The highlight, of course, was the polo. For all intents and purposes it was a 40-goal matchup. Only two of the eight players don’t currently hold a 10-goal handicap, Memo Gracida and Eduardo Heguy, but both still have 10-goal talents. Gracida was lowered to 9 goals for 2004, while Heguy was lowered to 9 goals for 2005. Shortly after Heguy was lowered in the United States, he went on to win his fourth Argentine Open tournament over the best players in the world. And don’t count out Gracida. He can make some of the other top players look like kindergartners!
There have been a few 40-goal matches over the past several years, but what was different about these matches was instead of being exhibitions, the players were hired and the matches were played for large awards. Russell said: “This was the first 40- goal match that wasn’t set up as an exhibition. With $350,000 in cash and prizes, the players put forth their best effort. To achieve it, they had to bring their own horses. In fact, most of the players kept their U.S. Open string up.”
Russell has been promoting polo for many years, particularly on the West Coast. He came up with the first Skins Polo match, which is played at the Eldorado Polo Club in Indio, California, as a benefit for the Barbara Sinatra Children’s charity, and organized the Polo America Expo and seminars in Las Vegas.
“Each year for the last 15 years, I have tried to do at least one event that would raise the bar for polo. In the past I have created the Skins Polo Game, the Legend’s Cup, Polo America Expo, Colorful World of Polo, etc.,” said Russell. “The idea I had been playing with for a while was to do an event that would feature the best players in the world for the richest purse in polo history and combine it with the Polo America Expo. With the support of Ford Trucks, Jaguar, Land Rover, USB and our other sponsors I was able to accomplish this. For the attendees, they would be able to see the best polo had to offer both on and off the field since the 10-goal players were not only playing, but conducting the seminars as well.”
Such a grand event is not without its
difficulties. “There were only a few parts, but this event was like a giant puzzle,” Russell said. “Each piece had its own degree of difficulty. Marketing polo is not for the faint of heart. Imagine lining up $750,000 in sponsorship fees, hiring eight 10-goal legends, producing two one-hour polo games for television, bringing in an entire film crew from Argentina, renting a facility, securing 50 exhibitors for the Polo Village, contracting ESPN to televise the shows, create advertising pieces, coordinate a $100,000 advertising budget, publish an event magazine, choreograph a trophy presentation with music and confetti cannons, hire a caterer, rent tents, install bleachers, produce and introduce music into a polo game and coordinate a staff of 100-plus people, etc. This is a portion of what it took to produce the Ford Trucks FIP Global Cup.”
The event evolved from its original format of four teams consisting of nine 10-goal players playing with eight patrons in three countries over a fourweek period. Originally scheduled for April and May 2004, the first games were to be played in Buenos Aires, Argentina, then Sotogrande, Spain and finally Indio, California. The event had to be postponed to 2005 when some of the professionals who had originally committed backed out. While years ago, there were down times in the professional polo calendar, today professional polo is played virtually yearround.
When it was rescheduled in May 2005, it was condensed to two teams of only professionals competing over one weekend. Russell explained: “The time frame was critical to the success of securing the players. There is such a small window of opportunity to get them all together where they don’t have commitments elsewhere in the world. Getting everyone to sign their contracts took a little bit of doing. I had to travel to Argentina to get two signatures! … For the sport it was better to showcase the best players in the world, especially since I am going to have both games televised on ESPN 2.”

Despite the changes in the event, the title sponsor, Ford Trucks, continued to support it, knowing it was special. Russell said, “It took 15 years of marketing polo to build the trust of the sponsors to create an event of this size.” Ford also offered admission to tailgating parties and stadium seats to Ford truck owners at the event.
The weekend got underway on Friday, May 6, with the opening of the polo village, a cluster of impressive tents lining the entire length of the field. About 50 vendors set up booths consisting of everything from clothing to polo equipment to tractors. Familiar names such as La Martina, Tackeria, VR Tack, PTF and FIP and others such as the new American Polo Horse Association, John Deere, and Jaeger Le Coultre had booths.
Three of the players gave seminars on Friday. First Carlos Gracida spoke about riding. He enlisted the help of player and trainer Vicki Armour to demonstrate his points while she rode a young horse. Adam Snow followed with a seminar on purchasing a horse, and Eduardo Heguy conducted a seminar on hitting penalty shots. The first match, the $100,000 skins game, was played that evening. Memo Gracida said the match was the closest thing to the Cup of the Americas since it pitted South America against North America. The Ford Trucks North American team consisted of Mike Azzaro at No. 1, Adam Snow at No. 2, Memo Gracida at No. 3 and Carlos Gracida at Back, the position he played during last year’s Argentine Open. The UBS South American team had Pepe Heguy playing No. 1, Nachi Heguy at No. 2, Mariano Aguerre at No. 3 and Eduardo Heguy at Back. Interestingly enough, the South American team was largely the same team that won the last Argentine Open. The difference was that Aguerre, who is 10 in America and 9 in Argentina, played instead of the 9-goal Milo Fernando Araujo.
There is no doubt the players took it seriously and played hard. The umpires awarded two technical fouls during the match as the players’ adrenaline got going. Russell choreographed music to the match so after each goal songs like, Another One Bites the Dust or I Feel Good played after every goal. Each of the six chukkers were played as a separate game, with $15,000 going to the winner. The last chukker was worth $25,000, and if the chukker was tied the money would roll over into the next. In the end, the South American team walked away with $55,000, while North America settled for $45,000. Mariano Aguerre’s horse won best playing pony, which netted not only the horse a BPP blanket, but jackets, sponsored by Sunny Hale’s American Polo Horse Association, to Aguerre and his groom. Dinner parties were held after the match on both sides of the field. The FIP was also a winner, as it was a beneficiary of the match.
Saturday was quieter, with no polo planned, but the polo village was open and seminars, including game strategy by Mariano Aguerre, playing your position by Nachi Heguy and creating plays by Pepe Heguy, were offered. Russell said: “I was impressed with the insight that each player was able to deliver. Not one player took their seminar lightly, they each came prepared and put a lot of thought into their talk. On the lighter side, I found it very funny that a few players who are fearless on the polo field were scared to death to speak in front of a crowd.”
The action picked up on Sunday with, again, the polo village and seminars on choosing a player by Memo Gracida and hitting by Mike Azzaro. Then, prior to the game, 160 horses lined up for one of the biggest if not the biggest polo pony parades ever sponsored. It was organized by Sunny Hale. The parade was led by the players, all mounted on horseback. The players donned their jerseys while the rest of the parade participants, men, women and children, wore matching APHA tee shirts. It was quite a sight to see, and those who rode in it were excited to be part of such an amazing event. The game also served as a benefit for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.
Friday’s teams switched Backs for the Sunday match so Eduardo Heguy played with Azzaro, Snow and Memo Gracida, while Carlos Gracida played with Pepe and Nachi Heguy and Aguerre. It was another incredible match, played at top speed. Again, the music kept it lively. This time each member of the winning team walked away with keys to his own 2005 F-350 Ford Super Duty truck. The Ford Trucks team of Azzaro, Snow, Memo Gracida and Eduardo Heguy were the lucky winners. After the match, the trucks were pulled onto the field as the players took their places on the trophy stand while confetti cannons blasted red, white and blue confetti into the crowded stadium. The runners-up didn’t go home emptyhanded. They received one-year leases on either a Land Rover or Jaguar.
Thinking back on the weekend, Russell said it was magical. “For 18 months I had to overcome some incredible obstacles to make this a reality. And to see everything come together was phenomenal. As proud as I was of the event, I was never more proud of my staff and the Royal Palm Polo Club. They all performed like true champions. Without their extra effort, the event would not have achieved greatness.”
After that final game, crowds lingered on the field, lining up for autographs, checking out the players’ new wheels and reliving the match while enjoying cocktails. Then, as the sun was beginning to set, several hot air balloons began to rise from the field. Again, parties were set up on both sides of the field.
In choosing the best part, Russell said: “I don’t know where to begin, there are so many. The polo village was the most elaborate setup anyone has ever seen in the United States. The American Polo Horse Association opening parade with 160 horses … When both sides of the field were lined with horses facing in for the national anthem, it was a sight people won’t forget. The game itself was one of the best ever played in North America. The players and horses came to play. Impossible shots were made, unbelievable saves, telepathic passing, horse races and an up-and-down score. It was a game out of a movie script. Introducing music into the game worked to elevate the excitement. The fans were standing and dancing in the aisles, there was electricity in the air. The trophy presentation was nothing short of spectacular as the music and confetti cannons exploded above and below the stadium. The players’ response to receiving the keys to their new Ford Trucks, Jaguars and Land Rovers was priceless. The enthusiastic crowd was something I will always remember. Players were mobbed for 30 minutes. Fans were having them sign shirts, hats programs, balls, anything they could find. Even the players were signing each other’s shirt and hat.”
The crowd was largely from the South Florida area. Though there was a large following of California folks, who have seen firsthand what Russell can do, it was unfortunate more people in the polo community didn’t make the trip from other parts of the country to see the amazing event. It was first class from start to finish. The timing for a weekend event, it seems, is either good for the players or good for the spectators. The early May date is just about the only time the majority of players are not committed to other events. Unfortunately, it follows just two weeks after the U.S. Open and the USPA spring committee meetings, also in Florida. For many, it is difficult to make a return trip so soon. For those who were unable to attend, you’ll have your chance when both games are aired on ESPN 2, July 25 from 12 to 2 p.m.