My first update really should date back to the last week or so of last year: the 11th annual USPA Snow Polo Championship played in Aspen CO. I played for a good friend of mine Mr Bash Kazi and his KIG team and we won one game and sadly lostanother . While in town I was guest of honour at a SPG Platinum Member’s cocktail party at The St. Regis Aspen Resort, where we enjoyed signature cocktails and St. Regis hospitality. The resort is truly spectacular and it was easy to linger in the magnificent bar and literally sink into the sofas surrounding the huge central fireplace. My family and I skied on Aspen Mountain and loved every moment. I have already put Aspen in my calendar for just before Christmas 2012. The only other match of note that was squeezed into my 2011 calendar was played on December 27th in Uruguay: a 34 goal polo match like no other outside Argentina. Seriously high goal polo, with some of the best players in the sport added up to a spectacular game. Win or lose it was high octane down to the last moments. My team won, and we celebrated in style… just in time for the New Year celebrations back home on our farm in my home town General Rodriguez. 

 The New Year was supposed to begin in earnest with more snow polo – this time at St. Moritz, arguably the most famous snow polo arena in the world. But, sadly for the first time in 25 years, inclement weather resulted in too little snow and the famous St. Moritz lake became infamousovernight and refused to turn to the kind of ice necessary for snow polo. My wife Delfina and I had planned a trip to Europe around the polo and so we went in any case – and enjoyed Paris andGastaad for culture and skiing respectively. 

 Back in Argentina the strings of polo ponies are getting ready for the summer season in the UK and the USA, and the ponies that have been playing in Argentina will be turned out for a rest. Meanwhile polo play was hotting up in another Latin American country – Brazil. Prince Harry’sSentebale charity played its third annual matchwith title sponsor Royal Salute, this year at HarasLarrisa, just outside Sao Paulo. The SentebaleRoyal Salute Polo Cup was played betweenSentebale and the St. Regis polo team, which I captained. The fantastic 8 goal Rico Mansur played on the St. Regis team with me, together with American Bash Kazi, and Brazilian Carlos Mansu JR. The match was fast and, given the wet conditions, we were asked to play carefully for fear of the horses slipping and falling. Sentebale pipped us to the post in the final chukka and won by 3 goal. We had a truly spectacular event and the media coverage – which ultimately raises awareness for Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale - was extensive. 

 Next stop for Delfina and me was to the opening of the glamorous St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort. The opening was a spectacular event in true St. Regis style. Fellow St. Regis connoisseur Jason Wu and I were guests of honour and were joined by Diane Kruger amongst other luminaries, as well as a fun crowd from Miami and New York. From Miami we flew to London for the Gaucho International Polo event at London’s O2 indoor arena. Sadly Argentina – the team I was playing on – lost in overtime and a penalty shoot out to England. I guess this could not have happened in a better place, right in front of 7,000 spectators in an indoor arena more used to rock stars! 

 I have been back in Argentina since the middle of March working on my horses. I am particularly excited about a homebred polo pony from my stud called Yatay Davenport. He’s a grey stallion and 6 years old. I have ridden, trained and played a lot of horses in my time and he is stand out material. He just ‘gets’ the game of polo – he’s fast, brave and ingenious. He gets to the ball before I have fully processed the thought. I like his style. My breed name “Yatay” is a palindrom (Polindrom is good luck for us Argentines. Anything polyndrom is supposed to give good luck) and it is a kind “Palm Tree” in Spanish. I have over 250 horses at various stages of development and education and I am proud about their heritage. Stay tuned about where Davenport and I end up next. 

 Nacho Figueras