Campo to Coast

By Lisa Duncan

For Santiago “Santi” Von Wernich and Teo Von Wernich, Sunday’s match in the ongoing USPA Intra-Circuit Cup at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club was more than another polo game in our Eden by the Beach. It was a family milestone decades in the making.

Sunday marked the first time cousins Santiago “Santi” Von Wernich and Teo Von Wernich had ever lined up as teammates on American soil, despite years of playing together in their native Argentina. Their team, Carbenella, emerged victorious behind the strong play of Segundo Saravi, the Von Wernich duo, and Ben Soleimani.

Fresh off the victory, Santi was quick to redirect the spotlight.

“The important one is Teo!” he laughed in his unmistakable Argentine accent. “I’m old! He is the star!”

The younger Teo saw things differently.

“Never have we played on the same team in the States!” he said with a grin. “It was fantastic.”

The Von Wernich family’s roots run deep on a multigenerational farm west of Buenos Aires, where horses are a way of life. They learned to ride before they could walk, guided by fathers, uncles, and generations of horsemen, including a relative who achieved polo’s exceedingly rare 10-goal rating. Yet while Sunday polo in Montecito often comes with champagne and luxury, the Von Wernichs remain devoted to the traditions of the Argentine campo, happiest in the barns with their horses, grooms, and a shared maté after the final chukker. As Gaston Von Wernich, who helped establish the family’s California polo presence, has often said, the ultimate dream of a Von Wernich isn’t just a victory, but the chance to play alongside the next generation.

The opposing team, Mrs. Momma Bear, put up a spirited fight, led by real heroics from Santi Torres, with a smashing two goals straight out of the gate in the first chukker, while the afternoon delivered its share of polo drama, including a toppled goalpost courtesy of Mike Azzaro and a pony-collision mishap involving Lee Evans Lee. Supporting the day’s action were Bentley & Land Rover Santa Barbara, sponsors of Sunday’s match and the next two Sundays on the polo calendar.

For the Von Wernichs, Sunday’s victory was about far more than the final score. It was about sharing a field, a memory, and a family name.

From the Argentine campo to the California coast – not a bad day’s work, really. 

Sightings

Jennifer Aniston making headlines on the red carpet with Reese Witherspoon and looking chic in a sleek dark green Victoria Beckham dress… Cameron Diaz in NYC amid buzz about the new Charlie’s Angels film in early development… Oprah Winfrey tapped to narrate the campus audio tour along with Tom Hanks, for the new Obama Presidential Center… Ellen DeGeneres winning approval to build horse stables at her Cotswolds estate.

From Richard and friends to all of you… Pip! Pip!