Julian Mannix with his 2014 US Open Championship Alegria team.
(Photo by Alex Pacheco)
Although Canada might not be considered a super power in the sport of polo, the semifinals of this year’s 26-goal C. V. Whitney Cup will shine a light on some of the country’s proudest accomplishments in the game.
In a noon contest brothers Fred and Julian Mannix will face one another on the playing fields of the International Polo Club. The 22-year-old Julian Mannix’s Alegria team (Julian Mannix, Hilario Ulloa, Mariano Aguerre and Sterling Giannico) comes to the field as the defending United States Open champion while 31-year-old Fred Mannix’s credentials boast a 9-goal Argentine handicap as well as a final berth with “his” Alegria team in 2013.
Julian Mannix currently carries a 4-goal handicap and is the Number 3 rated amateur player in the world behind Valiente patron, Bob Jornayvaz and Zacara patron, Lyndon Lea. In his senior year at Florida Atlantic University, Julian juggles his polo between classes.
Fred graduated from FAU with a degree in business management, and is currently concentrating his efforts on his polo and the South American breeding operations. He is rated at 6-goals in the United States but carries an impressive 9-goal rating in Argentina. He is a dedicated and talented player and is currently ranked 39th in the world.
Fred will be playing with Marc Ganzi, Rodrigo Andrade and Magoo Laprida, and will be competing with the 24-goal Audi/Millarville team. He concedes the advantage that his brother’s 26-goal team has over the Audi/Millarville team entry.
“It’s going to be a difficult challenge,” he said, “but anything can happen.”
Both boys credit the support that they assembled over the years with their success.
“Dad made a plan,” said Fred, “and we stuck to it.” And that plan has spanned two continents and seen one son (Fred) climb to the highest ranks of players in the world, while Julian has managed to capture American polo’s top prize in the US Open Championships, a feat that eluded both his father and his brother, to date.
The showdown in the semifinal of the first of the season’s first 26-goal competition almost comes as a tribute to their father, Fred Mannix, Sr., who was recently inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame.
Game time is noon at the International Polo Club and one thing is certain, there will be a Mannix in the final of this year’s C. V. Whitney Cup, the only remaining question is, Which one?