Largest Polo Event in U.S. (or Europe!) Gets Even Bigger
12,442 Polo Watchers and Partygoers From All Over The World Soak In The 2-Day Polo Party Experience
(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) They came from New York. They came from Nevada. They came from the United Kingdom. They came from Ohio. They came from Tucson. And they came to party, and party they did at the 2013 Scottsdale Ferrari-Maserati Polo Championships.
Some 12,442 polo fans, exotic car aficionados, horse lovers and fashionistas descended on the Penfolds Polo Field at WestWorld over the weekend, boosting the year-over-year gate attendance by a substantial margin for what is now the largest polo event in the United States (or Europe), according to The 2013 Molina Cup champions from Wales.
There was runway strutting at the Phoenix Fashion Week preview, champagne glass clinking in the tents, divot stomping at halftime and thrilling polo action with some of the best players in the country mixing it up.
It all started on Friday when the best of the best were on display at what was the highest goal polo match in the past 30 years in the Valley. Fans who watched the All-Star match witnessed some great polo play by the likes of Work to Ride’s Kareem Rosser, Erik Wright of Wright Way Polo, Peter Webb of the Clogau Wales Polo Team and Santiago Marulanda of the University of Virginia as they played to a tie an All-Star Team consisting of Jeff Hall, considered one of the best players in the U.S., Ricky Cooper of the Clogau Wales Polo Team, Sunny Hale, considered the best female player in the U.S. and Andres Camacho of the Arizona Polo Club.
On Saturday, the first match pitted America’s high school champions, Work to Ride, against the country’s 2012 college champions, the University of Virginia, with UVA defeating the younger team in an exciting match. In the “Battle of the Sexes” match, which featured a women’s team led by Sunny Hale against the Arizona Polo Club Men, ended in a 7-7 tie. For the main event, the Clogau Wales Polo Team triumphed over the U.S. Military Polo Team 9-8. The U.S team was captained by Jeff Hall. Afterwards, the Wales players drank from the sought-after Molina Cup and flew back to the United Kingdom as proud victors. Before the final match Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane issued a formal invitation to Prince William and Prince Harry via the Wales team Chairman Harry Legge-Bourke for the 4th Annual Scottsdale Polo Championships: Horses and Horsepower next year.
Last October, the Scottsdale Polo Championships drew the biggest crowd in the country for a polo event with approximately 9,188 fans enjoying the three-match showdown at the annual Polo Party. This year, with an expanded event schedule and an amped-up polo lineup including the sport’s top players, more vendors, more sponsors and the 2013 Arizona Porsche Concours d’Elegance car show, the Polo Party drew even more polo fans and revelers to WestWorld.
Attendees also enjoyed a sneak preview of the 2014 Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show and saw some serious horsepower with a preview of the world-famous Barrett-Jackson 2014 Collector Car Auction along with local Ferrari and Lamborghini car clubs lining the field.
Next year’s event, which will take place in conjunction with the United States Polo Association’s Annual Meeting, is currently slated for October 24-25, 2014. Upcoming details, teams and players will be announced in the coming months. For more information please go towww.thepoloparty.com.
