By Sondra Barr | Scottsdale Airpark News
In its fifth year, the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships, Horses & Horsepower’s intriguing mix of old and new draws big crowds.
What do you get when a posh sport like polo is reimagined by a splashy Scottsdale PR firm tasked with bringing renewed attention to a game considered out of reach and out of touch? Answer: The Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships: Horses & Horsepower.
The brainchild of deft Valley publicist Jason Rose and his team, this Scottsdale event is equal parts pomp and party––high revelry for a modern age. Combining luxury vehicles, fashion, art, music, cocktails, dancing and, yes, even canines wearing couture, with a sport long considered reserved for the privileged set, Rose has created a funky, fresh way for everybody to enjoy the rarefied “sport of kings.”
In the past four years he’s produced the event, Rose’s experimental dip into the world of polo tournaments has become a bona fide hit that even has the notoriously staid United States Polo Association––an old school governing body of the ancient sport––rethinking its marketing strategy.
“This whole thing’s been an experiment,” says Rose, who got the idea for the event when Arizona Polo Club officials approached him about marketing their organization after they received a small grant from the United States Polo Association. At the time, Rose didn’t even know there was a local polo club in the Valley playing matches at WestWorld of Scottsdale.
