Colorado

North America, Polo News

Snow Polo “White Hot Party With The Players” Set For Dec. 20th, Tickets On Sale

6. December 2019

After three days of snow polo action at the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship, fans will get a chance to party with the players for a good cause.

Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation, the designated philanthropic charity for the snow polo event, will host the „White Hot Party With The Players,“ on Friday, Dec. 20th, 6-9 p.m. at the new W Aspen Hotel. Fans will get the opportunity to meet some of the world‘s best polo players and enjoy music mixed especially for the W Aspen Hotel. General admission tickets are $200. VIP tickets are $1,000 and include perks such as Beverly Hills Caviar, bottomless champagne and other exclusive benefits. Also for sale are tickets to join British 6-goal player Malcolm Borwick for a one-hour polo lesson on polo horses on Dec. 20th at 9 a.m. at Rio Grande Park. The experience is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and limited to 10 people at $750 per ticket. To purchase tickets or browse the online auction items, go to bidpal.net/snowpolo.

Borwick is the Royal Salute World Polo Ambassador. Recently, Pernod Ricard announced a „standout new addition“ Royal Salute Snow Polo Edition, available for a limited time throughout December. „The Snow Polo Edition is a standout new addition with an extensive depth of flavour and fresh new look,“ said Royal Salute Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, who developed the limited-edition blend. „Being at the helm of the blending team behind Royal Salute, I‘m always looking for new inspiration, and snow polo has proven to be one of the richest sources yet for creativity and innovation. To capture the apposition of the intensity of the game against the graceful elegance of the backdrop associated with snow polo, it felt like the perfect opportunity to craft the very first blended grain whisky in our portfolio and I couldn‘t be prouder of the result.“ Added Borwick, „Snow polo is a spectator sport like no other with each match delivering an undeniably thrilling atmosphere, set in the breath-taking scenery of immaculate snow-peaked mountains. Royal Salute understands polo and the lifestyle it represents both on and off the field so well, it‘s an honour to be able to help open up the world of polo through the Royal Salute Polo Collection and the global partnerships it has formed over the last ten years.“

All proceeds from the party and auction benefit the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation.

Aspen Valley Polo Club, the nation‘s fastest growing polo club, has a longstanding relationship with the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation. The club annually hosts the Chukkers, Champagne and Caviar event in front of a sellout crowds and helped to raise more than $600,000 this summer for priority programs and services at Aspen Valley Hospital. The foundation‘s signature fundraising event has raised over $1.6 million in the past three years. The St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship is one of the world‘s top snow polo tournaments and only snow polo event in the U.S. In front of an expected sellout crowd and worldwide ChukkerTV audience, action begins Wednesday, Dec. 18, with qualifying games at Aspen Valley Polo Club and continues Thursday and Friday at Rio Grande Park. For the seventh consecutive year, Aspen Valley Polo Club owners Melissa and Marc Ganzi, will host the star-studded event along with polo ambassador and St. Regis Connoisseur Nacho Figueras and his wife Delfina. The event has joined St. Moritz as one of the world‘s top snow polo tournaments and one of Aspen‘s major international sporting events. It is the only snow polo event in North America, final stop on the World Polo Tour and kickoff to the holiday social season in Aspen. The snow polo tournament is a major attraction for the local community, attracts fans from all over the world, and is a major allure for the Aspen community and surrounding areas. The sport was first played on a frozen lake in St. Moritz, Switzerland, created by Swiss hotelier and polo visionary Reto Gaudenzi in 1985 and has been growing in popularity ever since, attracting thousands of spectators and top players from around the world. In addition to St. Moritz, it‘s played in winter sports communities Aspen, Cortina, Italy, Kitzbuhel, Austria, Courchevel, France and Tianjin, China. In the U.S., snow polo is held exclusively in Aspen.

Aspen Valley Polo Club had its most successful and historic summer season in club and Rocky Mountain Circuit history. The club hosted several 20-goal tournaments including the 119th USPA Silver Cup and USPA North American Cup, attracted some of the world‘s top players and had record crowds every weekend. The 20-goal World Polo League‘s Triple Crown of Polo tournament featured five teams and several top players. With the majestic 12,965-foot summit of Mount Sopris as a backdrop, Aspen Valley Polo Club is one of the busiest USPA-sanctioned clubs in the nation.

Since Marc and Melissa Ganzi founded the club in 2014, polo has increased in popularity in Aspen and surrounding cities with the club‘s offerings of various weekly grass and arena tournaments, Tuesday Arena & Asado Nights, Kidz Polo, The Polo School headed by former 8-goaler Juan Bollini, and Polo On Demand. In addition, the club offers practice sessions for teams competing in the club tournaments.

Since 2014, Aspen Valley Polo Club has had a positive impact in the area hosting kids polo camps, teaching lessons and several charitable events at the club that have benefitted local charities including the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation.

By Sharon Robb

Click Here To Purchase Tickets:
www.eventbrite.com

2019 St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship Dec. 17-20

12/17 At St. Regis Resort Aspen
8 p.m. Team Presentation/Draw and Cocktail Party

12/18 at Aspen Valley Polo Club
11 a.m. Barn tour & Blacksmith work station
11:30 a.m., Round Robin Game 1
1 p.m., Round Round Game 2

12/19 Press Day at Rio Grande Park
12 p.m. VIP Tent Opens
1:15 p.m. High Alpine Cup, playoff for fifth and sixth place.
2:30 p.m Celebrity Polo Chukker

12/20 at Rio Grande Park
12 p.m. Meet the Players
1 p.m., The Final
3 p.m. The Aspen Cup
4:15 p.m. Trophy Presentation

www.aspenvalleypoloclub.com

© Thomas Wirth

After three days of snow polo action at the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship, fans will get a chance to party with the players for a good cause. Aspen…

North America, Polo News

Colorado captures Triple Crown in World Polo League

15. April 2019

In a wet, wild finish Colorado held off Audi for a thrilling 9-8 victory to capture the World Polo League’s Triple Crown of Polo Sunday at rain-soaked Grand Champions Polo Club.

After two rain delays in the two hour, 20-minute season finale, Colorado joins Valiente, Grand Champions and SD Farms among the inaugural 26-goal league’s tournament champions. Colorado (Rob Jornayvaz, 2, Juan Martin Zubia, 7, Jero Del Carril, 7, Adolfo Cambiaso, 10) finished the eight-team tournament undefeated at 5-0 and won $90,000 in prize money. Audi (Marc Ganzi, 2, Nic Roldan, 8, Pablo MacDonough, 10, Kris Kampsen, 6) dropped to 4-1. Both teams were making their second tournament final appearance.

Cambiaso, a field general for his three young teammates including 19-year-old Zubia, was the game and tournament Most Valuable Player. His horse, Gaita, was Grand Champions Best Playing Pony. Ganzi was awarded the Catena Play of the Day. “This was a great way to end the season,” Cambiaso said. “It’s always nice to win. I think we deserved to win.”

The start of the game was delayed 40 minutes and again with 3:51 left in the game because of heavy rain. “It was a super tough game,” Jornayvaz said. “We weren’t sure at the beginning if we were even going to be able to play. It was a battle from the beginning. It’s always awesome to have Adolfo on your team because he is always good in those clutch moments.”

With Colorado leading 9-3 at the start of the fifth chukker, Audi caught on fire, found its system and controlled the momentum in the rain. Audi rallied to score five unanswered goals in the fifth and sixth chukkers but came up short. “We thought it was all over,” said World Polo League guest commentator Pelon Stirling after Audi’s remarkable comeback.

“You want drama, you got it,” added play-by-play announcer Gus Whitelaw. “To ask for better polo than this would be greedy. The crowd is sticking around for this one, rain and all.” Heavy rain forced another delay at 3:51. Juan Olivera of Grand Champions, Robertito Zedda of Valiente and WCT Commissioner Dale Smicklas walked the entire field to make sure it was still playable and safe. The field held up well thanks to the tireless work of the Grand Champions field crew throughout the season.

Rodiseo, played by MacDonough, was named American Polo Horse Association Best Playing Pony of the game. Pizza, also played by MacDonough, was the American Polo Horse Association Best Playing Pony of the tournament.

Colorado players names will now be inscribed on the trophy and added to an impressive list of teams that feature several top players including Sebastian Merlos, Mike Azzaro, Tommy Biddle, Adam Snow, Nic Roldan, Matias Magrini, Jeff Hall, Mariano Gonzalez, Michel Dorignac and Kris Kampsen.

Co-founded by Grand Champions owners Melissa and Marc Ganzi and Valiente Polo Farm owner Bob Jornayvaz, the successful World Polo League is the only 26-goal polo in the world outside of Argentina. The WPL is preserving the highest level of polo and its rich, hallowed tradition in the U.S.

By Sharon Robb

www.gcpolo.com

In a wet, wild finish Colorado held off Audi for a thrilling 9-8 victory to capture the World Polo League’s Triple Crown of Polo Sunday at rain-soaked Grand Champions Polo…

North America, Polo News

Battle for the Butler Handicap Final

8. March 2018

Established in 1954, the Butler Handicap has steadily gained back its initial prestige since its re-launch at the Greenwich Polo Club (Greenwich, Connecticut) in July 2016. Incorporated into the 26-goal lineup last year at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) in Wellington, Florida, this year’s competition featured a four-team single-elimination format. While superficially the teams remained unchanged from the C.V. Whitney Cup, many player variations took place for similar, yet fresh, tournament play. Despite these shifts, the semifinal double-header on Wednesday, March 7, yielded a repeat final as Colorado defeated Daily Racing Form – DRF Bets 14-11 and Valiente overtook Grand Champions Polo Club 9-6.

Colorado Earn First Spot in Butler Handicap Final
Daily Racing Form – DRF Bets (DRF) entered the Butler Handicap with the same lineup from last week’s C.V. Whitney Cup, eager for a second opportunity to overcome a Valiente organization and make it to a 26-goal final. They were met by Colorado who reinstated Rob Jornayvaz and Juan Britos from earlier 20-goal tournament play. With a team handicap of 25 goals, Colorado was awarded one goal to start the game. DRF began the match firing on all cylinders as 10-goaler Hilario Ulloa made three consecutive goals. DRF ultimately shut Colorado out of the first with a solid 4-0 score. Colorado’s first goal of the game came early in the second off of a Penalty 2 conversion by Diego Cavanagh. DRF countered with an incredible effort, scoring three consecutive goals to gain a notable lead over their opponents 7-2. A quick downpour did not slow down play as a nearly opposite third chukker ensued. Colorado got their feet underneath them and scored three of their own, shutting down DRF to narrow the gap 7-5 at halftime.

Colorado came back in the fourth with renewed energy, eventually overcoming the early DRF onslaught to lead 9-8 at the end of the period. Riding exceptional horses and displaying amazing teamwork, Colorado slowly pulled away from their rivals in the fifth scoring three goals to DRF’s one. An aggressive and hard-fought final chukker, two goals apiece were traded in the last minutes of regulation time and Colorado walked away victorious with a final score of 14-11.

Valiente Maintains Winning Streak to Secure Second 26-goal Final
At the pristine Valiente Farm, a newly-structured Grand Champions Polo Club (GCPC) team, now including U.S. Polo Assn. Brand Ambassador Juancito Bollini and 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero, took on recent C.V. Whitney Cup champions, Valiente, headed by Bob Jornayvaz. Rated cumulatively at 24 goals, GCPC received two goals in handicap versus 26-goal Valiente. The two Valiente 10-goal former rivals showcased their skills early. Adolfo Cambiaso chipping away at Grand Champions’ initial lead with the only goal of the first chukker. In the second, Facundo Pieres took over the scoring with a field goal, followed by two penalty conversions to take the lead 4-3 over GCPC. Trading goals, the teams remained close moving into the half, maintaining the gap 5-4. Grant Ganzi pulled through for GCPC in the second half scoring two goals, but Valiente laid down the hammer in the fourth and fifth chukkers with four goals, each player contributing to the final tally. Valiente secured their second final appearance defeating Grand Champions Polo Club 9-6.

www.uspolo.org

Photo: David Lominska/USPA

North America, Polo News

Valiente secures first leg of the Triple Crown of Polo

5. March 2018

Valiente wins the C.V. Whitney Cup at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. Fresh off their recent win in the Ylvisaker Cup, defending C.V. Whitney Cup champions Valiente kept the momentum going, landing Colorado in the final Sunday, March 4, at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida. Putting their new rosters to the test for the first 26-goal tournament of the season, both teams created fresh dynamics on the field, but Valiente rode away with their second consecutive tournament title 9-4.

Valiente’s unprecedented final featuring the two top 10-goalers in the world and rivals, Adolfo Cambiaso and Facundo Pieres, was a display of incredible skill and teamwork. Executing a beautiful 70-yard shot to goal quickly followed by a deep neckshot in the first chukker, Pieres unleashed a strong offensive force Colorado could not stop. Expertly setting up his forward, Adolfo Cambiaso worked the ball down field, leaving it for Rob Jornayvaz* who picked up the only goal of the second. As play progressed, Colorado experienced many missed opportunities throughout the game as players repeatedly were unable to connect and overrode, leaving the team scoreless in the first half. Taking full advantage of broken plays and costly mistakes, Cambiaso ended the half 5-0 in favor of Valiente.

Fighting to get his team in the game, Diego Cavanagh charged through the formidable blue jerseys to finally score two goals in the fourth effectively outscoring Valiente by one in the chukker. Cambiaso opened the fifth with a field goal, but was then answered by Cavanagh who hit a neckshot through traffic to goal. Completely in sync and dominating the field, Pieres and Cambiaso completed two additional plays to triple Colorado’s score 9-3 headed into the final chukker.

As precious minutes ticked by, the ball was passed back and forth across the field numerous times, finally crossing between Colorado’s goal posts and giving Magoo Laprida his first goal of the game. Despite a valiant effort in the last two chukkers, Colorado could not rival Valiente’s momentum. Valiente claimed their second consecutive 2018 C.V. Whitney Cup with a final score of 9-4. Reflecting on the tournament Tommy Beresford said, “The horses are getting fitter and I’m playing a little faster. It is becoming a bit easier as we are getting to know each other. We feel great and are looking forward to the next tournament.”

Responsible for five of Valiente’s nine goals, four from the field and one Penalty 3, Pieres was named Most Valuable Player. “Every game we are going to get a little bit better as a team,” Pieres said. “Today we were better with passing the ball between each other. Our last game was more difficult from the beginning and we had some pressure because it was our first together, but today was much better.” Best Playing Pony honors were awarded to Mentolada, owned by J5 Equestrian and ridden by Adolfo Cambiaso in the third chukker.

www.uspolo.org

Photo: David Lominska