The finals of the 13th annual C.D. LeBlanc Memorial Tournament were held June 25th at the Will Rogers Polo Club. C.D. LeBlanc started the Will Rogers Polo Club in 1953: making it the thirteenth oldest polo club in the United States.
The preliminary round was held on June 24th, with 4 teams competing to advance to the June 25th finals. The finals saw Malibu (Bolko Kissling, Malik Ibrahim, Jeanne Darquea and Gina Padilla vs. Palisades (Andrew Bossom, Leigh Brecheen, Chuck Stanislawski and Joanna Vishevski. Malibu prevailed by a 6-3 score, with each player scoring at least 1 goal. Gina Padilla’s horse Teddy received best playing pony honors, and Bolko received the MVP trophy.
Will Rogers State Park was originally the private estate of Will Rogers: famed humorist, newspaper columnist, cowboy, author, movie star and polo player. In fact, Will Rogers landscaped the polo field in 1926, before he even built his home. Rogers and his family lived here between 1928 and 1935. During this period he and his friends (David Niven, Spencer Tracy, Hal Roach, Walt Disney and Clark Gable) played on this field on weekend mornings and then ride over to a nearby field to watch the “high goal” games.
After Will’s death in 1935, his wife Betty, gave the estate as a gift to the State of California (1944) on the condition that equestrian activities continue at the Park. The club has continued since 1953 is the only remaining grass polo field in Los Angeles. Each year it hosts charity matches, fund raisers and private events. For more information about the polo club, or to host an event, please contact Felice Densa at 818-509-9965 or fdensa@adelphia.net.