The legendary Empire Polo Club of Coachella Valley (USA), future host of the FIP World Polo Championship, will be the second American polo club to enter the 2021 POLO RIDER CUP, joining the Chantilly Polo Club (FRA), Hamburger Polo Club (GER), Dos Lunas Polo Club (SPA), Moscow Polo Club (RUS), Evviva Polo St. Moritz (SUI), Düsseldorf Polo Club (GER) and Las Brisas Polo Club of Chicago (USA). The POLO RIDER CUP will be held from 10 to 20 June 2021 at the Polo Club of Chantilly, north of Paris.
The Empire Polo Club team will comprise the following players:
1. Clément Smith (0)
2. Guillermo Li (+4)
3. Tito Ruiz Guiñazu (+7)
4. Derek Smith (+1)
Sub.: Caroline Anier (+1)
Derek Smith, Captain of Empire Polo Club, comments: “The Team is honored to be representing The Empire Polo Club, one of the most beautiful and prestigious polo clubs of “Sunny California”. Our team is looking forward to participating in this first-time event which brings polo players and clubs from all around the world together in Chantilly Polo Club, one of the biggest polo clubs in Europe. We wish to all players and clubs’ good luck during this event which we hope, will be the first edition of many for years to come. We also want to address a special thank you to the FIP for supporting this event which definitely will become an “Unmissable” polo event in the international polo calendar.”
Benoît Perrier, CEO & Co-Founder of GAME Polo, comments: “Empire Polo Club of Coachella Valley is one of the largest Polo Clubs of the West coast of the USA, an amazing location that offers the world polo community an outstanding Polo Club. We are very enthusiastic to welcome them, they are the second American club to be taking part in the POLO RIDER CUP with a very international line up of four nationalities. Their main asset is Tito Ruiz Guiñazu, an amazing and creative player. Empire Polo Club will host the FIP World Polo Championship in 2022 – they have an impressive polo organization.”
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About EMPIRE POLO CLUB (https://empirepolo.com) The Empire Polo Club is a 500-acre (202 ha) polo club in Indio, California in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, near Palm Springs. Founded in 1987, it has seventeen polo fields and stabling and turnout for more than 700 horses making it one of the largest polo clubs on the West coast of the United States.
It hosts local, national and international matches and tournaments. In 1990 Empire Polo Club hosts the first 40-Goal game in the US and the First USPA Women’s Open Tournament. In 2013, it hosted a match between the British Schools and Universities Polo Association (SUPA) and the USPA Intercollegiate/Interscholastic. It has also hosted events for the Gay Polo League. In 2011 & 2015, it hosted the USPA Townsend International Challenge Cup. .”
The grounds are owned by Alex Haagen III. Since 1993, the Empire Polo Club has leased its polo grounds annually to Golden voice, *** a subsidiary of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, the organizers of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Festival.
