By Alex Webbe
It wasn’t too long ago when we were reading about the lack of international competition at the highest levels of play in this country. We missed the days when we competed for the Cup of the Americas (Argentine vs. USA), the Camacho Cup (Mexico vs. USA) and the Westchester Cup (Great Britain vs. USA). Well I’m here to tell you that those days are officially over.
On February 21, 2009 the International Polo club will be the site for the first Westchester Cup competition since 1997 and the first time the British have come to America for the Westchester Cup since 1939.
The idea for the 2009 Westchester Cup arose from Horace Laffaye, a board member of the Museum of Polo who thought it would be a great way to honor the 100th anniversary of America’s first Westchester Cup series win while making an effort to raise funds for the Museum of Polo. No small efforts were made to organize the Westchester Cup match, with John Goodman donating the use of the International Polo Club and Melissa Ganzi offering over 30 horses to the Brits.
USPA Chairman Tom Biddle and Executive Director Peter Rizzo have worked with the organizing committee under the direction of the Museum of Polo’s Chairman Steve Orthwein to make the February event a memorable one.
Dating back to 1886, and recognized as the granddaddy of all international polo competition, the British convincingly took the first two meetings before the United States fielded the Big Four (Lawrence Waterbury, Monte Waterbury, Harry Payne Whitney and Devereux Milburn) who won it for the first time in 1909 and successfully defended it in 1911 and 1913. Although the US holds an impressive 10-4 lead in the cup play, Great Britain holds possession of the Westchester Cup on the strength of its 1997 win.
If you think the Westchester Cup is the only international competition on the schedule, you’d be wrong.
Just three hours north of Wellington, The Villages will be showcasing the Camacho Cup, where Carlos Gracida will lead a quartet from Mexico against a US team captained by 9-goaler Mike Azzaro.
The last time the Camacho Cup was played was in 1988, so it will be good to see the rivalry rekindled. Currently the US holds a 5-3 edge in the series, but Mexico has won the last three straight competitions.
Earlier this year indoor polo’s prestigious Townsend International Challenge Cup was staged at the Great Meadow Polo Club in Virginia, where the US team managed to hold off a determined British team to retain the cup. We understand that there are plans underway to send an arena team to England nest year as well.
Are these international competitions good for polo? I think so, and the fact that support is being offered from so many different areas is encouraging.