Pegasus Takes the Tiffany Silver at the 13th Annual Houston Ladies Tournament
November 7th – 11th, 2007 – Houston Polo Club, Houston, TX
Perfect weather, fast women, and beautiful horses made the second week of November very memorable for the Houston Polo Club’s 13th Annual Ladies Championship Tournament and WCT Qualifier. The Houston Polo Club welcomed Turnberry Tower, a luxury high rise residence located in Houston’s Galleria, as the 2007 Presenting Sponsor, and Tiffany and Co. as the Title Sponsor and host of the Calcutta and Kickoff Party. The Houston Ladies Championship Tournament is the newest addition to the Tiffany Polo Classic roster of events, which also includes tournaments hosted by the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club and Las Colinas Polo Club.
Eleven teams contended for Tiffany silver, La Martina custom gear and tack, and Catena USA watches, including six WCT teams. Teams in the 3-goal WCT flight were led by some of the world’s finest women players such as Lesley Masterton Fong-Yee, Sherri-Lyn Hensman, and Caroline Anier. The two undefeated teams of Tiffany and Co. and Pegasus met for the Finals title, with Pegasus coming on strong with 4 goals in the first chukker and holding a lead through the rest of the Finals match. The Pegasus team also made the Houston WCT Finals in 2006 but lost to the very tough L.A. Waters team led Kristy Outhier and Caroline Anier, both rated at two goals. But on the second time around, Tiffany’s balanced line-up of one-goalers Karen Reese, Jolie Liston, and rising star Erica Gandomcar, with help from sponsor Rebecca Bollenbach, wasn’t able stop Jamaica’s number one polo lady and her talented crew. Fong-Yee and Kate Weber came through with a fast offense and a lot of help from Sheila Lequerica and sponsor Anne Andras to win the 1st place silver for Pegasus. MVP of the WCT Finals was Kate Weber, with Best Playing Pony awarded to Dakota ridden by Tiffany’s Jolie Liston. The WCT Sportsmanship Award, voted on by the players in each league and donated by PoloGirlsClub.com, was presented to Sherri-Lyn Hensman.
Earlier in the week, Pegasus edged out Anier and Jessica Bailey’s Turnberry Tower ladies by one goal in the 4th chukker of a fast and furious eliminations match to secure their trip to the Finals. Turnberry Tower, who defeated Hensman’s Lockton team in their first elimination match, came back to win the consolation bracket against Western Airways’ Roxy Keyfauver and Stacey Galindo for the 3rd place trophy. In the second bracket, Tiffany and Co defeated Western Airways’ defensive line-up and Hunton Energy’s trio of veteran one-goal players during the eliminations, to meet Pegasus in the Finals. Hunton Energy’s Bonnie Corner and Abi Abel met Lockton in the second of the consolation matches on Sunday, where Hensman and her team prevailed to take 5th in the tournament.
In the Invitational League Finals, Momentum Land Rover’s mother-daughter team of Barlee and Paige Flanders missed the Tiffany silver by just one goal in a tight match-up against McIntyre Youngblood Recruiting’s polo veterans Jenny Vargas and Candace Smith. Vargas and Smith were backed up by Liz Lary and Tiffany Clifton in the Finals. Momentum Land Rover’s Flanders duo, joined by Finals MVP Chrys Beal and Allee Messina, defeated Catena USA’s Sophie Gleason and Carmen Mero on Saturday in their road to the finals.
McIntyre-Youngblood defeated Sylvia Firestone and Esther Waring’s Kormex team, as well as Christine Moldvaer’s Leyendecker ladies, in the Saturday round robin eliminations at ERG, to make it to the Invitational Championship. Catena USA came back from Saturday’s loss to win the Consolation round robin on Sunday at HPC for the 3rd place trophies. Best Playing Pony in the Invitational Finals went to Cheyenne, who was both trained and played by Candace Smith. Liz Lary was awarded the Sportsmanship Award for the Invitational League.
Social highlights of the week included the Kickoff and Calcutta Party hosted by Tiffany and Co. on November 7th, and the Tiffany Polo Classic Sunday Brunch and Tournament Finals at the Houston Polo Club on November 11th. During the kickoff party, guests and players mingled over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, while the polo sponsors modeled over a half-million dollars worth of fabulous Tiffany diamond jewelry during the WCT team auction. A portion of the auction proceeds benefited the Fresh Arts Coalition of Houston.
Spectators at the Sunday Finals enjoyed a delectable brunch by Mélange Catering, accompanied by champagne and wines from Barefoot Cellars and a dessert buffet ‘tailgate-style’ by Momentum Land Rover. The fieldside Tiffany Charm Bar provided spectators with some shiny mementos of the week’s festivities, including their Tiffany Polo Classic sterling charms. After the Awards ceremony, players, sponsors and friends stayed well into the evening for live entertainment by the Josh Peek band.
The Houston Polo Club wishes to thank all of the 2007 event sponsors, which include La Martina, Catena USA, Lockton, Western Airways, Pegasus, Hunton Energy, KorMex Foods, Leyendecker and Associates, McIntyre Youngblood Recruiting, LLC, Alliance Strategic Business Services, Aqua Panna, PoloGirlsClub.com, Par Avion, and Texas Polo. HPC also extends thanks to the volunteers, staff, and club members who contributed to a successful tournament, including Scott Wood and Tim Kelly for the donation of their polo fields for the eliminations games. For more information about the Houston Polo Club, please visit www.thehoustonpoloclub.com. To learn more about the Women’s Championship Tournament (WCT) polo series, please visit www.wctpolo.com.
Photos Courtesy of Gittings Photography
www.gittings.com
WCT Tournament Results
1st – Pegasus (3-0)
In the Pegasus WCT Finals win picture is, L to R: Lesley Masterton Fong-Yee, Kate Weber, Michael McClure (Tiffany & Co), Anne Andras, Carin Dilley, Sheila Lequerica. Children in the photo are Joe Bob and Lily Lequerica.
2nd Tiffany and Co (2-1)
In the Tiffany & Co WCT Runner-Up win picture is, L to R: Jolie Liston, Karen Reese, Michael McClure, Erica Gandomcar, and Rebecca Bollenbach.
3rd – Turnberry Tower (2-1)
In the Turnberry WCT Consolation win picture is, L to R: Jessica Bailey, Caroline Anier, Steve Armour (Turnberry Tower), Sarah Prinsloo, Brooks Diesel and daughter Jojo.
4th – Western Airways (1-2)
Danika Rice, Vicki green, Stacey Galindo, Roxy Keyfauver
5th – Lockton (1-2)
Jenny Sharrock, Sherri-Lyn Hensman, Cathy Alba, Theresa King
6th – Hunton Energy (0-3)
Carol Hunton, Bonnie Corner, Abi Abel , Leigh Anne Hall
Invitational Tournament Results
1st – MYRecruiting
In the MYRecruiting Invitational win picture is, L to R: Jenny Vargas with daughters Emma and Phoebe, Candace Smith, Michael McClure, Tiffany Clifton, Liz Lary, Danya Bogart.
2nd – Momentum Land Rover
Barlee Flanders, Paige Flanders, Allee Messina, Chrys Beal
3rd – Catena USA
Carmen Mero, Sophie Gleason, Emily Josephs, Sabrina King
4th – Leyendecker and Associates
Carin Dilley, Christine Moldvaer, Mary Moody, Karen Beste
5th – KorMex Foods, Inc.
Crystal Cassidy, Sylvia Firestone, Colleen Williams, Esther Waring