“Last winter was my first season playing at Empire Polo Club and it was one of the best experiences I’ve had,” said Memo Gracida. “I believe that Empire has the potential to be the #1 polo club in the U.S.”

While Gracida’s career as a professional player has set an exemplary standard for those who now follow in his footsteps, it is his exceptional ability to coach, educate, and organize polo players, teams and programs that drew Empire’s interest.

“After spending the summer in Santa Ynez working with Memo, I see that he has a wealth of experience and exciting ideas about how to grow polo.  I’m excited to have his help with Empire’s continued growth,” said Vicky Owens.

The addition of Gracida to Empire’s management team is only the beginning of Empire’s strategy for this new season. Two new venues will open this coming winter:  Calhoun Ranch and Empire Grand Oasis.

Calhoun Ranch will feature a grass polo field, an indoor polo arena, with plans for a second arena in the works, stabling and 80 acres of large grass pastures.

Empire Grand Oasis will be the most precious gem in Empire’s crown.   Members will have the opportunity to enjoy a 5,000 square foot clubhouse, a tropical swimming lagoon flanked by palm trees, lush landscaping with waterfalls, and an authentic Tiki bar. Adjacent to the lagoon is a newly installed grass polo field, a natural amphitheater and an indoor polo arena; there are plans for three additional grass polo fields.

Bring Your Polo Team and Enjoy a 5-Star Polo Experience

Empire Polo Club hosts fun parties, offers affordable polo, maintains immaculate grass fields and is a world-class equestrian facility.  It is the perfect polo destination for polo players and their families.

–       14 Grass Polo Fields by 2019, with plans for 3 additional fields

–       2  Indoor polo arenas; with plans for a third indoor arena

–       Stabling and turnouts for 800 + horses

–       Multiple exercise tracks

At Empire Polo Club there are opportunities for all levels of players.  The 8-Goal League is played February – March.  The 4-Goal League begins in January and continues through the end of March.  There are 1-Goal polo tournaments almost every weekend.

If you are interested in more details about Empire’s polo leagues and playing memberships, please contact Vicky Owens at 760-963-9930 or email vickyowens@empirepolo.com. EmpirePolo.com is also a great source of information.

After some very hard fought and entertaining matches the two finalists Eureka and Whitehall Ranch met in a replay of last Sunday’s feature match at HPC’s headquarters. The final saw the result of the previous meeting reversed as Whitehall Ranch erased the painful memory of Grayson Price (sub for Rene Campos) finishing off a length of the field run to seal both the win for his team and MVP honors for himself.

This time around Whitehall Ranch were able to exert pressure and convert on the opportunities created by the tireless work of Tolly Ulloa despite a considerable foul count against them 14-7. Geronimo Obregon was awarded MVP in a losing effort after a typically busy day causing headaches for the opposition. BPP was won by Alexia, owned and played by Jorge Cernadas.

USPA SW Regional Classic commences Wednesday May 4th and will be played under the same format. Expect to see an extremely competitive second tournament with an improved showings from a slightly underdone Tonkawa outfit that has been improving every game and the immensely talented BTA capable of dominating any team when they put together a complete performance.

Wednesday April 25th
Eureka (7) def BTA (6)

Friday April 27th
Whitehall Ranch (12) def Tonkawa (10)

Sunday April 29th
BTA (10) def Tonkawa (7)

Eureka (10) def Whitehall Ranch (9)

Friday May 4th
Whitehall Ranch (6) def BTA (4)

Tonkawa (8) def Eureka (4)

Sunday May 6th
Whitehall Ranch (7) def Eureka (6)

Whitehall Ranch(3,1)

1. Bill Lane 0
2. Tolly Ulloa 3
3. Facundo Obregon 6
4. Sterling Giannico 3

Eureka(2,2)

1. Rene Campos 0
2. Geronimo Obregon 4
3. Jorge Cernadas 4
4. Alvaro Ara 4

BTA(1,2)

1. Kelly Beal 0
2. Steve Krueger 4
3. Mason Wroe 4
4. Shane Rice 4

Tonkawa(1,2)

1. Jeff Hildebrand 0
2. Cody Ellis 3
3. Matt Coppola 4
4. Tommy Biddle 5

Ruben Gracida, Sunset “Sunny” Hale, Jimmy Newman, Roy L. Barry and the horses Lovely Sage and Ruifino will be joining the elite group of individuals who have been honored since the inception of the Hall of Fame in 1990.

The award for Living Hall of Fame is being given to Ruben Gracida in recognition of his outstanding playing record that includes winning the U.S. Open four times and its MVP in 1983, the ’83 International Gold Cup, the Avilo Camacho Cup in 1981 and 1988, back-to-back Coronation Cups in 1985 and ’86 along with numerous other tournament victories. Museum Vice President Tony Coppola recalls “Ruben came to the states as a very young player and made the U.S. his home. Starting out at 3 goals, he rapidly rose through the ranks to 8 goals. He worked hard and racked up a long list of impressive wins on his way up the ladder and made a name for himself as a tough competitor and an influential figure on the American polo scene.”

Ruben Gracida

Sunny Hale will be honored posthumously for her remarkable record on the playing field and her unequivocal contributions in giving back to polo. She reached a 5 goal handicap in a male dominated sport and made history when she became the first woman to win the U.S. Open Championship. Breaking down barriers for women, she was hired as a professional to play on teams alongside the world’s greatest male players for over 20 seasons. Not content to rest on her laurels she strove to promote the sport, horses and horsemanship as an avid mentor and inspiration to aspiring polo players male and female, young and old. She wrote a series of polo “help” books, created an on-line clinic and traveled the world lecturing and giving polo clinics and seminars; created the American Polo Horse Association to establish polo ponies as a breed and preserve their information for posterity; created the Women’s handicap system that was adopted for use by the USPA; started the Women’s Championship Tournament (WCT) to give greater opportunities to polo playing women and helped revive the United States Women’s Open. An exhibit in tribute to Sunny has been ongoing at the Museum of Polo. Museum Executive Director George DuPont says of Sunny, “What she accomplished in giving back to the sport in her short life is nothing short of amazing. Her achievements are multi-faceted. Because of her talent, courage and her relentless efforts to share her knowledge with others, Sunny was regarded the world over as the most influential woman in polo of our time.”

Sunny Hale. Photo credit Wellington Magazine.

Jimmy Newman got the nod as this year’s living honoree for the Iglehart Award for outstanding lifetime contributions to the sport. With 54 years of polo under his belt, Jimmy is well known in polo and worked his way through the sport training and selling countless polo ponies who went on to play medium and high goal polo including the US Open. Having attained a 3 goal outdoor handicap and 4 indoor, Jimmy won the 1985 US Open Handicap aka the 26-goal C.V. Whitney.
During his career he served as manager and organized tournaments for several of the biggest and best polo clubs in the world; Retama in Texas, Palm Beach Polo and Country Club, Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet club and International Polo Club Palm Beach. He has managed 27 U.S. Open championships. Jimmy also has served the sport in service to the U.S.P.A. as the Southwest Circuit Governor, Governor at Large, and for many years on the Tournament, High Goal, Handicap committees and Team USPA.

Jimmy Newman. Photo by Alex Pacheco.

Posthumous Iglehart Inductee Roy Lawson Barry began playing polo in Texas while in his twenties and made his profession and reputation in buying, training and selling horses. Through his natural ability, Roy quickly attained a seven goal rating (in 1948) and won the Monty Waterbury Cup in 1951, was a finalist in the U.S. Open and played in clubs across the United States, in many cases managing the clubs as well as his sponsors’ strings of polo ponies. In 1954, at the young age of 45, Roy suffered a stroke while playing in the Monty Waterbury tournament on Long Island. He was advised to quit playing the game he loved, as well as working with horses, but just three years later, he returned to club polo and enjoyed many years of doing what he loved. His taught his son, Roy Matthews Barry, the game well; he became a 9-Goaler who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.

Roy Barry.

In the Horses to Remember category two admirable equine heroes of the sport will be honored. Lovely Sage made her mark as the very first winner of the Hartman Award for Best Playing Pony of the US Open when it was established in 1965. At that time, it was given to the best playing horse of the entire tournament, not just playing in the final.

Lovely Sage

In the mid through late 1930s the gray mare Ruifino played with distinction, most closely associated as a mount for the great Tommy Hitchcock. She was owned at the time by J. H. “Jock” Whitney and played by Hitchcock in the Open and Waterbury Cup matches. Her talent was so superb that she was declared the winner of the coveted Prince Friarstown Challenge Cup for Best Playing Mare suitable to produce polo pony.” In later years she was called upon to play under other notable Hall of Fame players in the most important matches of the era.

We invite you to join us in welcoming these inspirational figures to the Hall of Fame as we celebrate their accomplishments and contributions to the sport of polo.

The Awards Gala and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Museum of Polo on Friday, February 16th, 2018. If you would like to join in the celebration to welcome these legendary individuals to the Polo Hall of Fame, you may purchase seats for the dinner up to a week in advance. Reservations are $250.00 each (tax deductible portion $125.00). The Hall of Fame Awards Dinner is the most important fundraising event for the Museum each year, so we hope you will help support your Museum, a 501 (c) 3, not-for-profit organization. Contact Brenda Lynn at the Museum of Polo, (561) 969-3210 or (561) 969-7015, e-mail: polomuseum@att.net for further details, information, or to make your reservations.

USPA Club Delegate and President, Nour-Dean Anakar, who has been playing polo at the facility since for 22 years stated   “we have worked closely with Surf Cup Sports to preserve the sport of polo at the facility for many years to come and our goal is to make sure that the San Diego Surf Polo Club becomes the best polo events venue in the Country. Significant resources are being invested into the property including the restoration of all five existing polo fields and expanding open grass field space, building a new arena and new stabling facilities with a new year around polo school and equestrian operations, and the restoration of the Coast to Crest Trail to bring the facility back to its original beauty.”

As an integral part of the Surf Cup Sports Venue, the Club set out on Opening Day to present the sport of polo in a well-planned and accessible way at the facility for all of members, players, sponsors, guests, and spectators to enjoy and the day was a huge success.. The Club featured the Rancho Santa Fe Cup low goal finals at 1pm with Team Venter Institute defeating Team Mckinney Capital by one goal in a very close battle, followed by the launch of the Club’s 8 goal World Ambassadors Polo Cup Series, with an International match featuring the Club’s team USA with three American pros and one American sponsor versus team Argentina with three Argentine pros and one Argentine sponsor. Team Argentina won by two goals in a fast, competitive, and exciting match enjoyed by the record attendance crowd, and the Club plans similar feature International matches throughout the summer and fall season with visiting teams and their sponsors representing other nations including Mexico, India, China, Switzerland, and Morocco.

The Club’s 2017 season kicked off the first week of June consisting of bi-weekly Club tournaments with low and medium goal feature matches every Sunday.. In the second half of the season the Club will feature the USPA Officers Cup and will close the season with the USPA Spreckels Cup and the Celebrity Ranch Ladies tournament .

The full calendar for a full schedule anr td all details on the Club can be viewed online at at www.SanDiegoSurfPolo.com and information on all all Sunday polo feature matches can be be found at www.NighOut.com

The Club’s sponsors for this season include, BMW Encinitas, San Diego Magazine, Charco Design & Build, Mckinney Capital & Advisory, Daou Vineyards , urf Cup Sports, SCelebrity Ranch Foundation, , Shubach Aviation, The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe, SnakeOil Cocktail Company, The Wild Thyme Company, and Classic Party Rentals.

US Polo Assn
Nico Escobar 1
Patrick Uretz 4
Luis Escobar 5
Matt Walker 2

Klentner Ranch
Jake Klentner 1
Jesse Bray 5
Santi Wolff 5
Justin Klentner 1

In typical Santa Barbara fashion, the match was a family affair pitting the Escobar father and son duo on US Polo Assn against the Klentner father son combination on Klentner Ranch. US Polo Assn took the difficult road to the final, narrowly defeating Farmers & Merchants Bank in the third match of the qualifying round to stay alive then won one of the two final berths in a penalty shootout. Klentner Ranch followed a similar path, defeating US Polo Assn and Antelope but falling short in their match against Farmers & Merchants Bank, giving them a 2-1 record. Klentner Ranch also secured their spot in the final in the three way penalty shootout.

Klentner Ranch and US Polo Assn, two highly competitive teams gave the lively crowd a show as the talented players raced up and down the field receiving passes from their teammates and scoring physics defying goals.

The patriarch of the Escobar family drew first blood, scoring the first goal of the match. Klentner Ranch accepted the challenge, answering back with two goals, one by Jake Klentner and a second by Justin Klentner. Each team scoring once more before the end of the first chukker, giving Klentner Ranch the edge 3-2.

Patrick Uretz with Ramsey Asphalt

Defense was tight in the second chukker and third chukkers. Escobar added a tally to the US Polo Assn score, in addition to two goals by Uretz. Klentner Ranch hung tight with Bray scoring two end-to-end goals to even up the score 5-5 going into halftime.

A penalty conversion and a goal from the field by Bray gave Klentner Ranch the slight edge once again over US Polo Assn. Young Escobar scored his third goal of the game to make it 7-6 at the end of the fourth chukker.
The momentum swung dramatically in favor of US Polo Assn as the fifth chukker began. Nico Escobar, Uretz and Walker each scored a goal to push their team into the lead 9-7. Klentner Ranch tried to rally in the sixth chukker, but were unable to overcome the lead established by their opponents. The final score read 12-8 in favor of US Polo Assn.
The high scorers of the match were Nico Escobar and Jesse Bray with five goals each.

BPP Mufasa Uretz

Patrick Uretz was named MVP and his mount, “Mufasa,” was awarded Best Playing Pony honors. Uretz, a member of Team USPA, grew up playing at the Santa Barbara Polo Club and the Eldorado Polo Club. He was a member of the Westmont Intercollegiate Polo team and won the I/I National Championship during his tenure.

After narrowly missing the victory in the previous tournament, Klentner Ranch came back with a vengeance defeating U.S. Polo Assn. 13-7. The father/son Klentner duo scored a combined six goals, keeping their team in the lead for the entirety of the game. In the second match of the game, Farmer & Merchants Bank took on a modified Antelope squad. The mastermind of the team, Santi Trotz, has been sidelined with an injury and was replaced by Joe Henderson. FMB came to the field determined to win and successfully defeated Antelope 12-9.

The second round of the Ramsey Asphalt Pope Challenge pitted the winners of the Friday matches against each other. Leigh Brecheen handed the reins over to Lucas Escobar for Farmers & Merchants Bank team after a spill early in the game. The altered lineup proved to be a challenge for the Klentner Ranch crew. FMB defeated Klentner Ranch 12-9.

In the feature 3:00 match between Antelope and U.S. Polo Assn., young Grant Palmer took his father’s position on the team and led the team on the offensive front, scoring four of the team’s nine goals in his first 12 goal tournament match. On the opposing team, Uretz, a member of Team USPA, added seven goals to his team’s tally, leading U.S. Polo Assn. to victory 12-9 over Antelope.

While the fields buzzed with activity, players from all over California played in the Pacific Coast Arena League Tournament. PCAL hosts tournaments at several Southern California clubs throughout the summer. Players can earn points for competing, winning and earning MVP. A big thank you to Sterling Cut Glass for sponsoring the trophies for the Santa Barbara PCAL tournament.

About the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club The Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club is the premier destination for polo on the West Coast. Located on the beautiful American Riviera, the Club offers three high goal fields, a Polo School, boarding facilities, polo lessons and country club amenities, including eight tennis courts and a fitness facility, all alongside the Pacific Ocean. The 2017 season opened May 5th and runs through the first week of October. For more information about the Club and to purchase tickets please visit www.sbpolo.com.

Please help Sandy during these difficult times.
https://www.gofundme.com/in-memory-of-rick-sears

School is out and summer polo fun is about to begin!  Empire Polo Club is pleased to be hosting its annual Polo Summer Day Camp for children. Beginners to more advanced players are welcome to join Connie Atkinson and the United States Polo Association’s Robin Sanchez to learn the game of polo, horse care and riding skills.

Space is limited. Please contact Connie Atkinson to reserve your junior player’s spot.

Phone: 760.899.5102

Email: wmatkinson2013@gmail.com

Click on this link to view the flyer.
2017_SummerPoloCamp_V2

Andre Zotoff, Vice President and General Manager of Hotel del Coronado said that Beach Polo is set to become the Kentucky Derby of the West Coast. Guests were as festive as the polo players. Women wore colorful sundresses and hats and men stepped out in sports coats, fedoras, seersucker suits and linen shirts. Comments from attendees’ flooded social media

“It was fantastic to see beach polo played with the stunning backdrop of the iconic Hotel Del Coronado. What an unbelievable weekend horses, Porsches, world-class polo players and amazing people who came together to benefit Rady Children’s Hospital. Can’t wait until next year.” — Shawn Evan, General Manager of Porsche San Diego

“The Hotel del Coronado was an amazing venue and Grayse by Kelly & Marie Gray were thrilled to part of this historic beach polo event.” — Grayse

To open the event to more spectators in 2017 the seating capacity will increase from 1500 to 3000 for the three days. The polo games will be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Seating and ticket prices will offer a much larger range this year, with grandstand tickets at $35, Silver tickets at $75 and $200 / $250 for Gold tickets and Millionaire’s Row.

Opening day on Friday September 1st will be party central as the 10,000 square foot VIP tent is turned into a giant cocktail lounge overlooking the polo game. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be available through Hotel del Coronado

On Saturday and Sunday, the VIP tent will feature several terraces. The 200’ x 16’ front row is designated as Millionaire’s Row. Guests can relax on white leather furniture to mingle, watch polo and enjoy lavish spreads of food and drinks provided by Hotel del Coronado.

The Gold tickets on Saturday and Sunday feature a three-course luncheon with two glasses of wine. Silver tickets allow seating behind the Gold tables with access to purchase food and beverage.

Grayse will be the official Women’s Fashion sponsor in 2017. They will have informal modeling at each of the polo games. Grayse is a modern collection of specialty separates designed to dress women who love quality, luxury, and style.

If polo wasn’t enough, Polo America will offer a hundred attendees the opportunity to participate in the Porsche Million Dollar Road Rally. Each participant on a team of three will be required to drive one leg of the road rally and accomplish three tasks. The tasks for this year include a yacht, private jet and millions of dollars in jewelry. Winners each day will receive passes to the new Porsche Experience in Los Angeles

Not only did the spectators have a great time in 2016 at Beach Polo, the polo players loved it. Melissa Ganzi has already entered four teams to compete in the 2017 Polo America Beach Polo Cup. The 2017-polo player roster includes: Melissa Ganzi, Riley Ganzi, Grant Ganzi, Lucas Labor, Juanita Bollini, Juan Bollini, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Julio Novillo Astrada and Carlos Gracida.

And for the guests that want to do more than watch the game, we invite them to sign up for private polo lessons on the beach with world-renown instructors and horses from California Polo Club. Lessons will take place each day prior to the polo matches.

The 2017 Polo America Beach Polo Cup is proud to announce Hotel del Coronado as our Platinum Sponsor. Porsche San Diego, Schubach Aviation, Silver Seas Yachts, Grayse, Coronado Tourism District and U.S. Polo Assn. as our Gold Sponsors

For tickets please call 760-668-6093 or online at www.poloamerica.com