Tag archives: polo
“It was close! A big battle. It’s an amazing feeling to win,” said Most Valuable Player Nachi Viana after Klentner Ranch captured the Pacific Coast Open Sunday afternoon, defeating La Karina 16–9 at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. For Jake Klentner, the victory still felt unreal. “It’s just amazing. I still can’t believe […]
“It’s all about appreciation, sportsmanship, loving and caring for your horse,” said Mindy Denson, summing up the spirit of Saturday’s children’s tournament at the Polo Training Center. And there was plenty to love. Tiny tots, little riders, proud parents and patient ponies filled the field for an afternoon that felt less like high-goal polo and […]
Santa Barbara Polo’s high goal season comes to its conclusion with the final weekend of the U.S. Polo Association’s Pacific Coast Open, the most prestigious tournament of the summer and one of the oldest as it got started a few years after the turn of the last century. Just five teams are competing for the […]
“My favorite part of the game is always the beginning,” said Sy Zahedi. “You have that nervous energy, and then once the ball is thrown in, everything becomes slow motion.” That calm arrived just in time at the Pacific Coast Open, where Zahedi Chogan staged a roaring comeback to edge Mrs Momma Bear 11–10 in […]
Polo players traded ponies for putters – and mallets for mulligans – at the 8th Annual Polo Training Center Charity Golf Tournament, held Monday evening under the stars at Glen Annie Golf Club. Organized by Rhys Williams and Claudia Uretz, the afternoon brought together a wonderfully competitive assortment of polo families, Montecito families, professionals and […]
By Lisa Duncan Sunday brought championship silverware to the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, where Delta Defence captured the Whittier Trust Silver Cup following the three-week tournament, which ran from July 19 through August 9. The winning foursome of Jared Zenni, Segundo Bocchino, Costi Caset, and Ivan Weiss stepped forward to collect the trophy, […]
Time was that the very venerable Santa Barbara Polo Club fielded 20-goal teams that competed in high-goal season, meaning the total handicap (a high number is better) could not exceed a total 20-goal rating among the four players. That’s what allowed the then-consensus best player in the world Alberto Cambiaso to grace us with his […]
By Lisa Duncan “For me, it inspires kids to want to play. So it’s very important for me. That’s what this is all about tonight,” said Mindy Denson, whose passion for the Santa Barbara Polo Club’s Polo Training Center set the tone for a glamorous evening under the stars, devoted to the next generation of […]
By Lisa Duncan “He’s coming in hot!” called longtime announcer Melanja Jones as horses thundered across the field, perfectly capturing the excitement. Santa Barbara’s prestigious High Goal season was officially underway, bringing many of the world’s finest players together for faster ponies, tougher battles, and the sport’s most exhilarating competition. For polo legend Mike Azzaro, […]
By Lisa Duncan Father’s Day brought family, fierce competition, and two powerhouse patrónas to the field at the Santa Barbara Polo Club for the championship final of the 12 Goal Intra-Circuit Cup. On one side was Brazilian patróna Alecia Seidler, owner of Quite on Z. On the other was Sarah Siegel-Magness, the driving force behind […]
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 […]
By Lisa Duncan Mother’s Day at the Santa Barbara Polo Fields unfolded in glorious Riviera style this weekend, with champagne flowing, complimentary rosé tastings for mothers, children twirling, and the manicured grounds positively blooming with fashionable families gathered to celebrate the extraordinary influence mums have on the lives around them. Among the celebrity guests enjoying […]
By Lisa Duncan The Santa Barbara Polo Club launched its 115th season in glittering style this weekend with Polo in Paradise, proving once again that nowhere does sport-meets-society quite like the manicured fields of our Eden by the Sea. The mood was champagne-fueled and Riviera chic, with the ladies arriving in sweeping Kentucky Derby-worthy hats […]
Polo has long been known as the “Sport of Kings,” and while it’s true that Prince William played at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club (SBPRC) in 2011 to celebrate the 100th anniversary, and then new-Montecito resident Prince Harry played real matches at the club, you don’t have to be royalty, a mover and […]
Patrick Uretz (‘14), who won two national championships with Westmont’s club polo team in 2013-14, is leaving professional polo for a career in construction. But until he rides into the sunset, he remains a formidable opponent. Patrick contributed seven goals in USA’s triumph in the II Federation of International Polo (FIP) Arena World Championship in […]
As polo season draws to a close, the allure of Sunday Polo is still ever-present. Few gatherings so seamlessly blend Montecito and Santa Barbara society with the delight of magnificent ponies as those at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. This weekend’s match was no exception; a radiant afternoon of athletic mastery, equestrian grace, […]
Social gridlock reigned, equestrian style, when 4,000 spectators descended on the Santa Barbara Polo Club to watch the U.S. Polo Association’s Pacific Coast Open, the biggest tournament on the Left Coast, with the winners lifting a five-foot gold and silver trophy. The six chukker match was hard fought to the final chukker when La Karina, […]
Polo players turned in their mallets for golf clubs and showed non-equestrian talents at the Glen Annie course for the 7th annual Polo Training Center fundraiser. The event, which raised around $10,000, was partially sponsored by Farmers & Merchants Bank and organized by Rhys Williams. The Friedman family, led by Geoff Friedman, looking dashing in […]
They call polo the Sport of Kings, which isn’t just a cliché but a reference to its historical association with royalty and other wealthy elites. If you want to sponsor a team or play the game at any kind of reasonable level, be prepared to fork over a pretty penny, as well-bred horses and competitive […]
It was a very in-tents occasion when Santa Barbara Polo Training Center hosted its 9th annual gala dinner for 120 all-white clad guests at the Carpinteria locale – which enabled the purchase of a much needed $77,000 John Deere tractor. Each year, the 13-year-old organization makes $10,000 grants to UCSB and Westmont College polo team […]
