Online Guide to the main events of the English season FINANCIAL TIMES SPECIAL REPORT | Saturday May 26 2012 ft.com/polo www.ft.com/polo | twitter.com/ftreports Rule changes promise exciting season

Patrons have rethought teams, raising expectations of a year of surprises, writes Bob Sherwood

he English high-goal polo sea- son is shaping up to be one of the most open and unpredicta- ble for years, with all of the 16 Tor so teams that will compete at the top level having undergone significant reshuffles of professional players this year. Add to that the return of one of polo’s great forces, Ellerston – whose patron is James Packer, son of Kerry Packer, the late Australian media tycoon and polo enthusiast – to UK high goal for the first time since 2008, and expectations of a classic season have rarely been higher. Unusually, polo insiders have been loath to make predictions. Even the professionals chose to sit on the fence when contributing to the annual Polo Times predictions for the season. “So many teams and combinations have changed that it is difficult to know how it’s going to turn out,” says Max Routledge, the 21-year-old five- goal professional and one of the Eng- lish game’s rising stars. Alterations to handicaps forced Alterations designed to speed up the game and stop the best players from hogging the ball have contributed to some surprising results Reuters some of the changes. However, Routledge believes changes to polo’s best option. The combined handicap of includes Luke Tomlinson, the Eng- Cartier, the jewellery maker, switched rule book in 2011, designed to speed a high-goal team must not exceed 22. land captain. Inside this issue its backing from the International up the game and stop the strongest “Before it was two big players and a One potential cloud that threatened Gulf The United Arab Emirates’ The country is once again Day at Guards, the biggest attended professional from hogging possession lesser player. But Zacara won the to cast a shadow over the season also casual polo scene is a hit with playing the ancient game that polo event of the year, to the Queen’s of the ball, have forced patrons to Gold Cup last year with a strong seems to have lifted. Early in the ex-pats Page 2 originated on the plains of Asia along Cup, one of the top two high-goal rethink their sides. three-man team. Now it is not so year, diplomatic relations between the the famed silk routes Page 4 tournaments. The changes were credited with much about blocking and it is going UK and became frayed Laid-back approach That left a gap for sponsorship of leading to some surprise results last to be much more about three strong ahead of the 30th anniversary of the matches the local mood Page 2 Interview Lyndon Lea, co-founder the international event. Woodd con- year – notably the Zacara team’s vic- players,” Routledge says. Falklands conflict. of Lion Capital, is a passionate cedes the task of finding a sponsor tory in the Gold Cup. Previously, the Routledge will join the brothers In the midst of the tensions, the Competitions Playing for your player whose Zacara team was not helped by the 2012 best players were able to keep posses- Nico and Facundo Pieres at La Bamba team was due to play at the country is not always the pinnacle won last year’s Gold Cup and the Olympics. “The Olympics has eaten sion of the ball by continually chang- de Areco, one of the strongest teams famous Palermo polo grounds in Bue- of the game Page 3 recent US Open Page 5 up a huge amount [of sponsorship],” ing direction to avoid tackles, a tactic in recent years, and likely to be so nos Aires, which is owned by the he says. that often won them penalties. again this year. Argentine military. To head off any Different formats Fresh ideas are Hardcourt bike polo Urban However, Audi, the carmaker that But the altered rules stopped play- Aficionados say much will depend potential trouble, the English team helping to make polo more hipsters are reinventing the already sponsors the England ers turning if an opponent was follow- on the improvement of Nico Pieres, was asked to play as the “rest of the accessible Page 3 game Page 5 national team, recently announced a ing closely, forcing more backhand who has captured much attention and world”. deal to back a new series of interna- shots and consequently more changes joins the team in place of his other “They [the Argentine polo authori- tionals, called the Audi International of possession. brother, Gonzalito, who has switched ties] were very grateful and we were Polo Series. This will include not only Routledge thinks this altered team to Ellerston. not too fussed as there was no spon- Falkland’s conflict in the 1980s, when no animosity between British and the International day at Guards in dynamics in such a way that the Zacara are again expected to prove sorship involved,” says David Woodd, Argentines stopped travelling to the Argentine players,” he says. July but also new internationals at standard format of two strong players challenging, while Salkeld, the team chief executive of the Hurlingham UK, Woodd insists the raised tensions Another high-profile issue that was Beaufort Polo Club in Gloucestershire plus a weaker professional to help out of patron Nick Clarke, has reportedly Polo Association, the sport’s govern- will have little impact on the sport. resolved recently was the question of and Chester Racecourse Polo Club in by blocking opponents, along with the been lining up new horses. It will ing body in the UK. “It would have to get a lot worse sponsorship for prime events. patron, is no longer necessarily the undoubtedly attract support as it Unlike the disruption caused by the before it really affected polo. There is After 27 years of sponsorship, Continued on Page 2 2 ★ FINANCIAL TIMES SATURDAY MAY 26 2012 Polo Changes promise exciting season

Continued from Page 1

Cheshire, the latter being outside the traditional ven- ues for the sport. “This will allow a new audience to witness and enjoy the thrills of interna- tional polo,” says Richard Thomas, chief executive of Chester racecourse. It is not the only non-tra- ditional venue for polo, of course. Alternative forms of the game have made strides in recent years, including the Polo in the Park tourna- ment at west London’s Hurlingham Park, the Gau- cho International at the city’s O2 arena and the Brit- ish Beach Polo Champion- ships, held at Sandbanks in Dorset. Yet while the top end might be poised for a poten- tially classic season, lower levels of polo are feeling the pinch in the tough eco- Players in the pipeline: a band performs at the recent Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge, one of the United Arab Emirates’ most prestigious tournaments Getty nomic climate. The HPA expects player numbers in the UK to remain steady at about 3,000. Dubai club belies desert city’s reputation But, Woodd says, “partici- pation has held up quite well at the top and bottom Continuing on through In Dubai, which has a ten- expatriate visiting the club Dubai would mean the the game in a way that within weeks, the Gulf’s end – but it could be Gulf the desert you find a fully- dency to turn even the most for the first time. Her two event would be “a bit over occasionally raises eye- notorious summer will because the middle is slip- functioning autodrome, the pedestrian of life’s moments children play on an inflata- the top”. Instead, she is brows among the regulars. make these kinds of days a ping downwards. If low-goal The UAE’s casual headquarters of the Interna- into a platform for extrava- ble castle nearby while she taken aback by how relaxed Casual or first-time visi- distant memory. After the participation is increasing, polo scene is a tional Cricket Council and a gance, a day at the polo is a sits on the patio of the club- it all feels. tors tend to stick to the season closes, match play at it is because it is stealing multipurpose sports sta- surprisingly casual affair. house with a group of On this day in April, the clubhouse side of the field, the club is over until mid- hit with ex-pats, dium that hosts interna- “It’s one of the most pop- friends and watches as the club is hosting its end-of- seated at shaded tables October, as is the prospect David Woodd writes Tom Gara tional cricket matches. ular picnic destinations in season tournament, a series where waiters serve food of sustained periods out- says the And, if you set out to find the city – no other venue of matches played by teams and drink. doors when temperatures economic it, you will also find one of attracts the kind of people The sight of made up of the small The regulars, many of cross the 45-degree mark. downturn has o get to the Dubai Dubai's three polo clubs. that come to the club,” says families picnicking number of players that form them friends and family of “This is a family game, affected polo Polo & Equestrian The polo club is an Vasken Vartanian, its sales the backbone of the club. the players on the field, and from the time we start participation Club, a home for improbably low-key – verg- and marketing manager. on the grass Some play multiple games gravitate to the opposite the season until the very the emirate’s small ing on the rustic – sporting Alongside its equestrian bordering the field on different teams, and the side, parking their cars at end, you see so many fami- Tbut growing polo commu- ground that would not feel facilities and more than 300 games have the atmosphere the edge of the pitch and lies just enjoying the whole from medium-goal rather nity, take a turn off Sheikh out of place in a pleasant stables, it sees hundreds of has a subtle charm more of an exhibition than setting up picnic rugs and experience,” says Farhang than new people coming in.” Zayed Road, the 12-lane country town. visitors every Friday during a fully functioning league folding chairs to watch the Sadeghi, who manages the For example, patrons who artery that cuts through the While the oversized man- the polo season, who come final. match. equestrian activities at the previously ran two medium- city. As you leave the high- sions that ring the ground to enjoy the novel – by first match of the day gets A commentator narrates A few dozen cars, mostly club. goal teams are tending to way, the Mall of the Emir- are familiar in Dubai, the Dubai standards – experi- under way. the play over a loudspeaker large sports utility vehicles, “They love the game and run just one. Given the cost ates is to your right, home sight of families picnicking ence of a picnic on grass As horses begin thunder- system that rings the line this side of the ground they love coming here, and of participation and the cur- of the desert city’s iconic, on the grass bordering the combined with a match. ing across the field, she ground. His commentary is on the day of the finals. It is it is more than just the rent economic climate, it is and much-mocked, indoor field has a more subtle “It is a bit of a hidden says she was worried that geared towards newcomers, a clear, sunny day, and the sport. It’s a very special not hard to see why. Woodd ski slope. charm. gem,” says Marie, a US the combination of polo and explaining the intricacies of weather is pleasant. But place for them.” says medium-goal polo, including three professional players, would probably cost in the region of £6,000 per game and up to £250,000 a season for a team, all expenses included. ‘Rugby on horseback’ “Even for a six-goal team, you would not be seeing much change out of £100,000 for a season,” he says. wins fans down under That means it is not easy for many of the group who seem to lead the most Currently, there are fifth of those are women. charmed of lives – the pro- Australia about 20 riders in Australia “Some of these people are fessional polo players. Some who would be termed pro- already involved with are not getting as many Laid-back approach fessional, often combining horses, but polo has become medium-goal matches as matches the local polo with other equestrian attractive to people from they were previously and, activities such as breeding the city in the last few as costs have gone up, most mood, says Lachlan and riding. years. They are not neces- professionals are charging Colquhoun They typically earn about sarily rich, but they are about the same fees as they A$100,000 (£62,300) a year wealthy enough to be able did four years ago. locally from match fees and to rent the horses without “Expenditure on polo Having “grown up on the retainers, although they owning them,” he says. probably dropped 25 per side of a polo field” in could more than double In Australia, the sport cent [during the down- south-east Asia, Hugo that if they followed the originated on cattle sta- turn],” Woodd says. Fischer has taken his pas- polo seasons overseas. tions, where horses used to However, such austerity sion for the game to the Their numbers are aug- muster cattle were also is unlikely to be apparent Western Australia capital of mented by professional rid- used for polo. However, as should you happen to find . ers from , the McDuie points out, there yourself on the lawns at The 23-year-old engineer UK and Argentina. “Our are not so many people next month’s Cartier spent his early years in game is quite recognised with horses in the bush any Queen’s Cup final or the Malaysia and , and the international play- more. “That tradition of International day at Guards where his father managed ers do enjoy coming here to farm-based polo is not as later in the summer. the Singapore Polo Club. play,” says Ian McDuie, strong as it used to be. Our “I started playing at president of the NSW Polo game is changing to be about 11 years old and it more professional, and Contributors was natural for me to con- ‘Farm-based polo is more city focused,” he says. tinue that interest when we At this lower level, the Yolanda Carslaw moved back to Perth,” says not as strong as it competition is no less fierce FT contributor Fischer, who plays as an than among the profession- amateur and is captain of used to be. [Now] als. McDuie notes that at Lachlan Colquhoun the Perth Polo Club. “I have the game is more the recent New South FT contributor dabbled in other equestrian state championships, Serge Debrebant sports, but polo has always professional, and four of the eight teams were FT contributor been my main focus. I have more city focused’ there purely as amateurs, a real passion for it – I and a professional team Tom Gara guess the best way to beat one of the amateur Gulf news editor, describe it is as rugby on Association. “Internation- teams in the final only dur- Financial Times horseback.” ally, we compete well. We ing extra time. While polo has an exclu- recently had a test against The ponies are almost James Mullan sive image in some parts of South Africa and we won exclusively sourced locally, Editor, Polo Times the world, it is more acces- that. And we made the or from New Zealand, John O’Sullivan sible, and even casual, in finals of the World Cup in whose polo scene is closely Deputy editor, Polo Times Australia – perhaps reflect- Argentina this year.” associated with Australia’s. ing the country’s laid-back According to McDuie, The amateurs of Perth Bob Sherwood attitude. polo has gained in popular- Polo Club, Fischer included, FT contributor Although polo’s patron- ity in Australia in recent ride former racehorses, age by Kerry Packer, the years as metropolitan-based which transfer from the Hugo Greenhalgh late Australian media players, and an increasing track to the polo field Editor tycoon, once gave it some- number of women, when their racing Robert Orr thing of a patrician image, have started to days are over. Commissioning editor those involved say it is no take an inter- “The horses more elitist than any other est. Of the love polo, and Jearelle Wolhuter equestrian activity, such as c o u n t r y ’ s the more a Production editor , or even a roughly 800 horse enjoys country town pony club. r e g i s t e r e d it, the better Steven Bird Fears that Packer’s polo- p l a y e r s , the horse Designer playing son James could about half is,” Fischer lose interest in the game are in New says. Michael Crabtree Picture editor following his father’s death South Wales, “ T h e y a few years ago proved the most pop- follow the For advertising details unfounded. He has contin- ulous state. ball with contact Daphne Kovacs ued in his role as patron of Coming from a their eyes. At [email protected] the country’s most prestig- low base, about a its best, you ious club and tournament – are at one with FT special reports are at his Ellerston property in the horse.” available to read online at New South Wales’s Hunter Hugo Fischer is www.ft.com/reports Valley, about 200 miles the captain of All editorial content in this from . the Perth Polo special report is produced Indeed, Ellerston is set to Club by the FT. Our advertisers return to UK high-goal this have no influence over, or year, having spent more prior sight of, any of the than £20m developing a articles or online content. new polo centre in the West Sussex countryside. FINANCIAL TIMES SATURDAY MAY 26 2012 ★ 3 Polo Drive to lift profile of international game

will now most likely face a ban Competitions if they expect to take part in any subsequent HPA tourna- Playing for your ments,” he adds. country is not The HPA’s threat does at least signal the way for improvement always the pinnacle in the international protection of the sport, writes of UK polo as a brand. However, one country cannot act alone, James Mullan and support is also required from other associations – not least the Argentine Polo Associ- n most sports, the pinnacle ation and the United States Polo of success is to be selected Association. to represent your country. The Americans have long rec- Yet, in polo, this is not ognised the value of their brand, Ialways the case. earning millions of dollars in Broadly speaking, there are revenue from their USPA cloth- two reasons for this. First, ing line, though the extent to national associations have not which they prioritise Team worked hard enough to protect USA’s international perform- the image of their international ances is open to debate. sides. Second, the game’s handi- According to Woodd, it is the cap system means that nations job of the Federation of Interna- are regularly prevented from tional Polo, the game’s official selecting their best teams in worldwide governors, to ensure order to ensure that no side has the international issue is taken a significant advantage over seriously. another. However, the recent Snow This levelling of the playing Polo World Cup, held in China field is particularly important in and sanctioned by the FIP, was international competition, given won by two Argentines and an that all the game’s top players ex-pat English professional play- come from so few countries. ing under the flag of Hong Without restrictions it could be Kong, a territory without a sin- virtually guaranteed that Argen- gle active polo club. “Hong tina – the only country able to Kong” even dispatched Argen- field a 40-goal team – would tina, England and South Africa never be beaten. on their way to victory. Audiences are largely aware All this serves to dilute the of this, which undoubtedly sense that international polo is makes it harder to engage as important in its own right, enthusiastically with polo inter- when it actually serves a valua- nationals as they do with other ble role in giving players experi- sports, which usually place no ence in high-pressure environ- limitations on the selection of a ments and against talented country’s very best talent. opposition. Polo also has additional logis- Yet in the eyes of spectators tical issues that other sports and sponsors, it continues to be rarely have to contend with: not undermined by the uncomforta- least the problem of horses. ble feeling that one is rarely If an England team is invited actually watching the best each to play overseas, it makes a dif- Top of their game: the England team of Luke Tomlinson, Malcolm Borwick, Mark Tomlinson and James Beim celebrate victory in the Cartier International The Picture Library country has to offer. ference to the selectors if some None of this will be an issue players already have a string of However, those striving for ham Polo Association, the UK which they have jurisdiction, consisted of two virtually when England’s best players ponies available to them there. more interest in, and sponsor- governing body. such as “England polo”. unknown British low-goal play- ride out for the four test Players are also less likely to ship of, national teams and In 2010, the HPA appointed an The consultants recommended ers and, worse still, two Argen- matches this summer, including be selected if they have to be events are facing a further prob- independent consultancy to that the HPA should take far tine professionals. the newly labelled Audi Interna- flown in from a far-flung part of lem: the tarnishing of the carry out a full-scale audit of greater pains to protect the The Snow Polo World “There is not much we can do tional Day at Guards Polo Club the world where they might game’s image by numerous the association’s commercial image and reputation of their Cup was won by two about foreign professionals if in July, when they will face a already be earning a living. This “international” competitions assets. The upshot was that brands. they do not play in the UK,” 26-goal South Africa team in is particularly relevant in the that are entirely unsanctioned. they actually own surprisingly When a team calling itself Argentines and an admits David Woodd, HPA chief what will be the showpiece European winter, when polo Tournaments often opportun- little. Their most prized posses- “” appeared in a ex-pat English pro executive. game of the season. professionals spread themselves istically boast the participation sions, it was revealed, are the recent Nations Cup event in “But any player on a team For these players at least, a far and wide. of “England” or “Great Britain” intellectual property rights to Dubai, it apparently did so with- playing under the flag that purports to be representing place in the team will be the In the polo world, this is when the sides in question have the international polo brands of out the HPA having any a region of the UK without the highest honour that the game acknowledged and understood. nothing to do with the - the countries and regions over advance knowledge. The team of Hong Kong approval of the HPA’s stewards can offer. Beach game leads charge to pull in new spectators

says Luke Tomlinson, Eng- Different formats land polo captain, whose seven-goal handicap and Fresh ideas are professional contracts mean helping to make he is unlikely to play in such lower-handicapped the sport more one-off events himself. accessible, reports “All the feedback I hear is positive. It is good to have James Mullan diversity and, if people are willing to invest in the This year marks five years projects that create this, of the British Beach Polo they should be encour- Championships on the aged.” upmarket Sandbanks penin- Polo in the Park’s Heron sula in Dorset, four years of adds: “Modern sport is all Polo in the Park in west about appealing to the spec- London and two years of tator. Polo has always been Gaucho International Polo really exciting but, with at the O2 arena in London. large fields, people are often Such mini-milestones are The British Beach Polo Championships at Sandbanks, Dorset a long way from the action. part of a trend that is “In order to guarantee breathing new life into it in terms of innovation, Beach Polo Championships. entertainment for first-time polo’s hitherto stuffy and and so it is more about “Our event is a chance for polo-goers it is essential to often exclusive reputation. tweaking the game, with people to try something get them alongside the “That stigma is exactly the advice of the HPA, they have had preconcep- speed, agility and physical- what we wanted to rather than making whole- tions about. There is not ity of the game.” change,” says Rory Heron, sale changes.” much evidence that it Gaucho Restaurants’ Wil- chief executive of World The same was true at the inspires new viewers to go liams says securing the O2 Polo, the company behind Gaucho International, and take [polo] up, but it as a venue has been a huge Mint Polo in the Park, played in March at the O2, gets people curious and our plus for his event. “Because which brings a sexed-up, previously known as the numbers are increasing of the seated layout right three-a-side version of the Millennium Dome. With the each year, which suggests around the playing arena, game – roughly analogous HPA given a say, the rules guests are either coming they [spectators] have no to what Twenty20 is to were adjusted to make the back or they are passing on choice but to engage with cricket – to Fulham’s Hurl- game easier to follow for a recommendation.” something they might oth- ingham Park in June. uninitiated spectators, Alex Webbe, chairman of erwise find intimidating. “Our aim is to make polo while achieving the organis- the Florida-based Interna- For our Gaucho regulars, inclusive, accessible and ers’ common aims of fluent, tional Beach Polo Associa- they come because they ideal for fun, young Lon- attacking, end-to-end polo. tion, says these events know they can rely on good doners. Key to that is not “The changes we made in hospitality, but they also overpricing the event. A £25 close consultation with the leave being surprised by ticket gives access to all the HPA ensured a quicker, ‘Any effort that how much they enjoyed and main tents and enclosures,” more succinct and better brings new people were energised by the sport. he says. spectacle,” says Martin Wil- Polo ticks their boxes as an Heron hopes 25,000–29,000 liams, operations director to any form of polo entertainment spectacle.” spectators will attend over for Gaucho Restaurants is good for the But Tomlinson insists three days this year, which group, which devised the there needs to be a balance, would make it the UK’s event. “Plus, by gaining the game’ arguing such events should best-attended polo events. association’s support and Johnny Wheeler be an “enticing exhibition… Establishing Polo in the endorsement, it helped without focusing on enter- Park has meant learning to bring people from the polo tainment so much that they work in partnership with set to the event.” “deserve the support of the border on pantomime. New polo’s traditional commu- Mingling with the tradi- polo community”. projects should probably be nity, notably the Hurling- tional polo community “Even in the cases of treated with some caution,” ham Polo Association, the appears to be key for all events that look more like he adds. UK’s governing body. these new forms of the parties than polo tourna- “But the UK model Having not consulted game. At the Asahi British ments, it attracts people. appears to be pretty good with the HPA when it Beach Polo Championships “And my thinking is that because the HPA has now launched in 2009, Heron in July, a condition of the any effort that brings new been consulted in each case. concedes that the event deal with the local author- people to any form of polo While none are likely to may have alienated some ity to stage the event was is good for the game. rival the Coronation Cup, members early on. an area from which passing “They go to beach polo or they do seem to have “The rules of polo have members of the public on snow polo and get excited. carved out a valuable existed for hundreds of the Sandbanks beach could The next thing is, you see niche,” says Tomlinson. years for a reason, and it watch for free. them at Guards, Cowdray Whether such new forms was probably true that “Polo purists want grass and so on.” of polo can sustain their [Polo in the Park] organis- polo played at the highest This view is echoed by popularity over the long ers meddled with the game level. But there are varia- many of the professionals, term remains to be seen, a little too much in the tions of every sport and even those that do not bene- but the early evidence sug- inaugural year,” Heron polo should be no differ- fit from them directly. gests that – whether the tra- admits. “These days, we ent,” says Johnny Wheeler, “More events mean more ditionalists like it or not – have learnt how far to take director of the British exposure for the game,” they do have a role to play. 4 ★ FINANCIAL TIMES SATURDAY MAY 26 2012 Polo Wealthy elite revives the spirit of the emperors

number of clubs that makes China’s China return to polo so notable. Rather, it is the ambitions they have. The country is once again Tang Polo Club near Beijing and playing an ancient game, Tianjin’s Goldin Metropolitan, backed by Goldin Group, the investment com- writes John O’Sullivan pany owned by Pan Sutong, the Hong Kong property magnate, have already hosted 16-goal international tourna- ngland, Argentina and the US ments on their impressive grounds, may be the most celebrated and each has imported more than 100 polo-playing nations, but the ponies from Australasia and Europe. sport is enjoying a remarka- In February, the Metropolitan Eble renaissance in one of the first underlined its ambitions by hosting countries to embrace the game. the world’s first fully-sanctioned The ancient game originated on the Snow Polo World Cup. plains of Asia along the famed silk While the decision by the Federa- routes between China and the west. tion of International Polo, the world- First played by the Persians 2,500 wide governing body, to award such a years ago, polo was later adopted by prestigious event to a country without the Tang Dynasty, who ruled China a national polo association raised eye- from 618–907 AD, and became the brows, the tournament brought a Argentina took on during the recent Snow Polo World Cup, when Tianjin’s Goldin Metropolitan polo club played host WENN game of choice for the Chinese elite, dozen international teams to China, with high-ranking officials building including top players such as Pablo will have a 10-goaler playing in Tian- Yet to take polo to a high level in play at Cirencester Park Polo Club in playing fields in their own gardens. Jauretche from Argentina and Aus- jin before long,” he says. “In the long today’s China, there is much work to 1996. Although Tang and the Metro- The game was particularly popular tralia’s Glen Gilmore. term we have ambitions to hold a be done. “For polo to develop we need politan are grabbing much of the in the former capital Chang’an (mod- The Metropolitan paid $2m to create 40-goal tournament, but we will need to be able to breed polo ponies. attention, it was Sunny Times that ern-day Xian) and there is evidence artificial snow for the ground and to improve our horses before then.” “Additionally, we need to make sure started the ball rolling, according to that the game was widely played by mounted all the teams with a string of The Metropolitan’s ambition is there is quality training, so we will Han Bing, the club’s general manager. women and children. more than 200 ponies. Some 3,500 matched by Tang Polo Club. need to develop more Chinese “Modern polo was spread in China Polo, or “jiju” as it was called, was spectators turned up, and the tourna- The club’s chairman and owner is coaches,” Shilai says. by Xia Yang, our chairman,” he says. viewed more as a form of entertain- ment was shown live on Hong Kong’s Liu Shilai, China’s most recognisable The club’s desire to encourage Chi- “He set up the first modern polo ment rather than a competitive sport TVB television channel. player. Shilai has a one-goal handicap nese players is illustrated by this club in China and started to hold and was also used by the Tang emper- Harvey Lee, vice-chairman of Gol- (10-goal being the highest and minus- summer’s zero-goal Amateur Open, international polo tournaments. We ors as a tool of diplomacy. din, says events such as the Snow two the lowest) and has played in featuring eight all-Chinese teams. have 92 horses in our club, which are But the pastime that some argue Polo World Cup are helping the game Argentina, Australia, the US, Europe “This is important in the development all bred and trained by ourselves.” came to the country as long as 1,800 in China to grow. and . process. It will enable more players to A fifth Chinese polo club, the Bei- years ago was dead by the time the “The tournament was a great suc- His vision is to pass his passion for become involved in the sport and will jing International Polo Club, is set to Cultural Revolution started. cess,” he says. “The problem is that the game on to his countrymen and make it more interesting for the local open next month, while the Goldin A decade ago, China did not have a awareness of polo in China is low create a legacy for polo in China. audience,” Mr Shilai says. Group has plans to add to its polo single polo venue to its name. compared to other sports, but what “I really want our members and Elsewhere in China, lower-goal tour- portfolio in the near future. It has But polo’s popularity in China has we are seeing is that people are inter- The Metropolitan paid guests to get a true polo experience naments for ex-pats and up-and-com- identified a potential site for a club in risen sharply in recent years and, ested in finding out more.” $2m to create artificial and to see polo tradition passed down ing locals are held regularly at Shanghai and is also looking to set up backed by the country’s growing Next for the Metropolitan is a four from generation to generation,” Shilai China’s two oldest clubs, Beijing’s clubs in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. wealthy elite, the world’s most popu- nations tournament, played at 22-goal snow for the ground and says. Sunny Times club, founded in 2005, So, while it may be some time lous nation is set to become a signifi- or 24-goal level, the same level as the mounted all the teams With two international standard and Shanghai’s Nine Dragons club, before China is able to field a world- cant force in the years to come. British Open. polo fields and China’s first indoor which opened three years later. class team of its own, developments Four big-spending clubs have According to Lee, it will not be long on a string of more arena, Tang last year hosted the 16- Sunny Times was founded by Xia across the country suggest it is well opened in the past eight years, and before the world’s leading players goal China Open, its most prestigious Yang, a businessman, after he was on the way to becoming the world’s more are planned. Yet it is not the appear in China. “We are hopeful we than 200 ponies tournament to date. inspired by watching Prince Charles next big polo destination. FINANCIAL TIMES SATURDAY MAY 26 2012 ★ 5 Polo ‘Work hard, play hard and be honest’

Which is your favourite playing Interview field? Lyndon Lea For pleasure, the Zacara and Les Lions fields. For competition, The well-known investor Cowdray Park. talks to Yolanda Carslaw What have you learnt from Facundo Pieres, your US Open team mate? I have never seen an athlete with Lyndon Lea is a former Goldman such talent yet such humility. His Sachs banker who co-founded Lion hand-eye coordination is easily the Capital, the private equity company best in the game today. Facundo has that has invested in a host of well- a passion to win, and he makes you known brands, from Jimmy Choo realise that what appears impossible shoes to Wagamama restaurants and is possible. Findus frozen food. He is also a passionate polo player. He owns a How would your PA describe you? ranch in Santa Barbara, California Stretched – that’s why I need three. and his Zacara team (named after his children Zachary and Chiara) And your head groom? won last year’s Gold Cup and the Loco, as every year I break or tear recent US Open. something.

Describe your role. How do you celebrate a big win? Private equity investor in the Riding a 1,000lb animal The team celebrated the Gold Cup consumer goods sector. at 40mph in a full-contact win with a glass of champagne. The pros then went to be with the What are your three best features in environment is dangerous horses and grooms for mate [a business? – I have broken at least traditional South America hot I am insightful and focused, with a beverage]. I ordered pizza at home “can do” attitude. one bone every year and cracked open a special bottle of wine [a 1995 Chateau Haut-Brion]. And your worst? I have competed Impatient, demanding, too trusting. Which sports do you enjoy are incredibly political. Umpiring watching? How do you fit month-long used to be better in the US but now I prefer to participate, but I will tournaments into your schedule? it is stronger in the UK. However, in watch and enjoy football and Work comes first. Focus and time both countries it is the area most in Ultimate Fighting Championship management are critical and good need of improvement. [mixed martial arts]. organisation of grooms, horse trainers and managers means you How did Zacara get the edge in last How high a handicap do you hope need to spend less time on polo than year’s Gold Cup? to achieve? to play, say, golf off a 10 handicap. We had a young, hungry team Given how competitive the game has Staying fit and healthy is also detached from the families that become it is difficult for a sponsor to important: riding a 1,000lb animal at dominate polo. We had great team exceed a one-goal handicap and 40mph in a full-contact environment spirit and plenty of good horses, maintain responsibilities away from is dangerous – I have broken at least many of which had not been used polo. Going beyond one would be one bone every year I’ve competed. I much with previous players. like having a single-figure golf Lyndon Lea (in black) in action for his Zacara team, winner of last year’s Gold Cup and the recent US Open Lila Photo played the Gold Cup with my left handicap while holding down a hand broken in four places. How do you keep fit? demanding job: I do not see it as lost. You get one chance at life: taught me to play polo, then pushed playing against today’s 10-goalers is I have a physical training regime realistic. To me, one goal is like a 12 don’t lose it through deception or me to aim higher, while Ruki an influence in itself. Some patrons What are the advantages of playing and study Brazilian jiu-jitsu. handicap in golf: respectable, but it dishonesty to others or to yourself. Baillieu, the Australian pro, have shown me what to avoid; in the US compared with the UK? does not consume your life. I am introduced me to high-goal polo. My others what to emulate. Tom The US weather is more reliable, and Which is your favourite pony? happy to stay on one until I make Who has been your biggest influence horse trainer, Matthew Gonzalez, Barrack, for instance, plays with high-goal polo is faster and more In the US, Sweet and Low, Toro, the graceful retreat to zero. in life? taught me the little I know about soul, athleticism and sportsmanship. exciting because it is played at 26 Happy Trap, Mexicana and My mother gave me my passion and horses and the Argentine pro And my Gold Cup team mates goals. The UK has more history, and Antoinette have speed, lateral ability What is your golden rule in my integrity; my children give me Eduardo Novillo Astrada taught me from 2011, Hilario Ulloa, Nachi du it is more competitive because more and good temperaments. In the UK, business? my appreciation for life and the about organisations and flow – not Plessis and Gonzalo Deltour, taught teams enter high-goal (at 22 goals). Molly can do two amazing chukkas Work hard, play hard, but above all desire to embrace every moment. just about riding off an opponent, me that having hearts of lions and But both governing bodies [HPA and and never miss a game. Salsa may be honest. Make sure you can look but about positioning, too. Spending teamwork is the ultimate USPA] struggle to understand the have been my best ever, but she in the mirror and feel good about And in polo? time with players such as Carlos combination. I believe the same is needs of high-goal sponsors, and both retired after we won the Gold Cup. your day, whether you have won or The Grace family at Ascot Park Gracida and Mike Azzaro and true for business – and life. 6 ★ FINANCIAL TIMES SATURDAY MAY 26 2012 Polo Four legs good, two wheels much better

mostly forgotten, sport. It is said Hardcourt bike polo Irishman Richard Mecredy invented the game in 1891, and Urban hipsters are it even made it to the Olympic reinventing the game, Games in London in 1908, where Ireland won gold. finds Serge Debrebant By the 1930s, a hundred clubs were competing in the UK alone. Even today, some clubs t is a rainy evening in still compete on grass, but they north London, and six mix little with the hardcourt grown men on bicycles are bike polo crowd. tearing around a tarmac There is even less crossover Ibasketball court in pursuit of a between the hardcourt bike polo small street-hockey ball. scene and those who play polo Andrew Todd, a fashion on horseback. “None of us have designer with an impressive ever played that,” says Cohen. bushy beard, collects the ball Some teams have found spon- with his mallet and hits a long, sors, while niche brands such as high pass towards team mate Bicycle Co and Fix- Rupert Evans-Harding, commu- craft have begun to cater to nications director at a furniture players, selling mallet shafts company. Evans-Harding pushes and heads, helmets and bike down hard on the pedals and forks suited for the rough play races after the pass. and quick manoeuvring When the ball arrives he required by the sport. strikes with his mallet, placing While hardcourt bike polo is it flush between two traffic still a small, tight-knit commu- cones – goal! nity with flat hierarchies and This is hardcourt bike polo. limited organisation, this is And while it may be a little- beginning to change. known game for now, it is start- “Some players would like to ing to gain traction. “It is really see the sport grow because it a sport in its infancy,” says makes it easier for us to find Todd, who has been playing courts, but others would prefer since 2008. “But that is what is that it stays underground,” says great about it.” Dan Howarth, a hardcourt bike Some of the moves these men polo enthusiast and photogra- are making would be hard for pher. the average cyclist. They hop National and international sideways, pivot their bikes competitions have been intro- almost on the spot and ride duced in the past few years – while dribbling the ball fluently. Todd’s team, Cosmic, came sec- With their mallets they resem- ond at the most recent Euro- ble polo players of a sort, but pean championship, which was the way they move around the held in in 2010. court and block one another is Back at the court in north more reminiscent of ice hockey. London, the game is over and Hardcourt bike polo’s origins Todd’s team has won. Those are not entirely clear, although Players from the London Bike Polo League in action at a basketball court in Islington, north London Getty who have been watching from it is thought to have been the sidelines now throw their invented by cycle couriers in when I visit, some are waiting community of all the cities in made discs to the front wheels If a player puts a foot on the mallets on to a pile – a sign that in the late 1990s, spread- on the sidelines with beer cans the world”, he boasts. to protect the spokes and block ground he has to move to a des- they want to play. ing across North America, and in hand, chatting while watch- As much as traditional polo the ball. Mallets are made out of ignated point at the side of the Todd picks up the mallets, arriving in London in 2006, ing the game. players adore horses, so bike ski poles or golf club shafts, court and “tap out” before con- shuffles them behind his back brought by a Londoner who had “It is a mixed crowd, but we polo players love their bicycles. with plastic water pipes as tinuing to play. Cyclist-on-cy- and selects new teams. The two seen cycle couriers playing are all bike enthusiasts,” says Most use single-speed bikes with heads. “There is a DIY spirit to clist contact is allowed, and bike sets of players then line up while on a visit to New York. Josh Cohen, who is on a gap low gear ratios that make them the community,” says Cohen. polo can be a rough sport. Play- behind their respective goals The first UK matches were year after university. He is the easy to manoeuvre, though the Rules are in constant evolu- ers report broken arms and and Cohen shouts: “Three, two, held at a basketball court near chairman of the London Hard- sport used to be associated with tion and vary from city to city, wrists, while others talk about one, polo!” Brick Lane in the city’s fashion- court Bike Polo Association, a the fixed-gear bike scene. but usually two teams of three Players report mallet hits to the face. Four men and two women able east end. body founded in 2009 to promote “I like fixed-gear bikes and play against each other until For this reason, most wear race to the centre of the court Today, about a hundred hard- the game. Cohen estimates that have one myself, but it is not one scores a set number of goals broken arms and protective gear including pads, a where the ball is waiting: this is court bike polo enthusiasts com- there are about 25,000 partici- convenient during the game – typically three or five. helmet and a face cage. “People the “joust”. The fastest player pete regularly at six venues pants in 370 cities. because you have to pedal con- Players can hit the ball with wrists, while others still get injured, but it is a more collects the ball and starts to across the capital. But despite being slower off stantly,” says Todd. any side of the mallet head, but talk about mallet controlled game,” says Todd. dribble, but quickly loses pos- Most are men in their 20s or the mark than its US counter- Most players customise their scoring is only allowed with the When played on grass, bike session. 30s. On the Tuesday in April parts, “London has the biggest bikes – some have fixed home- small end. hits to the face polo is actually an old, and A new game has started.