Polo is an institution in Deauville. It has been played in the centre of the racecourse since 1880 and since 1950 it has been the venue for one of the most prevalent tournaments in the world: the famous Coupe d‘Or, which starts this year on 14 August and ends on 29 August. Taking part in such a competition, the highest international level played in France, requires the teams to be very well prepared. This is why they will compete in „friendly games“ from 8 August when the Deauville International Polo Club will open its doors to the public.
French handicap 6, Pierre-Henri N‘Goumou will play this year for Mungo blue alongside the spectacular Tete Storni. ©RBpresse / Pascal Renauldon
Yet there will be already some competition from 12 August when three women‘s teams will compete in the Ladies Polo Cup, with the final to be played on 14 August. Women‘s polo is expanding rapidly throughout the world and Deauville is no exception to this phenomenon. And on the field, the women are as fierce as the men!
From 14 August onwards, all eyes will turn towards the men‘s polo. There will be one question on everyone’s mind: who will win the 71st edition of the legendary Coupe d’Or (Gold Cup) that nearly every great player in the history of polo has won since 1950? This year, six very competitive teams will throw their hat into the ring.
Amongst the participants, there are no less than five players of Argentine Open level or Copa Camara winners, including a certain Camilo ‚Jeta‘ Castagnola (8), a gifted member of the young Argentine generation, who is the Talandracas’ headliner alongside Tomas Beresford (7), winner of the last French Open and of the 2021 Queen‘s Cup. The two French 6-goalers, Pierre-Henri N‘Goumou and Brieuc Rigaux will face each other, already promising some spectacular actions. The French Pommeray HM Polo team also looks very strong with the return of “little” Rufino Bensadon, who has grown since he last was in Deauville in 2018 and is now handicap 7, alongside Juan-Gris Zavaleta (7), both winners of the Copa Camara. Martin Aguerre (7), also a Copa Camara winner (2018) and a player in the Argentine Triple Crown, will be looking to lead Barrière to a second win in this tournament they claimed in 2014.
With such an array of great players, it is impossible to predict which team will succeed the Spanish team Marques de Riscal, holders of this Gold Cup title after a superb final last year against the Barrière team. Deauville’s most loyal team, Édouard Carmignac‘s Talandracas, will be looking for a seventh victory in this Gold Cup, which would constitute an absolute record.
Beyond this top-level sport, the program of this year’s Barrière Deauville Polo Cup offers other events: more polo, of course, with the Bronze Cup, some games of which will be played on the field of the Dozulé racecourse; beach polo, on Monday 9th August at 4.30 pm; the parade of the teams in the streets of Deauville on 28th August. In the mornings, before 9am, one can watch the polo horses being trained on the beach, an always very beautiful and photogenic moment. Last but not least, it is always a good idea to linger – before or after the games – in the polo village to shop at the Maison Décalé store or to taste the famous Mojitos from the Brok Café (in moderation of course) and maybe toast with the players!
First appearance of the young Argentinean phenomenon in Deauville, Jeta Castagnola, 18 years old and already 9-goaler in Argentina, under the colours of Talandracas for a seventh Gold Cup. ©RBpresse / Pascal Renauldon
THE TEAMS
BRITTANY POLO CLUB (+16)
Jean-François DECAUX Cap (+1)
Brieuc RIGAUX (+6)
Rodrigo RUEDA (+6)
Thierry VETOIS (+3)
LOS DRAGONES (+16)
Sam SZTARKMAN Cap (+1)
Jota CHAVANNE (+5)
Martin JOAQUIN (+5)
Nicolas CORTI MADERNA (+5)
BARRIÈRE / MARQUARD MEDIA (+16)
Ignacio KENNEDY (+5)
Matias GONZALEZ (+4)
Martin AGUERRE JR (+7)
Tommy RINDERKNECHT Cap (0)
MUNGO (+16)
Patrick EISENCHTETER Cap (+1)
Juan José STORNI (+5)
Simon ZAVALETA (+4)
Pierre-Henri N’GOUMOU (+6)
TALANDRACAS (+16)
Édouard CARMIGNAC Cap (0)
Hugues CARMIGNAC (+1)
Tommy BERESFORD (+7)
Camilo CASTAGNOLA (+8)
LE POMMERAY HM POLO TEAM (+16)
Rufino BENSADON (+7)
Juan GRIS ZAVALETA (+7)
Derek SMITH Cap (+1)
Caroline ANIER (+1)
CAUTION!
All visitors must wear a mask throughout the whole racecourse facilities.
Health pass control at the entrance of the racecourse before accessing the tracks for the polo.
A screening centre will be open every game day in the racecourse car park until 6pm.
Access
The games take place in the centre of the Deauville-La Touques racecourse. The entrance is through the Boulevard Mauger, once inside the racecourse, the access to the grounds is on the left.
On racing days, there are fixed times for entry. While waiting for the opening between races, cars must park in the lane provided for this purpose.
Program and results
The program for each day is available on the website every evening for the following day.
Free parking.
Free entry during the week (except 27 August),
10€ on weekends and for the Bronze Cup final,
20€ for the Gold & Silver Cup final.
