He also points out a significant historical
development that helped to increase the
quality of competition being played at
Greenwich Polo Club: the outbreak of
the Falklands War in 1982 between the UK
and Argentina. ‘During the Falklands War,
the Argentine players were no longer able
to compete in England due to the tense
diplomatic relations between the countries,’
says Brant. ‘So many of the great Argentine
players came to play in Greenwich that
summer, and have been playing here every
season since.’
In 1986, Greenwich Polo Club hosted the
America’s Polo Championship – a series of
three single matches that pitted the best
Argentine players against the best North
American players. Broadcast nationally
on CBS Sports, it was the highest-handicap
polo game played in North America since
1939. The 39-goal Argentine team won
a hard-fought, close game against the
38-goal American team, finishing 11–10.
More recently, Brant believes that
Greenwich Polo Club’s strong relationship
with the US Polo Association has been an
important factor in growing the club’s
footprint. For 2017, Greenwich Polo Club
will host three USPA tournaments, including
the Monty Waterbury Cup, the Silver Cup
and the East Coast Open (which White
Birch won in overtime last year, in a hotly
contested match versus Audi, the 2015 East
Coast Open winners). The popularity of
Greenwich Polo Club continues to rise with
last season’s attendance topping 25,000.
When asked about the teams and players
that were White Birch’s toughest matches,
he has no shortage of answers: ‘Any team
that Carlos and Memo Gracida were on
was tough,’ says Brant. ‘They were very
well-managed players. Teams the Heguys
put together were quite good. Today,
Facundo and Pablo Pieres are great athletes.
It’s always difficult to play against Adolfo
Cambiaso; he’s the best player I’ve ever seen.’
‘With his creativity, ingenuity and
futuristic mindset, Peter was a true
renaissance man in the polo world’ says
Memo Gracida. ‘These characteristics helped
create a polo dynasty that still stands today.
He always had a sincere drive to improve
his personal game. This helped set White
Birch apart from other high-goal teams,
because it created a true four-man team,
not just three professionals and a patron.
He was an epic adversary and it was always
a great challenge to face White Birch in
matches, because Peter always created such
strong teams. Without a doubt, he helped
raise the bar, and we, the Gracida family,
were lucky to be part of the sport’s
resurgence. We have the utmost respect
for Peter and White Birch.’
White Birch certainly benefited from
its own share of immensely talented players,
starting with Gonzalo Pieres, who helped
power the team to six USPA Gold Cup
wins, several 26-goal Sunshine League
championships and seven World Cup
championships. ‘We were very lucky to have
Gonzalo for so many years. He was always
the greatest and anybody who came on
to the field against him was in for an
afternoon of tough play,’ says Brant.
However, Brant’s 30-year playing
partnership with Aguerre is perhaps the
most emblematic aspect of White Birch and
Greenwich Polo Club’s ascent. Together, they
achieved some of the team’s greatest wins.
‘Peter has been one of the most influential
figures in American polo for many years,’
said Aguerre. ‘He really is a pioneer in terms
of polo organisations and developing new
players. He’s also an incredible friend.’
Aguerre – one of the only left-handed
players ever to reach a 10-goal handicap
(which he held for almost two decades) – was
inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall
of Fame during a ceremony in February.
Brant could not have been happier for his
longtime teammate and friend. ‘I was very
proud of him,’ says Brant. ‘He’s a great guy,
who cares so much about the game and, more
importantly, he loves and cares about horses.’
When asked for any takeaway thoughts
he might have had over the course of his
nearly 40 years playing polo, Brant gives
a pretty uncharacteristic answer for someone
who’s enjoyed so much success: ‘Sometimes
I wish I had eased back a little bit and
not been as competitive as I was,’ he says,
chuckling at the thought.
But that just wouldn’t have been
the White Birch way.
Left, from left:
Mariano
Aguerre with Brant
at Greenwich Polo Club
hurlinghampolo.com
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KATERINA MORGAN
