10-goal brother Gonzalito – who play for La Bamba de Areco and won the 2009 Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup in the British Open. Thus Cambiaso was playing his own and Dubai ponies, Facundo Pieres played Ellerstina mounts and 3-goalers Martin Valent and Gustavo Usandizaga were on a mix of the two superb strings. For their part, however, the England players struggled to find competitive mounts and were forced to borrow or rent horses from several other pros or high-goal patrons, a total of 15 of their 35 ponies. Only skipper Luke Tomlinson played mostly his own. Despite England losing the 2009 Coronation Cup, a foregone conclusion in the

“Adolfo and Facundo combined brilliantly, and used their younger players to great effect” Luis Lalor

eyes of everyone including the England players, credit is due to the out-manned and out-horsed home side for their valiant efforts to contain 10-goalers Cambiaso and Pieres 1 and their two compatriots. The England team of 7-goalers Luke Tomlinson and James Beim and 6-goalers Mark Tomlinson and Malcolm Borwick managed to turn Argentina’s attacks time and time again and get possession of the ball. But they were unable to follow through to take the ball to goal and score because of the pressure of the Argentina defence. It made a difference that Argentina captain Cambiaso, who sometimes plays a one-man game to win in pro-am polo, on this occasion played a team game, making full use of all his players. “Adolfo and Facundo combined absolutely brilliantly,” said AAP president Luis Lalor after his team’s victory, “and they used their younger players to great effect.” The first of six chukkas was scrappy, with both teams sizing up their opponents and Cambiaso scoring the only goal. England equalised for the only time in the match halfway through the second with an effective passing play, Beim to Borwick to Luke Tomlinson who scored. In the last seconds, Argentina regained the lead with another Cambiaso goal. By halftime Argentina led 5–2. England came back in the fourth period with two penalty conversions by skipper Tomlinson bringing them to within a goal of the visitors, but the chukka ended with Argentina 7–4 ahead. The visitors held

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1/10/09 11:04:55

England scoreless in the fifth period and increased their lead to 9–4. The home team’s last goal came from a penalty conversion in the final chukka, but the match ended with a resounding 12–5 victory for Argentina. “We should have scored more goals,” England captain Luke Tomlinson admitted after the match. “We had a similar number of opportunities, but didn’t capitalise on them, and the ground was very difficult.” Argentina’s Martin Valent received the Cartier Pegasus Trophy as most valuable player. The best playing pony prize went to

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Cambiaso’s eight-year-old Australian-bred mare, Mi Gatita. For the record, an Argentine team took the Coronation Cup in 1953, and all-Argentine sides playing as “South America” defeated England for the cup on the HPA’s International Day in 1975, ’77, ’78 and ’81. Argentina beat England on Cartier International Day in 1995 and 2000 and in the Evolution Test Match in 2005 and 2006. England’s only victory came in the first game of a two-match contest at Palermo in Buenos Aires in 2002; Argentina won the second match and the series.

1 James Bein with his eye on the ball 2 Cambiaso controlling the ball 3 Martine Valent (MVP) being chased by Luke Tomlinson

1/10/09 11:07:06

hurlingham [ action ] 1

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The Warwickshire A new position for the tournament in the calendar was a masterstroke from the HPA, says Alexandra Borgnis, resulting in a thrilling climax to this season’s Triple Crown This season, the HPA has made a concerted effort to reinvigorate the Warwickshire Cup and, at the same time, prolong the British high-goal season. Instead of its traditional slot between the Queen’s Cup and the Open, the tournament has become the third component in the Triple Crown, starting immediately after the Open at the end of July, with the final a week after International Day. David Woodd, chief executive of the HPA, said: ‘The British Open can start earlier as a result and more teams, especially Britishbased ones, will enter the Warwickshire Cup.’ The polo community waited with bated breath to see what the change would bring, and no-one was disappointed. A strong field of teams from across the country flocked to the historic polo fields of Cirencester Park Polo Club for what turned out to be one of the most hotly contested Warwickshire Cup for years. The final took place on 9 August at Cirencester Park between local team El Remanso and visitors Emlor. Both teams had to fight hard in a round of very wet semi-finals, with Emlor beating the on-form Enigma team, and El Remanso beating Nick Britten-Long (2) and his Polo Networks team. As the sun shone on a glorious afternoon, record numbers of visitors enjoyed all the

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facilities laid on for the day including trade stands and the new Warwickshire Bar and Grill along with the presence of new sponsors David Marshall jewellers. The crowd were treated to a very even game with key players Manolo FernandezLlorente (6) and Luke Tomlinson (7) going goal for goal. The final bell rang with the teams on level pegging taking the game to a seventh chukka and golden goal situation. With El Remanso unable to convert a 60-yard penalty, it was Joaquin Pittaluga (5) of Emlor who kept his cool and won the day. The club was proud to welcome the Countess Bathurst and Georgina BrittenLong to award the famous trophy to Spencer McCarthy (1) of Emlor. The Countess was heard to comment to the winning captain that it was the best game of polo she had seen in years – and his smile said it all. The Polo Magazine’s MVP was awarded to Joaquin Pittaluga, with Tom de Bruin’s six-year-old grey South African Thoroughbred winning the Ann Hughes Memorial Trophy for the best playing pony, and Luke Tomlinson’s ten-year-old bay mare taking home the Lycett’s Best Retrained Racehorse prize. As the main prize giving was coming to a close, the teams for the subsidiary final – the

Gloucestershire Cup – took to the pitch. The chairman’s Corovest side were an impressive sight in their familiar sky blue and cream, taking on new faces from France, the Pailloncy family’s HB Polo Team. Corovest took an early lead which HB Polo never recovered from and Corovest eventually won in style 10–8. Zahra Hanbury was on hand to present the trophy kindly donated by her family last year. This year’s event was complemented by a number of social events, including the inaugural Warwickshire Cup Festival Evening in aid of the County Air Ambulance, with a raffle and auction raising £2,000. As the sun set on the tournament, no one was in any doubt that the bold decision taken by the HPA and the enthusiasm of Cirencester Park’s chairman, Richard Britten-Long, have put the Warwickshire Cup firmly back at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

The Countess Bathurst remarked that it was the best game of polo she had seen in years

1/10/09 11:08:52

CHRISTOPHER FEAR, POLOPHOTO.CO.UK

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1 The winners: (from left) Spencer McCarthy, Joaquin Pittaluga, Luke Tomlinson and Nacho Gonzalez 2 Joaquin Pittaluga and Manolo Fernandez-Llorente 3 All eyes on the ball with Joaquin Pittaluga in front 4 The winners of the Gloucestershire Cup: (from left) Santiago Gaztambide, Glen Gilmore, Richard Britten-Long and Buster MacKenzie

25/9/09 11:16:13

hurlingham [ action ] Picturesque action; looking down the valley during the semi finals

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Swiss Gold Cup Against a dramatic Alpine backdrop, Alex Webb watches Gstaad Palace fight to retain the Hublot Gold Cup

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to capture the match 10–9½, thanks to the well-coordinated play of the Menendez brothers. In the second match of the day, the Porsche team of Philippe Maeder (0), Federico Bachman (5), Bautista Ortiz de Urbina (4), and Pablo Jauretche (8) met the Star Design team of Daniel Aegerter (0), Francisco Fucci (5), Augustin Garcia-Grossi (8) and Andres James (4). Porsche took an early lead and held on for a hard-fought 5–4½ win, with Bachman proving to be the scoring threat. Star Design battled valiantly, but fell to the coordinated Porsche attack. On Saturday, all four teams returned to the green fields of the Gstaad Polo Club with a renewed urgency. Gstaad Palace, returning with its winning team from 2008, rebounded from its opening round loss to win 8½–8 over Porsche while Hublot won its second straight match in a one-sided 12–6 romp over Star Design. Going into Sunday’s finals, it would be Hublot against the defending 2008 champion, Gstaad Palace, while Star Design would play Porsche in the consolation match. Over 7,000 spectators lined the field over the course of the tournament, as the four participating teams gave their best under a hot Swiss sun. In the final, despite Gstaad Palace

‘The close teamwork and exact shots of the Star Design team were something to behold’ receiving 1½ goals by handicap, the Hublot foursome began to make up the difference and came close to an undefeated record, but it was not to be, and Gstaad Palace retained its 2008 title by the narrowest of margins. The earlier consolation round was no less competitive, with Star Design downing Porsche 8½–8 for third place honours. ‘My heart almost stopped beating when Daniel Aegerter went down the field leaving all the other players behind, then made his fantastic goal,’ said tournament announcer Chris Carr. ‘The close teamwork and exact shots of the Star Design team were something to behold,’ he added. Hublot’s Eduardo Menendez led all scoring in tournament play with 15 goals, and was named Best Professional Player. Gstaad Palace’s Alejandro Agote finished second in scoring with 11 goals in three games. Hublot captain, Gualtiero Giori scored twice and was honored as Best Amateur Player of the tournament.

ANDY METTLER

The Gstaad-Saanenland region is one of the most attractive of the Swiss Alps, and served as the backdrop for the 2009 Hublot Gold Cup in Gstaad, the 14th edition of this exciting and scenic polo competition. For the second consecutive year, the tournament was organised in partnership with Hublot; and the organisers were pleased to welcome a Porsche-sponsored team for the first time. Part of the World Polo Tour (WPT), the event is ranked among the world’s top tournaments, which in turn helps to establish the international ranking of the top players in the game today. ‘We feel privileged to welcome Hublot for the second time as main sponsor,’ said Pierre Genecand, president of the Gstaad Polo Club and organiser of the event. ‘Furthermore, we are honored to count Porsche among our team sponsors.’ Attracting four teams rated from 15–18 goals, the 2009 Hublot Gold Cup kicked off on Thursday, 20 August with the defending champions, Gstaad Palace – Fabian Pictet (0), Sasha Pictet (0), Hector Guerrero (7) and Alejandro Agote (8) – faced off against Hublot’s entry of Gualtiero Giori (1), Eduardo Menendez (7), Francisco Menendez (7) and Tete Storni (3). Early going had Gstaad Palace ahead by 2½ goals in the first half before Hublot rallied

24/9/09 10:56:33

The Rematch – Deauville

FIP-C.DONOSO

The re-run of the Argentine Open between the world’s two top-rated teams was something of an anti-climax, says Herbert Spencer When Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra defeated reigning champions La Dolfina Peugeot in the 2008 Argentine Open last December, with a golden goal in extra time, they were a 39-goal team against La Dolfina’s 40-goal line-up. After Ellerstina’s victory, however, the Argentine association raised the handicap of the team’s Juan Martin Nero, who was named 1 Valuable Player of the final, from 9 to 10. Most So for the first time in many a year, polo now had two established teams playing at the sport’s maximum rating of 40 goals. Ellerstina and La Dolfina met again at the beginning of August this year in a muchanticipated ‘Rematch’ at Deauville Polo Club. The event was an initiative of Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, president of the Federation of International Polo (FIP), and Philippe de Nicolay, president of the Normandy Club, who saw an opportunity to promote the sport by bringing the world’s two best high-goal teams to Europe. Guerrand-Hermès called the 40–40 event ‘historic’. De Nicolay hosted the Rematch on the club’s newly rebuilt No. 1 ground in the centre of the resort’s famous racecourse, kicking off the Deauville polo season. Watchmaker Rolex came on board as title sponsor and Eurosport transmitted the game live to TV audiences in 89 countries. The eight 10-goal players were Nero, brothers Facundo and Gonzalito Pieres and Pablo MacDonough, for Ellerstina, and Adolfo Cambiaso, Lucas Monteverdi, Mariano Aguerre and Bartolomé Castagnola for La Dolfina. The two teams were reputedly paid $1.2m for their appearance. Sadly, however, no one could control the weather. It began raining heavily an hour before the match and the downpour continued throughout. There were around 2,000

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spectators sheltering under umbrellas, a far cry from the 15,000 that had watched the teams clash in Buenos Aires eight months earlier. The Deauville ground was soggy in the early going and, with the Argentine season starting in September, none of the 10-goalers appeared willing to risk themselves or their ponies by riding flat out. Although the players put on some dazzling displays of the skills that earned them the sport’s maximum rating – stick work, riding off and teamwork – the game lacked the spark of a regular tournament competition. Technically, it didn’t remain a 40–40 game for long. Midway through the second of six chukkas, La Dolfina’s Lolo Castagnola took a hard ball to his hand and had to retire. With no 10-goal substitute available, his place was taken by 7-goaler Guillermo Terrera, who was in Normandy playing for Edouard Carmignac’s Talandracas in the Deauville Gold Cup. Terrera went on to score two goals for the team and, ironically, was named MVP. Ellerstina led in the first, second and fourth chukkas, with the game tied up at the end of the third and fifth periods. The sixth chukka saw them run out 11–10 winners. Despite the setbacks, Guerrand-Hermès pronounced the match a resounding success and said he was discussing with the two teams the possibility of bringing them to another venue in Europe to play another 40–40 match next year. There are, however, some FIP members who question whether the federation should be involved in such special high-goal events that largely benefit only a handful of players from one country. Especially as the next running of the FIP’s own World Cup, in which upwards of 30 countries are expected to participate, has yet to find funding or a venue.

DEAUVILLE FACTS ● It is the first time in the history of polo that a rematch between the two finalist teams of the Abierto di Palermo has been played ● The game had worldwide exposure. It was broadcast to 111 countries and over 187 million households in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, Australia and the United States ● In Europe the event reached 4 million viewers ● It was the first time in Europe a polo match was broadcast live and in high definition. The coverage was enriched with live interviews of players and team managers

From left to right: Bartolomé Castagnola, Mariano Aguerre, Lucas Monteverdi, Adolfo Cambiaso, Philippe de Nicolay, Laurent-Eric Le Lay, Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, Facundo Pieres, Gonzalito Pieres, Pablo MacDonough and Juan Martin Nero.

25/9/09 11:24:17

hurlingham [ action ]

Sotogrande The Santa Maria Polo Club in Spain has cemented its place as one of Europe’s best, finds Clare Milford Haven and Edwina Haynes

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grass is a modern variety called Tifton, which is springy, disease-resistant and extremely tough, withstanding the pressure of the most vigorous game – ‘treading in’ never happens at Sotogrande and a grass expert is flown in twice a year from Argentina to assess its condition – while a superior drainage system guarantees excellent playing conditions year round. Improvement works on the rest of the grounds and extensive new stables are now being planned. Sotogrande, dubbed ‘the Wimbledon of polo grounds’, is deservedly enjoying its position as one of the top European polo clubs. Former High Goal player and professional umpire Tito Gomez, who taught many of the current players in Sotogrande and has witnessed so much change over the years, sums up his well-deserved pride in the club’s longevity and success: ‘The grandchildren of the first players are now forming their own teams, and the calibre of the sport is higher than ever,’ he says.

The spectacular setting of the grounds, with mountains forming a dramatic backdrop, contributed to the club’s growing reputation

Eduardo Novillo Astrada, left, with Gonzalito Pieres behind

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After an unexpected and definitive win in the semi finals of the Gold Cup Jaeger-LeCoultre against Ayala, Las Monjitas were the favourites to go on to a sure victory in the finals against Taittinger Dos Lunas, held at the Santa Maria Polo Club in Sotogrande, southern Spain. Eduardo Novillo Astrada and Juan Gris Zavaleta had proved themselves forces to be reckoned with in their decimation of Pelon Stirling’s normally impenetrable game in the semis. So it was with a certain nonchalance that the 400 or so spectators came out in the searing August heat to watch what was anticipated as a potential walkover to the boys in the fluorescent orange shirts. And, for the first half of the game, the score more than reflected this attitude as Las Monjitas rapidly took the lead with a 7-1 advantage over Taittinger Dos Lunas. But then slowly Taittinger Dos Lunas started to find their pace and rhythm. With Gonzalito Pieres at the helm the team regrouped and made a remarkable recovery. Perhaps it is only while under real pressure that the true grit of a top player shines through, and when Gonzalito scored a goal in the sixth chukka, taking the score to 10-10, it seemed that nothing could stop him. And nothing did. He went on to convert a 40-yard penalty in extra time, sealing his name not only on the coveted Gold Cup but also as the highest-ranking player of this year’s World Tour. It was a brilliant finale to the tournament. But then, the Santa Maria Polo Club in sleepy Andalucia has always been a special place to watch polo. Located within the vast Sotogrande resort, it was founded in 1961. The first polo ground, ‘La Playa’, appeared beside the beach club in 1965, with spectators donning swimming costumes rather than cocktail dresses, and the horses – and, presumably, players – cooling off in the sea after matches. The club continues to expand, and now has nine polo grounds in three locations, Los Pinos, Río Sotogrande and Puente de Hierro. Mostly used for the Medium Goal and Low Goal matches, all offer superior playing facilities. The newest grounds, Los Pinos, were inaugurated last year, and are now the home of High Goal Polo in Spain. They are where the high handicap matches of the International Summer Tournament are played, as well as most of the winter tournaments. They incorporate cutting-edge technology – four of the grounds can be used after severe rainstorms, and laser technology ensures near-perfectly level ground surfaces. The

1/10/09 10:38:01

Eden Ormerod cruising with the ball

British Beach Polo Championships

MARK COUTTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, says Jane Blore, celebrity hideaway Sandbanks was once again a beach polo paradise The Sandbanks Peninsular, synonymous with celebrity lifestyles, expensive cars and multimillion-pound homes, once again hosted the British Beach Polo Championships in July. More used to attracting hundreds on a sunny day for sandcastles and ice creams, windbreaks are erected and deckchairs are unfolded for one week in the year to survey the goings-on of the polo pitch. In 2008, the Borough of Poole opened the sands for the first time for beach polo. This year, in four days, a pitch was prepared and bespoke arena walls constructed, with grandstand seating for 1,200 guests and huge entertainment marquees. The construction works attracted a crowd of onlookers — mostly little boys – who found it all far more exciting than a bucket and spade. Played on compacted sand irrigated by the local fire brigade in the early hours, beach polo is played to standard arena polo rules except the ball is larger and lighter. The event attracted many of the great names in polo, with six teams entered into the championships. On Friday 10 July Team SOS Recruitment beat Team Pommery 10–2, Team Lloyds Property Group, resplendent in their bright yellow Kukri polo shirts, destroyed Team Hotel Du Vin 7–1, the experience of the 2008

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championships coming out once again in Spencer McCarthy’s Lloyds team. The pitch, by this time, was starting to show signs of drying out, so the skillful took the ball into the air, transforming the game into one more akin to polocrosse. Later a drizzle sent many into the marquees but those that stuck it out in the grandstand watched Team Poole Audi – last year’s winning outfit – defeated by Team Bailey Robinson by 8 to 6. The finale on each day was an International Game between the ICM England Beach Polo Team – Simon Holley (0), Chris Hyde (6) and Ryan Pemble (5) against Julia’s House South America Team – Matias Ballesteros (4), Matias Amaya (3) and Nico Fontanarrosa (5). The South Americans won, in the driving rain, on Friday night by a narrow margin, 8–7. Beach Polo has always been about more than polo – it is a society, party and charity event. One of the joys of the sand is that you can do things on it that would not be permitted on the hallowed pitches of Guards or Cowdray — the annual Poole Audi race between an Audi Q7 and a polo pony being one example! In aid of the Heaton-Ellis Trust the winner of this year’s race raffle walked away with a Yamaha piano. The late David Heaton-Ellis worked with the founder of the event, Johnny

Wheeler, to deliver the 2008 championship, and his enthusiasm and wit were missed. By the second day of the championships, a night of heavy rain had left the pitch in good condition. Team Pommery beat Team Bailey Robinson, and Team Poole Audi claimed third place, defeating Team Hotel Du Vin. The final was a great battle between Team Lloyds Property Group, which included Spencer McCarthy, Maurice and Eden Ormerod, and the flamboyant Team SOS Recruitment led by Jack Kidd with his sister, Jodie, and their friend Jamie Morrison. Team SOS stole the title 8–6. The evening’s International Match saw England the victors 11–9, with Charlie Woodridge awarded most valuable player. The British Beach Polo Championships would not be complete without going to the infamous Beach Party. Undaunted by the weather, society turned out in force in a stunning array of finery to dance the night away at a party hosted by Bournemouth’s most favoured private nightclub venue, PRIVA. Only in its second year, the event was a sell out and an estimated 6,000 people attended. The British Beach Polo Championships now has a well-earned place in the polo calendar. Everyone expects to return next year – and has fingers crossed for sunshine.

The skillful took the ball into the air, transforming the game into one more akin to polocrosse

24/9/09 10:10:03

hurlingham [ action ] 1

The Westbury International More than just a game, the lively atmosphere of an international polo match impresses polo newcomer Nicky Gojkovic

Champagne was flowing and a tangible buzz could be felt among spectators before the matches even began

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In the second match, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Hurlingham ladies’ team dominated from the off and only a fourth-chukka flurry from the South East Asian ladies prevented a clean sweep as the match ended 7–2½. The ambience surrounding the match was enhanced by the music and the constant flow of canapés and drinks, which all added to the excitement of the event. Like me, the South East Asia ladies’ team were amazed at the enthusiasm that surrounds polo in England, and the impact the game has on spectators. All in all, it was a fantastic day out, and I’ll definitely be back for more. On Sunday 5th, 400 invited guests were treated to a day of keenly contested polo at Coworth. The main match of the day was played at a blistering pace and saw the Apes Hill Club of Prince William, Prince Harry, Harald Link from the Thai Polo Club and

Malcolm Borwick, an accomplished member of the England Polo Team take away the inaugural Westbury Shield. Despite the defeat, the popular Knowledge To Action Team of HH Prince Amir Shah of Pehang, HRH Prince Rashid of Jordan, England Polo Manager Andrew Hine and Bruce MerivaleAustin, received a huge reception during the presentation ceremony. Azad Cola, Managing Director of The Westbury Hotel commented, ‘During the current economic crisis it is only too easy for people to forget those less fortunate. Therefore it is even more important for us to remember our social responsibilities and endeavor to do even more.’ The day raised over £50,000 in support of three charitable causes: Tusk Trust, Sentebale and Mountain Rescue England and Wales, all supported by Prince William and Harry.

AGRIPIX

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Upon my arrival at Coworth Park it immediately became clear how much more there is to polo than I’d thought. It’s not just a game of hockey on a horse! Despite it being my first time at a match, I was pleased to find that I grasped the basics of the game quickly, and I was soon engrossed in the excitement of the matches. The energetic atmosphere set the tone for the Westbury International on 4 July, which pitted two teams from South East Asia against youthful English counterparts. Champagne was flowing – not for the riders of course – and a tangible buzz could be felt among spectators before the matches even began. Four teams were there to contest the Westbury International. The Young England team comprised Jack Richardson (2), Max Charlton (3), Nick Pepper (4) and Richard Le Poer (4), while the South East Asia men’s team included HH Tengku Shazril (3), Edham Shahruddin (4), Huzaini Yunos (4) and Nattapong Pratumiee (2). For the women’s match, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Hurlingham ladies’ team put forward Matilda Woodd (0), Marchioness Milford Haven (0), Sarah Wiseman (1) and the Hon. Lila Pearson (0) against the South East Asia ladies’ team of Caroline Link (0), Akiko Kume (0), Daryl Yeap (0) and Claudia Zeisberger (0). I soon discovered that one of the most important factors in polo is the amount of interaction between the player and their pony prior to the game. This relationship can be a major influence on the success of the team. For the Westbury, the South East Asian visitors had less time to get to know their mounts, and the familiarity the home teams had with their ponies seemed to give them an advantage. As Daryl Yeap from the South East Asia Ladies’ team admitted, she was “only just about comfortable with her horse”. Familiarity and experience did seem to be the deciding factors in both matches. First up, after an early brace of goals from the South East Asia Men’s team, Young England took control in the second chukka with four goals, winning with a final score of 8½–3½.

28/9/09 10:12:02

1 In line to the throne: Prince William ahead of Prince Harry 2 From left: Malcolm Borwick, Princes William and Harry, Harald Link 3 Max Charlton in blue chased by HH Tengku Shazri

BESPOKE SILVERSMITHS UNIQUE HAND CRAFTED SPECIAL COMMISSIONS

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58-59_Westbury.indd 2

1/10/09 11:09:46

hurlingham [ action ]

Saint Tropez A month of fierce competition saw title-holders Sainte Memse going all out to defend the Open du Soleil, reports Susan Stovall

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Five 12-goal teams came to the fields of Polo Club Saint Tropez to enjoy the polo as well as the sunshine, beaches and the lovely villages that make coming to the south of France in August a unique polo vacation. The international line-up of patrons included, from Switzerland – Christine Baer and David Amar, Sweden – Kristian Petersson and his son Viktor, Pakistan – Alshair Fiyaz, and Germany – Corinne Schuler and her son, Edouard Benveniste-Schuler. Madame Schuler has been the owner of Polo Club Saint Tropez for 11 years and has made the club very special for both players and public. The sponsors for the month of fierce competition at Polo Club Saint Tropez were Hublot, Aquapax, John Taylor Real Estate, Club 55 and Vicomte A. The F Polo Team has had a very successful

season for the Justin Gaunt-managed foursome of Diego Braun (5), Werner Meier (0), Justin Gaunt (4), and new to the team Leroux Hendricks (3) who won all of their games with authority. The game that decided the other finalists was between Christine Baer’s Azur team and Gualtiero Giori’s Villa a Sesta. Down to the last chukka and going into overtime, Azur’s Mathieu Delfosse (4) scoring the winning goal to give Azur a 9–8 victory. Come the final, F Polo Team was the favourite but Azur, with the Petracchi Brothers, José (3) and Sebastián (5), was ready to take the title. Goals went back and forth until Sebastián Petracchi took control of the game and went on to lead the Azur team to victory with five goals in the 7–4 win. Gualtiero Giori was leading patron scorer for the tournament.

PHOTOTIME ST TOPEZ / P.RAFFIN

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28/9/09 10:12:40

For a special evening the players were invited to ride through the nearby 15th-century village of Gassin

1 The parade at Gassin: (left to right) Juan Martin Garcia Labrode, Francisco Irastorza, Corinne Schuler and son Edouardo Benveniste-Schuler representing Polo Club St Tropez 2 The winners of the Open du Soleil, Sainte

Memse: (left to right)Birger Strom, Christian Nordheimer, Marcos Mocoroa and Robert Strom

In the second half of the month, new patrons playing for the Open du Soleil included Jérome Wirth (1) and Shahe Kalaidjian (-1) for Enigma-Sezz and Robert (1) and Birger (1) Strom of Sainte Memse. The four 12-goal teams played each other, vying for the top two spots for the finals. For a special evening the players were invited to ride through the nearby 15th-century village of Gassin and then celebrate the produce of the many local wineries with the mayor. Coming from its win in the Cote d’Azur Cup, Azur was the team to beat. Nevertheless, Enigma-Sezz took its opponents into overtime in a very close match. High scorers for Azur were Matheiu Delfosse with three goals and Malcolm Borwick (6) with two, but the hero was José Petracchi, who scored the winning

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goal, giving Azur the win 6–5. Sainte Memse and Enigma-Sezz had a close match going to the final bell with father-son combination, Birger and Robert Strom scoring three of the four goals for Sainte Memse, but Borwick scored four goals to give Enigma-Sezz a 5–4 victory. Saint Tropez had Tom Barrack, founder of a new polo club in Sardinia, as guest plyer for its game against Sainte Memse. The score was 7–5 to Sainte Memse. The semi-finals pitted Azur against St Tropez and Sainte Memse against EnigmaSezz, with both Azur and Sainte Memse winning 7–4. High-scorer Robert Strom took four goals for Sainte Memse and Sebastián Petracchi three for Azur. Christine Baer’s Azur were definitely pursuing back-to-back victories, but Sainte

Memse were defending the Open du Soleil title from 2008, so each team was raring to go. Robert Strom and Marcos Orocoroa scored two quick goals in the first chukka and Saint Memse added a third in the second, but Sebastián Petracchi hit four in the second and Matheiu Delfosse had one – at half-time it was 5–3 to Azur. In the third, Robert Strom was deadly, with three quick goals, and two more in the fourth – and with Christian Nordheimer (5) adding one, Sainte Memse retained their Open du Soleil title. Robert Strom was the highestscoring patron with 15 goals for the series. Jerome Wirth and Shahe Kalaidjian’s EnigmaSezz won the subsidiary over Saint Tropez. The 2009 season at Polo Club Saint Tropez ends in September, with the Silver Cup and Gold Cup, both at 15 goals.

24/9/09 10:27:22

hurlingham [ action ]

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The Perfect Match The Polo de Paris Club made polo history as Argentinian 10-goalers descended on the French capital for Europe’s first ever 40–40 contest, reports Herbert Spencer In June the French capital’s elegant Polo de Paris Club staged its largest event in over eighty years when the club played host to The Hublot Perfect Match, an exhibition game played by eight Argentine professionals all holding polo’s maximum handicap of 10 goals. It was the first 40–40 match ever played on the Continent and was an initiative of the Asociación Argentina de Jugadores de Polo (AAJP), the Argentine high-goal players’ association; the Swiss watchmakers Hublot; and Pierre-Yves Charbonniere, president of the French club’s polo committee, to showcase the best the sport has to offer. Polo de Paris, an exclusive club where normally only members – the crème-de-lacrème of Parisian society – can watch the action, was transformed for The Hublot Perfect Match. Extra grandstands were erected across from the clubhouse, the public was admitted, and the ground was lined with sponsors’ signage to create the atmosphere of a major sporting event. An estimated 2,300 spectators crowded the clubhouse terraces and the stands opposite. “This was certainly the club’s biggest polo event since games were played here in the 1924 Olympics,” said Charbonniere, who was born in Argentina and spends half the year there, where his family breeds polo ponies. “And it was ‘official’,” he added, “in that it was supported by the Argentine ministry of tourism,

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with the Argentine ambassador there to present the prizes.” Ten of the sport’s 10-goal superstars divided into the two teams for The Perfect Match. The Granaderos team comprised Facundo Pieres, Pablo MacDonough, Miguel Novillo Astrada and Bartolomé Castagnola, with Lucas Monteverde as substitute. The Patricios team had Agustín Merlos, Juan Martín Nero, Mariano Aguerre and Marcos Heguy, substitute Gonzalito Pieres. Granaderos took an early lead and remained ahead throughout the six-chukka match. By halftime they were 8–4 up. Then Patricio held their opponents scoreless for two chukkas and came within a goal of them before the sixth period ended 11–9 in favour of Granaderos. “This was not meant to be a competitive match,” explained Charbonniere, “but an exhibition to show the public the skills of players at the highest levels of polo, and the 10-goalers did a excellent job in this game.” Luis Ureta, Argentina’s ambassador to France, presented the prizes, assisted by Sophie Thalmann, a former Miss France. Prizes for the players included a limited edition of Hublot’s “Big Bang” wristwatch with the Polo de Paris logo on the face and The Hublot Perfect Match logo on the reverse. After the prize presentations the organisers auctioned off a group of painted sculptures of

polo ponies that had been made specially for the event. The charity auction raised some €30,000 for the supporting foundation of the Hospital Fernandez in Buenos Aires. The Argentine players and Hublot could not have chosen a more prestigious venue for the Continent’s first 40–40 exhibition. Polo de Paris, situated at Bagatelle on the French capital’s Bois de Boulogne, near the Longchamp racecourse, was founded in the 19th century and is an important tennis and show jumping centre as well as a gathering place for the social élite. Some 3,000 prominent families hold membership and there is a waiting list of around 500 more. When polo was still part of the Olympics, matches were played at Bagatelle during the 1900 and 1924 Paris games. “It’s a history of which Polo de Paris is justifiably proud,” says Charbonniere, “and the club can now add a 21st-century first to its credits with The Hublot Perfect Match.”

“It was not a competitive match, but an exhibition to show the public the skills of players at the highest levels of polo”

1/10/09 11:10:54

Santa Barbara

DAVID LOMINSKA/WWW.POLOGRAPHICS.COM

Grants Farm takes 2009 bombardier Pacific Coast Open By Alex Webbe It was a perfect California fall afternoon. The air was crisp and the sun was out for over 2,500 polo spectators eager to see the showdown between Santa Barbara’s local Grants Farm entry and Scott Woods’ ERG team from Texas. And they were treated to a fitting ending to one of the most unpredictable California high-goal seasons in years. The Pacific Coast Open was celebrating its 102nd year of competition and teams travelled from across the country to compete. Scott Wood’s ERG team and John Muse’s Lucchese entries came from Texas, while Audi and Patagones travelled from Florida. Colorado’s Bob Jornayvaz’s Valiente entry made its first Pacific Coast Open appearance with 9-goaler Nacho Astrada aboard, and Lyndon Lea arrived from England to compete with his Zacara team. The only two California entries were Ben Soleimani’s Mansour team from Los Angeles and Andy Busch’s Grants Farm team from Santa Barbara. The eight teams were divided into two brackets of competition with ERG and Grants Farm emerging as the ultimate tournament finalists. 1 There was no defending champion this year, as Audi suffered two losses in the Pacific Coast Open competition after charging undefeated through the 2008 season. ‘We had some health issues in our first match,’ said Audi team captain Marc Ganzi, ‘and after losing the opener we needed help to make it to the finals.’ Six-goaler Juan Bollini was suffering from food poisoning in Audi’s first match with Grants Farm and they found themselves on the short end of a 17-13 score. In the second bracket, Carlos Gracida and a strong Patagones entry found itself on the sidelines after its 10-9 semi-final loss to a Grants Farm team they had earlier defeated in the finals of the Skene Cup. ‘I felt like we had control of the game,’ said Carlos Gracida. ‘the team was playing well and the horses were just where we wanted them to be.’ The final six goals of the game, however, were Penalty 2s. Patagones was awarded two of them and Grants Farm connected on four of them. ‘We’re just going to have to come back and win it next year,’ said Gracida. Lucchese’s form had slipped since its appearance in the finals of the America Cup as the team suffered dismal penalty shooting statistics, and neither Ben Soleimani’s Mansour team nor Bob Jornayvaz’s Valiente seemed up to the task, while Lyndon Lea’s

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Zacara entry struggled to find itself early on. ‘I felt we had the strongest team from the beginning,’ said Grants Farm’s Jeff Hall. And the match-up between Scott Wood’s ERG foursome from Texas and local Andy Busch’s Grants Farm team turned into a real nailbiter. In a game that began in a 2-2 tie after the opening chukker, ERG managed to hold on for a narrow 7-6 halftime lead. Grants Farm came back in the fourth chukker, outscoring ERG 2-1 and knotting the score at 8-8. Pedro Falabella scored the first goal of the fifth chukker to give Grants Farm a 9-8 advantage, but goals from Paco de Narvaez and Blake closed the period with ERG on top of a 10-9 score Grants Farm rode into the final chukker needing one goal to tie and two to go ahead. De Narvaez opened the scoring in the final chukker to give ERG an 11-9 edge, and then Grants Farm put it into overdrive. Goals from Busch and Hall tied it at 11-11 before Sugar Erskine’s goal put them on top, 12-11. Grants Farm took control of the ensuing throw-in and, with less than forty seconds on the clock, carried it the length of the field where Hall hammered it through to ice the game, 13-11. Jeff Blake was named MVP of the finals while Sugar Erskine’s 14-year-old Bay mare Shell Rock was named Best Playing Pony. Jeff Hall received the Bob Skene Trophy as Best Player of the Season. ‘It was a great win – truly a team effort,’ Hall said.

Top Sugar Erskine, winner of the PCO in 2008 and 2009, in front of the stands Above Jeff Hall kisses the cup

‘We’re just going to have to come back and win it next year’ Carlos Gracida

25/9/09 11:20:59

hurlingham [ archive ]

farewell, Oak Brook As another American polo giant fades away, Alex Webbe looks back on a great family operation

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above Michael, Jorie, Paul and Frank Butler

left Paul and Jorie at ﬁeld Number 3, the main Sunday ground

Under the watchful eye of Paul Butler, the village of Oak Brook developed around his beloved polo fields Butler Kent took over the management lead in 1967 and ran the Polo Division of Oak Brook’s International Sports Core. It was under Jorie’s watch that the concept of major corporate sponsorship came to fruition in the world of polo. Jorie brought in the McDonald’s Corporation, Brookfield Zoo, Tiffany and Friends of Conservation. ‘Michael brought in Air France and United Airlines,’ she recalls, ‘before he went

to London to produce the musical, Hair, while playing polo at Windsor Park. With Jorie deeply involved with the organisation of Abercrombie & Kent Group of Companies, Michael Butler returned to take the polo reins, alongside his son Adam. As the years passed, the history of the creation of The Village of Oak Brook and the Oak Brook Polo Club faded. Twelve fields shrunk to five and then to a single field. The Village board finally voted to eliminate the polo altogether this year, and the once proud polo jewel of the Midwest was forced to fold up its tents. Unlike the Meadow Brook Club, the Oak Brook Polo Club was a family effort that was born of the purest of purposes, for the glory of the sport. Thank you Oak Brook, thank you Paul, Jorie, Michael and Adam.

MUSEUM OF POLO

James Gordon Bennett is credited with bringing the grand game of polo to America in 1876. He retired from the game in 1878, but by then the seed was planted. Early matches sprung up in Westchester County, before spreading to the shores of Newport, Rhode Island, as the newest equestrian rage attracted a growing number of riders. With the development of private fields and stabling on Long Island, the Meadow Brook Club quickly became the hub of all high-goal and international polo in America, hosting the J. Watson Webb, the Whitneys, Milburn, the Phipps’, the Guests, and any other player of merit or rank. But when the venerable old club’s polo operations wound down in the mid 1950s, it was the Butler family and the Oak Brook Polo Club that preserved the history, structure and direction of polo in the United States for decades to come. With the club’s first field installed in 1922 by Frank Osgood Butler, the dream had begun. When son Paul took over the reins, additional property was purchased in the western Chicago suburb – and a dozen polo fields and stabling for over 300 horses were constructed by the Butler family. Under the watchful eye of Paul Butler, the village of Oak Brook developed around the rustic grandeur of his beloved polo fields. A member of the Polo Hall of Fame, his induction plaque reads: If polo was ever in need of an angel, it was at the time when Paul Butler gave a beleaguered postwar sport a new lavish center and a home of the US Open Championship. Generously, with flair and vision, he nurtured a recovering sport until others could carry the torch. His contributions to American polo through Oak Brook Polo Club were complemented by a long service for nearly three decades. Oak Brook Polo Club hosted the United States Open Championship 23 times while entertaining everyone from Lord Cowdray to the Maharajah of Jaipur. It hosted the first two World Cup competitions and tutored Bill Ylvisaker in the corporate language that resulted in the success of Palm Beach Polo and Country Club. Oak Brook’s management style was pure Butler. ‘One principle was that Dad was the monarch, we were his prime ministers,’ said Michael Butler. ‘Jorie (Butler Kent) and I were joined at the hip, as we still are.’ With the now retired 10-goaler Cecil Smith serving as the polo manager, Jorie

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