Polo's Newest Tiger

Meet the future of 10-goaldom, a 16-year-old Argentine who jumped from 3 to 6 goals in one day

By Gwen Rizzo

Think of how it would feel to be invited to play on a team with some of today's biggest stars. What if Michael Jordan called you up and asked you to play on his team. Or Tiger Woods picked you for his golf partner. Though polo is not like any other sport and many amateurs get opportunities to play with the top professionals in polo, it is usually because they are paying the bills. Imagine if they even offered you some money to play with them.

Fifteen-year-old Guillermo "Sapo" Caset can tell you just how it feels. "I learned a lot playing with Memo [Gracida], and it is very good to play with those kinds of players." Less than two years ago, the son of 7-goaler Guillermo Caset was making his way in the junior polo program in South Florida. He was in the advanced division, playing with a dozen or so other kids of high-goal polo professionals in town for the season. But there was something about this young player that made him stand out more than the others.
"He has great potential," Gracida said. "Of all the young players at the moment, he is the one with the most potential and he definitely has the ability to be 10 goals. There is no doubt in my mind he will be 10 goals, it is just a matter of time."

His story begins like many other Argentine children growing up in a polo family: They start with a polo mallet in their hand, riding horses even before they walk. But Sapo has shown he is not just another up-and-coming player. When you talk to him, he speaks like someone who is older than his 16 years. He is soft-spoken and polite. Though he travels the globe playing polo, he doesn't yet have a driver's license. His small, athletic frame is accented with tanned skin and topped off with golden brown locks that flow from beneath his polo helmet. He rides and plays like a seasoned pro.

He first started playing tournaments in Argentina when he was 13 years old. In 2000, after another season in the junior polo program, he played with his father in the 12 goal in Santa Barbara, California, and really started showing remarkable talent. At the time, he held a 1-goal handicap. His handicap was raised to 3 at the end of the year. That next season, 10-goaler Memo Gracida invited him to play on the 22-goal C-Spear team at Palm Beach Polo in Wellington, Florida. The two developed a rapport, and Gracida liked what he saw in the young player. "I knew he was a very talented player, exactly what I needed: a high scorer, good pulling the team, a good offensive player. We complement each other very well," Gracida said. Sapo also competed in some lower-goal tournaments, including an 8-goal where he sometimes scored eight goals a game.

That summer Sapo returned to Santa Barbara to compete in two 12-goal tournaments with his father, which he won. Then, Gracida asked him to play in the 20-goal Pacific Coast Open. By the time the team got to the final, according to Gracida, Sapo had evolved into an even better player. "The difference between our team from the beginning through to the last game was the fact that Sapo became more of a playmaker instead of just running with the ball and trying to score on his own ... [he was] being more of an individual player. We tried to work it so he would make plays. He has tremendous ball control. He got hold of the ball and released it to me many times. He created versatility in our team."

Gracida wasn't the only one to think Sapo played well. He was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the final. "He was very tough for anybody to mark because he was not like a traditional No. 1," Gracida said. "He was getting in the middle of the game and setting plays, making plays and making passes. Not only can he dribble the ball, he can hit the long ball, so that made a big difference in our team."

After his performances the USPA handicap committee decided to raise his handicap from 3 to 6 goals. Remarkably, his handicap jumped from 1 to 6 goals in just 14 months. Though his family was extremely proud of him, the accomplishment was bittersweet. His father explains: "On one side we are all very proud of him, but on the other side it is quite difficult. If you play on a 22-goal team, many times you are going to be the second guy on the rating and that gives you big responsibilities on the team. It doesn't matter how good you can be with a stick ... you need to be mature to carry the responsibility. [Being raised so quickly] you run out of opportunities. ... I think the handicap committee should keep the young players close to the field instead of putting them on the side."

Gracida said: "They rushed him a little bit [by] putting him up to 6 goals, but nothing is going to stop this kid."

USPA Handicap Committee Chairman Robert "Robin" Uihlein III said the handicap committee's position is to handicap players based on their abilities, horses and other considerations, but age is not one of the factors considered. Whether age should be taken into account is a matter of debate. Some players have said we have to "take care" of our young players. If a player is talented enough to play in high goal polo, and is playing above his handicap level then why shouldn't his handicap be raised? A player who has to compete against a grossly underrated player, even if he is in his teens, is going to be the least likely advocate of keeping young players' handicaps down until they mature.

"I think they should give a little more time with the ages, until they are 17 or 18 years old," Caset Sr. said. "It is like having a driver's license. He cannot be the second man on the team because he needs one more year. He is not allowed to drive yet, so, when he will be allowed to drive he can have the other responsibility. Everything comes with time." Though even he admits, "If I am 7 goals, Sapo is 8." 
Another difficulty for his father has been keeping Sapo appropriately mounted. He is developing so quickly that he outgrows his horses faster than they can be replaced. Horses are a big part of the game, but a 1-goal player has different needs than a 6-goal, especially one who is now playing high-goal polo. "Right now, I am desperately looking for horses for him," Caset Sr. said.

Sapo is fortunate enough to have some very nice horses, including his favorite, Sota. "She is my best horse. She was born on our ranch." Caset Sr. brought Sota's mother from Argentina to play in England in the Queen's Cup and the Gold Cup. She played very well but had to be returned to Argentina after being injured. She was used as a broodmare and produced two or three foals, including Sota, before dying. And what makes her Sapo's favorite? "She is quick and she can run!"

Sapo's abilities have even allowed him to get paid to play. Though, his father says, it is not yet big money, it is enough to help cover expenses. Not bad when you consider polo expenses, including purchasing horses. "They give [money] to me and we buy horses, or in Argentina we have a lot of expenses [from] our breeding ranch. We break horses. Every [bit of] money is always welcome for those things because he is going to be needing horses and more horses. ... Fourteen months ago he was 1 goal, now he is 6 goals. I put one mare in the sale and people said, 'This mare is fantastic, why are you selling her?' This mare is fantastic for 14-goal polo, an incredible mare. She is not working for him anymore. Even in 14-goal polo he needs to play 6 not 1 goal. We are working so hard on that. Good horses are very expensive."

Gracida concurred: "We always need better and better horses but he is well mounted. I think his father has done a great job with his horses, his organization and his approach to the game."

Argentina's summer break coincides with the high-goal polo season in Florida. Sapo brought a friend from Argentina to stay with him this year. The two are living in a barn apartment by themselves and taking care of his string. His father told him: "You need to know everything so this is the way to learn. If you don't know how to do it, how are you going to [tell] someone else to do it. You need to know how. The 'how' is very important in anything." The how is waking up every morning, seven days a week, by 6 a.m. to feed the horses, muck out the stalls, brush, ride and bath the horses. Sapo even makes his own meals, though his father admits his mother is always bringing him food, and [checking] his clothing. It seems to be working. According to Gracida, "One thing that is very admirable is that he knows the limitations of his horses and the ability of his horses and plays them accordingly. He is very clever in that aspect."

Sapo has had chances to play with many other great players, including 10-goal Adolfo Cambiaso and 9-goalers Javier and Eduardo Novillo-Astrada. "I learned a lot playing with Memo, and it is very good to play with those kinds of players," said Sapo. His father echoes those sentiments. "It is very important for him to play because the only polo he played before was with me. He can see something different when he plays with the others. [Each player has] different tactics, different styles. You can get very important and positive things from everybody. The basics you need to collect from everybody."

Sapo is definitely beginning to develop his own style. Though he plays very well at No. 1, Gracida believes he has what it takes to be a team captain, wearing the No. 3 shirt. "In Florida, in the beginning, he was just a pure speed, running player, playing forward. It reminded me of, I don't know, one of the best No. 1s in the game. But he is going to be a No. 3. There is no doubt about it. He is a thinker. He is going to be a great No. 3 in the game."

Though most players would feel pressure playing with the big names, Sapo says it is easier than playing in junior polo. "It is easier when you are playing with a good player because he is talking to you all the time and you are learning at the same time. You have somebody that is saying do this, do this, don't do that." If he does feel a little pressured, like before a big game, he likes to listen to Argentine soft rock to sooth his nerves. The pressure is usually from within. "Right now, with my 6 goals, if someone wants to play with me, I have to play 7 goals, not 6." He is probably harder on himself than anyone.

"He analyzes the game very well," Gracida said. "After the game he can tell you whether he played well or bad, if he had a good game or a bad game. He is hard on himself and, in a way, that is a good sign of a champion. There is no doubt in my mind he will be one of the best players in the game."

Sapo is aware of how fortunate he is to have the opportunities to play and be helped by these great players. He does not miss a chance to thank them. "Memo, my Dad, Luis Echezerreta ...Tommy Lee Jones, these guys helped me a lot. I would say thanks to them for all the things they do for me." But of all the players he has seen and played with, his idol hasn't changed. "My father," he instantly replies.

"He is very mature for his age," Gracida said. "When you talk to him, he is more like a 20-year-old than a 16-year-old. One thing that impressed me about him is he is very focused and concentrated. He never loses focus in the game. From the first chukker to the last, he reads the game very well." According to his father, Sapo has been focused for a long time. "He focuses very well. We have worked on that since he was very young. When we went to play in his first tournament at 8 years old it was a kid's tournament. We just made a team and arrived to the tournament at 9 a.m. You play the first game and if you lose, you go to the consolation. He lost the first, then lost in the consolation. By 11 he was out of the tournament. We spent the rest of the day until 6 watching other players. When we went back to the ranch, he was saying, 'I didn't play good, the team was good enough, but ...' 

"Okay, that is it. We are going to start today, one year in advance to make the team for next year. Everyday we are going to go slowly to put it in sync and focus on that day. ... The day of the tournament our maid said to him, 'Are you going to come with the cup?' He said, 'I am going to bring the cup to you today!' And he did it. He learned from when he was very young to be focused on what he really wants." He also has been focused and responsible with his schoolwork. He has to be since he sometimes misses school for extended periods. When he plays polo in California during our summers, his parents bring along a teacher to keep his studies current. When he gets back to Argentina, he takes an exam to show how he is doing. His next school year begins March 20, but he is trying out for a 26-goal U.S. Open team and if he gets an invitation to play that may have to wait."

Though he has gotten to play in some great polo, including the Gold Cup in Argentina with the Novillo-Astradas, the most fun he has had was winning the Copa de Potrillos in Argentina in November 1999. It is played once a year by more than 150 kids. According to his father, "You worry the whole year to play that tournament." You start at 9 and finish at 5, playing five games. If you win all of your games you go to the final. Sapo's team won all their games, beating a team of Santiago Tanoira, Facundo Pieres, Fernando Monteverde and Magoo Laprida. Sapo played with Pablo Pieres, Joaquín Pittaluga and Rodrigo Rueda and was named Most Valuable Player.

Though his parents believe studies and going to a university are important, they are going to play it by ear. "He has three more years in high school and we will be watching what to do. At this time, if you choose to be a professional polo player ... you have to be 100 percent in polo," Caset Sr. said. Sapo's goals are to be a 10-goal player and play in the Argentine Open. His father never had the opportunity to play in the Open, but he would like to see Sapo play. "If we can put the name there on the cup, that will be the end of my career. He is going to be playing for a long time, but that day, I am going to retire!"

His close-knit family is very supportive of him. His mother, father and sisters attend every game. His younger sister Nicole plays in the junior polo program and dances. His older sister is dating 7-goaler Agustin Merlos. The family is also on the sidelines when his father plays.

Sapo has been invited to play in the 22-goal Masters tournament in Palermo in April. After that, he heads back to Santa Barbara, California. If he continues playing as he has, his 4-goal handicap in Argentina will surely catch up to his U.S. handicap soon. It is just a matter of time before it can't go up anymore.