Autumn and Winter Polo in North and South America
With winter fast approaching and the Argentine polo season under way, the St. Regis Polo Editor caught up with St. Regis Connoisseur, Nacho Figueras on his plans for the season and especially the close of the American season at The Greenwich Polo Club.
“The US polo season this year was fantastic – and we ended it in high style on the East Coast with the inaugural St. Regis 1904 Polo Cup at Greenwich Polo Club. I have spent much of the summer in the Hamptons with my children and wife Delfi – playing polo with friends’ teams, spending down time at the beach and surfing. Really it is the first time in 20 years or so of coming to the US that I have had some time to play polo, while enjoying the area with friends and family.
My last match of the season was the 1904 Cup – right on the tail of Fashion Week, on Saturday 17th September. I was invited to play on the St. Regis team with long time patron and friend Peter M Brant. It was a great day to play polo: the Club celebrated 30 years of high goal polo, with some of the best players in the world regularly playing there, we celebrated the 135th year of polo in North America and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Coca-Cola… 2011 is quite the year to celebrate!
On a personal level I was delighted to return to Greenwich Polo Club, since many years ago at the start of what has become a fantastic career and journey for me, I played for Peter on his White Birch team – he gave me my first big break in professional polo in the US. It was great to be back…playing great horses and with some of the best players in the business. The day was spectacular for many reasons. Peter invited VIP guests to a private view and guided tour of the current exhibition being held at his Brant Foundation Art Study Centre, which opened in 2009 – and it too, had a celebration for its 3rd birthday! The exhibition was spectacular – “Josh Smith: The American Dream”, which opened in May 2011 and featured 76 works created primarily on-site for the exhibition. I was lucky enough to spend some time with Alison Brant the Foundation’s Director who discussed the exhibition in some detail – Josh apparently almost lived at the Foundation in order to produce the sheer volume of work –the drama and spectacle of the pieces was inspiring. She mentioned the next exhibition featuring works by David Altmejd, which opens in November. It is an amazing opportunity to spend time at the Foundation – which promotes the education and appreciation of the contemporary art and design by making works available to institutions and individuals for scholarly study and enjoyment. Designed by Richard Gluckman, the space itself is immense and well worth a visit to see the treasures inside. Go to www.thebrantfoundation.org or info@brantfoundation.org - visits by appointment only.
The other treat for spectators at the 1904 Cup was the awe inspiring Jazz at Lincoln Center who brought a jazz ensemble to the polo match and sang the national anthem in fine style! Jonathan Batiste, with his unique voice and dapper sense of style has pretty much since his arrival in NY ignited the NYC music scene. He was a pleasure to listen to, and with his band, played throughout the afternoon. I was delighted to meet Jonathan since he has played with my old friend Wynton Marsalis, as well as Prince and Jimmy Buffet.
Since I have already mentioned “An American Dream” – I really should mention Coca-Cola, who since it was celebrating its 125th Anniversary this year and is firmly part of all things “American” generously provided aluminium bottle of Coca-Cola beverages for spectators on the day…a well-earned pause that refreshed!
Fashion Week was a whirl-wind as ever – I hosted the Ralph Lauren party in the Prince Street store downtown in Soho for “Fashion’s Night Out”. Great night, great vibe – some beautiful clothes, after all nobody does it better than Ralph!
I had a lot of fun teaching journalists to play polo this summer – my first student was Conan O’Brien, he of multi-million US TV viewership and host of the show “Conan” on TBS in the US. My second student was Ralph Gardener of the Urban Gardener page at The Wall Street Journal. Conan O’Brien was a lot of fun. As a writer, comedian and performer Conan was keen to see both the fun and serious side of polo. He was a great sport and laughed and joked the whole way around the pitch, swinging his mallet as he went. Ralph Gardener had fun too – I think they both saw the timing, precision and strength needed to play the game – and they were both great guys who really helped viewers see what the sport is all about! Thank you Conan and Ralph! My final match of the US season was the Veuve Clicquot LA Classic mid October – at the Will Rogers grounds. The weather was amazing, great polo and a very good crowd.
As December approaches I am getting ready for snow polo in Aspen from 15 – 18 December. It is the second time that I have played polo on snow – it is a lot of fun and very much like polo on sand! The horses get used to the footing, and they wear special grips in their shoes to resist the snow and ice. It is certainly high octane and high altitude – perfect adrenaline rush! The St. Regis Aspen Resort is about finish a complete renovation by one of the most celebrated interior architects today Lauren Rottet. As St. Regis Connoisseur, I am lucky enough to stay at the world’s best addresses, and I am looking forward to the re-opening of the hotel. The library will have game tables amongst the rows of remarkable books and the pool and hot tubs are apparently even more inviting than before – perfect after a closely fought polo match, high on the mountain. The children are looking forward to the skiing (as am I) and dog sledding – a winter wonderland for sure and right before Christmas!
My final event of the year is the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic to be played in Punta Del Este in Uruguay on 28th December. I am looking forward to polo on the beach…..and even more so to welcoming in the New Year!
