Definitely not a ‘Moscow Mule’
By Victoria Elsbury-Legg
Mingling amidst the Pommery and Pimms tents pitch side at Guards during the Cartier Queen’s Cup Final earlier in the season, there might have been several spectators who favoured the ginger, lime and vodka delights of a highball mixed into a Moscow Mule, whilst watching Facundo Pieres work his magic with a stick on the Queen’s Ground. There was however, nothing but pure breeding on the pitch as the mare with the Russian name displayed once again the exceptional skill, agility and speed for which she is renowned.
In recent games there may have been several grey moments for Zacara on the Lawns at Cowdray, but mostly this is a team who are associated with an altogether different kind of grey. Maybe Moscow Princess (to give this mare her full and fitting regal title) is simply more at home on Royal pitches in the shadow of Windsor Castle, where she has won Best Playing Pony for the last two consecutive years in the Cartier Queen’s Cup Semi Finals.
Listed on www.polostudbook.org as ‘a playing mare of exceptional ability rarely seen on a polo field. Moscow Princess (SAF) is sired by South Australian (Can) and out of Russian Feather (SAF) by grey Sire Russian Fox (all descendants of the great Nearco). She is a powerful well-made mare, who has low action which allows her to cover the ground very quickly and leave other High Goal polo ponies seemingly standing.’
This little grey 15.3hh princess, whose great temperament and quiet nature off the pitch is known as Moscu by her Argentine grooms and players, at age 15 is still top of her game. Her history reads a little like a real life fairy tale – a thoroughbred originally from the South African racing circuit, she was bought off the side of the track and made in South Africa by Tom de Bruin then sold on to Australian professional Ruki Baillieu. Reaching the shores of England in 2011, she was then sold privately to Lyndon Lea, patron of Zacara for what at the time was rumoured to be the highest price ever paid for a mare based in the UK (circa £200,000). Ridden briefly in the 2012 season by Hillario Ulloa, in 2013 and 2014 her partnership with Facundo Pieres gave Zacara the extra edge in horsemanship and horsepower to become double winners of the Cartier Queen’s Cup.
This season, it now just remains to be seen if the South African princess with the Russian name will be lending her support to team Argentina on the Queen’s Ground at Guards this Saturday.