Veuve Clicquot Champagne christened Liberty State Park on Saturday, June 2 with its first-ever polo match. Co-hosts Clive Owen, Nacho Figueras and his wife Delfina Blaquier and Veuve Clicquot U.S. president Vanessa Kay welcomed over 6,000 guests to the fifth annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on more than 15 acres of gorgeous green land with stunning views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty National Monument is a symbol of freedom and includes Ellis Island, the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It is only fitting that a sport like polo, which includes a melting pot of players from around the world, found its way to such a unique and historical site.

One of summer's most highly-anticipated sporting and social events, the 2012 Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic showcased polo in the New York City area, a tradition that Veuve Clicquot brought back to Governors Island in 2008, the first time polo was played there in more than 70 years. The current construction taking place on the Governors Island playing field required Veuve Clicquot to find a new location—the brand was committed to finding a space accessible to city dwellers to host the event, which has become a staple of the summer season. After carefully surveying 27 locations in the Greater New York area, including parks, beaches, fields and islands, Veuve Clicquot was pleased to call Liberty State Park its new home and a donation was made to Friends of Liberty State Park in appreciation for the park welcoming the event.

It was important to us to find a new location that was still really accessible to New Yorkers and the fans who have helped us build this event over the past four years," said Figueras. Liberty State Park is just a 10- minute ferry ride from Manhattan, and offers spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The sold-out event served as a benefit for the non-profit Work To Ride program, which offers polo and equestrian activities to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's at-risk youth as an alternative to drugs and crime.

Figueras once again not only co-hosted the event but played in it as well. He has helped to draw a large audience, including many celebrities, over the past several years. This year's special guests included master of ceremonies actor Clive Owen and actors Leslie Bibb, Zoe Saldana, Amanda Righetti, Olivia Palermo, Tiffani Theissen and Minka Kelly; designers Wes Gordon and Jason Wu; models Hillary Rhoda, Jessica Perez, Coco Rocha and Johannes Huebl; stylist Rachel Zoe; and author Stephane Gerschel.

Spectators traditionally come out in their finest fashions to see and be seen. Figueras said, "The Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic is the revival of the past glamour of polo events, but this event modernizes the sport and makes it relevant for today's audience. To me, this event catapults the sport to an entirely different level."

Joining Figueras was Kareem Rosser, who led Work to Ride to its first National Interscholastic Championship in 2011 and later was named Interscholastic Player of the Year. He was named a member of Team USPA this year. Kris Kampsen and Bash Kazi filled out the Black Watch team. They took on Nespresso's Chester Lott, Nick Manifold, Ignacio Taverna and Alan Adler. Rosser scored a clutch goal, and assisted Most Valuable Player Nacho Figueras in his seven goals. Figueras said, "Kareem has a lot of potential. He played great and scored an amazing goal after hitting the ball in the air twice." After four fast-paced chukkers, Black Watch beat Nespresso 9-7.

Highlights of the event included Rachel Zoe throwing out the ceremonial ball to start the game, a performance by New Orleans-style jazz vocalist Ingrid Lucia, the national anthem sung by Broadway star and Sex in the City alum Sean Palmer, moving remarks from Rosser, and the traditional champagne divot stomp where Leslie Bibb, Coco Rocha and Padma Lakshmi got on the field and strutted their stuff. The VIP tent boasted an urban garden theme, which was inspired by the lush setting of Liberty State Park. The ambience included touches such as living dynamic walls with plants and florals, a dramatic grass table, a bird "mansion" filled with Clicquot-yellow canaries, a driftwood chandelier, a dramatic plant dome, a staghead plant wall treatment and much more.

Thousands of bottles of Veuve Clicquot Champagne were consumed, and in keeping with the garden theme, fresh farm-to-table bites (all locally sourced from New York and New Jersey) were prepared by Silkstone, New York's most creative culinary experts, Ben Towill and Phil Winser, hailing from the highly buzzed dining destinations, The Fat Radish in New York City and Ruschmeyer's in Montauk. In addition, guests in the VIP tent were treated to a royal tradition—Eton Mess—a classic British dessert with berries and meringue, created at Eton College, the alma mater of Princes William and Harry. A farm stand filled with fresh seasonal vegetables was positioned in the VIP tent for guests to graze, which turned into a fresh strawberry stand after lunch was served. In addition, cheese and sausage sandwiches were handed out at the end of the day, when delicious snacks were much appreciated by guests.

General spectators were offered luxury picnic baskets for two including gourmet sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit and pie. Veuve Clicquot champagne was also available for purchase throughout the event, along with picnic blankets, umbrellas, shirts and other items all offered in Veuve Clicquot's signature yellow.

Children were not permitted to attend, although some of the celebrities were allowed to bring their kids, aggravating spectators that were turned away at the ferry with kids in tow. According to Figueras New Jersey law precludes children from being in a place where alcohol is served. He explained, "I don't need to be reminded that polo is a family event. Families are everything to me ... We searched 30 other parks to make it kid friendly, but couldn't get permits anywhere else." Park policy also capped drinks to five per person.

In addition to being a team sponsor, Nespresso also delighted VIP guests with over 800 cappuccinos and lattes (700 of them iced, keeping guests cool) throughout the day, all served from a custom coffee bar that was created especially for the event. Nespresso has a long association with polo, sponsoring some of the most prestigious tournaments worldwide, including St. Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow in Switzerland, the Argentine Polo Open Championship, and recently the Nespresso 108th USPA U.S. Open Polo Championship at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida.

Synonymous with flutes of champagne and top-notch fashion, guests of the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic sported classic polo style—dresses and hats for women and summer suits for gentlemen. To shade the ladies from the daytime sun, Veuve Clicquot provided new custom, limited-edition Veuve Clicquot-yellow parasols, created in collaboration with celebrated parasol maker, Penelope Parasols, the perfect accessory for watching polo and shipping champagne.

Figueras said, "The event was fantastic for polo."