BMW-B.GRIMM Thai Polo Open 2014 – AN EVENT NOT TO BE MISSED
Tinkerbelle, sporting translucent white wings and stylish green suede boots, floated atop the tiny prancing Shetland pony, while miniature versions of Superman and Spiderman darted across her path, vying for the attention of the incredibly cute fairy. In close pursuit were a miniscule bipedal Lion, a diminutive black-clad Ninja warrior and a vast array of petite princesses and Lilliputian knights in shining armour. One could easily have mistaken the traditional BMW-B.Grimm Thai Polo Open pre-game fashion show for the stage set of a shrunken Disneyland fairy tale. But alas, these characters were mere mortals; dozens of children of Thai Polo patrons and professionals sashaying along the grass catwalk in fancy dress on this festive and sunny Saturday afternoon.
Five teams – two from China, two from Malaysia and the Thai Polo host – vied for the 15-17 goal Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Cup. The Princess’s niece, HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, a top dressage rider and a potential future polo debutante, added a significant dash of pomp, flair and fashion to the event and presented the prizes on behalf of her Aunt. Before the polo finals, the Princess took a leisurely ride around the Thai Polo Club on her graceful mare “New Lucky Star†and Caroline Link instructed her on the basics of mallet control. Proceeds of the tournament will go to the Chitralada Vocational School, the Princesses charity.
As the opening procession of fairy tale characters and super heroes came to an end, much larger horses – giants in contrast to their tiny counterparts- took to the field. The BMW-B. Grimm Invitational Show Jumping Competition 2014 was additional pre-game entertainment and included many of Asia’s best jumpers, some of whom had competed in the recent SEA Games in Myanmar. The jumpers, with expertly braided manes and coats brushed until gleaming, were guided by their riders over the professionally designed course that most polo ponies would be hard-pressed to complete. The winner of the THB 100,000 prize donated by BMW and B.Grimm, thanks to a brilliantly executed clear round, was Nattaporn Triratanachat.
The arrival of Princess Nariratana marked the start of the day’s main event, the final of the Thai Polo Open, which also happens to be the first tournament of the 2014 RMPA International league. The five-chukka match saw the 16 goal Thai Polo Club team pair off against the 15 goal Kotasas-Ibil powerhouse from Malaysia. Thanks to early goals by Lucas Labat, Agustin “Flaco†Garcia-Grossi (2) and Caroline Link, Thai Polo took a quick 4-1 first chukka lead, a position they successfully held onto throughout the match. Thai Polo’s Labat on 6 and “Flaco†on 7 were a formidable pairing, their attacks and defence both unwavering and strong. Caroline Link substituted for father and Thai Polo Club owner Harald on the final day, as an earlier injury to his hand rendered him lame on the right forehand. In a commendable display of commitment to the game – some would call it addiction – Harald played the first match of the Open with fingers taped up, without mallet and marked his opponents with sufficient focus to secure a win. Manuel Cereceda, the 3-goal polo manager of Thai Polo Club, rounded out the squad.
Caroline played a very strong game from the number one position and scored a beautiful goal in the first half of the game by backing up Flaco, her 7 goal professional, as he tore down the field. Placing the ball right between the goal posts atop “Zero 9â€, a new addition to her string, Caroline attributed the goal as much to the pony as to herself, saying “It was both mine and Zero 9’s goal – he positioned me perfectly for the shot.†Manuel Crespo played a solid game for Kotasas-Ibil, scoring four of their six goals, but he and teammates Francisco Mendez, Damian Marco (substituting for Prince Amir Nasser) and Dato Mohammed Zekri were unable to wrest the cup from defending champions Thai Polo and ultimately succumbed by a score of 8-61/2.
Tan Sri Hamdan’s Malaysian team Ranhill took third spot by winning the round-robin played on field 2 earlier in the day. Winston X, who organized a team to represent Nine Dragon’s from Shanghai, placed fourth and Brian Xu’s Axus came fifth. Winston’s Nine Dragons never gave up and launched an impressive comeback from a 5-1 deficit to win their final match of the round-robin by a score of 7-6. Quote from Winston here.
A sumptuous BBQ, initially serenaded by an alto saxophonist and then by a lively Thai Band with singers who did amazing renditions of Adele, Jagger and Michael Jackson, followed the prize giving. Lucas Labat, resident all-star, quickly took to the dance floor and performed steps we thought only possible from the perch of his best pony. His daughter Mora (of earlier-mentioned Tinkerbelle fame) has tough competition for the title of twinkle toes.
The cool, clear and starry night came to a close with a colourful fireworks display and a vow by polo competitors to build teams strong enough to win the cup in the 2015 Open.
By Everest Munro-Zeisberger, roving reporter at the Thai Polo Club
everest@mapleleafpolo.com