Carlos Gracida
Tragedy befell the polo community Tuesday afternoon on the Everglades polo field when in the course of the 4pm Freebooters Classic match between Santa Clara and Goose Creek, fifty-three-year-old Carlos Gracida suffered a life ending fall.
Gracida suffered massive facial and chest trauma after his horse stumbled launching Carlos to the ground. It is thought that the horse’s head knocked him unconscious before he ever hit the ground. The horse then fell on him and damaged him again when attempting to get up. Gracida was airlifted to the Delray Medical Center where efforts were made to revive him failed.
Internationally recognized as one of the premier players in the history of the sport, Carlos reached the ultimate polo rating of 10-goals at the age of twenty-five and rode on to capture the most prestigious polo trophies around the world. SportsIllustrated.com says that Carlos Gracida has dominated the sport more than any other player in history. He was inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame just in 2012.
Carlos won the U. S. Open Championship on nine different occasions; the Argentine Open five times; the British Open a record ten times; and the World Cup seven times. An encyclopedia cites Carlos as the holder of more tournament wins than any player in the history of the game. He has been named Player of the Year five different times and Argentina’s revered Olimpa de Plata, the award for the most valuable polo player in the country, the only non-Argentine to ever win the prestigious award.
Carlos continued playing and coaching high goal polo with a lofty 9-goal handicap (after spending 15 years at the 10-goal pinnacle). Additionally, through his company, Gracida International, his expertise had been requested on a number of polo-related ventures around the world ranging from endorsements of equestrian products to polo exhibitions to assistance in polo and equestrian developments.
A longtime resident of Palm Beach County, Carlos participated in scores of fund-raising projects and benefits and continued to be a role model for aspiring young athletes around the world.
Friends and family surrounded him at the Delray Medical Center in his final hours.
Click here to view a selection photos taken over the years by David Lominska of Carlos Gracida.