Habtoor Polo wins the opening match of the McLaren Cup
Habtoor Polo won the first match of the McLaren Cup, the first trophy of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series 2017, in the first match of the season, held today at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort.
Patron Mohammed Al Habtoor ́s team defeated Wolves Polo by 9 goals to 7 with Alfredo Capella replacing injured Nicolás Pieres in the ini al line up.
First three chukkers were played at full speed, with both teams in a very even level and a very short difference in the score for Habtoor Polo.
The second half of the match was another story. Habtoor Polo took notice of coach Guillermo Cuitiño words and achieved to score three consecutive goals for a 8-5 gap for the last seven minutes of the match.
Despite of Wolves reaction Habtoor secured the victory with another goal in the last chukker for a 9-7 final result.
Alfredo Capella and Tomás Beresford where the top scorers of the match with 4 goals each and, for the record, Habtoor Al Habtoor (Wolves) scored the rst goal of the tournament.
Match progression: Habtoor: 1-2/ 3-2/ 5-4/ 8-5/ 9-7
The McLaren Cup will continue tomorrow with a double ac on day at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort. Starting at 2 pm Desert Palm will play against UAE Polo Team in eld 2 and from 4pm Bin Drai will face Zedan in eld 3.
Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series
The Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series (Dubai Open), an 18 Goal Handicap competition, enters its eighth year under the Patronage of HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. The tournament is now the highest handicap in the UAE.
The Dubai Open has been split into two tournaments. Starting with the McLaren Cup, which runs from Saturday January 21st, 2017 to Friday February 3rd, 2017. The second tournament, the Julius Baer Gold Cup, commences on Friday, February 18th, 2017 to Friday March 10th, 2017.
The Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series is the fourth-largest tournament of its kind afterer Argentina, the US and the UK. First founded by Mohammed Al Habtoor in 2009, the tournament is the premier regional polo competition of the year, and attracts VIPs, society figures, and senior corporate executives from across the GCC. It has grown in tandem with the city of Dubai and since 2012, it is the only tournament in the UAE to be recognised and certified by the World Polo Tour (WPT). It is played under the banner of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA), with the Gold Cup being played according to HPA rules and the provision of umpires is managed under strict international supervision by the HPA.
Mohammed Al Habtoor, Founder of the tournament and patron of the Habtoor Polo team said, “This year there are seven teams playing in the McLaren Cup and ten teams for the Julius Baer Gold Cup, further evidence that the tournaments continue to grow. The Dubai Open has helped put the UAE on the world polo circuit. Each year the competition gets be er and be er, and we attract some of the best polo players in the world.”
The participating teams will host some of the top-ranking World Polo Tour players, including Pablo Mac Donough, the 10-goal superstar and three- me ‘Triple Crown Champion with La Dolfina’; Nicolas Pieres, who was recently raised to 10 goals a er his superb performance in the Argen ne Open; Lucas Monteverde (9-goal handicap); Alfredo Cappella Barabucci (9-goal handicap) Guillermo Terrera (8-goal handicap), and Ezquiel Martinez Ferrario (8-goal handicap) and many others, who have come directly from Argentine Open.
The Dubai Polo Gold Cup will be held at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club, Dubai Land.
Seven polo teams will be participating in the McLaren Cup 2017 18-goal handicap:
- Mahra Polo – Patron: Rashid Al Habtoor
- Bin Drai Polo Team – Patron: Saeed Bin Drai
- Habtoor Polo Team – Patron: Mohammed Al Habtoor
- UAE Polo Team – Patron: Her Highness Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
- Zedan Polo Team – Patron: Amr Zedan
- Habtoor Wolves Polo Team – Patron: Habtoor Al Habtoor
- Desert Palm Polo Team – Tariq Albwardy