Player of the Year

Mariano Aguerre

Sometimes you just have one heck of a year. Well, for 10-goal Mariano Aguerre 2005 was certainly a year to remember. Though he has played for one of the biggest polo organizations in the world since 1986, White Birch, the team had won nearly every tournament possible except for the 26-goal U.S. Open. Aguerre and his teammates were certainly hungry for the title, which had eluded them for so long. Little did he know what lay ahead for him.
Things were looking good for the team when they entered the start of the 26-goal season. They ended up with the title of the first event, the Hall of Fame Cup and followed with a win in the C.V. Whitney Cup. It was uncertain if the team would be able to keep the momentum for the grand finale event, the U.S. Open Championship, but with Aguerre captaining the team they captured that title too.

Those wins would have satisfied any player, but Aguerre wasn’t quite finished. He took the Hampton-Butler Cup, the Greenwich League, the East Coast Open and the Mercedes Cup, all played at the 20-goal level. He also won the 26-goal Graff and Greenwich Cups last summer. But remarkably his wins didn’t end there. He capped off the year by winning the coveted Argentine Open.
Now 36 years old, the Argentine Aguerre has been riding since he was 3 years old and started swinging his first foot mallet at age 4 with the encouragement of his father, Martin, and brother, Martin Jr. Remarkably, he played in his first polo tournament when he was 6. He hasn’t stopped since. He came to the United States as a 0-goaler and a little more than a dozen years later, in 1990, he reached 10-goal status.

Corporate Sponsor of the Year

Stanford Group

The sport of polo has been fortunate to have a friend in Texas-based Stanford Group. Stanford Group, a money management firm that is a member of the Stanford Financial Group of companies, has been sponsoring polo for nearly a dozen years. Each year, its commitment to the sport has grown.

Stanford Group was the recipient of the 2003 Corporate Sponsor of the Year, and its commitment to polo has only increased since then. The company signed up for a multi-year title sponsorship for the 26-goal U.S. Open championship and continues to sponsor the 20-goal Silver Cup and the 20- goal Texas Open. Stanford Group Co. Executive Director Jay Comeaux took up the sport about five years ago and sponsors a team in the 8-goal Pro-Am series in Houston. The company also sponsors numerous fund-raisers at the Houston Polo Club, such as the International Paella Festival, the annual Father’s Day Tournament and the Brinker Cup. Internationally, the company sponsors Prince Charles’ Charity Polo Day in aid of the British Forces Foundation in England.
Comeaux says: “Polo is a global sport and we are a global firm. I am deeply impressed by the degree with which the pros and players devote to being excellent at the game, and I would like to think our firm feels the same way about the way we approach wealth management—helping our clients realize their goals. So, polo is a perfect partnership for us. …”

Young Player of the Year

Facundo Pieres

At just 19 years old Facundo Pieres is counted as one of the best players in the world today. Currently rated 9 goals in the U.S., he carries a 10- goal rating in Argentina, the most competitive polo arena in the world. For those 22 years old and younger, his talent is unmatched. In 2005, he played with his older brother Gonzalo Pieres Jr. on Neil Hirsch’s Black Watch team with friend Nacho Figueras. The team played for the first time in Wellington’s 26-goal season and before long earned a spot in the final of the C.V.

Whitney with a remarkable 4-1 record. Though they lost in an incredible overtime match against powerhouse White Birch, Facundo scored 31 goals throughout the tournament, tying with Lucas Criado for the most goals scored in the event.

Facundo headed back home to Argentina to compete in the fall high-goal season where he, his brother and cousins won both the Tortugas and Hurlingham Opens. Their bid for the Triple Crown was taken away by a single goal, when La Dolfina won the Argentine Open match against Pieres’ Ellerstina team in an amazing overtime final. Facundo continues to impress and will likely be counting many important victories in the near future.

Horse of the Year

Califa

This 10-year-old handsome bay gelding is played by Mariano Aguerre and owned by White Birch Polo. Califa first started getting noticed during the 2004 season when White Birch made their way to the final of the U.S. Open. He carried the 10- goal Aguerre in two chukkers during that intense final match and earned himself the Willis L. Hartman Best Playing Pony Award. Aguerre counted on him again for the 2005 high-goal season. Califa didn’t disappoint and Aguerre partnered with him in numerous crucial games as the team took all three 26-goal tournament victories last season.
Aguerre says the best thing about Califa is he gives you whatever you ask of him. “Califa is handy when he needs to be, fast when he needs to be, gives me time when I need it and quick—whatever you need.”
Aguerre knows he can play Califa two chukkers if necessary, but he often saves him for the crucial fifth or sixth chukker. Despite his power, Aguerre admits he can be lazy when he’s not playing. “He is very quiet, very lazy. He is one of a kind. He is very quiet to ride, but because he is lazy it takes longer to get him fit.” Once he gets fit, almost anyone can ride him, but until then, watch out! “When you first start exercising him, he can buck you off. You can be stick and balling for 15 minutes and he will buck you off. Once he is fit, a kid could ride him.”

Califa was bred by Aguerre’s father-inlaw, former 10-goal great Gonzalo Pieres. He is out of one of the more famous Argentine polo mares, Luna. Aguerre bought Califa when he was 5 and he has become one of the best horses in his string. “He proved to have unbelievable stamina. He is very powerful and brings the best out in me,” says Aguerre.

S.K. Johnston, III

S.K. “Skeeter” Johnston III tried a new combination to comprise his Skeeterville team in his bid for the three tournaments that make up the 26-goal season in Florida. He, along with longtime teammate Owen Rinehart, enlisted the help of Julio Arellano and Lucas Monteverde. The formula worked and the team won every match it played up until the final of the first event, the 26-goal Hall of Fame Cup, when they lost by just a goal. They won their preliminary games in the next tournament before being eliminated, then headed in to the Open games.

Remarkably, they went 4-0 before advancing in the quarterfinal, then the semifinal to earn a place in the final match. They played a tremendous game before losing in overtime. With the number of strong teams, no team can count that much success without all four players contributing greatly. Skeeter, playing the No. 1 position, had a fantastic season. He played a strong, steady offense while counting numerous wins in one of the most competitive fields ever.

Camilo Bautista

Camilo Bautista’s Las Monjitas team had some success in 2005, but more important Bautista’s greatest success was as an individual player. Win or lose, Bautista’s love for the game is evident, and he exhibits tremendous sportsmanship on and off the field. He is a solid player who continues to improve each year. Playing with and against the best players in the world, he isn’t afraid to execute a needed play, and his teammates know they can count on him. Further, he takes a real interest in the sport off the field.

Bautista hails from Colombia, South America. He has been playing the sport for several years, joining the high-goal competition in South Florida four years ago. In his bright orange and blue jerseys, he has teamed up with the Novillo Astrada brothers. His positive attitude is an example for others in the sport.