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E V E N T N A M E L O C A T I O N D A T E
A C T I O N
GONZALO ETCHEVERRY
D U B A I P O L O G O L D C U P S E R I S , D U B A I , J A N U A R Y - M A R C H 2 0 1 7
D U B A I G O L D C U P S E R I E S
In an unpredictable set of finals, three different teams took the top spots
in the Middle East’s premier polo series, says Caroline Beresford
This year’s Dubai season proved more
competitive than ever. Players from all
over the world flocked to take part in the
Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series from January
to March, which culminates with the 18-goal
Julius Baer Gold Cup.
Top players such as Pablo MacDonough,
Nicolas Pieres, Lucas Monteverde, Alfredo
Cappella and Guillermo Terrera chose to
spend the first few months of the year in
Dubai, a sure sign the season is now a key
part of the international polo circuit.
‘These tournaments have helped put
the UAE on the world polo map,’ explains
Gold Cup founder Mohammed Al Habtoor.
‘This year there are seven teams playing
the McLaren Silver Cup and 10 taking
part in the Julius Baer Gold Cup, concrete
evidence of our continued growth.’
Dubai’s polo success is also marked
by the expansion of Al Habtoor Polo
Resort & Club, to offer equestrian
facilities, a polo club with four polo fields
and stables for 520 ponies.
The Silver Cup kicked off the 18-goal, and
crowds gathered to watch UAE and Desert
Palm battle it out; the former took control
early, with British talent Jack Hyde scoring
four goals. UAE claimed the first win of the
competition, defeating their opponents 11-6.
This scenario played out in the tournament
final, where UAE faced Desert Palm again.
Despite UAE suffering many line-up changes
due to injuries, Ali Al Merri, Terrera, Matias
Benoit and Hyde pulled together and
qualified for the final match.
