A team of up-and-coming players, led by veteran Matias Magrini, came away with a
victory in the season finale East Coast Open held at the Greenwich Polo Club in
Greenwich, Connecticut.
Four teams, rated from 17 to 20 goals, competed over two weeks for a
chance at raising the coveted Perry Trophy. GSA (Global Student
Accommodation) included Henry Porter from Britain and Victorino ‘Toro’ Ruiz Jorba from Argentina, both 18 years old, Argentine Santino Magrini, 15,
and his father Matias Magrini.
Temporary setback
Two years ago, after winning a 16-goal tournament, Annabelle
Gundlach sat down with her pro, Brandon Phillips, to map out their
future polo plans. Gundlach explained, “ ... I started in the sport for
fun, but really, I always love to use the Winston Churchill aspect of
the sport which is, polo is a passport to the world. With that we
played in Germany, [and] I was invited to play in Africa. I made tons
of new friends I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. So, in that vein, I
call it check-the-box polo. Where would be a really great place to
play? One of them obviously is in my backyard, Field 1 at IPC.”
IPC had just been sold to Mark Bellissimo and rumors abounded
regarding the club’s future. The club was holding 20- and 26-goal
polo, so that became Gundlach’s aim.
"It started with, OK, we don’t know what’s going to happen at
IPC. We better hurry up and let’s do this,” said Gundlach. “The first
thing we knew is I was going to have to up my string. ... The second
thing we obviously had to figure out was what’s the best stepping
stone to get there ... so we decided to play in Greenwich. [We] didn’t
have to have the winning team, but needed that kind of experience
and Greenwich was the perfect venue.”
The spring before the first 20-goal in Greenwich, Gundlach and
Phillips went to Los Machitos, Mariano Aguerre and Nick Manifold’s
breeding farm in Argentina. They focused on finding horses to be
competitive.
They prepared to play at IPC with Aguerre as team captain. After
the Greenwich season, they decided to round out the team with 6-
goal Kris Kampsen. The team played the month of November in
Argentina to get some experience, which Gundlach said was
invaluable.
The team got its chance on IPC’s Field No. 1 earlier than
expected, in the final of the Herbie Pennell Cup on New Years Day.
“We were all laughing because we were like, OK, well, can we go
home now? Are we done yet? Checked the box!” quipped Gundlach.
“It was an amazing experience. The learning curve was ridiculously
steep but it was an incredible experience.”
Gundlach says she is in a really nice position and happy with her
string now. “I’m at least at the point where I can say, if I find
something that’s better than my worse horse [or] better than my best
horse, that’s where I am.”
After a fun season, Gundlach was looking forward to another
season at Greenwich. She got there in May and it was rainy and cold.
Phillips was still in Florida so she called him to say mentally she
needed to get on a horse. She went over to the barn to ride with a
friend, who she put on a normally quiet mare that you need to kick
to make go. The horse was acting up and the one Gundlach was
riding was quiet so she offered to switch. Gundlach adjusted the
stirrups for herself but they were a bit too long and wouldn’t go up
any more. She got on anyway and on the cold, miserable day, the
horse spooked at something, and with all four feet in the air did a
180. Annabelle fell to the ground and broke her hand.
Determined to play the start of the season, Gundlach started
getting injections in her hand. But after only the second game of the
Monty Waterbury Cup, she broke four traverse processess—the bony
projections off the side of each vertebrae where spinal muscles and
ligaments attach—falling down stairs. Her doctors told her to stay off
horses for six to eight weeks.
Intent on salvaging at least part of her summer polo season, she
set her sights on getting healed up in time to compete in the East
Coast Open, set to begin nine weeks later. With plenty of physical
therapy and personal training she was back on a horse in three weeks
preparing for the tournament.
Her team finished up the Monty Waterbury with a substitute and
took the title. Next up was the Silver Cup. She had several options to
consider: pulling her team, getting a substitute or offering the team
to another patron.
Gundlach said, “I put every option on the table. I wasn’t going to
pull out because that’s not really my style and none of this was [my
teammates’] fault. We had another option of bringing in some
Argentine 2-goal player ... that’s really like a 4, and doing it that way,
and actually I offered the team to Maureen Brennan but it didn’t
work out for her ... but at the same time, I was like, maybe there’s
something better to do.”
Gundlach explained that she had met Joe Manheim, the patron of
the Work to Ride team in the Monty Waterbury and Silver Cups and
a board member of the Work to Ride program, in Argentina a year
ago. He introduced her to Lezlie Hiner and showed her a video on
the program. “I was blown away by the operation,” said Gundlach.
Gundlach decided to call Hiner to see if she had anyone from the
program that could fill in for her in the Silver Cup. Hiner
recommended Shariah Harris, who had played on her interscholastic
team, had been to Argentina and played in some faster polo on the
grass and was now attending Cornell University on a well-deserved
scholarship.
For Gundlach, she liked the idea of giving back and doing
something good better than winning at all costs. “For me it was really
important that people recognize there are other options if something
goes wrong,” explained Gundlach. “Instead of just pulling out a team or this or that, there are ways to do it that benefit everybody involved.
It’s giving back, it’s beneficial. It helps me, it helps the organization,
it helps the person. It’s a wonderful collaborative effort.”
Gundlach reached her goal to be ready to play the East Coast
Open. In the end, the team settled for winner of the consolation
match in that event. Gundlach, Phillips, Kampsen and Aguerre will
again train in Argentina this fall to get ready for the 20-goal winter
season at International Polo Club.
Opportunity knocks
Harris was on the road traveling with Team USPA from Aiken,
South Carolina to Sheridan, Wyoming when her phone rang. “I got
the call while we had just stopped at the check point in Denver,
Colorado. Another call came again within a few hours confirmed for
the tournament and I was on the next flight out of Denver back to
Philadelphia the next morning,” she explained.
She says she couldn’t believe it when she first found out she was
being invited to play, and she screamed into the phone jumping up
and down. “I’m sure people gave me weird looks but I didn’t care! I
was so happy I would get a chance to play with and against people I
admire in the sport. I was in shock,” she said.
Harris stayed in Greenwich for about two and a half weeks. “We
had dinner all the time with my teammates and also the other players
in the tournament. It was really nice to have those dinners to get to
know what [the players] were like off the field. Fortunately, I was able
to ride and exercise a good amount. I got to exercise some of Kris and
Brandon’s horses, and we had a few practices,” she explained.
Gundlach had leased horses from Matias Magrini for Harris to
play but with her interscholastic and intercollegiate experiences, she
said it wasn’t hard getting used to them. “... I always had to ride and
play new, unfamiliar horses. Adjusting to the speed was a bit difficult.
Watching how it flows in the videos is nothing compared to when
you’re actually on the field. Everything flies by so fast so you always
have to be ready for anything and think 10 steps ahead,” said Harris.
“The speed is the most fun part. You are almost never standing still
or going slow, and the horses are amazing.”
Harris says she got a lot of helpful encouragement from her
teammates. “All of my teammates were extremely helpful,
encouraging and pushed me to make plays, which I appreciated a lot.
Even some of the other players helped to direct me, especially in
practices. Everyone was very helpful,” she explained.
“I was extremely nervous, more so than I usually am when I’m
going into games. The nerves disappeared a bit after I started getting
more comfortable with my teammates though.”
As if playing in high-goal polo wasn’t enough, Harris didn’t realize
she was also making history as the first black woman to play highgoal
polo.
“Honestly, when it hit me that I would be playing in this
tournament, I didn’t give much thought to the fact that I would be
the first black woman to do so. I just knew this was a childhood
dream that was finally happening. After I started realizing that I was
making history, I was proud that I would be the one to start
something that will hopefully promote more women of color or
women to adopt the sport or at least peak their interest,” said Harris.
“I had a lot of mothers coming up to me, telling me that I was an
inspiration to their daughters and then getting a chance to meet
their daughters, who were really excited to get a picture with me. It
was all a bit overwhelming to be honest, but opened my eyes to how
people are starting to look up to me now.”
What advice would she give others pursuing something they love?
“I would tell them to keep pursuing what makes them happy. If it’s
difficult to achieve then that makes it all the more worthy of
pursuing,” says Harris. “My mom always tells me that nothing good
in life comes easy and I’d like to think that’s a saying that I’ve shaped
my life around and I would encourage others to do the same.”
Harris got started in the sport at 8 or 9 years old, almost by
accident. “My mom had gotten lost in [Philadelphia’s] Fairmount
Park and made a wrong turn, which led her to the barn of the [Work
to Ride] program. When we saw the horses, we wanted to go inside,
and my mom actually met Lezlie Hiner, the director of the program,
got applications for my brother, sister and I and we all applied. A few
months later, we were accepted into the program.”
She says what drew her to the sport was watching the older boys
in the program practice and play. “I was drawn into how physical the
game looked, and to see how much fun they were having whenever
they played. I decided that I wanted to be like them and play, so
Lezlie started teaching me.”
The program has offered Harris many great opportunities. “My
most memorable moment in the sport was when I got to travel with
two of the boys that I looked up to in the program, Kareem and
Daymar Rosser, and my older sister, She’Ree Harris, to play in the
Unicef tournament in Nigeria when I was in ninth grade. It was my
first time being out of the country, which made it very memorable.
We also won the tournament, which was the icing on the cake,”
explained Harris.
If given the opportunity to play high-goal polo again, Harris says
she would jump at the chance. She would also like to compete one
day with Adolfo Cambiaso.
Shortly after the Greenwich tournament, Harris was back to
Cornell where she is an animal science major. She is also captain of
the school’s women’s polo team so she will continue to compete in
the sport. |
The young men played together earlier this year, along with 18-year-old
Juan Martin Zubia, capturing three 12-goals: the $50,000 National 12-goal,
the Sieber Memorial and the Limited Edition 12-goal Series Handicap.
The team got off to a great start in the opening match of the East Coast
Open tournament against Audi’s Chris Brant, Nick Manifold, Mariano
Aguerre and Mariano Gonzalez. GSA began with a three-goal handicap, but
costly mistakes early in the game gave Audi three opportunities from the
penalty line, which they seized on to level the score. Ruiz knocked in a field
goal that was matched by Gonzalez to even the score at 4-4 to end the first
chukker.
The mistakes continued into the second with Audi capitalizing on three
penalties, including a Penalty 1. Porter made two successful runs to goal and Ruiz split the uprights to knot the score at
7-all at the end of the chukker.
The young guns got their act together
in the next two periods, scoring a
combined six goals while Matias Magrini
closed the back door on Audi to take a 13-
7 lead. The teams matched goals in the
fifth before Audi rallied, outscoring GSA
3-1 in the sixth, but GSA held on for the
16-12 win.
Audi rebounded in its next game,
edging Postage Stamp Farm (Annabelle
Gundlach, Brandon Phillips, Miguel
Astrada, Kris Kampsen) 12-11. It was the
first game back for Postage Stamp’s
Annabelle Gundlach, who was out for
most of the season with injuries (see
sidebar).
Audi’s Nick Manifold was injured in
the first game of the East Coast Open and
was replaced by Francisco Mera for the
rest of the tournament. Mera struck first
but Brandon Phillips responded for PSF.
Adding insult to injury, shortly after
the game got underway, Gundlach was
drilled with a ball just above the elbow.
After a moment or two to shake it off,
Gundlach was back in the game. Aguerre
and Gonzalez shot to goal, giving Audi a 3-
1 lead after the first seven minutes. Audi
doubled PSF’s score in the second and
third chukkers (6-3, 10-5). PSF fought its
way back with a pair of unanswered goals
in the fourth. Audi outscored it 2-1 in the
fifth, but PSF rallied for three
unanswered goals in the sixth. Still it fell
short and Audi had the narrow victory.
GSA’s next win was courtesy of Hublot
(Bash Kazi, Marcos Garcia del Rio, Tomas
Garcia del Rio, Tommy Biddle). GSA led
after each chukker until the fourth, when
Hublot caught up, 8-8. GSA took a 12-11
lead in the fifth and increased it to 13-11
for the win.
Hublot notched its first win with a 9-7
defeat of PSF. While Hublot led 6-2 at the
half, PSF outscored Hublot 5-3 in the
second half. Still, Hublot was able to hold
on for the win.
With the preliminary games completed
the teams faced off in the semifinals. PSF
faced GSA, while Hublot faced Audi. GSA
began with a three-goal handicap and
doubled it within the first seven minutes.
PSF got on the board in the second
chukker, but GSA matched it. GSA’s Toro
Ruiz sunk a Penalty 4 in the third and
Kris Kampsen added two goals for PSF,
ending the half 8-3 in favor of GSA. PSF
rallied in the second with six goals but
GSA added another five keeping it
comfortably ahead 13-9 at the bell.
In the other semifinal, Audi took on
Hublot, which began with a two-goal
handicap. The teams traded goals in the
first and Gonzalez added a pair of
unanswered goals in the second, tying the
score at 3-3 at the end of the second. Audi
added three more in the third, while
Hublot was silenced to end the half 6-3.
Audi increased its lead to five in the
fourth. Hublot scored its second goal in
the fifth, but Audi responded with two
more. Hublot added three goals in the
sixth but it was too little, too late. Audi
won 10-7, advancing to the final against a
tough GSA squad.
The final was a rematch of the opening
day game when Audi fell to GSA. But, this
time, it was a much different game. Audi
was better prepared and it showed. GSA
started with a three-goal handicap, but
was held to just one from the field.
Mariano Aguerre put Audi on the board
in the second, while GSA was shut down.
GSA turned the tables in the third,
shutting down Audi and scoring two more
to end the half ahead 6-1.
Audi came back in the fourth with
three in a row, including two open-goal
penalties to come within two, but a goal by
Santino Magrini put GSA ahead 7-4.
Gonzalez sunk another Penalty 2 in the
fifth, but Ruiz scored two in a row for
GSA. A determined Audi got back in the
game, scoring two quick goals. Ruiz sunk
a Penalty 3 to keep a three-goal spread.
Audi jumped right back in with two more
to come within one but time wasn’t on its
side and GSA held on for the win.
Santino Magrini was on the team that
won last year (along with this year’s
opponent Mariano Aguirre). Matias
Magrini was named MVP and Machitos
Tere, owned and played by Mariano
Aguerre was named Best Playing Pony.
PSF ended on a good note after getting
its first win in the Tommy B. Glynn
subsidiary final against Hublot. Hublot
held a 6-4 lead at the half but PSF knotted
the score in the fourth. It took a first-time
lead in the fifth scoring three goals to
Hublot’s two. PSF scored three more in
the sixth while Hublot was held to one
giving PSF the 13-9 victory.
Usually, one team seems to dominate a
polo season but this year was different
when one patron decided not to play and
other patrons switched teams from
tournament to tournament. Peter Brant’s
White Birch team, led by his longtime pro
Mariano Aguerre, is always the team to
beat. Brant hung up his mallets this year,
however Aguerre joined forces with
Joseph Manheim on the Work to Ride-Los
Machitos team. The team played in the Monty Waterbury and the Silver Cup,
before Chris Brant took over Manheim’s
place for the East Coast Open wearing the
Audi jerseys. Chris Brant played in the
Monty Waterbury as Airstream, a team
Mike Davis took over in the Silver Cup
and East Coast Open under the Hublot
name. Chris Brant sat out the Silver Cup.
In the Monty Waterbury, Work to Ride
was caught in a three-way tie between
Postage Stamp Farm and Airstream after
all finished with 2-1 records. A fourth
team, Mike Davis’ Cavalleria Toscana,
finished 0-3. The Cavalleria team played
under the Hublot name for the Silver Cup
and Bash Kazi took Davis’ place for the
East Coast Open. Postage Stamp and
Airstream advanced to the final of the
Monty Waterbury with Postage Stamp
ultimately prevailing 9-7.
The Silver Cup was played the first two
weeks in July. The first game pitted PSF
against Work to Ride-Los Machitos. While
PSF struggled to reach the goal, WTR led
the day finishing on top, 11-8. WTR took
its next game against Phoenix, but it was
much closer. Phoenix began with two
goals and led the first two chukkers. WTR
took the lead in the third, 8-7, and held a
one-goal lead to the end, 11-10.
Phoenix counted its first win over PSF,
9-8. PSF tallied five goals from the penalty
line in a choppy game. Phoenix led 5-3 at
the half. Postage Stamp took the lead, 7-6,
but a strong sixth gave Phoenix the win.
WTR took on Hublot in game four,
winning the match, 9-8, with more than
half its goals scored from the penalty line.
Hublot fell in its next match, this time to
Phoenix 6-5. Toro Ruiz and Matias
Magrini scored three each in the win.
Hublot rebounded in its next match, this
time against PSF. A hungry Hublot led 4-
0 after the first seven minutes. PSF
chipped away at the deficit, coming within
two at the half, 6-4. It trailed by just a goal
in the fourth and fifth but Hublot
increased the lead to two to ensure the 11-
9 win.
The final had Work to Ride-Los
Machitos taking on Phoenix, which began
with a two-goal handicap. WTR overcame
the handicap midway through the second
but Magrini scored to keep Phoenix on
top 3-2. Aguerre scored a lone goal in the
third to level the score at 3-3 at the half.
Aguerre traded goals with Ruiz in the
fourth but a Penalty 3 conversion by
Mariano Gonzalez put WTR on top 5-4.
The teams traded goals in the fifth and
again in the sixth leaving WTR narrowly
ahead 8-7 at the final bell. Aguerre scored
a game-high six goals. Ruiz, who led
Phoenix with three goals, was honored
with the MVP award and Aguerre’s
Machitos Melody, a mare from his
breeding program, was named Best
Playing Pony.
In the subsidiary, Hublot edged PSF
13-11. The teams were knotted at 3-3 after
the first chukker before PSF narrowly
edged ahead 6-5 at the end of the second.
A strong third chukker put Hublot up 10-
6 at the half. PSF scored four open-goal
penalties in the second half, along with a
field goal, but three tallies by Hublot kept
its head above water, allowing it to take
the 13-11 victory.
by Gwen Rizzo
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