Polo Players' Edition is the official publication of the U.S. Polo Association. Dedicated to the sport of polo, it features player profiles, game strategy, horse care, playing tips, polo club news and tournament results.
Issue link: https://polo.epubxp.com/i/31965
Prince Charles kisses his mother, the Queen’s hand while receiving his trophy at the Silver Jubilee Cup in July 1985. Mountbatten would have been particularly pleased to know that the foundation mare of the polo ponies bred by the Queen goes back to the mare, Mayling, which had been bred by him. One of Prince Charles’ favorite polo ponies was his mare, Happiness, which he described as a total dream. Happiness was bred by the Queen and was foaled in 1974, out of the Duke of Edinburgh’s mare, Inez. The British Royal Family has played polo over five generations and there can be no other family that can claim to have brought so much dignity and interest to the game. After Prince Charles played a game at the Oak Brook Polo Club in Prince Charles, left, chases down a hook at the Ham Polo Club in 1969. Prince Charles raised over $12 million for charities through sponsorship of matches in which he played. Prince Charles has passed on his enthusiasm for the game to his two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Prince Charles has written that “being able to play with both my sons has given me more pleasure than I can say even if they may not have paid a great deal of attention to my attempts at tuition!” The young princes learned their polo from Claire Tomlinson at Beaufort Polo Club and with Rob Cudmore’s tutelage at Cirencester Park and Longdole Polo Clubs. Both Princes are showing promise in the sport and are both handicapped at 1-goal. They play as much as their military careers allow. Like their father, they have played in matches to raise money for charities and Prince Harry played on New York’s Governors Island this past summer to raise money for Sentebale, a charity he cofounded to help orphans in Lesotho. Queen Elizabeth has always been a strong supporter of polo. She has presented the Queen’s Cup and Coronation Cup at Guard’s Polo Club. She has bred polo ponies that have been played by both the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles. Lord 64 POLO PLAYERS EDITION Chicago, Illinois, Michael Butler said, “We had over 6,000 spectators for the 1986 Prince of Wales Cup in which Prince Charles played. He is a true polo superstar; there’s no question his presence hypes polo’s popularity tremendously.” Prince William and Harry are following in their father’s footsteps in attracting huge crowds when they play. At the match Prince Harry played in New York there was a crowd of 12,000 spectators. To echo Michael Butler’s words, the British Royal Family are truly polo’s superstars. Nigel à Brassard was born in London. After gaining a degree in Modern History, he has worked as an investment banker in London, Sydney and New York. He plays polo at Cirencester Park and is patron of the Courtenay and Band of Gypsys teams and captains the Buck’s Club team. He is a member of the Finance and Grants Committee of the Hurlingham Polo Association, a Director of Cirencester Park Polo Club and an Ambassador of the International Polo Federation. He has written a number of articles about polo and is the author of A Glorious Victory, A Glorious Defeat (an account of the 1921 Westchester Cup matches), A Posthumous Life: Keats in Rome, and Tommy Hitchcock: A Tribute. Additionally, he contributed to Profiles in Polo and wrote the foreword to The Evolution of Polo. MIKE ROBERTS MIKE ROBERTS