Summer-2017 - page 39

White Birch’s signature green and white
jerseys have become synonymous with
high-goal polo in the US. Founded in
1979 by Peter M Brant, the team has
garnered a dedicated fan base and amassed
an astonishing number of wins in the past
38 years. During the 1990s, White Birch
dominated every major tournament at Palm
Beach Polo and Country Club in Florida,
winning 12 Gold Cups and nine East Coast
Open tournaments. In 2005, the team went
the entire season undefeated – they won nine
tournaments, including the US Open, and
laid claim to the illustrious Triple Crown.
‘I don’t think I could have imagined
back in 1979 that I would still be playing
polo at this level,’ says Brant. ‘I’ve been
incredibly lucky to have achieved such
longevity in the sport.’ But Brant has always
played at the highest levels, whatever his
pursuit. Alongside successful endeavours in
manufacturing, real estate, film production,
art collecting and philanthropy, sport is just
one more arena for achievement.
Brant came to polo through his love
of horse racing, having bred and owned
racehorses, including Gulch – winner of
the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in 1988. He was
co-owner of Swale, the 1984 Kentucky
Derby winner. In 1995, with Thunder Gulch’s
victory in the Kentucky Derby, he became
the only breeder to have bred not only the
winner of the Run for the Roses but also the
winner’s sire and dam. He recently decided
to re-enter the sport by buying several
racehorses in 2016 and 2017 and, as with
anything he does – from business to art to
philanthropy – he goes all in. ‘Ever since
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