Polo warriorsV2.indd

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Val de Vie
VAL DE VIE | CHUKKA KHANS
POLO
WARRIORS
WITH MALLETS RAISED HIGH LIKE LANCES,
THIS NOBLE, LATTER-DAY CAVALRY,
COMPLETE WITH BODY ARMOUR, IS WAITING
TO DO BATTLE. WELCOME TO THE WORLD
OF SPORT’S MOST DASHING MERCENARIES
WHO COMMAND THE HIGHEST FEES AND
PRODUCE THRILLING ENTERTAINMENT
TEXT PAUL KERTON PHOTOGRAPHS JEREMY BROWNE
WH AT A L I FE...
Picture this. You kiss your gorgeous supermodel wife and stunning
children goodbye at the door of your Ralph Lauren-modelled ranch on
the outskirts of Buenos Aires. You throw your extra large Nappa leather
tote bag into the boot of your Maserati and power up to the airport. Next
stop London, Sydney, Tokyo, Palm Beach, Val de Vie... Answering the call
to arms from the world’s most wealthy and powerful men and women,
patrons of this most feted and sophisticated of sports.
“Golf on horseback”, “four-legged crocquet”, the popular nicknames
may be fun but the game itself is ultra serious and the top players –
likened to ballerinas on horseback – command top dollar. Sometimes as
much as between $US 500 000 to $US 1 million for a tournament series
(and the rest in sponsorship, gifts, prizes, and sweeteners, as well as a
steady supply of female admirers).
Sounds idyllic. However, take into consideration the personal costs:
travel and accommodation, stabling, feeding, grooming and training.
Travelling with children is bad enough, but travelling with eight ponies
is a logistical nightmare. The red tape alone is eye-watering. Sometimes
the patrons and sponsors pick up the tab for every itemised thing once
the rider leaves the front door, and sometimes they don’t.
But then, the riders really do earn their high fees. Like all true sports
professionals they practise, practise, practise on a daily basis – which is
why they are perfect, perfect, perfect. Polo is a taxing game and warriors
need to be fit and intelligent, as well as skilled.
For most of us, just staying on a horse requires skill, yet these Polo
Mercenaries will twist and turn in a majestic pirouette, gallop gracefully
at pace, then stop abruptly on a daisy, (whoa boy!) before engaging
reverse. All while accurately whacking a ball the size of an orange, with
an impossibly slim mallet, towards goal.
And if you think that the horses do all the work, think again. After a
game the riders are exhausted and can lose the equivalent of four packs
of butter in weight. They are today’s hired guns, dashing warriors in an
ultra-moneyed sport, where top luxury brands such as Rolex, Cartier,
BMW, Bentley and Moët & Chandon eagerly compete to sponsor glitzy,
sophisticated events. Who else can afford to fly eight, sometimes sixteen,
ponies across the Atlantic, First Class, complete with stable stewardess,
soft piped music, even softer mohair blankets, and honeyed oats?
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VAL DE VIE | CHUKKA KHANS
GIRLS, G I R L S , G I R L S
Only Formula 1 as a sport can compete with the quality of the polo
audience. In this rarified atmosphere polo WAGS and gorgeous hangers-on
in their padded Barbour gilets draped over sexy Ralph Lauren floral dresses,
or shockingly-tight white Hermes slacks, soak up the sunshine along with
the caviar and Veuve Clicquot.
They yo-yo in and out of striped marquees and have one eye focused
on the chukka while the other expertly examines the talent. Droves of wellgroomed, well-heeled young – and increasingly older – women vie with
models and celebrities who litter the sidelines, for a glimpse of their saddled
heroes. They eagerly join in the divet stomping at half time in their Tods or
Jimmy Choos (tip: if the heels are sky high, go barefoot). Even Her Majesty
the Queen of England is not above stamping the grass when watching her
sons at Windsor Great Park.
Was that Prince Harry or William? And isn’t that Ignacio Figueras trotting
past? The Princes may have blue blood but Ignacio, 33, is polo’s iconic
L’Homo Supremo; the game’s complete brand ambassador. A Ralph Lauren
model and face of Polo fragrances, he was voted the second most handsome
man, after Twilight’s Robert Pattinson but above Brad Pitt, by Vanity Fair.
His reputation and looks precede him at any polo gathering, whatever
the continent. His look is so perfect, his skill so mesmeric, his character so
strong, his manner so sexually charged; girls can’t help but surrender to
their hormones and simply go weak at the knees. Lock up your wives and
daughters now, before it’s too late.
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DANG ER, H ORS ES
Polo is not for wimps. It is still acknowledged as the roughest, toughest,
most skillful sport that can be played, and insurance companies rate it as the
most dangerous contact sport (ice hockey comes a close second). Fiercely
competitive, and despite impeccable horsemanship, the game is not
without its high-profile incidents and accidents. When two 550kg beasts
clash at break-neck speed, there can be casualties – to horse and to man.
And there usually are.
In a definitive medical survey in the late 80s, it was revealed that 65%
of polo’s facial injuries occurred on those players without face guards. 35%
of these were caused by the ball, while 24% were caused by a mallet blow
head-on. Ouch! In the heat of battle the mallet’s spring-and-swing can be
lethal. Subsequently, in 1999, the Argentinian Polo Association made it
mandatory for riders to wear face masks. Many bodily fractures occur from
being thrown off the horse at speed but parachutes would be impossible.
The overriding advice to rookie polo players is simple: if you don’t want to
get hurt, stay on the bloody horse.
FAM I LY AF FAI R
Even with its glitzy patina, polo remains a game the whole famlily can enjoy,
just ask Queen Elizabeth. It is an outing in the open air surrounded by nature,
beautiful people and some of the finest horses and horsemen on the planet.
Add sunshine, scenery, a relaxed atmosphere and good food and drink, and
you have the perfect recipe for a day out.
sexiest studs on the circuit
A FIELD GUIDE
TO THE TEN MOST
DASHING PLAYERS
ON THE POLO
CIRCUIT, AS VOTED
FOR BY VANITY FAIR
MAGAZINE
GIDDYUP!
1
Iconic Vanity Fair magazine takes
more than a passing interest
in this handsome sport.
NAME: Ignacio Figueras
AGE: 33
HANDICAP: Six
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married to
Delfina Blaquier
NICKNAME: Nacho
CLAIM TO FAME: His chiseled
jawline
ROYAL RELATIONS: He’s hit the ball
with Prince Harry and Prince William
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE:
He is a god in Bridgehampton, New
York, where he’s
single-handedly
responsible for
the droves of
women who flock there during the
summer months
PHOTO BY DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
Claim to Fame: his
chiseled jawline
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NAME: Facundo Pieres
AGE: 23
HANDICAP: 10
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Dating Paula
Chavez
INTERESTS: Beating
Adolfo Cambiaso and
winning everything
FAMILY TIES: Son of the legendary
polo player Gonzalo Pieres Sr. His older
brother Gonzalo Jr. and cousin Pablo
MacDonough are both 10 goalers too
TROPHY CASE: He’s won the Argentine
Open, the US Open, Queen’s Cup, and
the Tortugas Open
WORLD-DOMINATION: No. 1 in the
world, he’s one of the best to ever play
the sport, and only getting better
PHOTO FROM POLOPHOTO.CO.UK
No. 1 in
the world
R
c
VAL DE VIE POLO MATCH FIXTURES 2011
FEBRUARY
26th
Sail BMW Polo International
APRIL
30th
Veuve Clicquot Masters
“POLO WAGS AND GORGEOUS HANGERSON SOAK UP THE SUNSHINE ALONG
WITH THE CAVIAR AND VEUVE CLICQUOT”
3
4
NAME: Cristian Laprida Jr
AGE: 24
HANDICAP: Eight
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: It’s
complicated
NICKNAME: Magoo
CLAIM TO FAME: Hypnotic blue
eyes
TROPHY CASE: In 2008, he won
the Camara de Diputados Cup
with La Baronesa and the CV Whitney
Cup with Isla Carroll
FUTURE MOVES:
Playing this season in
England with Dubai
alongside the Tiger
Woods of polo, Adolfo Cambiaso
PHOTO FROM POLOPHOTO.CO.UK
NAME: Oliie Hipwood
AGE: 35
HANDICAP: Five
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married to
model Samantha Gibbins
FAMILY TIES: Son
of revered English
nine-goaler Howard
Hipwood
RUMOUR HAS IT:
Before marrying Gibbins in 2007, he
dated royal pony girl Zara Phillips
PAST LIFE: He won the British Gold
Cup in 1995 at age 18 with the Ellerston
White dream team of Carlos Gracida,
Gonzalo Pieres, and Kerry Packer –
three of the sport’s legends
PHOTO BY TONY RAMIREZ/IMAGESOFPOLO.COM
dated Royal
pony girl
Zara Phillips
Relationship
status: It’s
complicated
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6
NAME: Nic Roldan
AGE: 26
HANDICAP: Eight
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Taken
LITTLE BUDDY: Prince Harry. Roldan
is the captain of the Sentebale team,
who played with Prince Harry in New
York City
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE:
Roldan manages to focus on his game
with laser precision, unruffled by the
weekly ritual of women throwing
themselves at him in Wellington,
Florida, America’s unofficial horse
haven
TROPHY CASE: He won the CV
Whitney Cup and the Pacific Coast Open
in 2007 and the Ylvisaker Cup in 2008
PHOTO BY DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
NAME: Aldolfo Cambiaso
AGE: 34
HANDICAP: 10
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married to
South American model Maria Vazquez
NICKNAME: Dolfi
STREET CRED: Reached his 10-goal
ranking at age 17
TROPHY CASE: Ranked No. 2 in the
world, he has a total of 31 Grand Slam
titles and Master Series wins (Argentine
Open, US Open,
Hurlingham Open,
U.S.P.A. Gold Cup,
Tortugas Open)
ACCESSORIES:
Sponsored by Jaeger Le Coultre, he
swings a Zappala 52 mallet
PHOTO FROM POLOPHOTO.CO.UK
reached
his 10 goal
ranking at 17
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NEIGH TO PERFECT SIGHT
Hunter S. Thompson, famed author of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and Rolling Stone
magazine’s rebellious Editor-at-Large, wrote a famous novel, Polo Is My Life; Fear and
Loathing in Horse Country (1994). The celebrated road journalist writes about the privileged
polo set in West Palm Beach, where he spent a season gate-crashing polo parties. In one
hilarious paragraph he describes why horses get spooked in confined spaces and blames
it solely on their eyesight: “Another little known fact about horses is that the shape of their
eyeballs makes them see human beings as six times their actual size and two or three
times closer than they really are, and guaranteed pain awaits those who fail to grasp this
bizarre truth of nature. Imagine how you
“HORSES SEE THINGS SIX
would relate to your dog if you thought it
TIMES BIGGER THAN THEY
was six times bigger than it actually is!”
We felt that Mr Thompson was taking REALLY ARE, WHICH IS
poetic licence and subsequently checked WHY THEY CAN GO CRAZY
the official line on horses’ optics. It turns out IN CONFINED SPACES”
that, yes, horses do have a peculiar perspective on the world. And although they have an
exaggerated view, they don’t quite see things six times bigger than they really are. The two
blindspots for horses are directly behind their buttocks – which is why you should never
walk behind a horse and directly in front, where their ability to focus on near objects is
practically zero. Meaning that if you offer a horse a carrot, with arm outstretched, by the
time it gets to his mouth he won’t have a clue what he’s eating.
10 sexiest studs on the circuit continued…
8
NAME: Sam Hopkinson
AGE: 27
HANDICAP: Six
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Dating Beth
Campbell
THEATRE OF OPERATIONS: Based
at the Auckland Polo Club, he’s quickly
making his mark in the U.K., at the
Cirencester Polo Club, and in Australia,
at Jamie Packer’s Ellerston club
TROPHY CASE: He won the Savile Cup
and the New Zealand Open
INTERESTS: All Blacks rugby
DOPPELGÄNGER: James Franco
FROM POLOPHOTO.CO.UK
NAME: Julio Gracida
AGE: 22
HANDICAP: Five
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single
FAMILY TIES: Scion of the Mexican
Gracida polo dynasty
INTERESTS: Breaking his dad Memo
Gracida’s record of 16 US Open wins
MODUS OPERANDI: Always at the
ready with a quip
TROPHY CASE: Won the US Open in
2005 at 18, with Peter
Brant’s White Birch
team and clinched the
Iglehart trophy with his
uncle Carlos
PHOTO BY DAVID LOMINSKA/POLOGRAPHICS.COM
Always at
the ready
with a quip
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10
NAME: Javier Novillo Astrada
AGE: 33
HANDICAP: Nine
RELATIONSHIP STATUS:
Married to Delfina Rodriguez
FAMILY TIES: One of the
famed Novillo Astrada brothers
TROPHY CASE: Won the
British Open three times and topped
off 2008 with the U.S.P.A. Gold Cup and
Hurlingham Open
PAST LIFE: He put himself in the books
in 2003 thanks to a rare Triple Crown
win – the Argentine Open, Hurlingham,
and Tortugas Opens – with his team La
Aguada
PHOTO FROM POLOPHOTO.CO.UK
NAME: Rob Archibald
AGE: 25
HANDICAP: Six
RELATIONSHIP STATUS:
Single
THEATRE OF
OPERATIONS: He divides
his time between the U.K.,
Australia, and Argentina, where he plays
with polo god Bautista Heguy
TROPHY CASE: The rising star of
Australia – he’s been playing the
sport professionally only since 2002
– Archibald won the French Gold Cup
at Deauville in 2007 and represented
Australia at the Coronation Cup in 2008
PHOTO FROM POLOPHOTO.CO.UK
The rising
star of
Australia
TEXT: COPYRIGHT CONDE NAST SYNDICATION VANITY FAIR
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TEXT: COPYRIGHT CONDE NAST SYNDICATION VANITY FAIR
VAL DE VIE | CHUKKA KHANS
GETTING INTO GEAR
MA L L ET
A R MOUR
No polo player is allowed
on the field without the
appropriate body armour. This
includes a hard helmet with
face guard and face mask to
protect against balls travelling
at speeds of 100mph.
There are synthetic mallets
but the top players only use
cane mallets. The best cane is
Manua and comes from the
virgin hillside forests of Malaysia
and Sumatra. It takes up to
70 years to grow and reaches
100m in length. Heads made of
Argentinian Tipa wood are best.
White Tipa is the hardest and
most durable but some players
prefer the softer pink or yellow
Tipa because they say it has
more feel to it.
SH IRT
The shirt is perhaps the most
treasured item of polo wear
since the colours and marques
epitomise the pride the player
has in his team.
TA CK
There are two sets of reins on
each polo pony to enhance
the player control and
manoeuvrability. The bridle is
a series of leather strappings
and support to give the player
steering and stopping control.
This includes a pony martingale
that stops the pony from raising
its head (and keeps its eye on
the ball). A breast plate stops the
saddle from slipping backwards
when the horse jerks. The saddle
is a streamlined version of a
jumping saddle and has extra
padding with a saddle blanket to
take the weight off the pony.
B OOTS
Boots are always high, leather
and coloured brown while
breeches are always white.
Knee guards are essential
protection and the stirrup
irons provide stability.
HO R SES
“Polo pony” is a phrase used to
describe a horse of any size or
breed that is used to play polo.
In the early days of polo history
the height of the mounts used
were restricted to pony size.
LEGWEAR
Belted Chaps were made
irresistable by cowboys and
are worn by some players, but
nowadays the pants are already
reinforced. Kneepads are
essential items and made from
thick leather with steel buckles.
C R OP
The crop, or whip, is used to
control the horse, encourage
it to concentrate on the game,
and speed up its pace between
striking opportunities to get to
the ball first.
PR I C E GUI DE
All equipment varies immensely according to the quality of the materials – synthetic or cane, leather or suede, etc. Here is a guideline taken from two renowned
polo equipment websites, one in Argentina (www.abrojales.co.ar) and one in the UK (www.roxtons.co.uk): Helmet (R1 700 – R2 500). Eyewear and faceguard
(R380 – R550). Franklin Polo Gloves (R450). Polo Sticks House stick (R1 000), Premier (R3 050). Chaps (R750). Boots Starter (R2 990), Premier (R4 950).
Flax Whip Synthetic (R200), leather (R430). Roxton’s UK Saddle (R9 500). Polo Shirt (R180 – R800).
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