(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) –
This year’s signature match, set for 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, will see Wales take on Wine Country Polo Club, last year’s champions, in a showdown fans won’t want to miss.
Wales Polo Team Captain Ricky Cooper has dubbed The Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships “the best polo event in the world,” and this fall, he and his team will once again help prove why. Cooper, alongside the members of his newly founded Wales Polo Invitational Team, will descend on the desert this November for the 14th annual Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships, with this year’s event featuring six matches, four days of festivities and a combination of returning fan-favorite traditions and exhilarating new opportunities and experiences.
Founded in 2008 under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Charles (now King Charles III), the Wales Polo Team quickly amassed a fervent following after winning top titles on grass, beach and snow polo fields across the globe. The team’s participation in Scottsdale’s signature polo event dates back to 2012, and this year’s team roster unites Wales players with
members of the Red Star Polo Team and includes Captain Ricky Cooper, Argentine standout Matias Amaya and international polo superstar Mikey Henderson.
Cooper, the captain of the Wales team since its 2008 inception and one of the sport’s most recognizable names and faces, had an outstanding season in England’s Ricky’s Red Star Polo Team, earning top honors at the Hurlingham Polo Association’s Victor Ludorum Awards after scoring the most total points across the arena polo season. Cooper has also become a global ambassador for the sport, helping promote polo, the nation of Wales and causes near and dear to his heart at athletic and charitable events worldwide.
Amaya, who was born in Buenos Aires and grew up playing polo in Lobos, Argentina, runs a successful year-round polo operation and stud farm in Warwickshire, England. A third-generation professional polo player, Amaya is currently in his second season playing for the Red Star Polo Team.
Henderson, a full-time professional polo player from Warwickshire, United Kingdom, has represented both New Zealand and Ireland, earning a gold medal with Team Ireland at the 2016 Federation of International Polo European Championships and a bronze medal four years later along with numerous other international honors and accolades.
While this year’s Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships will welcome a wide spectrum of international talent, it will also adopt a patriotic tone, taking place the weekend before Veterans Day and featuring its first-ever Army vs. Navy matchup.
In addition to viewing matchups featuring teams from Wales, England, Arizona, Louisiana, California, Tennessee, Virginia and Maryland, attendees at this year’s festivities can also take in a “Battle of the Sexes” matchup Sunday at 11 a.m. and an “International All-Stars” match at 1 p.m. Sunday. Guests will also enjoy all of the signature Polo Party experiences they’ve come to know and love, from Canine Couture by Lugari Pet Salon and the World’s Longest
Catwalk Fashion Show by Phoenix Fashion Week to the return of the fan-favorite Casa Amigos DayClub.
The Barrett-Jackson Champagne & Jazz Lounge will also return with an all-new open-air format, allowing fans to enjoy November’s pleasant outdoor temperatures. For the first time, the Polo Party will also coincide with the WestWorld Art & Wine Experience, a celebration of creativity, craftsmanship and culture set to take place onsite throughout the weekend.