POLO in the UAE

Sunday, April 21, 2013

VICTORY FOR JULIUS BAER TEAM IN JULIUS BAER BEACH POLO CUP, DUBAI, 2013

- Sold-out audiences enjoy a weekend of beach polo

The Julius Baer team won a thrilling 6-3 match over Maradiva team to secure the inaugural Julius Baer Beach Polo Cup, Dubai, 2013 at Mina A’Salam yesterday.

The final was watched by a sell-out audience on the beautiful stretch of beach transformed into a beach polo field by mamemo productions. With the sun quickly setting on a stunning weekend of action, the pulsating grand finals was a fitting finale to Dubai’s exciting sporting event.

Julius Baer team captain and patron, Rashid Al Habtoor was awarded the Julius Baer Beach Polo Cup Dubai 2013 at the official prize giving ceremony.

Sam Katiela, ‘Beach Polo Cup’ Creator & Founder as well as mamemo productions’ Managing & Creative Director, said: “The final was a wonderful way to complete a memorable weekend for the return of the ‘Beach Polo Cup’ to the heart of Dubai. We are so proud of how the event went and we hope Dubai thoroughly enjoyed themselves at what was ‘something a little different’ for the events scene here.”

He added, “We could not have asked for a more entertaining final and along with the beach polo there was so much more for people to experience. Corporate hospitality was abuzz with activity throughout the weekend.”

Julius Baer Beach Polo Cup, Dubai, 2013 was played on a pitch a third smaller than a regular polo field, which meant the spectators were closer to the action. Each team had three players (Reduced from the usual four).

It was a unique take on the traditions of polo and proved to be a winning formula for spectators who flocked to the stunning venue.

A charity auction was held prior to the closing ceremony, showcasing modeled replicas of white horses which were built during the 2 day event and painted beautifully by attending children. All four horses were sold at the total price of AED 130,000. In addition, the Julius Baer management pledged a cheque of AED 50,000 bringing the total to AED180,000. All proceeds were donated to the Noor Dubai Foundation.

The successful realization of the Julius Baer Beach Polo Cup Dubai 2013 could not have been possible without the support and involvement of its sponsors for the four competing teams, Julius Baer Group, Aston Martin, Le Clos and Maradiva, as well as all the event partners involved.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Line-up of teams revealed for the glamorous Julius Baer Beach Polo Cup

The ‘Sport of Kings’ makes a grand come-back to the sands of Mina A’ Salam in Dubai, with the Julius Baer Beach Polo Cup Dubai 2013, seeing international players from the UAE, Argentina and Switzerland, match with athleticism and horsemanship on the beaches of one of Dubai’s preeminent sea-side locations, on the 19^th and 20^th of April, 2013 in the front of the iconic Burj Al Arab.

Our International Polo players will be displaying their sportsmanship while competing for the glory of the famous, original “Beach Polo Cup”. The teams and their renowned patrons include:

- Julius Baer team: Patron Rashid Al Habtoor,(UAE) Khalaf Al Habtoor (UAE) and Argentine pro Nacho Gonzales

- Aston Martin team: Patron Saeed Bin Drai, (UAE) Mohammed bin Drai (UAE) and Argentine pro Nico Petracci

- Le Clos team: Patron Piero Dillier, (SWISS) Dr. Thomas M. Rinderknecht (SWISS) and Argentine pro Lucas Labat

- Maradiva team: Patron Mohammed Al Habtoor, (UAE) Habtoor Al Habtoor and Argentine pro JJ Storni

Having grown phenomenally since being founded in 2004 by mamemo productions, the “Beach Polo Cup” has made its way to more than 30 cities all over the world, including Miami and Chicago (USA), Ibiza (Spain), Riviera (Mexico), Rimini (Italy), Poole (England), Sylt (Germany) as well as soon to be, Tianjin (China).

Julius Baer Beach Polo Cup Dubai 2013 will welcome Polo fans with the total set-up equipment weighing over 1,760 tones, including 3900m2 of structural deck, 4000m2 of carpeting, 400 running meters of temporary walling and 2000m2 of high quality decoration. The event will also be covered by 12 camera crews providing both regional and international coverage.

The successful realization of Julius Baer Beach Polo Cup Dubai 2013 could not have been possible without the support and involvement of its sponsors for the four competing teams, Julius Baer Group, Aston Martin, Le Clos and Maradiva, and all the event partners involved.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Enjoy Brunch at Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Ghantoot wins the Gold Cup!

Conquered Habtoor Polo by 14 goals to 6 to win the most important trophy of the season

Ghantoot defeated Habtoor Polo in the final by 14 goals to 6 and won the Gold Cup, Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series 2013.

Facunda Sola

The team made by Ali Al Merri, Juan Zubiaurre, Facundo Sola and Pelayo Berazadi played a superb match from beginning to end and took a deserved victory.

After two tied chukkers, Facundo Sola, the MVP of the tournament, led Ghantoot in the second half of the game to a comfortable win.

Sola scored 9 goals for his team and also was the top scorer of the tournament.

Habtoor Polo tried hard, with patron Mohammed Al Habtoor and captain Guillermo Cuitino playing a good game, but couldn´t stop the excellent performance by Ghantoot.

Pelayo Berazadi´s “El Pibe” was the best playing pony of the final.

Bin Drai Polo Team won the Subsidiary Final after defeating Abu Dhabi by 10 goals to 7.

Pictures credited to Gonzalo Etcheverry/DubaiPoloGoldCupSeries

Ghantoot Crowned Gold Cup Champions After Defeat Of Habtoor

Young Abu Dhabi Side Down Defending Champions 14-6

Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club took home their biggest scalp of the season this afternoon (Friday), when they wrestled the Dubai Polo Gold Cup away from defending champions and hosts, Habtoor Polo in a 14-6 victory at Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club.

The Dubai Polo Gold Cup is considered one of the sport’s biggest titles in the region and is the concluding tournament in a series that also includes the Dubai Silver Cup.

Habtoor, the defending champions and 2013 Dubai Silver Cup holders, began the match as justifiable favourites, having defeated the Royal Abu Dhabi club 8-7 in golden goal extra time in the preliminaries. Yet Ghantoot did hold form over the home side prior to this match after orchestrating a 9-7 victory over Habtoor in a charity match at Ghantoot last month.

Ghantoot made their way into this final following their 10-5 semi-final win over today’s subsidiary final winners, Bin Drai Polo, but did weather two scares after suffering another defeat, also by golden goal, at the hands of capital city rivals, Abu Dhabi Polo, before the knock-out stages.

Ghantoot finished the first chukker with a single goal lead for a 2-1 scoreline. By the end of the second period, Ghantoot had doubled their goal tally, to lead 4-2 over Habtoor.

The third period proved rich pickings for a dominant Ghantoot, with the side's top goalscorer, Facundo Sola, Pelayo Berazadi and Juan Zubiaurre all getting onto the scoreboard, which read 9-3 by the time the claxon went.

Habtoor, never a team to underestimate no matter the scoreline, executed a revival in the fourth period of this five-chukker final, with Ezequiel Martinez scoring twice to bring his side’s haul to five.

But the visitors could taste victory and a flurry of fast-paced play late in the period saw three more Ghantoot goals. Then an angled strike from Emirati player, Ali Al Merri seconds before the end of the chukker brought the score to 13-5 in favour of Ghantoot and left Habtoor facing an uphill battle to save the championship in the fifth and final period.

It wasn’t to be Habtoor’s day. Sola notched again in the fifth period and the best the hosts could muster at that late stage was a consolation goal from Guillermo Cuitino to see out the game 14-6 to Ghantoot.

The Ghantoot players, who play under the patronage of HH Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan embraced on the field following the conclusion of the match and Al Merri was lifted high on the shoulders of Ghantoot’s jubilant travelling fans.

“It’s a great feeling to have won this tournament,” he said later. “It has been a principle focus of ours since the start of the season and to achieve such an important goal is incredibly gratifying as a team.

“We did not have the smoothest progression throughout this tournament, but we survived to the final and the produced our best polo on the day and that’s really what matters. Habtoor are a very tough team and, as you can see from all our past meetings, the results are always very close when we play each other.”

HE Saeed Bin Houfan Al Mansouri, Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club Vice Chairman said the club was now focusing on Ghantoot's biggest tournament of the season, the HH President’s Cup, which starts on March 24. The finals will be held on April 5.

“Congratulations to the players and staff at Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club,” he said. “This victory has come as the result of a lot of hard work and it’s pleasing to see that this has earned us real rewards. Now we focus on hosting the H.H. President of UAE Polo Cup 2013 where no doubt we will be treated to more fast-paced and exciting polo.”