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07 Ponylines News from around the polo world, plus interviews and the Chief Executive's column
17
Talk
Including Cody Forsyth's tips on breeding, a private clinic with Adolfo Cambiaso and city polo
26 Profile On the cover: HH MahataJa. ~Singh II oi ..kxlhpvr Clcli), with his $On t111d heir, Yu~1uj $hivn111:1
HPA's chief executive, David Woodd, discusses the association's progress and future plans
28
Therapy
Herbert Spencer discovers how the lives of inner-city kids are being transformed through riding
34
Culture
Shanghai Tang Chairman, Raphael Le Masne de Chermont on the revival of polo in Mongolia
40 History Hallie Campbell looks at the rich heritage of polo in Jodhpur, from past to the present day
47
Action
Reports and pictures from across the globe, including the Oueen's and Gold Cups, the Cartier International, FIP Austria, the Beaufort Test Match and the Pacific Coast Open
64
Archive
Hebert Spencer celebrates 100 years of the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club
foreword
contributors
Roderick Vere Nicoll F\lbfisher
There are several themes that prevail in th is is~ue: Adolfo Cambiaso, youth polo and travel. In Ponylines, we discuss Cambia.so's new team for the 2011 Argentine season and his partnership ";th Crestview Generics' don ing program. In Talk. Clare Milford Haven recalls Cambiaso's clinic with four young stars. He says t he youngsters are t he same level. talent-wise, as their Argentinian peers, yet has an interesting theory on why the English young have difficulty imprO\; ng . Cambiaso is omnjprcsent in Action. winning the Queen's Cup, t he Gold Cup in England and sweeping all three tournaments in California.
Hallie Campbell is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer whose worl< has appeared in publications such as The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Hatpers & Oueen and The Week. She has covered polo in the UAE, Thailand and India. Her favourile polo momenl was attempting to score while perched on a pachyderm during the WEPA King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament
The second t heme is yout h polo. John Gale, polo manager at
Wellington College has an idea of how to spot and nuture talent in t he schools program. Then in Features, Herbert Spencer discovers city programmes on both sides of the Atlantic that use polo to help disadvantaged kids. These are in itiatives t hat polo as~ociarions worldwide should embrace. In Action, read how 17-year-old Chris Mackenzie was the MVP of th e Queen's Cup, beating t he world's best player and three 9-goalers. Sally jones reports that julius Baer, in conjunct ion with the Hurtwood Polo Club, has staged a successful British junior Polo Ch ampion ships with big future plans. Finally. a young, talented French team wins FIP's European 8-goal tournamen t. 'T he other t heme is traveL In Tnlk, we visit Australia and see how the game of kings is being brought to t he cities! Despite the belief that polo originated in Mongolia, it is no longer widely played in t he (ount ry. Shan ghai Tang's Raphael I.e Masnc de Chermont is attempting to change that. Polo was bo ught to England from India more than 150 years ago. Hallie Campbell writes of jodhpur's illustrious history with the sport, which is bein g revived by our cover stars - th e rvtaharaja of jodhpur and his son Shivraj. There a re other interesting items as well. In Saddle Up With, Malcolm Born;ck reveals the secrets of a good penalty taker. In Pro(lle, David Woodd analyses HPA's progress d uring h is tenure.
John Gale is the Master in Charge of Polo at Wellington College where he also runs the Cavalry section of the CCF, coaches rugby and teaches mathematics. He is currently hard at work reading lor a Maslers Degree at Oxford Universrty and hopes to get involved with the polo community once there. John lives in Berkshire with his wife Sue and two young children. Ro ry Merry •s a Rinzai Ze n trained photojournalist with 4 1 years' expenence. His training in swordsmanship at Chozen-Ji International Zen Dojo brings insight into the martial nature of polo a nd is reflected in his high-energy polo shots, wh1ch focus on the essence of the sport lhrough the present moment Rory's shots are published in worldwide media Sofia A. Suarez was first rntroduced to polo as a child on family holidays in the Philippines. Born and raised in Hong Kong, the ltalian-Filipina st udied in the US and Haly until lhe magnetic pull of her hometown drew her back. Sofia wrrtes lor a variety of publications, including her acerbic weekly fashion advice column lor the So11th China Morning Posr. 'The Style Dicta tor'.
I invite you to look at www.hurlinghampolo.com. This summer, we had live web b roadcasts of the Gold Cup and the International. You can now see 3o-minute h ig hlights of these games~ as weU as Spain's Copa de Oro. We will have coverage of all the Triple Crown games in Argentina as well as tournaments and news hems on the game of kings.
HURliNGHAM MAGAZINE Publisher Roderick Vere Niooll Executive Editor Peter H owarth Edrtor Arabella Dickie Deputy Ed1tor Herbert Spencer Contributing Editor Sarah Eakm Editor-At-large Aiel( Wcbbc Designer Hi11ary J ayne Reproclucbon in who'.e or in pan wi!l"lout written permisStOn•s s;rlc;ly proi\Oted While every effort is ml&<!e to ensure ihe accur<acy of the info1mation conl!'iloed in
!hi$ public;)tkln, no u~spotlsibility can be .aocepted for ~my eno1s or omi $$10t'1$. .1-\JIIhe •nfonns.tlon com3.irled !nthls publiestJOn Is correc13l the ttroe of 9011'19' to Pfess.
Tho HURt.INGHAM PoloAssooalion magaliOO {ISSN 175!F0~86) is published by HvrlingJI;;~M Mcdit~. The m"9<1.tine i:; de:oigned t~~nc:! pt<XIvood on boh~ of liurlinght~m Media by Show Medi:. Ltd. II is published on behalf of the Hurlingha.-n P<:llo Associ3bon by Hurlh''f91'Wn Medl!'l. The proOOcts and sei'VoiCes sch<ertised sre not n.ecessar.t,- endorsed by (Jt connect~d w1th the publisher or the Hurlingl\am Polo A.ssocratlon. The. ecll1onal opinions o)(p1csscd in this publication &re those of rndividutl.l authors and no; neccssa!ily tho:;c of the pi.A.lli$hcr or lhc Hr,11ingh01m Pob A:>$Oci<'ltion.l-lvrtingh<Jm """g;atinc •~>oeko,ne ~~~ from re:xSel'$: hurlinghatrJne<lio@hp~-pOic.o.co.uk
H urlingham Media
47·49 Chelsea Manor St, London SW3 5RZ +44 (0) 771 483 6102 hurfingham@hpa·polo.co.uk www.hurtinghampolo.com
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polo ONE TO WATCH When the Hurlongham Polo As$0Coabon's 2Q 11 handocaps take effect on 1 January, England's Satnam Dhillon will become the world's hoghest rated 'amateu( player at 7 goals, taking over foom Canada's Freddie Mannnix whose 'home' handocap in the US has dropped from 7 to 6. Satnam, 33, has a fulltime job on lhe family properly firm in Gloucestershire, but takes time off for polo. He started playing aged eight in Pony Club Polo and went on to play for England in FIP's 8-goal European Champions hops, winning twice. He is now a member of lhe hogh·goal England squad, having played in two home test matches and on Atgenbna, and his next international os due in South Afroca thos December. He has also competed In India and Barbados. In Englosh pro-am polo, Satnam has played for Coca-Cola and Panthers in 18-goal and ~~·goal CurrenUy he has 14 hogh"ijoal ponies on hos string and has started a bteedor>g operatJon. Satnam os marned wtlh two choldren.
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burlingham [ponylines]
Chief . executtve Here we are at the end of another season and it is with some relief that one can say that it has gone pretty well given the financial climate. However, a great relief for many
perhaps is that at last there has been some rain and the grass has started to grow JUSt in time for the winter.
Looking back over the season, the no turning rule worked well initially and continues to work reasonably well
at the lower levels. However those players that are capable of turning left now do so in order to avoid having to play the backhander. Once again polo is in danger of becoming boring to watch and- for some team members - to play. There also seems to be widespread agreement that players
should be prevented from slowing down the game and holdrng the ball. The working of the umpires by the players has also been a feature of the season which is unpleasant to watch and needs to be stopped. In Aug us~ the Pony Club Championships, sponsored by Audi lor the first time, was a great success with the final of Gannon as good a game as we've seen in a long time. In a
nail-biting finish and with seconds to go, Cowdray won by half a goal when Jack Richardson hit a safety 60 from out to one side of which any 10-goaler would have been proud.
On the international front, alter a successful day at the
COWORTH HOSTS FOR CHARITY On September 10, the weather held out as watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre held its fourth annual charity polo match attended by 250 guests. The event took place in the surroundings ot the newly opened Coworth Park, Berl<shire - the only hotel in the UK to boast its own polo fields. Jaeger-LeCoultre ambassador's Clare Milford Haven and Eduardo Novillo Astrada battled it out with the JacgcrLeCoultre charity team in an exhibition game against Adriano Agosti's 'Aitamira' players. In the end, the victory belonged to Allam ira. Guests were then treated
to 1980s-inspired cocktajls, cuisine by chef John Campbell and dancing with
Cartier lnternationaJ in which England won the Coronation
Charlie Gilkes and his Maggie's club. At the end of the evening, renowned
Cup against New Zealand, an England Ladies team set
auctioneer and jeweller, Humphrey Butler, took to the floor to raise a staggering
off to Austria for the FIP 8·goal European Champ1onships,
£36,500 in auction in a1d of the James Wentworth·Stanley Memorial Fund, a
takrng with them the captain of the Now Zealand team, John Paul Clarkin, as coach. Hosted by !he Auslrian Polo Association at the Ebreichsdorf Polo Club in a very picturesque setting, the standard of the teams was somewhat varied with Hungary fielding a team for the first time since 1936, when it won tho bronze medal at the Berlin Olympics. On thrs occasion, it was the England Ladies,
foundation committed to raising awareness about depression. For more information on the char;t}'J or to make a donation, visit jwsml.org.
09
captained by Nina Clarkin, that won the bronze medal having
put in a great performance over five matches of which they only lost one against a strong team from Spain.
Looking to the winter, we are helping players of various ages to play overseas: two members of the England squad
and six players under 23 to play in Argentina, eight young boys to South Africa to Buster Mackenzie for a week in !he October half term and then six older ones in the February
half term. We are also hoping to accept an invitation to send a number of children aged 14 and under to Argentina
at tho same time. In addition it is planned to send an England 24-goal team to South Africa to play at the end of December and a 12-goal team to Thailand once again,
probably in January. And of course it will not be long before the arena season starts which will include the mternabonal
matches, England vs. Argentina and Scotland vs. South Africa, due to be played on 24 February in the 02 arena.
COWDRA Y CENTENARY Scheduled for publication in spring 2011, Cowdray Park Polo Club - The Cen/enaryis a celebration ol 100 years ol polo at Cowdray Park- universally recognised as the home of British polo. I feel enormously privileged to be involved in this unique recollection, which begins from the first chukkas on the House Ground rn 1910 to the present day, rn which the club hosts the country's premier high-goal tournament: the Gold Cup. Brigadier Arthur Douglas-Nugent (polo manager between 1989-2000) recalls the day when he suggested to the late Lord Cowdray thallhey play the second high-goal game of the day on Ambersham 2, having destroyed Ambersham 1 in the first game. 'They can't expect to play on a billiard table' was the gruff response and play promptly resumed on what resembled a ploughed field. Anecdotes arc coming in thick and fast and I welcome as many of these reminiscences as posstbte - fond1 factual or risque. All will ensure this book Incorporates the people and stories that make the celebration of !he sport so worthwhile. The ajm is to produce a beautifully illustrated book, as much a good read as an hisiorical compilation full
of spectacular photographs of polo, players, ponies and parties. CLARE M.ILFOAO•HAVEN
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burlingham
I J>OIIIJiuzu
I
CHUKKAS This summer on www.hurtinghampolo.com there were live web broadcasts of the Gold Cup and The Cartler International. Roughly 1,:200 people watched each game and a further 12,000 have seen the 30 mrnutes of highlights. Filming and production wer<: done by St<:ve Katz and Blue Tuna. The large audience is tribute to the filming quality and the ease of internet viewing · accessible whenever you feel like it. Also on the website are highlights of the Copa de Oro in Spain and the Swiss Gold Cup.
There are six teams battling to qualify for the Hu~ingham and Argentine Open: one of 34 goals, three of 30 goals and ~No of 2g goals. Englishmen Jam<:s Beim and the Tomlinson brothers have teamed up with Argentine Guillermo Willington as a 2g·goal team. They r<:eenUy lost to Alegria, a 34-goal side, 12·1 0, and then beat 30-goal side, Trenque Lauquen, 13·7. Thus playing well above their handicap.
A SUPPORTING ROLE Any young polo player understands the struggle to attain substantial private backing, or affiliation to a top professional or mentor. And while the Hurlingham Polo Association has been a great advocate of encouraging polo sponsorship. many players are still forced to turn
For the 20 II Triple Crown season, Juan Martin
TO
Nero and Pablo MacDonough are going to play with La Dolphrna, joming Adolfo Carnbiaso and David Sterling. Nicolas Pleres will be joining his older brothers Gonzalito and Facundo. Will the fourth player be their brother-in-law, Mariano Aguerre or perhaps one of the Pieres cousins, such as Pablo Pleres (Jr.) who is 8 goals? Ignacio Heguy is also being considered.
Polo has returned to St Moritz. In mid· September, for the first time in 14 years, three
to sub 2-goallevel, where bills can be paid but little improvement is achieved. Last October, I taught at Shanghai's Nine Dragons Polo Club. Just before t left, Sandy Liang, vice-president of Star River Holdings, arrived for her first polo lesson. An hour's taster turned into a full day's teaching, and from that moment on she embraced the sport wholeheartedly. Star River Holdings is one of China's leading prop()rty development companies. Yet it pioneers so much
more than just luxury property, promoting economic, political and cultural integration globally. They may be seen as the 'Rolls-Royce' of property, but polo is the vehicle via whrch Star River can benchmark themselves alongside other top brands worldwide. Fortunately tor me, Star River went on to support my polo in 201 0. Wrth my team mates, George Gemmell, Nick Pepp<:r and Guy Routledge, the UK Star River Polo Team entered the Jersey Lilly's Cup at Cowdray Park, West Sussex, and made ij to the semi-final. I look forward to Star River's future support, and I only hope that companies continue to recognise the mutual benefits that polo sponsorship can bring to their business. CHARlEY LAW
&-goal teams competed in an arena tournament
in Samedan ( I 0 minutes outside of town). 201 1 will see several more arena loumamenls taking place. In mid-June the 2011 snow polo was cancelled, but it is now rumoured to be back on Contracts have been signed for the infracture but no dates or level of play have been decided at the time of going to press.
Looking for a base for your high-goal team? Cowdray House and ijs 11 0 acres is for sale fO< £25 million. One could practice on the House Ground - whrch has the best view in polo of the South Downs - and hack to Ambersham and Lawns. Or convert the stable block. which IS currently a garage. The house boasts enough rooms for the whole team and the children's
wing could be used for the grooms!
THE LOVE OF MY LIFE Pony's name Ago Sex Height Orig in
Becks
19 Mare 16h New Zealand
B<:eks first came to the UK from New Zealand with Aaron Vowles, a 3-goal player who played at Edgeworth and for Mark Booth. When he retired, she was sold to Black Bears' Simon Keyte (7 goals) who rode her in the high goal for seve1al years. After Simon had signed full time to Black Bears, I bought Becks from him and played her 10 6· 10 goal tournaments based at Cironcester. She was my number one secret weapon !hal l always used to clinch
final game advantages. And she had the most affectionate of personalities something that is quite rare for a polo
Eighteen-year-old Christian Riva is living the dream. The 2-goaler - currently a freshman at the Univetsity of Santa Barbara - has relocated
pony. An interesting fact about Becks is that all her internal organs were positioned
Zealand had a field day carrying out various tests and expenments on her. Becks sadly died of a heart attack on July 3 ~0 10, immediately after playing a game at Foxcote
on the wrong stde of her body; like a mirror
in Cheshire. Aside from her consistent
from Myopia with a new Ford 350 truck. eight
image. This came to hght when a vet tried
performance quality, I will miss her excitable
horses and a groom. Chris has got off to a good
in vain to find her heartbeat, only to later
character and her love for the sport that
start, reaching the final of the 8-goal with the
discover it on the other side of her body! A veterinary universrty 1n Massey, New
always shone through.
Homewood team.
SEN NEWTON
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burlingham [ponylines] PERPETUATING THE FINEST To date, Creslvi<>w Genetics in the States has successfully foaled 20 cloned ponoes through the genetic reproduction programme. These
ponies are genetic dupli<:ates of such legendary horses as Owen Rmehart's Raptor and Adolfo
Cambiaso's Lapa. Small Person and Cuartetera fn the next few months, they'll be joined by duplicates of Cambiaso's world-famous stallion,
Aiken Cura, who had to be eulhanised afler injury in the 2006 Open. Samples of his tissue were taken and preserved. All 20 foals are currently based in Texas, although the Raptor babies will soon head to South Carolina to train with RineharL The rest of the foals - duplicated from horses owned by Cambiaso - will be taken to Argentina to be looked after by the
Argenlina,that rt hopes to open a lab there 10
the next six months. Because of import/
export protocol it is impossible to transfer
same traJners that broke and trained the original
tissue to or from the US, so building a
horses. Of those babies, one C<•artetera and perhaps one Lapa will be put up for sale in mid-
cloning centre was the only option. Hwill be similar to the Texas centre. with the same
November of this year. Crestview has been so
staff overseeing the labs.
overwhelmed by requests to clone horses in
ALAN MEEKER
HOOKED ON POLO Claus Mikkelsen is a managing director in
a US investment bank. Bitten by the polo bug tast year, he now plays -2 to 2 level
RETURN TO IRAN
tournaments. Claus' most memorable game was riding his pony, Tobiana, in a
On July 8 20 10, lhe Young fran polo team battled against Young Pakistan for the third
6-goat event at Cadenza. All speed limits
annual Major Tariq Khan Tareen Memorial Cup at the Ghazr Firoozeh Polo Club in Tehran.
were broken on the spectacular grounds.
Both teams played fiercely fought and highly commendable polo. Young Iran looked to be in the d riv~ng seat for the majority of the match, but in the last chukka Young Pakistan upped their game to score two goals. As the final bell sounded, it was Young Pakistan who clinched the Memonal Cup W>th a 3·2 1h Win. Hamteh llkhanizadeh, president or the Polo Federation of teams. The players- all of whom were under 21 years old - stood as proof ot the ever
I first started playing polo last December. A showjumprng friend of mine wanted to team and I decided to tag along to lhe lessons. We started on Ascot Park Polo Club's weekend intensive course with Robert Burke, their
mcreasmg appeal and popularity of polo in these two countnes. Desp1te almosl dying out
senior mstructor. Havtng gone over the rules:
in its country of origin in recent years. polo is an Iranian cultural tradition, first played in the royal courts of ancient Persia over 2,500 years ago. Indeed, the dimensions for all polo
we stood on some crates and practiced our swing, hitting balls belore jumping on the
Iran. together with the Australian Ambassador to Iran, presented the trophies to the young
grounds around the world were copied from the royaJ polo ground in the main square of the
ponies. Amazingly, rather than worrying about
historic city or Isfahan.
my riding - or lack thereof - I could only focus on hrtting the next shot! Over the following winter months I took weekly lessons with Dame! Muriel, a highly skilled 2iJoal instructor at Ascot Park. With no prior riding experience. it took a while for me
to get the hang of things. But the brilliant atmosphere at Ascot Park kept me coming back. By the bme we rode out on grass I had
started playing at club level and had attained a ·2 goal handicap. It was at this point that I decided to invest 10 my own pon1es. I had long admired Sophie Heaton·EIIis' coloured prize pony, Tobiana, and as luck would have it I
ended up buying her, as well as two grey mares, in quick succession. We entered iour tournaments over the summer and won three.
I am planning to play my siring in the arena season, and will have four or five tournaments
TALANDRACAS WINS THIRD GOLD CUP 'We improved our team interaction and our horses were less tired. That mad~ the difference,' explained Talandracas' Lucas Monteverde, after a tina! victory score of 9 -5 at Polo de
Deaw ille's Lucien Barriere Gold Cup in August. The young and talented Frenclh team at Polo de Deauville, lead by Alexandre Sztar1<man, was unable to pull through with what would have been a miraculous victory. After a solid first period, the players were graduaUy
overpowered by Talandracas. At the end of a long European season, Monteverde was in a hurry to return to home soil. In September he departed for Buenos Aires where he played
the Jockey Club Open (the prelude to the Triple Crown). Monteverde played with Chapa Uno, Baulista Heguy, Marcelo Frayssinet and Lolo Castagnola. Gould lhis potentially be a new line· up for 20 11? La Delfina did not put forward a team for the Jockey Club Open, but entered the Tortugas Open with their normal line-up except for superstar Adolfo Cambiaso, who was substrtued by Sapo Case!.
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lined up at Ascot and Ash Farm. In the meantime 1,1keep working on my riding Wlth my video coach, the legendary John Horswell, and if I improve enough, play some games with Jamie Le Hardy. For now, my ponies have
been turned out but they can look forward to a Jot of polo fun in the cold months ahead. For me, the main appeal of polo is the exdtement of the game, It's hard to imagine a more exhilarating sport - chasing a ball up the
fietd and then managing an accurate hit at high speed is utter heaven. I also enjoy the
socialising aspect, and the polo community certainly knows how to partyl
T3
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OPEN HOUSE IN SWEDEN SADDLE UP WITH ... MALCOLM BORWICK Nationality British Age 33 Handicap 6 Based at Cowdray Park in Sussex, Matcolm
Borwick is one of England's leading professional polo players. He took up polo 16 years ago and since then has become 'addicted to the adrenaline rush of play'.
Twelve years ago, Johan Seth was introduced to polo by a friend from Connecticut Armed with his new-found passion for the sport, ample land and a beautiful Swedish manor house, he founded the Almare Staket Polo Country Club in 1999. Today, as home to more than 30 players, the club is thriving and now hosts the premiere polo event in Scandanavia: the EFG Bank Scandanavian Polo Open. Set on the edge of a lake, only 40 minutes from Stockholm, the 20 I 0 tournament attracted five teams with players hailing from Sweden, England, the US. Canada and Argentina. A round robin placed team Spencer Stuart in the linal agamst EFG Bank/Aimare Stake\ who secured their place with a victory over Team Stockholm Corporate Finance. The final attracted nearly 2,000 spectators who enjoyed an antique car and hat parade as well as the polo. Team EFG Bank/Almare Stake! was narrowly defeated by Team Spencer Stuart in a well-played match, marked by the leadership of Nicolas Fontanarrosa. M ELANIE VERE NICOLL
According to the Cowdray scorers, Barwick's
penalty success percentage over the Gold Cup was 93.5 per cent.
How did your polo career begin? Like all of the current internation aJ squad, I
started in the Pony Club. Polo was JUSt lun for three weeks of the summer. tt was n ever meant to become a serious 'job'! What has been your greatest polo
moment? Winning the Coronation Cup against Australia,
as well as a 24-goal tournament in Buenos Aires, playing with Mark Tomlinson, Tom
Morley and Robbie Archibald. Four foreigners winning on the Number One ground at Palermo was so special as it was four friends
playing for tun, without pressure. What is the secret to being such a skilled penalty taker? The training I copied from Jenny Wilkinson's
GOING BEACHSIDE
technique: train tough, place a smaller goal in the middle of the goal in practice, and only count the balls that go through that goal.
The popularity of beach polo continues to expand, b ringing the 'sport of kings' to some of the
Concentrate on your s trike, not the result. Score your practice sessions. and add in
people tJying to distract you. Always have a bag of balls in the car with you, and practice in groups of six, with a minute's rest in between. Also be sure to practice on all your horses, not
just the easy ones!
world's most exotic locations and introducing the horse and mallet game to a new audience. Polo veteran and former 5~goaler, Gabriel Iglesias, and his 4Polo Management team staged one of the latest entries in the 'chukkas in the sand' competition in one of Europe's party holspots,lbiza. Well·known lor its summer club parties which atlract large n umbers o l lourists, the Spanish T ounst Office and the lbtza government were looking to help promote m ore
family friendly activities, and the first lbiza Beach Polo Cup fitted the bill. Unable to stage the event on the beach, lgles1as was forced to convert a seaside football pitch by hauling in some
400 tons of sand. Sixty polo ponies were brought in for the six-team event to mount a number of top international players in cluding Australian 8 ·goaler, Ruki Baillieu, Argentine
How did it feel to be the highest scorer
through the semi-finals of the Gol d Cup? I would have swapped all those goals for a chance to play in the final!
7 -goaler Martin Valent and Argentina's lop scoring football player, Gabnel Batisruta Four games of competition, luncheons and parties culminated in a linal match that saw JaegerLeCoultre defeat SaTalaia 9-8 in overtime. Look for the lbiza Beach Polo Cup to become an annual attraction on the Mediterranean island in the future. ALEX WEBBE
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TONIC WATER
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hurlingham Ltalk J
lhc PMptt'cy Polo in lhe City 5ef'IC$
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a1 lat~gley Park. Pe11h. 2009
city riders Janek Gazecki talks to Andrew Benke about how, by linking city and sport, he has brought polo to the people of Australia five years ago the inaugural Pospalcy Polo in the City series commenced in Sydney's Centennial Park, just 4km from the city's b usiness district. The idea was simple: to ' bring polo to t he people', and to create a corporate entertainment opportunity for Sydney's business community.
l)espite t he growth o f polo across Australia. corporate involvement in the sport was not keeping up. With my business partner. Ruki Baillieu. I established Polo Enterprises Au~1:ralia to promote the game. We believed that the main element
hindering th e level of corporate support was the distances involved in travelling to established polo fields. On average. polo estates in Australia are l<><ated approximately an hour's drive fronl capital cities, which places them outside the scope of the corporate entertainment purview.
Rather than dragging Lhc corporaLe commu nity to the country, polo had to be brought to the cities. Thus, the Polo in the City concept was born. for sponsorship, we approached Pasp aley, an icon ic family· owned Australian pearling company. A few challenges had to be overcome before t he series could flourish. The image of polo had to be essentially redefined to capture the public's imagination and to conform with the egalitarian values of t he corporate community. By stumbling across an 1893 poem, 'The Geeb ung Polo Club', by Australian poet, Banjo Paterson, Australia's unique polo history becan1e dear. As the poem attests, the custodians of the sport in
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the great southem land were farmersrugged colonials with less regard for e tiquette t han t heir f.nglish polo conLemporarics. And who could forget the story o f the audacious Ashton bothers, travelling with their horses from Australia all the way to England in t he Twen ties, to take on the English at their own game? Over the decades Aust ralian polo has become more refined, yet its genesis did much to dissolve t he elitist perception t hat had previously held t he Australian press, public and corporate community at bay. So, the Paspaley Polo in the City rnarketing machine moved forward. The public learnt that the true history of Australian polo was far more grass roots than they had imagined. and in a country with so much farmland and horses, it dawned u pon man y t hat putting all those horses and farmland paddocks to usc in polo was actually eminently sensible. Professional p layers that embodied the Australian polo spirit - namely those who were raised or worked o n farms - were selected as ambassadors for the series. The final ingredient was to tailor th e hospitality to suit everyone. Packages were devised for the corporate community, the younger 'party' crowd, as well as for the traditionalisls who were wimng to pay extra for added privileges. The general public would get free en try into the public gallery. The recipe certainly seems to have worked as five ye.us later, the objective of bringing polo to the people has driven th e
series into every major capital city of Australia. including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisban e. With the number of attendees reaching an average of 2 ,500 per event, the increased popularity for Paspaley Polo is att racting un precedented corporate support. We have seen big brand names establish sponsorship interest, includingAudi, ta Martina, Veuve Clicquot and Hyatt to name a few. Attendance, both corporate and public, has continued to grow to the point where Polo Enterprises Australia has recently spawned a new event: Paspaley Beach Polo. Played at one of Western Australia's most remote beach holiday destinations, Broome, the inaug ural event in May 2010 attracted s,ooo spectators from across the country, as well as the international community. The 'all-encompassing' approach of Pasp a.ley Polo seems to be hittin g the right chords in Australia in the eyes of many, including Nacho Figueras, who will be participating in the Melbourne Paspalcy Polo this December. According to Figueras '"polo for the people", in the style of Paspaley Polo in th e City, is the way of the future for the growing sport.'
The true custodians of Australian polo were rugged farmers with little regard for etiquette
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T8 19
masterclass Clare Mil ford Haven reports from a special day, when four HPA-selected youngsters played with Adolfo Cambiaso On a rare and quiet day during the UK highgoal polo season, four up·and..:oming young polo players were invited by )aegerLeCoultre and selected by t he HPA to have a private clinic with Adolfo Cambiaso a t the Dubai stables near Ascot The four players - Will Batchelor (age 15) Jack Taylor (16), Ralph Richardson (t4). and l ommy Beresford (14) .. eadl came v.rith several questions to ask the world-famous to-goaler, and to also play an impromptu three-on-three chukka v.rith him and Martin Valent before sitting: down to a magnificent asado hosted by Ali Albwardy. Tltis u nique opportunity was equivalent to a. kick around with David Beckham or, say, a knock-up ";th Roger Federer. Yet aJJ four players seemed very confident and un fazed, and Adolfo, surprised a t the skill with which they all played, instan tly turned the stick and ball session into chukkas. Impressed with t heir talent, t he world number one even suggested they should organise themselves to play in the PotriHos in Argentina, offering fu rt her advice fo r Eng lish p layers heading down there. 'Bring some good horses because if they play on donkeys. t hey are n ot going t o get games.' Horses are key, h e stressed, adding t hat many good ones stay in England and keep
many top players from playing in Argentina because of t he Jack of good horses there. When I asked the maestro, who has stayed at t he top of h is game wit h both the Queen's and Gold Cups under h is belt, why so many English players struggle to get beyond 6-goals, he said ' Because m any more kids play in Argentina, an d they play all weekend, every weekend. Here in the UK I have been talking to a 14-year-old who had the opportu nity to p lay high-goal and was told he couldn't because h e had exams! ln Argentina you d on' t stop playing because of school. ·n1at's the difference.' Cambiaso added, however, that if you compare talent from age 14 to 16 in Argentina and those in Eng land. the a bility would be t he same. 'The main thing is that from age 14 to 20, they need to eat, drink and sleep polo if t hey want to get beyond 6-goals. They have to be totally dedicated. There arc many players who don't have talent but succeed because of dedication.' Inspiring words from a player who at age 15 reached 7-goals and by 17 was aJready at t he top, at to-goals. 'They put me up just to kill me,' he laughs. Still, whatever yo ur age, it's not e very day one gets to play with, and pick the brain of, t he world number one - as these four lucky lads found out.
Will Batchelor Years playing: 7 Handicap: o School/Clu b: Seaford College/Cowdray Experience: Up to •s-goal in toun1an1el\tS Where do you buy your horses? Everywhere. Wherevet there's a good horse to be found. I have horses from all over the world: Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa an d England. Do you prefer 'Tifton' to grass? prefer Tifton 100 per cent. You c.an play every day, and it's always in good shape.
I
What do you think oft he new rule [not turning the ball to th e right J? Well, we adapt to it but I don't thi11k it's good as everyone is turning left now. They wanted to speed u p the game but I think they slowed it down more.
'From age 14 to 20, young players need to eat, drink and sleep polo to get beyond 6-goals' www.hurlinghampolo.com
jack Taylor Yea.rs playing: 9 Handicap: -1 School/Club: Sherbome/Cowdray Experience: Low-goal at Cowdray How are you always in the right place at the right time? Anticipation is very iJnportant. You have to read the game. When you get o lder and play a lot of polo, t hat is one o f the th ings you guys wi.ll have to work o n. You have to go into every play with the question on your
m ind: 'What is going to happen next'' At what age do you b reak your horses in? How do you know when it's a good horse? ( break my horses in at two years. You can
n om1a1Jy tell b y two-and·a·half years. At what age do you start playing your young h orses? Six years.
Ralph Richardson Years playing: 9 Handicap: o School/Club: Millfield/Knepp Castle and Cowdray Experience: Up to 8-goal
Tommy Beresford Years playing: 7 Handicap: ·1 SchooUClub: Wellington/Cowdray Experience: Low·goal in the UK an d 14·goal in Argentina
What would be your dream team? The one I have now .. Pelon, Lucas and lolo .
Are you involved with the embryo styem?
What's your key to good breeding? lam going to be u nselfish n ow as t he mothers are very important! I think it's more important to have a good polo mare than a good stallion.
to create a champion so it hils become
has changed t he game. I'm always trying
What's your favourite tournament? The re arc four: Palermo, the Queen's Cup, Gold Cup an d the US Open - in any order.
There are some tournaments you have lo play and you don't want to play, but for me, t hese four a.re th e best ones. What do you need to be a 1o~goaler?
Do you have any lucky charms or rituals? No, but tolo has hundreds - he has so many there's nothing left for the rest of us! He rides into the game inside t he goal post, an d he always has t he same sweater going to Palermo. Lolo has man y..
What is the your favourite meat for osodo? Matambre. It's the best part of the cow. If you were to give me one tip on how to be the best, what would it be? Be yourself.
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I'm 100 per cent involved! Embryo transfer
Work hard, be yourself but have your own style. Copy the way the 1o-goalers work but not the way they play. The way you play is
something o f a hobby for me. By improving the quality of horses, you improve th e sport as a whole.
Which is your most favourite horse? Cuartetera. I play her in Argentina.
Where is your favourite polo field ? For at mosphere, Palermo. For p laying, I thin k o ne ofthe best fields is at Ellerston. Do you think your style of play is normal? For me, yes! But then again, I don't know because nobody taught me what to do. My advice is to learn not to copy anybody and have your own style.
your own style. And you have to develop
that. Don't try to be an other guy. How do you deal with the pressure before games and tournaments? When I s tarted playing, I d idn't feel a ny kind of pressure but now it comes vlith the desire to win. And then when you're at the
top people come to watch you and you have added pressure to do well.
'Copy the way the 10-goalers work but not the way they play. The way you play is your own style'
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schools for thought Schools polo can help spot and nurture talent, and is an obvious feeding ground for the HPA Development Committee, says John Gale, polo manager at Wellington College
20 21
I recent ly stumbled across a docu ment produced by the Development Committee of t he HPA.It correctly surmises t hat in order to improve the standard of English players, they must reach higher handicaps at a younger age. The Commillee's target is to have a 16-goal Under 18 England team by 2014. Yet. there is little mention in the document of how this is to happen. This is a very noble ambition and I think that I, and others like me, might be able to help. As the polo manager at Wellington College I am ideally placed to spot, and also to nu rture, young polo talen t. The role of polo manager in a school has no set job description. Some as.sume this role be<ause a few polo players turn up and they (or their parents) want a memb er of staff to accompany them to a fix1ure or two. At the other end of the spect rum is the sort of set up that I have cre.ated at Wellington. We promote polo heavily at the start of September and usually generate a pool of between 40 and so players. Some of these players may have never ridden before whereas others may be fro m strong polo backgrounds. We d ivide these players into Bcginncr, lntermcdiate and Advanced groups, and they then begin an appropriate train ing and fiXture programme. We p lay in t he arena throughout the Michael mas and Lent terms, switching to grass in the Summer. Polo can be taken as a major sport as well as an activity, meaning that our players are t rain ing or competing u p to five or six days a week throughout the year. We also run training weeks in Argentina and try to get our players playing for teams outside of schooL In fact three of our players played in this ycat's Archie David Cup, as well as an Old Wellingtonian who was voted MVP in t he fin al (in terestingly he on ly started p laying polo once he had arrived here), playing against our current captain. Wellin gtonians have also played in the Potrillos Cup, one winning 'Most Talented Overseas Player' and one actually winning the whole tournament.
This seems an obvious feeding ground for the sort of players th e HPA Development
Committee is Jooking for. lt is crucial that the HPA does not limit its search for talent by only looking at the Pony Clu b. If we consider my top eight players, only one of them has actually played Pon y Club. The rest play for Wellington and other than that. they on ly play wit h adults in p<>lo clu bs or national tournaments.
However, schools polo needs a certain amount o f tweaking before it can becorne
the sort of environment that churns out 4·goalers. At the moment there is no u nifying body for schools polo. The Schools and Univers ities Polo Association (SUPA)
organises one*day tournaments. \vhich is
Horse power is another area of improvement. It is frustrating to see truly talented young individuals humbled by 'One-Eyed Pablo' or 'Wobbly Eric' that they've had to hire or borrow for a match
acceptable for beg inners or those who have limited access to polo, but m y best players. along with th e lop players at many other schools, find frustration in only playing
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1 John Gak! and students vlith the majestic backdrop of Wellington C<>llcgc 2 (from lcll) Pouillos tournament winner. Garvy Beh (2ijoa0, John Gale and Andreas
Pa.poyans (O·goaJ) 3 Game tactics with the intetmedLate team
onc-<:hukka matches. This is compounded by only having a total of three chukkas spread throughout an entire day, right in the middle of GCSEs and A-levels. In o rder to address this issue I set up
a tournament in the middle of May at Coworth Park (where our A and B teams train) called th e Copenhagen Cup. Th is
they arc to develop. With t his in mind I am currently organising a truly national toumament for schools. along the lines
hire or borrow for a rnatch . If t he HPA is
of the Arch ie David Cup, but emphasising
serious about developing youth polo then
the
l eague~based
structure.
How else <an we h elp these young players improve? l have recentl}r been in talks with Guards. tryiJ)g to set up weekly
tournament is for four teams. playing
chukkas involving th e top players from
a semi-final day on the Saturda)r and the finals on t he Sunday. It's full. four chukka
schools polo alongside some oft he club's tmder·utiHsed professionals. We just need
matches, two umpires, scoreboard and to dot the 'i•s and cross the 't's and then commentary. This year t h.e teams wcte h opefully they will be up and running fairly soon. This would enable a dozen o r so of o urselves, Eton, Marlborough and an invitational team rna de up of soroe very the hest young talen t we have to play good strong players from other schools and quality chukkas together, which has ils a couple o f our promising youngsters. This obvious rewards. is the sort of tournament that th ese talented An.othcr area for improvement is horse youths (and their parents) want and need if power. It is frustrating to see truly talented
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young individuals h umbled by ' One-Eyed Pablo' or 'Wobbly Eric' that t hey have had to
they must address these issues. Surely it is
not out of the question to fi nd some kindly father (or more probably gr.~ndfat her) figures to put a few good quality horses the way of these youths? I also believe that the Hl'A should chose a small n umber of schools and work closely with them, even awarding a 'scholarship' to help with fees for particularly promising players. I'm afraid that, in my bumble opinion, a two-day course at Beaufort (open to all) and a week in South Africa will do little to further t he ambition stated . Whereas a fu ll
cornmitment to work \o\rith. and develop, schools polo offers the best way forward.
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best of the breed Breeding polo ponies out of top-quality mares, with proven stallions, is the most reliable route to success, says Cody Forsyth Breeding polo ponies is an art. Starting the long process without the individuals that will breed t he required quality is costly and
a waste of time. We are lucky that in our equestrian sport, 8o pe r ce nt of the playing horses are rna.res. but only five per cent of them would be good e nough to produce top-quality offspring. The rule of t humb is that if you breed with an average mare, then you will b reed only average progeny. A good polo pony can come from anywhere. Here in New Zealand, our horses are mostly thoroughbreds that have raced or young thoroughbreds deem ed too small to race but perfect for polo. From this source a numberof very good polo ponies are produced and t hey can often be traced back to similar racing family trees. Given that a thoroughbred has been bred over hundreds of years for its speed, stamina and early rnaturity, when you get a good one, they are world-dass. However, this fine-tuning can result in the loss of some positive polo traits, such as th e ability to comprehend commands and remain calm under pressure. New Zealanrl's SaviJe Cup has been played for more than a century, and the
tournament has been presenting a pony prize for much of that time. which has had interesting results. Over this period, the prestigious trophy has been won only 2o per cent of the time by polo ponies that have no family heritage/relationship in the sport; for the vast majorily of winners. it is possible to trace back t hrough the family line and find an equally successful mother, fat her or sister. With only a few exceptions, it seems, the apple doesn't fall far from th e tree. In contrast. purpose-bred polo ponies have the athletic ability and natural movemen t to change legs. shorten and le ng then, speed u p and slow d own while retaining shape, indudjng having a still head and a soft mouth even a t the end of the chukka, and to be neck reined without the wither lowering or leanjng over so it leaves you at the same distance from the ball without adjusting your swing. You can also achieve a conformation that is suitable for polo - not too big_ long or out of proportion. a natural toughness of the legs and a family history of sou ndness. New Zealand, along with Argentina, Australia and Britain. have sped up the
breeding process via embryo transfer. What has been accomplished over the past 100 years has now been shortened to a time frame o f 16 years or so. Breeding from a young playing marc or even a t hree-year-old daughter of a champion mare has removed t he need to run big numbers of brood mares, thus guaranteeing a percentage of good polo ponies. Repeating this process in one breeding season has transformed the whole structure of our industry. When you do achieve what you need, it is an u nsurpassed feeling. Taking to the field on a horse that you are able to rnove in any direction, that you can stop and start at will, and galloping at the polo ball and it looking as easy to hit as a beach ball- all of this ls down to the action and comprehension of the horse beneath you.
Only five percent of mares in equestrain sport will produce top-quality offspring www.hurlinghampolo.com
1 Cody w;th P;nky, 1992 2 Bandcras, the stallion out of Pinky and winner of the Savile Cup pony prize 3 The Cambiaso 2010 Gold Cup-winning dlampion pony, Oolfina Caridad
Through our exper iences over the years we have seen the sam e traits come through. Wh en I was just starting to play po lo, t here was a visiting British team touring whose members induded Sam and Mark Vestey, Hector Barrantes and Eduardo Moore. After p laying t heir h ig h-goal match, Moore asked if he could p lay my little grey m arc, $indy, in the test match t he following week In those days, Kiwis had only on e speed and no slop on racehorses th at thought they were still at the racetrack We had never
seen a high-goal Argen tinean play with such control on a small pony that had only p layed pon y-club type polo. Moore was the first to-goal player to show us there was a
Jot m ore to look fort han just speed. Sindy went o n to b reed Pin ky by th e Kay family's stallion Nasa, who won with me
numerous pony prizes, including the Australian Open and the aforementioned Savile Cup. Pinky went on to breed Banderas, my stallion whom I pJay, who also won the Savile Cup pony prize. His o ldest progeny are seven years old. Two younger progeny are now owned and played by Pelon Stirling in the 2010 Gold Cup in the UK. One of these, Chilli, won the Savile Cup pony prize as a five·year-{Jid, and her rnother also had her name on the trophy being owned, p layed and bred by Tommy Wilson. The Cambiaso 2010 Gold Cup-winning
champion pon y Dolfina Caridad is o ut o f Karenza, he1self a prize-winning champion pony, winning the New Zealand Open and Coronation Cup pony pri•e before going to Argent ina to b reed. Having made h undreds of horses in to po lo ponies for my own career, I now know that quality breed ing is t he besr possible o ption. Professional players today rely more and more o n the abilit y of a top polo pony to secu re their playing job - improving their play as well as th e perception of how they look to be mounted by team rna.tes - and achieving t his by breeding oul of th e besl mares with proven stallions is the surest p ath to success.
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Left Jltn Gilmore at the Manor Farm ground!I Above Jatne$ Packt!t Md
Gilmore at the 2010 Gold C1.1p
building a polo field Jim Gilmore is the man behind some of the world's most celebrated grounds and now has two more in progress. By Herbert Spencer One of the greatest legacies left to the sport
by the late Australian billionaire Kerry Packer was a new approach to excellence in the building and maintenance of polo grounds. His standards made polo clubs and other owners of private grounds everywhere look to their laurels in the quality of their playing surfaces. Key to t he Packer benchmark grounds was his head honcho, fellow Aussie james A. Gilmore. When 'K.P.' first took up polo in 1986, jim was t he 6-goal captain o f Australia and one of the country's leading horse masters. Packer hired him to run his polo operation at Ellcrston- his vast estate in Queensland's Hunter Valley- and Jim has been with the family ever since, now working for K.P.'s son James. In 1989 K.P. built grounds at Stedham (near Cowdray Park Polo Club), thought to be the best grounds in England until K.P. stopped p laying t here and sold the property. Jim is responsible for building two new ground.;; at Jarnes Packer's multimillion· pound polo cent re at a former dairy farm just across the road from Cowdray Park's Amcrsham grounds. He too.k ti.rnc out from supervising the work at Manor Farm to outline his approach to grounds. Throughout our dlscussion, Jim repeatedly emphasises safety for both players and ponies as key regards in ground building. 'You want t he ball to mn fast and true; he says. ·but it's essential to make the playing surface safe and comfortable for the
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ponies, which in turn makes it safe and comfortable for players.' The topographical siting of a ground is perhaps the least critical consideration, says Jim. 'It's obviously better if you have flat land, but you can change the topography by grading down a hill or building up if necessary to get a reasonably flat surface. Ex'tensive grading can add to the cost, however. a nd can change the nature of the soil, so it's be~"t to keep the field as natural as possible.' Contrary to the belief that a good polo ground is ' flat as a billiards table', says Jim. 'it doesn't want to be dead flat. You want to consider drainage. There should be about a one per cent drop hoth across the ground and down its length to the corner where you want the water to go.' To help with drainage, piping is fitted underground. 'There is a great machine in England that digs the drains and installs the piping alJ in one go; Jim says. The type of soil is key. 'Clay is not the ideal surface for a polo ground,' Jim says. 'I call clay Sunday soil: too wet on Saturday, perfect on Su.nday and too hard on Monday. Ideally you want a sandy loam soil. You can improve the soil by adding sand as you constmct the ground and sand is essential in its maintenance,' Jim adds. 'I'm prcrty sure we at Ellerston were the first anywhere to use sand ln the maintenance of grounclo.;. Now it's standard practice almost everywhere.
'U ntil you play the first chukkas you don't know whether it's all come together as it shou ld' 'Problem is, however, that sand is C"Pensivc and you need a lot of it. !;very year you need to top-dress with sand twice: once before play starts and once n'lid·season.' Then there's the choice of grass to plant. 'Bermuda, also known as Tifton, is the best grass for polo grounds, bar none,' Jim says. 'It makes excellent tu rf, fast a nd well cushioned for the ponies. but Bermuda wi11 only survive in warmer climates, mainly in the southern hemisphere. We have Bermuda at Ellerston and it's used at Palermo in Argentina and in Florida.' So in England jim is using pure Kentucky blue grass. 'It has some of the same characteristics as Bermuda. \vith good lateral growth and good cushioning effect. But it does require more care.' However good a ground is when it's fmished, Jim says, 'it won't stay that way unless it's properly maintained. Irrigation is pa.rticularly important. You need a good source of water, a reservoir on the property, a borehole or a nearby river.' Jim is pragmatic about the new Packer grounds. ' I've tried to do everything right,' he says, 'but you don't know until you play the first chukkas on a ground whether it's all come together as it should.' Given Jim Gilmore's track record, however, there seems little doubt that the Manor Farm grounds. like Kerry Packer's Ellerston and Stedham, will be among the best in the world .
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David ~ Woodd
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Impressed with the progress the HPA has made in the past decade, there's still work ahead, like improving communication and nurturing young talent, says David Woodd
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ILLUSTRATION PHIL DISLEY
26 27
As I approach the end of my eleventh season as Ch ief Executive, the Editor has asked me to look back over t he past 11 years an d to look forward to the future of polo in England. First and foremost, I would like to say that the HPA is incredibly lucky to have so many people among the various committees and Stewards. who put in a huge amount of their own time and money for the sport. The HPA does not fund expenses, so the most they usually receive is a cup of coffee and maybe a sandwich if the meeting runs over lunch! As a backdrop, since 1999. polo has grown substantially with the n umber of d ubs increasing from 39 to 68 and members from under 2.oooto over 3.000. The extra clubs have of course led to more grounds but with the
increasing number of top-dass private grounds. expectations for d ub grounds have
risen considerably .. and continue to rise. 1\lso,
the amount of polo played in England has increased considerably, driven in part by the professionals whose livelihood depends on their playing sufficient polo and in part by the clubs who need the entry fees; and one
The amount of polo played has increased considerably, partly driven by professionals whose livelihood depends on playing sufficient polo, part by the clubs who need the entry fees
should not fo rget arena polo which has also grown and provides year round polo for those who ,-.•ant it - and of course keeps the office busy during what used to be a quiet period. As membership has grown, so has the need for bencr communication. When players join a dub, th ey automatically become HPA associate members. Hence, the official line o f communication with our members is through the d ubs. In reality, this is inefficient and perhaps old-fashiot\ed as we rely on the dubs to do ourcommunication for us and that is n ot a lways very successful, especially out of season. This means that many players have n o idea what th e HPA does or, for example, what insurance cover Lhey have- or more impo rtantJy, do not have. Direct membership with direct comnmnication is the obvious answer b ut the dubs- who are th e HPA's members .. are wary of it and to date have 4
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not "~shed to go down that road. The polo in Eng land attracts many players frorn overseas and their participation is fundamental to its growth but, although 2010 has been one of our better years for English players in high-goal. the Bosman ruling has been perhaps the most frustrating and talked about issue. certainly amongst the Stewards and parents of English players. The view taken by various individuals that the HPA should just ignore a well established EU law, with which all other sports have had to face up to, has never ceased to surprise me. Polo now provides an income for many more players, and with a drift away frorn seasonal contracts to individual match fe-es, v.tinning has become financially important as well. Th is has perhaps fuelled a less sporting approach o n the field and t he attitude of players towards each ot.her and the umpires leaves much to be desired. However, po lo has become, in my view, possibly the most difficult game of all to umpire, due in part to the incredible ability of players and ponies to change d.irection; and there are certainly games where players have some justification to be dissatisfied ·with the umpiring. Having said all th at, th ere is much that is good about the HPA and I do not know one overseas association that does not regard th e HPA with some envy, both for its organisation o f polo here and for and its health y finances. England co ntinues to attract the best players from around t he world and winning our premier tournaments really means son1ething. We have a group of professional umpires who take t heir job very seriously and for whom there is a growing demand. We have a development and coachin g programme which other countries are trying to follow. Our Pony Welfare Committee has led t he way and the s tandard of pony care has improved hugely since it was formed, and we drug test both players 011d ponies. Coverage in the press a nd throughout the media, incl uding te levision, has improved over the years, but polo is still a long way behind other sports in media terms, and that makes getting sponsorship difficult. Nevertheless, thanks to the sponsorship from Audi, t he profile of the England team has been raised with more test matches and increased professionalism amongst the players. Th e sponsorship of th e England team is something that no other National team has
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enjoyed, and further perks such as Audi cars, Rights, gyms and also clothing have been negotiated for members of the England squad and even for the opposition as well. The Audi sponsorship also funds bursaries for selected members of the England squad and young players to help t hem to play in Argentina during the winter. This year over £so,ooo has been g.ranted to eight p layers, two from the squad and six u nder the age of 23. In 1 1 years, the subscription has gone from £70 to tno, a rise of onJy f20 when you take into account the £20 increase for public liability following t he claim against the HPA. In contrast. the fare for a rail ticket from l)idcot to London has a lmost t rebled . In 2000 there was £ 14,000 in the Polo Charity and f 33s,ooo in the HPA reserves. As of today th ere is £1.1 million in the Polo Charity and £64o,ooo in the HPA reserves. Apart from the odd don ation and fine, which go to the Charity, none of that money has come from the members' subscriptions. Many members arc less than supportive of Cartier International Day but t he HPA owes a huge debt of gratitu de to Cartier and also to Guards. in particular to Ronald ferguson, who orchestrated the event back in 1971 . 1have heard some say t hat it ' is only an exhibition match' but, having been involved with lnternational Oay now over each of those years -and having fielded over so telephone calls concernjng whether the game was to be played open or on handicap in the 24 hours before t he En gland Mexico game in 2005 - I can promjsc you that it is no such thing and that national pride is well and truly at stake for the Coronation Cup. Of course, things are always easier if there is money, but spending money is not so easy unless it is on yourself. The views on who deserves help will vary hugely and it is invariably d ifficu lt to fi t things around a very short season, especially when the young have important e.xams to take. In Argentina, a lot of the children arc able to play every day after school but in England this is rarely a runner. The decision to establish jun ior HPA as part of Pony Club polo has undoubtedly allowed those who want to the opportunity to play bcuer po lo at a you ng age, and it's crucial that this is allowed to continue to develop if our young are to improve. SUPA has undoubtedly been a success story and schools polo has been a real growth area in both numbers and standard, but it has now
reached a stage where it has to accommodate t hose schools th at want to play 4·chukka polo through most of the term t ime, otherwise a great opportu nity will be lost. l.ooking at the future. it is perhaps worth remembering that a lot of our polo, on which t he professionals rely for a living. is fu nded by a <omparatively few individuals - and that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. Polo is always going to be expen sive and anyone spending what they consider to be a lot of money will not relish being told how they have to spend it. However, I think that we have got to try and provide a framework in which the opportunities for our players with potential are more certain. The polo is different here to Argentina but T am not sure that any player should be given the luxury of a lower handicap in England than elsewhere. thus improvin g th eir opportu nity for employment here or giving them the option to leave their good horses a t home. I also believe that the Victor Ludorum tournaments need to be reduced so they do not overlap and can be played to a set fonnat, wh ich should include quarter finals if there are a certain number of teams. (also think that we have to keep trying to improve the u mpirin g. although pe rhaps it is worth noting that our umpires get asked time and time again to umpire overseas. So, dearly, there are some who think that they are the best available. And finaHy. of course, we have to improve both our external and internal communications so that we have a better idea of what our members want.
The official line of communication the HPA has with its members is through the clubs. This then means that many players have no idea what the HPA does or, for example, what insurance cover they have - or do not have
ClockwiM from oppo$ilo ~ge Mare Hanl& in the 81ables 1 JoM Fields pl<tys ~~~I Bt-.;.ndon Rc.;.sc in
the saddle and SOrting his stinup&
street cred Inner-city programmes that use working w ith horses to help disadvantaged kids - like the successful Work to Ride initiative are not only good for local communities, but help raise the profile of polo too, reports Herbert Spencer 'There is something about the outs ide of a
In London's Brixton area, which includes
horse that is good for the inside o f a rnan;
some of the most deprived neighbourhoods
once remarked t he late Winston Churchill, a lifelon g equestrian and keen polo player. This quote from the great man could well be t he motto of o rganisations on bo th s ides of the
Atlantic that are using work with horses to lure disadvantaged youth ln deprived innercity communities away from the streets. In Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. Lezlic Hiner's award-winning Work t o Ride (WTR) programme takes Afro-American kids from th e city's ghettos and teaches th em riding and polo, with IVT'R teams competing at venues across the US and as far afield as Nigeria. \VTR has been featured widely o n
in the UK, the Ebony Horse Club has an even
more ambitious programme for at risk and 4
disadvantaged youth, with fu nding almost in place for a planned new £1.75 million stables and arena. This is possible thanks to donations from the likes of the British Equestrian Fedeiat ion and Sport England. l11e Duchess of Com wall, wlfe of longtime polo player the Prin ce of Wales and stepmother of players Prince Wi11iam and Prince Harry. is president of the Brixton club. Ebo ny has not yet put any of its young riders into polo. but plans are afoot to get help from the HPA later this year or early in 20 11.
nationa.l television and in o ther ~·nainstrea.m
'"l11is is something positive our clubs
media including Sports lllustruted, generating positive publicity for American polo.
could do to show how polo is a caring and socially responsible sport with sonlething to
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burlingham rJeature 1
From top left, etoc.kwise Polo 8\lppor1
from Tasha Harris (right) J
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the field 1 Syd~
Rvtledge wtth rosettes I Samtlflth&Rahe
30 31
Knock on horseback Opposite page Sydney R\1tlodgc Qn ttl(: $idclino
offer to everyone,' said David Woodd, chief executive of the HPA. 'It would not be an attempt to "'recruit" players to an admittedly expensive pursuit so much as to give t hese youngsters an introduction to another sport
wh.ich . .like racing and equestrianjsm. offers opportunities to work with horses in some wonderful surroundings.' A taste of polo might also be offered to youth at Stepney Bank Stables, Newcastle's hmer City Community Horse Project. some of whose riders have already been introduced to horseracing through a weekend spent at the British Racing School at Newmarket. There are simiJar organisations in the US that also could be nefit from polo connections, including City to Saddle in Mass.;chusetts and Compton Jr Posse in California.
Meanwhlle, the outstanding success of tezlie Hiner•s \VTR polo remains a benchmark for all the others to follow. The therapeutic benefits of working with horses were lnentioned by the ;mcient Greeks as far back as 6oo BC and 'therapeutic riding' was first studied in detail by a French
physic.ian in the 19th century. Practical a pplications began in England as early as Lgot, and horses were used to help rehabilitate the wounded from th e two world wars. Today, they are sim ilarly used to help the wounded from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, buth in England and the US. It seemed to me that what Le-Llie has been doing is to apply t he principles of therapeutic riding fo r the physically and mentally d.isabled to what I would call 'socially disabled' riders. Lezlie, who has a degree in p sychology, sees it somewhat differently. ' I don't view my kids as socially disabled.' she says, 'just kids that come from challenging environments.' No one could argue that the mean streets of Philly where WTR's riders come from are not 'challenging environments'. There is poverty, broken homes, widespread truancy. street gangs, drug dealing and murder. Over the years two young WTR riders have been killed in shootings and another wounded,
not once but twice. lezlie played polo at the The Bucks Club
north of Philadelp hia and Cowt own Polo Club ln adjacen t New jersey. 'I never got beyond a B (· 1) handicap,' she says. 'Now I no longer have time to play.' No wonder, as since she started WTR in 1994 she has taken on the roles of director. stable manager, riding iostructor, mentor and ·moth er' to her young charges, working with their parents. She is also the programme's funrlraiser. WTR, a non·profit organisation, started with a dol1a.N1·year lease on stables at Chamounix Equestrian Center in Philadelphia's Fainnoun t Park where the city's mounted police horses used to be housed. It had no polo ground, so WTR p layed at Cmvtown and at Lancaster Polo Club to the west. 'Neither club charges us a peru1y to play there,' lezlie says. 'Their adults enjoy pla}<ing with our kids. Our most ~-uccessful partnership has been with Valley Forge Military Academy, just west o f t he city. We began practicing there in 1998, which led to our Christopher Perren getting a full scholarship there and fou r more of our boys have also found places at Valley Forge.' www.hurli nghampolo.com
One of Lezlie's requirements for boys and girls attending WTR, aged seven to 19, is that they must stay in school and maintain at least a C grade average. ' Our rate for black males in WTR graduating from high sch ool is 20 per cent higher than the city's average.' she says proudly. However L.ezlie is keen to emphasise that IVTR is not designed as a quick-fix fo r ghetto youth . 'All of t he kids must commit to a
minimum of a year. lt's a huge c:ommitmc•n for t hem and t heir parents, just to be here for 10 hours a week. I have several kids who have
been in the programme for more than five years and soon a couple will have been v.rith us for 10 years o-r more.• Some of the children have engaged in other horse sports such as point•to·point pony races and junior hunt cup racing, Lezlie says, 'but I've empha~ised polo because T found over the years that you have to be creative in order to keep kids engaged, especial.ly t he boys. Polo as a team game has elements that other horse sports do not have: physical contact, speed and an element of risk www.hurlinghampolo.com
raking t har t hey fi nd challenging.' In 1999 WTR fielded th e fLTSt all Afr<>American polo team in the history of the sport. Over t he past decade WTR teams have played at polo dubs in 11 states from New York to Califomia and have trave11ed three times to com~te in Nigeria. \VTR teams have entered the Interscholastic Championships of the US Polo Associat ion (USPA). In 2005 the Cowtown/WTR side fought and won the easte.rn regional and their Jabarr Rosser was named No 1 National All-Star player at t he Interscholastic Nationals. This year Cowtown/ WTR went to the nationals again and Jabarr's brother Kareem was nanled a National All· Star and also received the Totunament Sportsmanship award. During the 2006 Washington Intcmational Horse Show at the Verizon Center in downtown DC, two WTR boys played with two white adults in an arena polo match. 1 'here must have been 10,000 spectators cheering them on,' says Dr Phillip Karber, then chairman of the USPA's marketing
WTR is a huge comm itment for the kids and their parents. They must remain in school and maintain at least a C grade average
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32 33
Main image (!rom k!h) Otea Taytor, Ktuec::m Ro"cr, Dil)'l"'tt' Ro$$Ct ...,d leslie Masterson Abowe, from top {from lefl) Kevln Jo~.s, K:lreem R0$!:1er,
Tasl\a Harris Slid Brandon Rease I
Jabatr Rosser takes a SYMg J1M 2006 W01$hington lntcr~tior'IOII HOtSC Show
commillee. who organised the exhibition. 'That's more people t han watch the US Open final in Florida every year !' One honor that Lezlie prizes highly is the USPA's first Image Award that in 2005 went to WTR for its 'Contribution to the Public Appreciation ofthe Sport of J>olo'. But there has been tragedy as well as triumph at WTR. When Lezlie's youn gsters leave the safety of her stables in Fainnount Park. they have to go back into their crimeridden neighbourhoods. In 2003, 14-year old Mecca Liles-Harris, one ofWTR's most popular and promising players, was found murdered in her home along \vith her mother and her mother's boyfriend, in what was believed to be a drug-related shooting. WTR p.layers on horseback joined Mecca's funeral cortege, along wit h her favourite polo pony, Mecca's helmet in the empty saddle and her boots turned backwards in t he stirrups. Mecca•s death is the human side ofwrR's struggle. There is also the knotty problem of financing, even with an annual operating budget of only around S•so,ooo. 'We don't receive any d ty, state or federal funding for our program, nor much in the
way of corporate funding e it her. Most of our funding comes from individual donors connected to the equine industry or who are socially conscious. 'This year we finally got a Sto,ooo reimbursement grant from t he USPA that will help 'Arith travel and horse-keeping expenses. We have 14 kids playing polo right now, so we need a Jot of support to provide the resources for these kids to develop horsemanship skills a nd p lay in venues t hat allow t hem to compete successfully.' Aside from WI'R's youngsters you could probably count on your fingers the number of Afro-American polo players in t he US. This is not a question of racial prejudice but of economic opportunity. Athletes of African descent have long excelled in ahnost every other sport, alt hough it's only been 17 years since Tiger Woods broke golfs race barrier whe n he became the ftrsl Afro-American to win the Masters. Black faces are few and far between in horse sports, but is it beyond imagination that, one day. a Tiger Woods for polo might corne out of programmes like WTR or Brixton's Ebony Horse Club?
In 1999 WTR fielded the first all AfroAmerican polo team in the history of the sport. Over the past decade WTR teams have played at polo clubs in 11 states from New York to California and have t raveled three times to compete in Nigeria
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the game returns Despite the belief that polo originated in Mongolia, it is no longer widely played in the country. CEO of Shanghai Tang, Raphael Le Masne de Cherm ont, visited with filmmaker Christopher Giercke to change this I first went to l\'tongolia in june 2005 at the invitation of Chri..-topher Gicrckc, a German fa.lmmakerwho wanted to introduce me to his camp, the Gcnghis Khan J•olo & Riding Club in the Orkh on River Valley. I arrived in a large, rustic Russian h elicopter and fell in love with t he place from t he moment we landed. The remote, pristine site is located about 38okm from the capital, Ul,'ln Bator. Christopher wanted to create a polo c;unp to groom li.JtUI'(! gencrJtiOt'IS or world·dass players to compete at an international level. At heart, t\<longolia. is an equestrian culture. t\'lore than five n'lillion horses roam free across the land. and every member o f a nomadic Mongol family is a rider. However, polo has not been widely played in the country since the reign of Genghis Kh an, wh en th e legendary con qu eror had u<ed the spon's techniques to train his formidable warrior cavalry It is believed th at this is where polo origin ated, and that it was spread throughout the world as they conquered new lands, from Persia to India. and, eventually. the British [mpire. 'So', Christopher said, 'Why don't we try to find riders with the potential to compete in Argentina. and Australia'' The first thing I did was to design a micro lme of Genghis Khan polo shuts by Shanghai Tang. from which a ponion of proc~s wenr to p.>rti•lly fin•nce
burlingham rJeature 1
36 37
www.hurli nghampolo.com
1 Mongolia has )Ong been thought tM blrlhpbt.:~ oC pOlo 2 Mongol tn:t.n and
horse 3 Racing st th& Nudarn festival 4 Monf(s watctltng archery 5 y<X~ngesl
EvM the
Mongol$ OIIC skilled tidCf$
www.hu rlingha mpolo.com
th is project. The next year, I returned with a team of international p layers. The Mongol players were still learning and they were not familiar with t he rules, but we had fu n a nd I promised to come back after t hey had more training to stage a proper tournament. That's exactly what we d id this August: we arrived v.rith an international team of players from over 13 n ation s to host the Shanghai Tang Polo Cup. To us, it felt like a momentous and historic moment. We were celebrat ing the revival of polo in Mongolia. I've been a polo player since J was 13 years old and it has always been a p assion for me. However, I didn't just want to sponsor another polo match; Twan ted to provide suppo11 and share the amazing story of Mongolia's polo heritage. Our journey began in I long Kong with seven travellers bound for Beijing, The expedition group grew as polo players from arou nd the world converged on th e airport and we took our next flight to Ulan Bator, where jeeps were waiting to drive us seven hours into the Mongolian wilderness. We arrived at sunset, welcomed by Christopher and a su mptuous dinner inside the traditional ger (ten t) where we would congregate for most meals dur:ing our stay. The festivities officially kicked off the next day with a blessing ceremony performed by monks visiting from lhe Erdene Zuu Monastery, a World Heritage Site in Karakorum, Genghis Khan's 13th -century capitaL Afterwards, we were delighted to witness th e •·n uee Man ly Spons' of t he an nual summer Naadam festival: wrestling. archery. and children's horse racing. Then, t he polo
Arriving to host the Shanghai Tang Polo Cup felt momentous and historic. We were celebrating the revival of polo in Mongolia started. lnternat ional and rvlongol riders played toget her on the fence less pitch, surrounded by seemingly e ndless mountain ranges. The fields had been watered to min imise dust clouds. which sometimes obscure th e ball entirel y. The afternoon's highlight was the Genghis Khan Polo Cup, which featured teams of all-Mongol players, Everyone's efforts were rewarded later that evening at the Royal Salute Sovereign Dinner Reception hosted b y Peter Prentice. Prizes were awarded to all the Y.ri.nners with key individuals also honoured, in cluding Colonel Raj Kalaan and jack Edwards, son of the late jim Edwards, who has deftly been helpin g to run the camp this summer. The distinguished Kalaan. endearingly known as The Silver Fox. summed it up perfectly when he said, 'We fi rst came here more than 10 years ago to re-introduce polo to Mongolia and, well, just look at t he level of playing today. Amazing.' lie was right. As t he umpire for the all· Mongol game, I could see that they had made serious p rogress since our last visit. and t hey would be a fierce team to beat They followed the rules scrupulously a nd their riding skills
burlingham rJeature 1
38 39
\
4
1 The cxqc.isitcly decorated Sh.ngh;~~i Tang ger 2 Dining ins:.de !he cand!elil ger 3 Rllph;,cl Lc M11$ne de Chermont
4 Shanghai Tang Polo Cup team& re~ a.wardtl S
..mforgctt~c
Pttsying 11'1 at1
~nd~pe
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meant they could have aggressively pushed us off t he line. But they were respectful. I a lso
knew that we would not wi.n on penalties because they made few technical fouls. Oure).'traordinary polo experience in Mongolia culminated in the Shanghai Tang Polo Cup. There was no an..xiety. We had come to sec how t he Mongols had progressed, how they had benefited from our initiatives, and to enjoy our stay. The toumament was opened by polo practice with Mongol monks playing for t he first time in their lives - truly a sight to behold . Who would have imagined Buddhist monks playing polo, and playing well? It h ighlights why Mon golia is such an
extraordinary source of future international polo players. Vl'hether they are b utch ers o r holy men. they arc all naturals in the saddle. After several days of competing in mixed teams, th e p layers had developed a spirit of camaraderie. The Shanghai Tang Polo Cup was the first time those Mongols would compete against international players. but it all happened in a friendly and relaxed way. Our side was (Otn.poscd of our strongest players competing as individuals, whereas t he Mongols put fonvard their best e fforts and played as a team. Between the chukkas. we drank arak, which is fermented mare's milk and not necessarily the nicest taste. However it had been blessed by the monks and symbolised embracing their traditions. We played on some amazing horses, which, despite their diminutive size were incredibly strong a nd fit. A on e-hour game of four chukkas was played with the same horse, which doesn't happen an)"\lhere else in the world except maybe in Pakistan . By the end of the game, my horse showed no sign of www.hurlinghampolo.com
tiredness. When 1 discussed it with Batbaatar Davaadorj , the trainer who runs the stables. he told me: 'Don't worry. They live outdoors and they always run. I've taken them trotting and galloping for five o r six hours, and t hey still do t he last 18km a t a full gallop: Watching the horses return to the stables aftenvards. entirely on theirown, was a wonderful sight. They arc free. Indeed, there's a feelin g of freedom in every aspect of life in Mongolia. That's what makes it such a rare pleasure to play polo in Mongolia, and also what makes it so 1nud1 easier to develop the sport th ere. In Europe or America, you need a minimum of four horses, which is going to cost you a sma.ll fortune. In Mongolia, t hey can play the whole game and they cost dose to noth ing. After an int ensely enjoyable game. the Mongols won by a triumphant8-2. There really wasn•t a competitive spirit. We had a shared sense that we were living such a special moment that we should enjoy it to t he ful l. In fact, looking at the medal presentation photos. one might think that the international team had won. Our expressions of pure joy arc conlrastcd by the graciously subdued and characteristically humble Mongol victors . l believe Mongolia will become the nation of po lo for Asia, as Argentina has become the mecca for the game in the Americas. In the same way l\•longols have become some of the best sumo wrestlers in Japan, I thin.k you will see the first professional Mongol players in three to five years if Christopher continues at this p ace. He took eight o f the Mongol players to Berlin recently to play on th e very field where they staged t he Polo World Cup a few years ago. They have played in Australia an d
in Singapore, but it was the first time Mongol players competed in Europe. Cluistopher was about 13 years old when he fled East (;ennany, so this was a highly S)on bolic return for him, too, taking his sons with lUm. As a finale, we hosted t he Shan ghai Tang Emperors Dinner after the tournament -a feast p repared by celebrity Mongol chef En.khee with a recital by awa.rd·,vinning pianist, Odgerel Sampilnorov. The dining ger was decorated in Shanghai Tang's signature vibrant style and scented with its Ginger Flower fragrance. Something amazing happened to all of us in Mongolia. The well-travelled group was made up of people who have already sought out the world's most exotic destinations, yet everyone felt privileged to be there. Throughout our mag.ical final eveni ng together, there was a sense that everyone had experienced something truly special. We 1Ari11 continue to fine tune and stage the Shanghai Tang Polo Cup as a classic, but I wonder if we will ever recapture the wonde-rof that first event - the renaissance of po lo in Mongolia. lnten>iewed by Sofia A Suarez
There's a feeling of freedom in every aspect of life in Mongolia. That's what makes it such a pleasure to play polo and easier to develop the sport there
burlingham rJeature 1
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Oppos;te A 16th-century mriature depicLs a polo game from the epic PCt$i;a.n poem of •KhO$fOI\I 01nd ShKeen'. Thi.& page Sir Pratap,
lounder olthe Jodhpur pdo t~m
in the blood The name of Jodhpur has always been synonymous with polo Winston Churchill played there and those famous trousers were first worn there. Hallie Campbell takes a look at its history and examines the recent heightened interest in the game Jodhpur's princely polo tradition stretches back centu ries. The mighty l~athores o f Marwar (Jodhpur) who ruled western naja..s tha.n since the nth century were legendary horsemen. Uleir specially bred Marwari horses were renowned for strength. stamina and bravery in battle. These qu.1lities also made them perfect for polo. In the ancient citadel of the Rathores in jodhpur, 16th·century paintings reveal polo was a popular sport, patronised by the Maharaja and played with enthusiasm t luoughout Rajasthan. Raj put fearlessness in th e saddle and a Man!/ari horse underneath proved to be
an unbcatab1c combination. In the years following the arrival of the East India Company and t he subsequent British Raj, British officers learned polo from their Indian counterparts. The anny saw the sport as ideal training for cavalry riders and socially, polo provided a vital link betwe·en t he British Raj and the Indian nobiliry. h\ 1889, Sir Pratap Singh , younger brother of t he Mah araja of jodhpur and a passionate polo player, invited Colonel Stuart Beatson of the Bengal Lancers to form the Jodhpur Lancers. The rest is polo history. In just four years the jodhpur team rose to prominence, \\ri.nning the Indian Polo Championship in 1893 with an epic polo line-up: Sir Pratap. Beatson, and nvo men who would become polo legends in www.hurlinghampolo.com
India: Thakur Hari Singh (called Harji), and Thakur Dhon.kal Singh. A few years later in J897, Sir Pratap caused a sensation when he arrived \Vith the Jodhpur polo team in London for Queen Victoria's Diamond jubilee. They were one of the first Indian teams to compete in England, "'rinning at Hurlingham and Ranelagh. Sir Pratap's breeche...~
.. designed with a unique v.ring
shape for greater riding comfort -became almost as celebrated as the great man h imse lf. 'Jodhpurs', as they would later be named, became de riguetu for e·questrian sports. Sir Pratap returned to India victorious, with jodhpur's reputation as the cpicentrc of polo in india. assured. The polo grounds at Jodhpur were considered the best in India and attracted players keen to train. As Amen Singh, a player sent to improve his game wrote in his diary in tgoo, 'We play polo, we talk polo. and we even dream polo'. Among the youn g men eager to perfect their polo skills was Winston Churchill, a subaltem in the 4th Hussars Regimental Team. He arrived in jodhpur determi ned to win the coveted In ter~ Regimental Cup of 1899. h aving come in second the year before. Wh ile staying with Sir Pratap, he had a b ad fall, spraining both ankles and dislocating his right shoulder. Undaunted, Churchill insisted on playing in
the tournament. scoring three goals out of four, and winning the Cup. Sadly. the arrival of World War I had a devastating effect on Indian polo. India sent more troops to the trenches than any other country in the British Empire. Sir Pratap left with the Jodhpur Lancers, tal.; ng alon g h is third son, Hanut Singh. who was just 1<1years old but already had a • s handicap . Sir Pratap was so devoted to creating a great Jodhpur team that while stationed in Flanders, he dashed to the thoroughbred sales at Newmarket in England, buying up the best polo ponies and sendin g them back to Jodhpur for t raining. According to polo player and author jaisal Singh, in his book, Polo in India, these horses 'formed the cream of the Jodhpur string, and put the jodhpur team a step ahead'. Meanwhile, the Lancers showed the same fearless determination to \\rin on the battlefield as they did on t he polo field. In one of the last great cavalry charges, arn1ed with only swords and lances, the jodhpur Lancers captured t he city of Haifa from the enemy. Among the fallen were Major Dalpat Singh, a top polo player and the son of Harji. When the war finally ended in 1918, polo began again in earnest. Leading the jodhpur team was young Hanut, whose handicap jumped 10 •9· His remarkable career as one of India's greatest players continued for
burlingham rJeature 1
1 The Hydel'abad Contillgent polo team. c. l 900 2 HM Cueen Maty sips from
the Chalenge Cup before present"'g it 10 Lord Mour'llballetl. l oi'Wion. 1931
3 The Jil4wr polo team. England. 1933 4 Kastw Ram. the official polo stict mo~k.<:r for the Mahm:~~;:~ <>t J;~ii~>t•, at
""''<>rt.:
during the England tour. 1936
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1 The Jodhpur s1ring in Hyde Pari<,
l ondon during lhe Eng!Md tour 2 CN1~hill riding at Roch01mpton,
England (1921), his right arm sltapped to his »de alter injury in lndr01 3 The
Maharaja and Maharani of Jaipur f.olb wu'lg lhe v.ctory of the Ratat~ada tCMn at the
decades, inspiring generations of players. Under the guidance of Sir Pratap, by th en in his seventies, Jodhpur wasted no time reasserting itself as a polo power. On 1 December 192 1 Lord Mountbatten, the future Viceroy of Jndia, was introduced to polo on the Chammi Ground in jodhpur As he wrote in his diary: 'I p layed my first game of polo . In t he last chuuka. to my intense surprise, I actually h it the ball th ree o r four times. AnY'vay. I loved it: l=le went on to become a great supporter of th e game and a staunch player. who accom1>a.nied the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) on many tournaments during the Prince•s 1921-22 tour of India. In fact. the greatest tnatch of the era took place in Oellii on 22 Febmary in honour of the Prince of Wales. A huge crowd of over 150,000 spectators. includin g so Maharajas wit h their glitterin g entourages. gathered to watch India's leading post-war teams: jodhpur and Patiala, compete for t he Prince of Wa.les Cup for t he India championship. The Patiala side was famous for having India's only + 10 players, Jaswant and jogindcr Singh. This fonnidablc duo made Patiala virtually unbeatable. On the Jodhpur side, Sir Pratap's son , Rao Raja Hanut Singh, realised their only hope of winning was to play the ball down the centre of the field and outride the Patiala side using t he fastest ponies. Speed has always been a tradition al strength of the Jodhpur team. At firs t the game went badly, and by the t hird chukka Patiala was leading 4--<>. Asurprise www.hurlinghampolo.com
goal by Hanu t just before th e interval turned t he mood around. Th e team ignited and by th e last chukka had drawn even. Then, the miracle happened. In the last rninute of exna time Hanut again scored and the roar of the crowd could be heard from miles away. Sir Pratap. watching motionless t hroughout t he game, suddenly had tears in his eyes and was reported to have said, 'Now I can die happy!' After a life time devoted to jodhpur polo, his dream had come true. In 1925. the Jodhpur team sailed for England in the hope of v.-inning glory abroad.
In 1933 the Jaipur team took England by storm with a dazzling display of polo talent, winning everything Nothing was left to chance . .Even the ponies were fed with English oats imported to India so they cou ld get used to the feed he fore arriving. Each pOllY had its ow11 groom, and t he tu rbaned parade of syces would stop traffic as they lead their horses to practice in Hyde Park. The team was described by Tatler magazine as 'hot as mustard' and so they proved to be. Rao Raja Hanut Singh. Thakur Prithi Singh (Sir Pratap's grandson), Thakur
lnditm Open.
Oalpat Singh, Ram Singh a nd an English officer, Captain Bill Wi11iatns were a winning combination. In a feat that echoed Sir Pratap's victorious tour of 1897, they won both the Hurlingham Champion Polo Cup and t he Roehampton Open Polo Cup. Returning to India on top of the world, t he future looked rosy for jodhpur polo. The Maharaja continued to build beautiful playing fields with pavilions, stables, with the latest training and equipment. Yet, fute had other plans for Jodhpur's Po lo team. In 1930, MaharajaSawai Man Singh II of Jaipurmarried two princesses of Jodhpur. In keeping with royal tradition he was entitled to a dowry. 'jai' as he was popularly known, was a daslting and passionate polo player. The young Maharaja wanted ja ipur to establish itself as a great polo tearn and in a masterstroke of acquisitive genius he asked for jodhpur's best ponies, riders, the Master of the Horse and even the Master Mal.let Maker, whose handcrafted bamboo sticks were rnade personaHy for each rider. From then onwards jaipur and jodhpur combined their strengths to lead Indian polo forward . In 1933 the Jaipur team took England by storm v.rith a dazzling display of polo talent, winning everything and leaving no doubt that Jndian polo was back and better than ever. World War II swept the Indian players back into banle and when they relurncd it was to an India ready for independence from the British Raj. In the years following Independence, the princely states of
burlingham rJeature 1
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~ajasthan were forced by the government to cede t heir states and sovereign powers. Suddenly, polo seemed like a relic from a bygone era as the former royal fam ilies stmggled t o adapt to a whole new world. And yet, this ancient sport of kings refused to die. Championed by the Anny and the Indian Polo Association , supported by t he people and panonhed by Maharajas, by the m id· Fifties Indian polo was back in t he saddle. Leading the way was a new generation of jodhpur players like Maharoj jabar Singh (+8), Rao Raja Bijai Singh (•7) (eldest son of legendary Rao Raja Hanut Singh), Colonel Maharaj Prem Singh (•s) and Thakur Kishen Singh llhati (•s). In 1957, when t he Jaipur team won the World Cup fo r India in Deauville, all t he p layers hailed from jodhpur. Meanwhile, a new polo force emerged. After f>ithfully serving on t he Maharajah's team s for decades. Rao Raja Nanut Singh realised his dream by forming h is own team (V!.rith his two sons and a grandson) named after the family estate in Ra tanada, Jodhpur. Ratanada remained unbeatable at home untiJ 1961 when they were fin ally defeated by a young Army team led and trained by Colonel Thakur Kishen Singh, from Jodhpur. The Army became a source of excellent players. like Brigadier VP Singh, Colonel 'Billy' Sodh i, and Colonel Kalaan , t he 'Silver Fox'. The next few decades saw the introduction of corporate sponsors and patrons, broadening the game to a wider audience. The Oberoi Blues and Kingfisher First are examples of superb teams fu nded by corporate patrons. Polo in Jodhpur gained momentum with t he detenninat ion o f Jol Jol Maharaja Gajsingh II (known to all as Bapji) to restore Jodhpur polo to its original glory. In 1993, together with his son and heir, Yuvraj Sbivraj, he launch ed the Jodhpur Eagles. The team played all over the world, "~nning trophies and gaining a solid reputa6on. In 2000, The Maharaja created a beautiful new polo ground, and introduced th e Jodhpur polo season. Shivraj (+3) is the captain oft he Jodhpur eagles and a talented and popular international player. Educated at Eton and 0Aford Brookes University, tall, handsome and a fearless rider. he cuts a dash on and off the polo field. Just as his careerwas at its
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height, he suffered a devastating head injury while playing in a tournament at l~a1nbagh Ground, Jaipur, in 2005. His courage and detennination throughou t his gradual recovery has been an inspiration to the worldwide polo community. 'The revival of Jodhpur po lo would never have been t he same without Shivraj's inspiring leadership from the front.' states his father. Shivraj is
soon to be married to Gayatri Kumari, a princess from the royal family of Askot. When not coaching the Jodhpur Eagles, he manages th e family's heritage hotels, which include the award-winning Umaid Bhawan Palace and newly lau nchedJodhana Heritage Resorts. Many o f t he Jodhpur Eagles are descended from Jodhpur polo legends. Nikhilendra Singh, (+2) is the J:,'l'eat-great g randson of Sir Pratap Singh, the father o f Indian polo . I le loves being part of Jodhpur's polo history and says, 'We are all from polo families. What makes Jodh pur such a special team is the con tinuity of tradition. Our grandfathers all played together and we are doing the same.' According t o team· mate RK Dhananjay Singh ("'1), a fourth generation player whose grandfather Maharaj Jabar Singh (+8) was a World Cup win ner, 'Polo for jodhpur is an obsession. Of the seven Indian t>layers who have h eld aloft the World Cu p, six have been from jodhpur.' jaisal Singh, (»)who plays for th e Eagles (as wcll as captaining his own team, the Sher Bagh Tigers) ag rees, saying, 'We p lay a fast. solid game. Jodhpur has always been a prestig ious team. ln our international matches we play in traditional jodhp urs. we're th e only ones that do. but it's part o f our unique heritage.' The team is devoted to captain Shivraj. who they credit with reviving the sport for a new generation of players. As Jaisal recalls, 'Shivraj always gives 100 per cent. come hell or high water!' As jodhpur prepares to host
'We play a fast, solid game. Jodhpur has always been a prestigious team. In our international matches we play in traditional jodhpurs, we're the on ly ones that do, but it's part of our unique heritage'
the 201o poloseason - culmir'latingwith the international Royal Salute Maharaja of Jodhpur Golden Jubilee Cup and the Abu Seir & Hennes Cu ps - the royal family can look back with pride and forward with confidence. After all, winning a t po lo for Jodhpur is. >ecording to Shivraj, 'in the blood'. Pictures courusy of Roli Books, from 'Polo in Indio' by )llisal Singh und Pr(ya Kapoor.
Left Um01id BhtaW<ln P;ol.1cc in Jodhp1.1r
Above Yuwaj Shivraj, son of HH Mahataja G;ajr.ingh II. in his Jodfl>ur Eaglo!ls $furt
4 Polo fields and bigger stlck&ball area
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48 Oueen 's Cup
On the'5oth anniversary, Cambiaso takes center stage alongs•de promis•ng new talent
55 Pacific Coast Open
Go FIP Championships
Camb1aso debuts in Califomia's high-goal season, lead1ng team Lucchese to VIctory
England's female team lake the bronze medal in a seml·f1nal agarnst Swrtzerland
50 Veuve Clicquot Cold Cup
56 Beaufort Test Match
The powerhouse teams return to fight fO< ...ctO<y, but 1n the end, DobaJ shines through
England has a rocky first run of the season, as The AmeriCaS team take home the trophy
62 H ublot Cold Cup Marcos Heguy cfinches the winning goal for team Banque Baring Brothers Sturdza
52 Coronation Cup
58 Julius BarJr Championship 63 Soto_g-rande Gold Cup
A 20,000·strong crowd turns out to watch England dominate play over New Zealand
Wrth explosive action, this rnaugural event is an excellent showground for young talent
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A f1eld of SIX"!10·goal teams is narrowed down to Lechuza Caracas and Ellerston
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Queen's Cup Herbert Spencer reports from the Queen's Cup, whi ch celebrates its soth an ni versary and sees world num ber one Cambiaso shine alongside some promising new talent Size doesn't always maller. As sports trophies go, for example, the Queen's Cup at Guards Polo Club is dwarfed by the likes of the HPA's massive Coronation Cup, or India's low-goal Kolanka Cup. An understated btl of silverware, Guards' premier trophy slands just over six
inches high and it will hardly hold a split of celebratory champagne, whereas the Kolanka Cup, at six feel tal~ can lake up to multiple times that, at 24 bottles of the bubbly. However what the Queen's Cup does have, uniquely, is the royal coat of arms engraved on it and a chief·of·slale to present 1t Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II. And the tournament for which it is played for is second only to the British Open Championship in English high-goal polo. The Queen's Cup tournament was 50 years old this year, now sponsored by Harcourt
Developments. The wortd's best polo player, Adolfo Cambiaso, celebrated the anniversary by winning the cup for the seventh time in his career, an aU-time record. Cambiaso and Ali
Albwardy's Dubai team defeated Max Gottschalk's Les Lions II team by 12 goals to I 0 in a final that saw the advantage change more than once, the game tied up no fewer than nine times, and Duba•'s opponents bnefly
snatching the lead in the final chukka I've been covering Queen's Cup finals over 40 of the tournament's 50 years, and I ca n~ remember one that kept me so frequently on the edge of my seal It was not just the combination of 1O·goaler Cambiaso and fellow Argentine Pablo MacDonough (9 in the UK, I 0 in Argentina) finally winning the day for Dubai against Les Lions It's 9·goal Merlos brothers,
Sebastian and Augustin. To add to the day's excitement, there were also two talented teenagers out on the Queen's Ground at Smith's Lawn in Windsor Great Park Dubai's 1-goal Rashid Albwardy, who turned 18 only five days earlier. and Les Lions It's 3-goal South African Chris Mackenzie. Mackenzie, 17, one of the youngest players ever to compete, was particularly impressive as he repeatedly challenged his higher-handicapped opponents to win the final's Most Valuable Player award. 'All eight players are playing above their handicaps!! exclaimed Aussie international player Glen Gilmore, one of the tournamenfs public address commentators: at one point
during the nail·biting game. In fact, by the end of the season, the HPA had ra1sed the handicaps of four of the eight players: www.hu rli nghampolo.com
1 Camb•aso chasod by Chns Mackcnz•c 2 The Queen a()d Pal Oohe-tty, chanrnan of Harcourt De"elopments. prosent the cup to Rashid Albwardy
''
2
MacDonough to 10, Mackenzie to 4, Dubai's
look goal to equalise. Shooting from distance:
Francisco Vismara to 3, and Albwardy to '2. Fourteen teams entered the 22-goal Queen's Cup tournament this year, four fewer than in 2009 which must have reflected the current econom1c dimate. Dubai, who were knocked out in the semi-finals last year, had
MacDonough found the posts to retake the lead for Dubai. Merlos tied it up again before Cambiaso converted a 30-yard penalty to put Dubai 3-2 up at the end of the period. Arter that the two teams traded blows, wllh DubaJ keeping the advantage for most of the game. Surprisingly, Les Lions II held Dubai scoreless throughout the entice third penod and snatched the lead with a field goal by Augustin Merlos, and then another field goal and penalty conversion by brothec Sebastian. The sixth and final chukka started with the two teams tied again. Hallway through the
a new and untried line-up. It was the first time
Pablo MacDonough, cated number four in the world, had played with Cambiaso, the number one. At home in Argentina, they play on rival teams. To make up the numbers, Dubai brought tn a relatively unknown. Vismara
Les Lions II kept their same line-up as in 200g, when they failed to make it through the leagues. Both they and Dubai came through the 20 10 Queen's Cup leagues undefeated, bu1 the latter had the edge on goal difference and Albwacdy's team had won the tournament in three previous years, in 2003, 2005 and
2006. Gottchalk's side on the other hand had only ever won one high-goal tournament, the Warwickshire. So Oubai were the dear
favourites to win. Cambiaso drew first blood when he found the posts two minutes into the first chukka Back to the throw-in at midfield and les Lions It's Sebastian Merlos gained possession and www.hurtinghampolo.com
'I have been covering Queen's Cup finals for over forty of its fifty years, and I can't remember one that kept me so frequently on the edge of my seat'
period, Sebastian Merlos got away from midfield and raced to goal, putting Les Lions II in the lead for only the second lime, 1o-g. Then Cambiaso pulled out the stops. scoring a field goal to equalise, another to regain the lead, and icing the cake with a 30-yard penalty conversion to give Dubai their 12-10 victory. Cambiaso had scoced 10 of Dubai's 12 goals. At the post-match press conference, Cambiaso was asked not once but twice how
he felt winnrng his seventh Queen's Cup. 'I've just answered that,' he told the second questioner to laughter. He got another laugh when asked the name of the new pony on which he scored to wrn the game in the final chukka: 'I don't know,' he shrugged. The pony in question was Certain, a 13-year-old Australian gelding on last-minute loan from Lucas Monteverde. Certain won the Best Playing Pony prize. So how exactly did the world's number one feel winning, yet again, that unimposing bit of silver that is the 50-yeac-old Queen's Cup, the latest triumph in his amazing, seven-month string of victories on both stdes of the Atlantic?
'I guess I must have been doing something modestly. You can say that again, Adolfito. righ~' Cambraso replied
Gold Cup 0 ld and new teams alike vied for the trophy at Cowdray Park, which celebrates its 10oth anniversary this year, but it was Dubai and Cambiaso that got showered with accolades, writes Herbert Spencer Judging by lhe number of entries in the British Open Championship for the Veuve Clicq~ot Gold Cup this year, the top end of the sport in England seems to be well insulated against the current global economic downturn. Entries for the British Open were up from last year's t 7 contestants to 20 in 20 10. By comparison, the 26ijoal US Open earlier this year allracted only eight teams, down from 12 in 2008. The 40 teams competing in the UK's premier 22·goal tournament at Cowdray Park
Polo Club included patrons and professionals from more than a dozen countries, reconfirming the British Open as the world's most popular high-goal competition and the one to win. Some of the sjdes were million-dollar teams
with top-earning pros and impressive strings of expensive ponies; others took the field for considerably less money. There were newcomers and, unusually, half the entries were by UK·based patrons. As expected, a large m3jority of the professionals were from Argentina, with only a dozen English pros finding places on the teams. The perennial powerhouse teams were baok to light for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup. First there was 2009 titleholder La Samba de Areco, fielded by advertising tycoon Jean· Fran<;ois Oecaux, with two 1Q--,goalers,
Gonzalito and Facundo Pieres. Next up was, Italian businessman Alfio Marchini's Loro Piana, Open winners in 2008, who returned with 1O·goaler Juan Martin Nero. Also back were Lechuza Caracas, the 2007 winners owned by Venezuelan banker Victor Vargas, arod Dubai, entered by Ali Albwardy, who won the British Open in 2005 and 2001 and were runners-up in 2004 and last year. It was I Oijoaler Adolfo Cambiaso who led Dubai to their 14· 12 victory over Lechuza Caracas in the final to win the British Open title this year, which is also the 1OOth anniversary of the Cowdray Park Polo ClubThey took to the field WTth a new line-up - Cambiaso was joined by 9ijoaler Pablo MacDonough ( 10-goal in Argentina). It was the first time the two had played together, in Argentina, they play on opposing teams - Cambiaso for La Delfina and MacDonough for Ellerstina. A relative unknown, Francisco Vismara, was also new to the team. Albwardy's son Rashid, who had turned 18 earlier in July, was again in ihe patron's s lot Lechuza Caracas featured 9-goaler Miguel Novtllo Astrada and B·goaler Guillermo 'Sapo' Caset at the centre, patron Vargas and
'I think we had an edge on Lechuza Caracas in terms of pony power,' said Adolfo Cambiaso of the success he and the Dubai team achieved 1g.year-old 4-goaler Max Routledge - the only English player in the final. Vargas's side reached the final undefeated. Dubai lost one of their matches to Lyndon Lea's Zacara, but reached the final stages on goal differences. After the Hurlingham Polo Association raised Viscara's handicap from two to three goals mid·season, Dubai became a 23-goal team and so gave Lechuza Caracas a point on the scoreboard to start. In the end, Dubai's combination of Carnbiaso and MacDonough proved too much for Lechuza Caracas.. Oubai dominated the
six-chukka final, keeping two or three points ahead of their opponents at the end of each period. Even when Lechuza Caracas briefly lied up the game in the fourth chukka, Cambiaso wasn't worried. 'You don't worry
about anything in a game like this,' he said
Argenbne in December, the US rn April and now the British. Along the way, he also took the other two top tournaments in the US: the CV Whitney and Raget Gold Cup, and the Oueen's Cup in lhe UK. Carnbiaso gave credit to Dubai's magnificent string of ponies for contributing to their Gold Cup victory. 'I think we had an edge on Lechuza in terms of pony power,' he said after the match. 'Even though we've played more matches this season, our ponies wete still in great shape! Lechuza Caracas's Novillo Astrada had a different theory: 'Dubai kept the play tight, while we wanted to play a more open game, That's what made the difference.'
Cambiaso also scooped all the main prizes at the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup presentations. Having scored nine of Dubai's 14 goals, he was named Most Valuable Player of the final. His 10-year·old mare DoHina Caridad took lhe Best Playing Pony award. And he received the bright yellow Veuve Clicquot trophy saddle as the high-scorer of the tournament, having amassed 48 points. The Harper Spurs went to Lechuza Caracas patron Victor Vargas as captain of the ru n ners ~up. It was well deserved - Vargas., a l ·goal amateur, impressed everyone with his determined and focused performance as the team's Number 1, always properly moving to the front to take passes on the way to goal.
afterwards. 'You just think, we're going to win
After the match, he was lavish in his praise of
thisf It was the fifth time that the 35-year old Argentine had played on a winning team in the Open: twice for Dubru and once each for Tramontana, Ellerston and Geebung.
Cowdray Park's organisation of England's premier high-goal tournament 'Everything from the draw to the grounds and the conduct of the matches was superb,' he said. 'We love playmg here and we'll be back next year.' Meanwhile, Adolfo Cambiaso, undisputed star of the show, flew off to Califomia to conbnue his stnng of high-goal vrctories.
This year was also an international hat trick
for Carnbiaso as he continued his spectacular wrnning streak In just over seven months. he had won all three of the major opens: the
wutch higlrl(qht.-. online www.hurlinghampolo.com
1 'Sapo' c..,t Gn blue) closely chased by Franosco Vismata
2 Caset ovtn.ms Cambiaso and Pab'o MacDonough 3 Call'lb1aso surrounded by (from ~ft) M'9uel NOV'Illo Asttada. Vtctor Vargas, Max Routledge 4 MVP Cambtaso
• 4 www.hurli nghampolo.com tJ•atth h~qhligi•L~ twlint
'Everything from the draw to the grounds and the conduct of t he matches was superb,' said Lechuza Caracas patron Victor Vargas. 'We'll be back next year'
E
53 1
Coronation Cup England and New Zealand have met five times on International Day, reports Antje Derks, with England this year taking home the top prize After the Bcaufert Test match that saw Audi sponSO<ed·England soundly beaten by the Amencas, I spoke to Mark Tomlrnson, who confidently assured rne they would beat the All Blacks by 'at least three goals'. After thea' earlier performance, I was not so sure. However, the quarlel who have played together for the past two years, fl'oved me wrong. They put on a bnlliant performance at this year's Cariier International, dominabng the play and bea~ng EFG·sponSOfed New Zealand 9-7. The teams have met fiVe bmes on lntcrna~onat Day now, the last in 2006, when England was once again victorious. This year, a 20,()()()-strong crowd turned out to watch, alongsode HRH Prince Charles and the usual glitterab from stage, screen and realrly lV. By the end of the second chukka. England were leadmg the Kiwis 3·1, but both teams could have increased !herr goal margins had
they made tho most of the opportunibcs that arose. New Zealand team captain John·Paul Clarkrn, who had solely scored all nine Black Bears goals the day before to win the Coworth Park Challenge, look a whrle to find his sparkling form, missrng an easy shot at the beginntng ol the third chukka. Mark and Luke Tomhnson showed great interplay and control, meanwhrle, Mark scoring a texlbook·perfect field goal to push England 4· t in the lead. lmmedralely afti!IWatds, James Beim broke free lrom the hne-out to run the leng1h of the focld and score. The third chukka saw both teams ptek up the pace from what had been a decidedly slow swt but rt was England that were convertong theor opportunities ·nto goals. In the post-match press conferenoe. New
Zealander S.mon Kcyte commented that hos team's biggest problem seoems lo be thai they always play only half a polo match, whoch was
what accounted for lheir amazong comeback but eventual deteal By half.bme, Beim had scored another goal for England, pushing them an eye-watering 6-1 on lronl This lead was extended in the fourth chukka. when Malcolm Barwick - who was the lead scorer during the Gold Cup by the end oi l he semHonats - took a 30-yard
New Zealander Simon Keyte commented that his team's biggest problem seems to be that they always play only half a polo match
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1 JP Clarkin {in black) riding BPP, Gumboot, and England capta1n Luke Tomlinson 2 MVP James Betm with JP Clarkm on his h1p 3 Ollie Cudmore (left), Best Young Player. high fives Lanto Sheridan 4 (from ldt} Tommy Lee Jones, Amaud Bamberger of Cartier and Sir Bet> Kingsley
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penalty and scored. Both Keyte and Sam Hopkinson, making his international debts\ managed to fluff easy shots right in front of the goal, whtch put the All Blacks on the back foot. Tom my Wilson then stole the ball and ran fori~ but he, too, failed to score. A penalty in
Tomlinson's pre-match prediction wasn~ that far off the mark. England beat New Zealand by two- if not the predicted three -goals. When asked about their victory, as well as their poor performance agatnst the Americas, l uke Tomlinson said, 'This time we had a
favour of New Zealand was finally converted
chance to practise together and concentrate
by Clarkin, but the Kiwis had it all to do going into the filth chukka. It was in the fifth chukka that Clarkin and his Best Playing Pony, Gumboot, found their legendary form, converting one penalty alter another, reducing England's lead to three goals from five. Bu ~ in the final chukka, the All Blacks looked like they would pull a victory. Clarkin scored a brilliant field goal 30 seconds into the chukka, and after winning the line-out, screamed down the field to score again. Suddenly, the
on our game, meaning we were much more confident going into the match. That said, New Zealand isn~ an easy opponent and it's never over until the final whistle.' Keyte said of the All Blacks, 'Our team tactics are very uncommon - we have a tendency to go wrth the flow and so no one
the game, Prince of Wales Team member
lanto Sheridan commented, 'It was a good game of polo and fun to be part of. It's always great playing on Cartier Day.'
have a terrible flaw: we too often come aJive
only in the last two chukkas.' The Coronation Cup is always the main attraction on International Day, but every
and the New Zealanders were breathing down England's neck, having reduced their lead to just one goal. Kcytc equalised from a cvt shot that caught England's defence on the hop.
year there is a morning game between Hurling ham - sponsored by How To Spend It - and the Westbury Hotel-sponsored Prince of Wales teams. Sadly, on this occasion, none of the Prince's team played and, this year, Hurlingham won 7-6. Despite the closeness of
However, the level scores were short-lived.
They drew level, scoring two consecutive
goals in the dying minutes, forcing the game into an extra chukka Unfortunately, both Max Charlton and Nacho Gonzalez mtssed opportunities to score the golden goal, which was taken by Hurlingham's Satnam Dhillon after he was set up by Ollie Cudmore. Cudmore went on to be chosen as Most Promising Young Player and is certainly a talent to watch in the future. Speaking after
plays where they're supposed to. We also
crowd came alive. The match was back on
England captain luke Tomlinson took control
However, the break did the Prince of Wales team some good and they managed to get themselves together in the second half.
of the situation immediately and scored. Beim,
the end result, earlier chukkas saw Hurling ham
who was eventually crowned Most Valuable Player, added another great goal to the score card nght on the bell. So, in the end, Mark
wiping the floor with their opponents. By the end of the first chukka, they were 4-1 tn Iro n~ the gap widening further to 7-2 by half-time.
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England captain Luke Tomlinson said, 'We had a chance to concentrate on our game, mean1ng we were much more confident going into it'
(from 1-efl) MVP Jason Crowder, fo!low~d by H lal'io Ulloa who subs1ituted for Pac!o-de Narvaez
Pacific Coast Open California was delighted to welcome Adolfo Cam biaso at its high-goal season this year, reports Sarah Eakin
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If Adolfo Cambiaso has a polo 'bucket list', he could have put a bck by another srgmficant item this summer, having made his debut in the California high-goal polo season. He captainc:xl the Lucchese team to a trio of 20-goal tournament wins, culminating in a 10-8 victory over ERG in the finals of the prestigious Bombardier Pacific Coast Open at the Santa BaJbara Polo & Racquet Club. Cambiaso was enticed to play in California this year by Texas businessman John Muse whose Lucchese team had Cambiaso at the helm and five-goal players, Argentina:s Andres Weisz and Amenca's Jason Crowder, as
ffi
worthy teammates. Crowder, 27, sparked local interest,. having been raised on West Coast polo. 'Cambiaso is like a polo dictionary,' he ~ told the Santa Barbara Independent. 'He's got , moves nobody can copy.' ~ Eight teams entered the Pacific Coast ~ Open. Scott Wood's ERG lined up Paco de ~ Narvae~ 17-year-old Santi Torres, also from @ California, and Sdveslre Donovan, and Lyndon ;( o Lea's Zacara and Andy Busch's Granfs Farm g
g
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also reached the final four alongside Lucchese, who remained unbeaten throughout the 20-goal season, with the Skene Trophy and USPA America Cup already in the bag. ERG trailed 3- t after the opening chukka of the finals played out in front of a capacily crowd of several thousand spectators. Crowder had scored two of his six-goal tally in the game - lhe second had been set up by Cambiaso, who seemed willing to place the team's fate in the young American's hands on
more than one occasion. ERG's game plan hit a roadblock at the start of the second chukka, when they were forced to substitute their star player, De Narvaez, due to a leg injury. Hilario Ulloa lrom Zacara filled his slot ably - last winter he played alongside Cambiaso on the winning 26-goal team, Crab Orchard, in Florida Lucchese were ahead 5-4 at hall-time and, aHhough Cambiaso's squad pulled out a lead in the second half, Ulloa was able to close lhe gap to two before lhe final whistle. Despite valiant efforts from ERG, Cambia so's
'Cambiaso is like a polo dictionary, with moves that nobody can copy' unparalleled ability proved an unbeatable insp1ration to his team - particularly Crowder,
whose performance in the finals earned him the Most Valuable Player award. His father, Steve Crowder, a veteran polo coach, said, 'As the proud lather of Jason, I don't believe I've ever seen someone pick up a team and give them so much more confidence the way he does. The way that Adolfo brought out the game in Jason was fantastic.' Santa Barbara rewarded Cambiaso's performance with the Robert Skene award for the Most Valuable Player of the Season. His mare Noriega, a former US Open Best Playing Pony, was given the same accolade for her opening appearance in the Pacific Coast Open finals. Cambiaso's California debut provokes deeper reflection because he has now won every international high-goal tournament he has played in since the 2009 Argentine Open, including the Florida-based US Open and the USPA Gold Cup, and the UK's leading polo twphies, the Queen's Cup and the Gold Cup for the British Open Championship.
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Mark Tom 1nson (lcf1) hooked by Nco Picrcs
Beaufort Polo Club International Test Match ~
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The England selectors team gets its first run of the season at the Beaufort International Test Match, but it's a rocky start as The Americas take home the trophy, writes Oliver Hughes The International Test Match at the Beaufort Polo Club has a distinctly different feel to thoso:> held at Guards and Cowdray. Worldclass polo aside, the weekend encompasses a hugely popular Country Fair, as well as an apres-polo party on the Saturday night With trade stands, craft displays and family entertainment- including fairground rides and falconry - the Test Match has become the summer family event where guests can experience the thrill of international polo alongsode a great day out Remarkably, for an event of this size, lhe Beaufort Test Match has
favour of the home team, but it was Lucas Oi Paola for The Americas who put the first field goal on the board. This was quickly counto:>red by a goal from Luke Tom Iinson, and when Ignacio Toccalino gave away a foul on the goalmouth, the Audi-sponsored England team
combined to keep out a safety 60-yard hit before converting it into an aHack of their
Paola's goal at the end of the chukka meant that the handicap start was all that separated the two teams. The second chukka definitely belonged to England - thanks to some great solo efforts by Marl< Tomlinson - yet by the third chukka,
own. Nonetheless, The Amo:>ricas were leading 8- 6 1h as lhe fiflh and final chukka began, The chukka opened with a 3o-yard penalty by Luke Tomlinson that was countered by a Marcos Di Paola soxty. With three minutes to go, James Beim juggled the ball up to and beyond the halfway line, leaving only Toccalino between him and goal. Ho launched a shot from 80 yards out, and the roar or the crowd was all that was needed to show that England were now only half a goal down. Some fast
been without a commercial sponsor for the
the American pressure was finally beginning to
end-to-end polo showed each team's desire to
last two years and it stands as a testament to the commitment of the Beaufort Polo Club that the Test Match continues to thnve. The lure of world-class polo, coupled with the attractions of the fair meant that a large crowd spilled out of the stands and gazebos along both sides of the ground. Following England's success against South Africa at Cowdray in the first domestic Test Match of the year~ hopes were high that a further VIctory could be gained against the How To Spend
show. Field goals from Toccalino and Lucas Oi Paola brought them within touching distance of England again, and, by treading in time, it was still only the handicap difference in England's favour that separated the teams. The large crowd began to fear the worst for England as first Toccalino and then Marcos Oi Paola both scored with impressive neck shots in the fourth chukka. However, England demonstrated they were made of sterner stuff, as Beim and Mark Tomlinson
win, and with the last attack of the game Mark Tom Iinson had a chance with a difficult nearside neck shot to put England ahead. However, the combination of Marcos Di Paola and a bouncing ball were just enough to preserve The Americas' lead. The final bell sounded with The Americas emerging victorious, 9- 8 1h. PriLe presentations by England rugby legend Phol Vickery saw the MVP award goong to Ignacio Toccalino and the Best Retrained
increased their advantage, 2 1/z-1. Marcos Oi
lt·sponsored Americas team.
Racehorse award going to Tomorrow, played
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The Amo:>ricas team had become an allArgentine affair when Chile's Jos~ Oonoso was replaced by Nico Pieres, and the England selectors were to give the first run of the season to the lull strength team of Beim and Borwick alongside the Tomlinson brothers. With The Americas aggregating 28 goals to England's 27 there was a half-goal start in
by Luke Tomlinson. Following the England Ladies' learn defeat by Young England, the focus of attention switched from the polo field to the clubhouse, where revellers danced the night away and were able to, temporarily at least forget the disappointments of the day and look forward to hop<:>fully greater success on Cartier Day.
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The weekend includes world-class polo, a popu lar Country Fair and an apres-polo party
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Julius Baer Junior Polo British Championships This inaugural event proved an excellent showground for young and exciting British talent, as Sally Jones reports Hurtwood Park Polo Clu b at Ewhurst. Surrey. hos ted some of Britain's top young prospects
in the inaugural julius Baer junior Po lo British Championships, in September, and also unveiled the title sponsor's early-stage plans for an international-level junior Academy based there nex't season. With five accomplished teams in the 15 and Under Group and five in the 19 and lJnders, fron'l a variety of dubs, there was thrilling po lo on show from the opening group matches, in which each team was
d rawn to play two other sides, with the winner and runner-up from the pool games in each age group fighting it out for the nation al crown and the third and fourth-placed teams contesting t he sub-fi nal in each age-group. First up o n Saturday's finals day were t he 19 and Unders with the young Forgather side ofTheo Banner, Tom St Aubyn , Harry Muddle and Maimie Powell taking on SangrE$ Jovenes: james Hislop, Jamie O'Neill, rising star Alex jacob from Ascot Park and Hurtwood's Bryony Taylor who a t 17 has just gone to <>-goals thanks to high -quality~ and 6-goal chukkas at Cowdray Park this season. From the start, there was e:~:pos ive action.
First blood went to Banner with a superb runin, only for jacob to fire in a 6o followed by a great run·in from the next Jine·out. Forgather levelled with another Banner knock-in but otherwise lt was tlght end to end play with
some spectilcular goal· line clearances. The th ird chukka produced a feast o f goals; a tapin from Taylor followed by a Bar\ner tap-in, then a long mn from Hislop. Banner shot one home straight from the line--out before Muddle knocked in another. Moments from the end, jacob had a 6o beaten away, only for h er to follow up and knock it between the posts. Victory for Sangres jovenes &-4 amid ecstatic celebration s.
Next came the 15 and Under fi nal. King Dragons, composed of Cody jones, t3·year·
o ld prodigy lay McGregor, Hector Fai.r and Will Batchelor faced jaeger-LeCoultre which featured the scions of several renowned polo dynasties: Tommy Beresford, jack Taylor, Ralph Richardson and Camilla Beresford. 15-year-old jones, a 'gentle giant' and son of Hurtwood's owners. former Who dmmmer
Kenney jones and his wife Jayne, is a lready sho·wing impressive potential and was involved in most of the early skirmishes.
King Dragons started with half-a-goal and Tomrny Beresford opened the scoring with a stylish 30-yard penalty, before Batchelor got one b ack with a well-worked goal. Early in t he second chukka. Beresford again found his mark Vlrith a spot·l'lit. McGregor then met a glo.rious jones backhand, which she ran to goaL With Beresford off the pitch changing ponies Richardson too.k the ne.:\1: 30, blasting it through easily. In the goal-less t hird chukka with the game h eart-stoppingJy poised, both teams missed penalties, King Dragons hitting the post twice. Then early in the fourth, a jones spot-hit put them ahead again, but a defiant Beresford, running out of his own 6o drilled a glorious goal to take back the lead. A wellstruck 30 from Jones moments later reversed the score, and King Dragons looked set for victory untiJ they gave away an unlucky fouL Beresford set himself up for the pressure shot of the championship and drilled it home nervelessly, moments before the final whistle. jaeger-LeCoultre had snatched it, 5-4, after a stunning battle. After,Nards, Hum\l'ood•s Jayne Jones, a passionate supporter of junior polo, paid tribute to the skill and p assion on show. 'It was a great week.' she enthused . 'Absolutely adrenaline-filled and thrilling. The kids really enjoyed it and the level of talent on show here was awesome. Cody had a good day and kept his head together well, and some of the younger players really shone: Alex jacob was amazing..Izzy t\>tcgregor's only 13 but she's been playing since she was five and has huge potential, very competitive and focused.' 'We didn't expect we•d get that dose to jaegcr-LcCoultre.' admitted Cody jones modestly. 'We thought t hey'd score five goals every chukka so it was amazing to be part of such a great battle. It was the best touma.ment l've ever played and the final was the most fun I've ever had on a polo field.' 'The kids delivered some stunning polo; added Hurtwood's polo manager johnny Boscawen. 'I was particularly impressed by Hyde, the very young side narrowly beaten by Los Banditos in the 15 and Under sub-final. The line-up of Tom Brodie, jack Hyde, Karim Sheikh, Sebastian Hancock showed real class and they're all still under 15 next season. so if t hey're p laying toget her in ne~'t year's Championships, my money's on th em.' The sponsors, Bank Julius Bacr, which h as supported a st ring of polo events since 2006, including the C..l.rtier International Dubai Polo Challenge, are also discussing t he junior programme they a.re planning to set up at Hurho;ood next season.
'It was the best tournament I've ever played and the f inal was the most fun I've ever had on a polo field' www.hurlinghampolo.com
''rhe idea is that we should stage high-level week-long Julius Baer Academies here, by invitation, for young players \\rith potentia.!; explained Boscawen, 'ideally for 12 kids or fewer, focusing on technique, particularly riding and stick control. But we hope to use some of the world's t op players and coaches to look at each o f those youngsters really intensively, maybe for a couple of days during the week and give them really high-level advice on careers. mental attitude and soon , plus some seriously good coaching, so the youngsters should glean a huge amou nt: 'We hope to create something that carries on for several years,· said Daniel Gerber, CEO of Bank Julius Baer International, London, 'Po1o is the sport nearest to our philosophy and core values with its strong team spirit, long traditions and culture o f care, passion and excellence. Hurtwood's t he perfect club for this as it's always been devoted to kids and youth polo. lt•s got a glamorous atmosphere too. We fecllucky to have Ke nney on board, for his support and know-how and Jayne is a wonderful organiscr too, running th e club day·t<rday. We're serious about giving something back to the sport and see th is as th e pe rfect way to do it.'
1 (from left) Tom St Aubyn, Harry Muddle {in background), Maimle Powcll and Alex Jacob 2 {from klfl) Jack Tayla<, C<ldy Jones. Camilla Beresford and Will Batchelor
'We hope to use some of the world's top players and coaches to give youngsters with potential high-Tevel advice'
FIP European Championships For the first time in a FIP event an English women's team played at the European Championships in Austria, as Herbert Spencer reports In September Austria hosted the erghlh European Championships of the Federation of International Polo (FIP) and in some respects
England. 'Our pomes were some of the best,' says England captain Nina Clarkin, 'bul all were of a good standard for low-goal polo.'
it was one of the most 1mpresstVe 10 the series,
France and Spain were the only teams to
with France taking the gold medal, Spain silver and England bronze. A record t 0 national teams from Europe, including two of the FIPs newest members, Slovakta and Hungary, competed in the 8-j:joal tournament. For the first time in a FIP event,
come through the brackets undefeated. In the final, Spain took the lead rn the first period, 3-?. France came back in the second chukka to outscore their opponents and gain a 5-4 advantage. The French increased their lead to 8-6 in the third period. Scoring was equal in the fourth and final chukka, leaving France with a I 0-8 victory and the gold medal.
there was a women's team from England.
And the venue itself was spectacular, with the main polo ground in fronl of a medieval castle just half an hour's drive south of Vienna. The Austrian Polo Association organised the championships under FIP direction at Polo Club Schloss Ebreichsdorf - the club owned by association president Baron Richard Drasche-Wartinbcrg. His castle, which boasts three polo grounds, was built on the site of an ancient fortress that had both resisted and fallen to the Ottoman Turks in past centuries. Unlike the FIP World Cup, in which teams draw their mounts by lots from a pool provided by the hosts, all the learns trucked rn their own ponres from as far afield as Spain, Italy and
England, the reigning champions who had
won five of the previous seven European events, won three of their four games in the brackets, tosrng only to Sparn. 'The Spanish came out very strong and dominated the game, playing a fast and open match,' says Clarkin. 'On the day, they were the better team and deserved their place in the final.' The England women went on to beat Switzerland 8-5 1h in the semi-final to take the bronze medal. Hungary, who lost all their games, was recognised with the FIPs Sports Spirit award. Austria's Konslanlin Rhomberg was named fairest player of the tournament.
A record 10 national teams from Europe took part, including Slovakia and H ungary There were separate best playing pony prizes for the two finals, gorng to Morenila, owned by Fati Reyno! and played by France's Edouard Pan, and Stacy, owned and played by Clarkin. Standings in the championships were France, Spain, England, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary. 'The spirit of camaraderie amongst the players was remarkable,' said FIP president Eduardo Huergo, after the tournament 'The European Championship is the lederation's only international competition at a handicap 5 level below our 14-goal World Cup, but we are looking at organisrng FIP 8-goal tournaments ;: in other parts of the world as well as Europe, II! and perhaps also 4-goal competitions, so as to :!; involve smaller polo-playmg countries.' ~
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lOOKING FORWARD TO 2011
Argenbna will host the final stages of the FIP's ninth 14-goal World Champ1onships for the Polo World Cup in October 2011, but all the venues and dates for play-offs in the federation's four geographic zones have yet to be decided, according to FIP President Eduardo Huergo. The FIP World Cup will be played at the Estancia Grande Polo Club in San Lu1s, in the middle of Argenijna. The club is situated some 500 miles Irom Buenos Aires. Ten national teams will travel to San Luis for the final stage: Argenbna as hos1 country, Chile as
reigning champions and two teams from each of the AP's zones. Play-offs in Zone D (Asia, Africa and Oceania) are scheduled for June 2011 in Malaysia Brazil has commrttecl to host Zone B (South America), but no date has been fixed The Dominican Republic has bid for Casa de Campo to host Zone A (North and Central America and Caribbean) immed1ately after the US Open in April England, Spain and Haly have submitted bids to host Zone C (Europe) play-offs. England has offered dates in August or September at Cowdray Park Polo Club and Great Trippetts Farm. Spain's Santa Maria Polo Club in Sotogrande has offered any dates in 20 11 other than late J uly and August.
1 Spain's Pelayo Berazach with his ball 2 (from left) Gvaltiero Giori chases Nina Ctarkin 3 (!tom lort) NicolAs Alvatcz. Jos6 Entrecanales and Alexis Pouille
eye on the
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Hublot Gold Cup 6~
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Swiss watchmaker Hub lot hosted th is year's Gold Cup in Gstaad with spectacular results. Alex Webbe reports Gstaad is in the German-speakmg sector of
of sports aficionados and to our partners/ says
the Canton of Berne in southwest Switzerland, and is one of the most e xdusive ski resorts in the world. Known fO< its luxury hotels, shopping, nighllife and fine dining, for one week every year, thanks to Swiss watchmaker Hubl o~ the village of 2,500 people becomes host to polo's Hublol Gold Cup, and attracts players and spectators from all over the world. Fielding four teams in the 16 to 18-goal range, Hublol presented the I 5th Annual Hublot Gold Cup to an enthusiastic audience
Pierre Genecand, President of the Polo Club Gstaad and organiser of the tournament 'We arc extremely happy that Hublot and our dedicated partnets share our passion lor this fine and superb equestrian sport.' The first day of competition saw Banque Baring Brothers Sturdza sneak past Hublot in a hard-fought '2 I- I t contest while Gstaad Palace outlasted Star Design Th to 7. Saturday's semifinals had Hublot galloping past Gstaad Palace 8 to 5'h. Bank Baring
that has come to apprec1ate the summer
Brothers registered tts second consecutive
equestrian fair in the Alps. Taking place on the grounds of the Saanen/Gstaad airtield, a lineup of brand-new, shining Bentlcys filled a portion of the field. This year, the Gstaad Palace team came in as the one to beat, boasting Gold Cup Champronships in 2008 and 2009, but with three other teams armed with some of the
win, 8-7, over Star Design. With finals set, Hublot would be facing Marcos Heguy and the Banque Baring Brothers Sturdza. The consolation match for third place had Star Design facing off against Gstaad Palace. Star Design used teamwork and disciplined defense to shut down the Gstaad Palace offense while relying on Araujo. who opened the match with a goal. The supportive play of teammates Augustin Martinez and Federico Bachmann were instrumental in securing the wm, making spec1al note of Bachmann's 150-yard shot for a goal. Gstaad Palace fought valiantly, but couldn't break through the suffocaijng defense of the Star Design team. The afternoon's final was probably the most exciting contest of the tournament, with Heguy reminding everyone why he carries the ultimate 1O·goal handicap. Heguy led the Banque Baring Brothers Sturdza with six goals on the day, including the winning goal in overtrme, giving him a total of
game's top players, it would become one of
the closest competitions in years. Star Design's team, captained by Philipp Maeder, featured 8-goaler Milo Fernandez Araujo while the Hublot team relied on brothers Francisco (7 -goals) and Eduardo Menendez (6-goals). The Gstaad Palace team would rely on the talents of 8·goaler Alejandro Agote and Justo Saavedra while the Banque Baring Brothers Sturdza would feature Argenbne 10-goaler Marcos Heguy. 'Each year, our major objective is to offer a unique and fabulous experience in one of the
world's most spectacular settings to our public
19 goats over the course of the tournament. Delighted by the success of the tourname n~ in spite of the fact that Hublot lost rn the overtime chukka, Hublot CEO, JeanClaude Biver declares, 'I always appreciate the chance to attend this tournamen~ which is held in an exceptional setting. This backdrop of mountains, wrth the expert orgamsation of Pierre Genecand, is a delight every year.' Banque Baring Brothers Sturdza's Juan Pablo Jauretche was named the tournament's MVP while Chachacha, tidden by Marcos Heguy received Best Playing Pony honours. Every player received a Big Bang automatic chronograph, with the logo of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad engraved on the case-back. 'We are extremely happy to be able to offer each year a polo pertormance of the highest level in Gstaad,' says Genecand. 'I would like to thank our sponsors, partners and all the helpers and people involved in the organisation of this event and am looking forward to
hosting it again next year in Gstaad.'
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Gstaad Palace won the ~ 2008 and 2009 Gold ~ Cup Championships, yet ~ ' 20 10 was to become ~ the closest fought competition in years
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Sotogrande The pace of the finals of the Gold Cup at the Santa Maria Polo Club was fierce from the start, says Alex Webbe, as Jamie Packer's team Ellerston wins t he season A warm Sunday afternoon was courted by a cool Mediterranean breeze and a standingroom-only crowd showed up for the finals of
the 39th Gold C\lp International Polo C\lp at the Santa Maria Polo Club on 28 August. A field of six 20-goal teams was narrowed down to Silver Cup winner lechuza Caracas (4-0) and a talented Ellerston foursome. After six chukkas of top-flight, fast-paced action, the finals of the 2010 Nespresso Gold Cup were decided on a penalty conversion by Argentine 10-goaler Facundo Pieres, giving Jamie Packer's Ellerston team the seasonending title. After making their way to the finals of the high-goal opening Bronze Cup (losing to Ahmibah by one goal) and struggling their way through the ensuing Silver Cup (suffering losses to lechuza Caracas, 7 ·6 and Ahmibah, 12-7), Ellerston found itself in peak performance for the Gold Cup. A first-round win over Leones Fun and
Basics ( 15-12} was followed by a disappointing 15-14 toss to Dos Lunes. A hard-fought g.a win over Ayala got them into the semifinals where they eked out a 12- 11 win over Ahmibah. The victory launched them
into the tournament finals against a powerful Lechuza Caracas team that was coming off
a Silver Cup Championship and four consecutive wins in Gold Cup play. The pace was quick from the onset
Following an errant shot at goal by Ellerston,
'Nero finally got Lechuza on the scoreboard with a penalty conversion but Ellerston was quick to respond'
Facundo Pieres intercepted a pass from Juan
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Martin Nero from the backline and stroked it through the goal posts lor the lirst goal ot the game. Facundo Pieres followed up his first scoring effort w~h a well-placed shot from nearly 100 yards out that spl~ the goal posts, giving Ellerston a 2-0 lead. Nero finally got lechuza on the scoreboard with a penalty conversion, but Ellerston was quick to respond. Two consecutive goals from team captain Jamie
Packer had Ellerston up 4- 1 at the end of the first chukka, with Ellerston seemingly scoring at will. The l echuza team gathered its lorces and began to put the ball through the Ellerston goal posts. Juan Martin Nero led the charge, but was well assisted by h1s teammates. Ellerston's 1Q-goaler, Facundo Pieres showed every bit as much talent as his Argentine teammate, but scored on individual efforts,
opting to carry the ball himself. 1
11 is a contrast 10 styles,' offered one
veteran spectator. 'Facundo made grea~ long runs, manoeuvering through the entire
Lechuza team with expert mallet work, while Nero uses his teammales and seems lo score
as the result of a collective effort.' The styles of play clashed, but Ellerston held on to a 7-5 halftime lead. Both defences tightened in the second half, with Nero scoring on a penalty shot to tie the game before a goal from the field from Facundo Pieres put Ellerston on top after four periods, 8-6. Lechuza was firing on aU four cylinders in
the fifth chukka as they scored three straight goals to take their first lead of the game, 9-8. Facundo's brother Nicolas Pleres scored his lirst goal of the game to open the sixth chukka to tie it up, 9-9, but an Ellerston foul
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put Nero at the penalty line where he chipped in a go-ahead goa~ 10-9. Now, it was Ellerston's chance to turn up the heal With Ellerston attacking the lechuza goal, the umpire's whistie blew. Ellerston was awarded a penalty shot, and Facundo Pieres made good on it. The score was all even again, 10-10, with time running out. Nicolas Pleres fouled in an attempt to defend against a lechuza attack, giving Nero a penalty shot that would win the game. The shot went wide right. however, and moments later the end of regulation play was sounded. Lechuza took control of the ball from the opening throw-in of the overtime period and passed ~ forward to a streaking teammate who missed the winning goal shot Ellerston took possession of the ball, and with Facundo Picres knocking in, carried the ball up the field toward the l echuza goal. Thrs time, a defensive effort by Lechuza gave Ellerston a penalty shot Facundo Pieres lofted the ball high in the air and converted it for the winning goal from 40 yards out A jubilant Ellerston team celebrated the win while the crestfallen Lechuza team absorbed the loss. Faamdo Pieres set -the pace for the
Ellerston team ~h seven goals and was named MVP. Nero scored eight times for lcchuza in the loss.
hurlingham Larchive J
Santa Barbara centenary Celebrating 100 years, the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club has a rich history. Herbert Spencer takes a look Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club (SBPRC),
one of Americ.J'S oldest and most famous polo <entres, is celebrating 100 years as a member of the US Polo Association (USPA), but the sport in this part of California actually dates back to t he 19th century, shortly after the USPA was formed in 1890. the area around Santa Barbara., sometimes referred to today as 'the
American Riviera• was populated
13,000 years
ago by Chumash tribes of native Americans. The Spanish settled there in the 178os, it
becan1e Mexican territory in 1822 and the US
took over in 1846. Callie ranching was Santa Barbara's main industry in t he 19th century, so t here were plenty o f horses abo ut. Polo had arrived on America's West Coast in San francisco in 1876, the same year it started on the East Coast. and had moved south t o l.os Angeles by the 188os. Then, in 1894, an exhibition polo match was staged d uring the Santa Barbara Agricultural Park's Flower festival. Local horsemen were intrigued by the 'new·' s port and by 1902 there were some 40 polo players in the Santa Barbara area. In 1911, the Santa Barbara club applied fo r and was granted affiliation with t he USPA, so 2010 is the 10ot h year of its membership of the association. Of all the many individuals who have figured prominently in SBPRC's h is tory. three stand out: Major Max Fleischmann , Robert Skene and Ambassador Glen Holden.
rleischn'lann.. an immigrant from Austro· Hungary. became the mu1ti millionaire head of the Fleischmann's Yeast Company. He was a pioneer balloonist and aviator. big game hunter, yachtsman and philan th ropist. After he tnoved from J,ong lsland to t he more b almy dimes of Santa Barbara, he became one of the city's most prominent citi<.cns, ftnancing s uch projects as th e building of its port - and polo. The Santa Barbara dub, at Carpinteria 4
In the early Seventies, property developers threatened to turn the club into a caravan park just east o ( the city, had passed through several hands. but it was rleischmann who, in 1929, bought u p the land a nd built stables, the present dubhouse and the main ground, Fleischmann Field. Australian Robert ' Bob' Skene came on the scene in the 1960<. A 10-goal player for 17 years after moving to the US. he was m anager a t the Beverly Hills Polo Club in Los Angeles before moving to Santa Barbara. By the early Seventies, Skene was struggling to save t he Santa Barbara club (rom the greedy advances of property
developers. One wanted to turn the land into a mobile home park and miniature golf course. Another developer came up wi th a plan to retain polo but to build t40 luxury condominiums overlooking Fleischmann fie ld with tennis courts and swimming pools. This develope r went bu.st bdore work was completed, again leaving the future of the polo dub's 72 acres in doubt. Enter wealthy polo player Glen Holden, who later became USambassador to Jamaica . Holden and fellow club board members Ken Walker and Dr Norman Ringer made a deal with the bank that took over the property: the bank would complete the Count ry club work. the club wou.ld assume the debts and the club would be put into a p erpetual. not ·for·profi t t rust to e nsure that po lo and tennis would be protected foreve r. The trust was established in L975 and Holden took over dub operations. For the next fotu years he s pent his own money to pay off creditors and bring the 'new' SBPRC into profitability. He remains a non-voting trustee of the club. Santa Barbara has seen dramatic times over the past century. America's first offshore oil operation started there at the end of the 19th century and a blowout in 1969 devastated the coastline and led to tighter environmental regulations. The earthquake of 1924 destroyed many o( the city's Victorian houses, but old Spanish colonial bui1dings remained intact. During World War if a Jap anese s ubmarine s helled oil installalions, wit h little damage. Po lo in Santa Barbara. has also had hs dramas, but today's Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club is here to stay. second only to the sout h Florida d ubs in im portance in American polo.
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"'Excellence is following the unwritten rules handed down to us by our forefathers."
Julius Baer i s the proud title
Eduardo Faghano, maker of polo boots, Hurlingham , Argentma
sponsor of a JUni or development programme which
Pol o boots ar e always brown, never black, out of respect for the other players. The reason is t hat
commenced with the
the polish you use to clean black boots l eaves marks on your opponent's polo whites when you
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make physical contact- somethi ng t hat happens a lot in polo. Eduardo Fagli ano knows what makes
Championship in the
an excellent polo boot fr om his father, grandfather and great·grand father. And he also knows what
Hurt wood Pa rk Polo and
makes a polo boot unique. At Juli us Baer we recognise t his sense of uniqueness and the importance
Country Club.
of tr aditions. After all, these ar e the very things on which our own philosophy of personal wealth management is based. Jul i us Baer is t he leadi ng Sw i ss p rivate bank i ng group, with 120 years o f tr adit i on.
Yo11 ~;an f inO
th ~~:~
entire interview with Edva rdo F01gli;a no at
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