More than 600 international guests gather for the occasion at private country estate owned by the CEO of Engel & Völkers
Christian Völkers, CEO and Founder of Engel & Völkers AG, extended an invitation to the Engel & Völkers Polo Cup on Majorca on 13 July. The polo tournament took place for the fifth time last Saturday on the private estate of the property entrepreneur in Port d’es Canonge on Majorca’s southwest coast. The event is quickly developing into a fixed date in the social calendar of the island’s high society. More than 600 colleagues, friends and international guests took Mr. Völkers up on the in-vitation to his finca property “Son Coll”, including the actor couple Christian Ulmen and Collien Ulmen-Fernandes, the singer Vicky Leandros, Christian Prince and Astrid Princess zu Stolberg, Hendrik teNeues and the painter Natasha Zupan, as well as many other well-known figures from the worlds of politics, media, culture, business and sport. “Polo is my favourite sport and my main hobby. The main one besides fine real estate,” said Christian Völkers, who has been actively and passionately involved in the game of polo for many years. “It is a special privilege to be able to indulge in this passion at ‘Son Coll’ and to share this experience at the same time with so many friends and contemporaries.”
Exciting tournament with sensational backdrop
Human and animal agility combine to form a strong team that interacts with one another in constant dynamic flux. The game is all about speed and precision. The historic “Son Coll” estate makes for a tranquil contrast to this energetic display. The tournament took place in glorious sunshine, set against a spectacular backdrop with views overlooking the Mediter-ranean and surrounding vineyards. The enthusiasm at the nimble Argentinean polo ponies and their artistic riders, who galloped across the grass at up to 60 kilometres an hour, could not be missed amongst the spectators on the sidelines. Vicky Leandros, an old friend of the host and one of the many regular guests at his private polo party, said: “I’ve always been fascinated by the dynamism and speed of polo. The ‘Son Coll’ estate makes for a wonder-ful picturesque setting that combines both the fast pace of the game and the tranquillity and might of an outstanding property. Being able to enjoy the sport in these idyllic sur-roundings is an unforgettable experience.”
More than 60 horses had been transported by ferry from the Spanish mainland or by trans-porter from Germany for the tournament. The horses were ridden over to “Son Coll” from the neighbouring estate, due to the fact that the property can only be reached via miles of incredibly narrow winding roads. A total of six top-class teams of three players each com-peted against one another. The teams were put forward by the sponsors Forest Lakes Country Club, Bentley, Cartier, Kaldewei, Gira/ Dornbracht and Engel & Völkers, respec-tively. The top international players present included Gastón Maíquez, Daniel Crasemann, Christopher Kirsch, Bolko Kissling, and Oliver and Christopher Winter, all of whom are good friends of Christian Völkers. The Winter family is one of the most famous polo-playing families in Germany. The host Christian Völkers also got into the saddle on all three tournament days and played on the Engel & Völkers team. After the pre-rounds on Thursday and Friday, the semi-final and final were then held on Saturday. In addition to the thrilling chukkas, it was the traditional “treading in” of the divots at half-time that was the biggest source of enjoyment for the young polo enthusiasts. This is where the specta-tors tread in the divots of turf kicked up by the horses hooves and the polo mallets.
At the end of the sporting contest, the team Bentley emerged as the overall winner and was presented with the coveted Engel & Völkers Polo Cup trophy. Polo is a tough sport and the welfare of the animals and players of paramount importance. “It was a fair match and nei-ther any of the polo ponies nor any of the players got injured,” reported the passionate equestrian fan Christian Völkers at the start of the trophy-giving ceremony. Polo enthusi-asts, celebrities and friends followed the tournament from the sidelines, all clothed accord-ing to the dress code “summery in white”.
Guests donate more than 25.000 euros to the Engel & Völkers Charity
Once again this year, the Polo Cup was held under the aegis of the Engel & Völkers Charity, founded in 2008, and carried the motto “It’s time to share”. A total of 25.000 euros was raised for the E&V Charity. All proceeds and donations will go directly to the primary school project in Togo, one of the poorest countries in the world. These latest donations will contribute to ensuring the completion of the second school building and to covering general running costs.
Spirited finale with an Argentinean asado and estate-grown wine
Traditionally, the sporting aspect of the E&V Polo Cup has always been the main focus. But polo is more than just a sport. It doesn’t end with the final whilst. Rather it is also in-trinsically related to a sophisticated lifestyle and a zest for life. In this spirit, an asado – an Argentinean-style barbecue – was held in the evening after the tournament in the gardens of the estate. Guests were treated to wine produced on the estate and South American spe-cialities. They then danced to live music at a party that went on late into the night.
Team Bentley won the tournament. From left to right, Jose Luis Barreto, Bolko Kissling and Caspar Crasemann.
Christian Völkers’ 15-hectare estate lies directly in the beautiful “Serra de Tramuntana” mountain range, stretching over several terraces and as far as the sea. The Hamburg-based entrepreneur has painstakingly restored the property “Son Coll”, which is more than 500 years old, taking great care to preserve the original character of its ancient walls. For al-most 20 years he has also been growing wine on his traditional estate. Sheep, donkeys and dogs also reside within the grounds, in addition to 16 polo ponies, some of which originate from Argentina and some of which have been bred on the estate.
