American Jeff Hall defends Chile’s Jose Antonio Iturrate (4) during Friday’s practice game. Photos by Scott Fisher.
WELLINGTON, FL – Nov. 29, 2013 — With a majestic view of the world’s flags blowing in the brisk breeze at Grand Champions Polo Club, Chile veteran player Jose Antonio Iturrate and his teammates practiced together for the first time on Friday against the U.S. team.
With the friendly practice game behind them, the two countries will renew their rivalry in polo when they compete Saturday for the coveted USPA International Cup at 3 p.m. at Grand Champions.
It will be part of a polo double-header with the Legends of Polo game kicking off the biggest fall polo event of Wellington at 1 p.m.
Gates open at 12:30 p.m. and tickets, benefitting the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, are still available and will be on sale at the gate.
Iturrate, a former 8-goaler and one of Chile’s polo legends, will be making his final appearance as a national team member with teammates Matias Vial, Max Silva and Juan Sanchez Unzurrunzaga.
“This will be the last time I wear my country’s colors,” Iturrate said, tugging at his team jersey. “It will be an emotional game for me. I have been traveling for the last thirty years around the world and I think it is time to retire. What better time to do it than against America. I have played many years in the U.S. so I feel very at home here.”
Iturrate will be making his first U.S. appearance since 2003. It will also be the first time Iturrate will compete with his teammates.
“This is our first time we play together as a team; we know each other but we never played as a team,” Iturrate said. “This was our first practice today so we will see tomorrow. I think the American team is very strong, very well-mounted and powerful.
“This is a big game for Chile,” Iturrate said. “When you play England, America and Argentina, the strongest teams in the world, it is very important for us. I am hoping the horses go well tomorrow and we can have a level game. Everyone knows how to hit the ball so the horses will be the difference.”
It will be the final fall game at Grand Champions Polo Club after a highly-successful fall tournament season that started in September.
Eight-goaler Nic Roldan, a Cardinal Newman High School graduate from Wellington, heads Team USA. He will be joined by 7-goaler Jeff Hall, 3-goaler Carlitos Gracida and 1-goaler Marc Ganzi, ranked 49th overall in the world.
All four players have extensive international experience. Roldan and Ganzi are coming off the Westchester Cup in July which Team USA narrowly lost to Great Britain, 12-11 in overtime on British soil.
Hall, 33, one of America’s top-rated players, has competed against Chile for the U.S. losing to them by one goal in Santiago, Chile.
Chile, 2008 FIP World Champions, won the 2013 BMW International Polo Series on August 25th. In March 2012, Chile knocked off England, 11-9, in the Alfonso Rozas Ossa international match in Santiago.
It is the second time Grand Champions Polo Club will host a major international men’s game in its eight-year history.
The 20-goal men’s championship game is sanctioned by the United States Polo Association and Chile Polo Federation.
In last year’s game in front of a sellout crowd, Team USA defeated England, 8.5-6. Roldan was named Most Valuable Player.
“I have represented Chile many times,” said Matias Vial, a former shot putter in track and field and now one of Chile’s top players rated at 6 goals.
“It has been many years Chile has played in the U.S.,” Vial said. “We have a good team and three of us (Sanchez, Silva and Vial) have played together and know how each other play. We hope the game is going to be close and I hope we win.”
Juan Sanchez, a member of the Chile team that defeated the U.S., 6-5, in the 2011 FIP Polo World Cup, knows the U.S. will be tough to beat. The last time Chile played in the U.S. was two years ago in a 14-goal tournament in St. Louis which Chile won.
“For sure this is going to be competitive, it is a 20-goal game,” Sanchez said. “We are real excited to play against the U.S.
“We have a really balanced team; three of us have played together for most of the year and ‘Tono’ Iturrate has played with each member of the team so we know each other very well and we are friends which gives us a really nice chemistry,” Sanchez said.
While Argentina is king when it comes to polo, Sanchez said the sport is growing in popularity in Chile.
“It’s big at the main polo club where there are 42 teams and outside of Santiago plenty of new clubs with new players are growing,” Sanchez said. “I think the federation is doing a very good job of promoting polo and supporting the new clubs.”
Sanchez said it took time to adjust to the horses during Friday’s practice game in windy conditions. Chile is being mounted by host Grand Champions.
“For sure it is an advantage when you play in your country that you play your own horses,” Sanchez said. “The horses are very important in the game. We know from the first moment we are not using our own horses but that’s okay.”
The Legends of Polo, the first game of the double-header at 1 p.m., features some of polo’s greats including Hall of Famer and former 10-goaler Carlos Gracida in the four-chukker match.
Gracida will team with brothers Julian and Howard Hipwood, two of Britain’s top players once rated at 9-goals, and cousin Ruben Gracida on the Grand Champions (Light Blue) team. The team carries a 17-goal rating.
Hector Galindo, Joey Casey, Juan Bollini and Peter Rizzo make up the Grand Champions (Gray) legends team with a total rating of 16 goals.
Jim Sackett, former news anchor for WPTV NewsChannel 5 who retired after 33 years at Florida’s top-rated television station, will present awards to players in the Legends of Polo match.
Juan Luis Nilo, Consul General of Chile based in Miami, will present the USPA International Cup to the champions and awards to all players in the featured game.
Proceeds from the double-header will benefit The Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in Lake Worth, a non-profit educational organization.
The museum is dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the development, history and tradition of the sport of polo by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to the sport. It is the only polo museum of its kind in the world.
Grand Champions Polo Club co-owner Melissa Ganzi is a board member and vice president of the Board of Directors for the museum.
Tickets are on sale and various sponsorship packages are still available. They are:
$20 General Admission per person. Be sure to bring your own seating. Che Grill will be at field side with delicious food, snacks and drinks, and tented seating will be available to enjoy your meal. Field side parking not included.
$250 Signature Tailgate Package: Includes admission for one car and your guests can enjoy a field side view of the game. The Signature Tailgate Package includes a reserved tailgate spot with parking for one car, a 10 x 10 tent and one table with 4 chairs. Bring your own food or buy some delicious food, snacks and drinks from Che Grill, field side.
$500 Grand Champions Tailgate Package: Includes admission for one car and your guests can enjoy a field side view of the game. The Grand Champion Tailgate Package includes a reserved, preferred tailgate spot with parking for one car, a 10 x 10 tent, one table with 4 chairs, a bottle of champagne with an ice bucket with 4 glasses and 4 sport Grand Champions Polo Club hats. Bring your own food or buy some delicious food, snacks and drinks from Che Grill, field side.
VIP Pavilion Tickets: $200 Per Person: Includes one VIP admission ticket to the comfortable Grand Champions Lounge with a field side view of the game. Enjoy specialty cocktails and fabulous bites from Aaron’s Catering of the Palm Beaches, and relax to DJ music.
$1,500 VIP Corporate Sponsor: Includes one table and 8 VIP admission tickets to the comfortable Grand Champions Lounge with a field side view of the game. Enjoy specialty cocktails and fabulous bites from Aaron’s Catering of the Palm Beaches and relax to DJ music.
For Tickets: Go to www.grandchampionspoloclub.ticketleap.com or call (561) 644-5050.
For Sponsorships: Email Maureen Gross at mbg@phelpsmediagroup.com or call (561) 714-0887.
GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB
WHERE: 13444 Southfields Road, on the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, Wellington, 561-644-5050.
INFORMATION: There are great field side views for tournament action at the home base of pro teams Audi and Piaget. Everyone is welcome to watch high and medium goal polo in a relaxed atmosphere during the spring and fall tournament season and other special events including the International Cup in November, Buzz Welker Memorial Junior Tournament in March, Women’s Championship Tournament and Gay Polo League International Tournament, both in April.
Sharon Robb for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
MEDIA CONTACT:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12012 South Shore Blvd #105
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com