Westchester Cup Returns to America

Westchester Cup Returns to America

For the first time in seventy years
the Westchester Cup, the world’s oldest international polo rivalry between the United States and England,
returns to America and will
take place on Saturday, February 21st at the International Polo Club in Wellington, Florida.
It is being played to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the United States’ first win of this historic
international tournament in 1909, a win which turned the tide of polo and paved
the way for a series of triumphs for the U.S.

 

The last time the Westchester Cup
competition took place on American soil was in 1939 when the US team defeated England in two straight games.  The competition was then shelved for over
fifty years, emerging as a one game event 
at the Guards Polo Club in England
in 1992 won by the United
States
8-7 in overtime.  Five years later England
scored its first cup victory since 1914 in a 12-9 win over the US team in a
single match that was again held at the Guards Polo Club.

 

The Westchester Cup is presented by
the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, the United States
Polo Association,

 

U. S. P. A. Properties, and the
American International Polo Foundation.

To begin the celebration of the
momentous  event, both the English and
American teams and visiting dignitaries will be introduced at the Museum of Polo’s Hall of Fame Induction
Dinner on Friday, February 13th,  -the weekend prior to the match.
Adding to the historic aspect of the evening, legendary polo player Owen
Rinehart, who played on the winning 1992 Westchester Cup team in England
and is the coach of the 2009 American team, will be inducted into the Polo Hall
of Fame along with a horse named Belle of All who played gallantly for the
winning American team in the Westchester Cup of 1921.

 

On game day, the gates at the polo
stadium will open at 1:00 p.m. with pre-game activities starting at 2:00
featuring bagpipers from the area, the Palm Beach Pipes and Drums. The match
begins at 3:00 p.m. Half time will feature the The Veuve Clicquot Champagne divot stomp. The dress is polo-chic and ladies
should don their finest hats for the Official 2009 Westchester Cup Hat Contest
that will also take place during halftime.

There will be prizes given in 6
categories in both Junior and Senior divisions.

 

The playing of the 2009 Westchester
Cup is to benefit the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, a non-profit organization
dedicated to the preservation of the history of polo in the United States.
Tickets are on sale through the box office at International Polo Club Palm
Beach (561)

204-5687 x 107. Box seats are $50.00
each, Reserved Lawn seating is $25.00, General Admission is $10.00 and Tailgate
Spots are $100.00 per car. Seating is limited and is first come first served.
To make reservations call the Box Office at International Polo Club Palm Beach
at (561) 204-5687 ext. 107. For further details and information about the match
please contact Brenda Lynn at the Museum
of Polo
and Hall of Fame
at (561) 969-7015, or (561) 969-3210, e-mail: polomuseum@att.net <mailto:polomuseum@att.net> . or visit
our webpage at www.westchestercup.org
<http://www.westchestercup.org/>
.