Los Amigos Red took advantage of cold shooting by Tonkawa to capture the Rocky Mountain Open Sunday at Aspen Valley Polo Club.

Los Amigos Red (Paul Foster, Carlitos Gracida, Julio Novillo Astrada, Gabriel Gracida) broke open a deadlocked first half and scored five goals in the fourth chukker to pull away for the lopsided win against Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Alex Gooding, Nic Roldan, Jimmy Seward).

Argentine 7-goaler Julio Novillo Astrada Jr., 43, one of five brothers whose family’s polo tradition spans more than 60 years in Argentina, was named Most Valuable Player for the second time during the summer season.

Novillo Astrada scored a game-high five goals including three in the explosive fourth chukker and got his team untracked after a defensive first half.

 

Read More

After trailing at halftime, Aspen Valley Polo Club rallied to win the prestigious USPA National Arena Chairman’s Cup.

The talented young trio of Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini and Lucas Lalor defeated Flexjet (Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini, Carlitos Gracida), 13.5-12, Thursday at blustery Aspen Valley Polo Club.

“It means a lot to win,” Grant Ganzi said. “We hadn’t won anything all summer. We have played arena together for three years and play well together. We have great chemistry.

“We know how arena works,” Ganzi said. “We have been playing arena more than anyone in this tournament. We knew before the tournament started we had a good shot. Then we watched the games on Tuesday and said we got this.”

Argentine Lucas Lalor was named Most Valuable Player. Lalor was outstanding throughout the tournament. The all-around player scored six goals including a two-point, 25-yard penalty shot in the fourth chukker.

Read More

The summer polo tournament is winding down with two tournaments remaining at Aspen Valley Polo Club.

Five teams will compete in this weekend’s Rocky Mountain Cup.

Two preliminary games are scheduled for Friday. Flexjet plays Los Amigos Red at 11 a.m. at Sopris Mountain Ranch. At 3 p.m., Tonkawa, ChukkerTV and Los Amigos White will play a round robin at High Mesa Ranch.

The final and subsidiary games along with a special Grooms’ Race are Sunday.

Read More

Molly Mitchell and her Eagle River Pony Club teammates have been counting the days until their first polo lesson at Aspen Valley Polo Club.

“They are super excited about Saturday,” said Kim Mitchell, Molly’s mom. “The girls are beside themselves.”

The four-year-old club with fifteen members, ages 9-15, got their first exposure to polo at the July 24th Basalt Handicap final at Aspen Valley Polo Club.

The club members visited with ChukkerTV announcer Dale Schwetz during halftime and were awards presenters during the post-game ceremony where they got to meet the players.

“The girls were awestruck,” said Wendy Armstrong, the club’s secretary. “We were all blown away. They went above and beyond hosting us at the polo game and now they have invited us back. We feel privileged to ride their horses and learn polo.”

The Eagle River Pony Club members will take their first polo lesson during Saturday’s first-of-its-kind Pony Club Day that will feature a Kids Tournament and “Skill of the Game” Pony Club activities beginning at 11 a.m.

Read More

Aspen Valley Polo Club and Flexjet advanced into the championship final of the USPA National Arena Chairman’s Cup.

Aspen Valley Polo Club’s trio of young up-and-coming players Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini and Lucas Lalor defeated La Karina, 12-2.5, and Sopris Mountain Ranch, 5.5-3, in the opening qualifier Tuesday at windswept Aspen Valley Polo Club.

The veteran team of Melissa Ganzi, Juan Bollini and Carlitos Gracida knocked off Grand Champions Polo Club, 6-2.5, and Audi, 5-3, in the other qualifier.

The final is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday and will be live streamed by ChukkerTV. The game will pit mother against son (Melissa and Grant Ganzi) and father against son (Juan and Juancito Bollini) in what promises to be a highly competitive game.

Grant Ganzi, 18, a freshman at Lynn University, led scorers with six goals in the opening game against La Karina. Lalor added four goals including a two-pointer. Ganzi added another goal to finish with seven and Lalor had two in the win against Sopris Mountain Ranch.

Read More

Aspen Valley Polo Club will host the prestigious USPA National Arena Chairman’s Cup that gets under way Tuesday.

The two-day, 8-12-goal outdoor arena tournament features several top players including arena-ranked 9-goalers Nic Roldan and Agustin (Tincho) Merlos, 8-goaler Julio Novillo Astrada and 7-goalers Tomacho Pieres and Juan Bollini.

It is the first time the nation’s fastest-growing USPA polo club has hosted the event.

The action begins Tuesday with two round robin games at 5 and 6:30 p.m. followed by a Lamb Roast Asado. The winners will advance into Thursday’s championship final at 5:30 p.m.

Read More

In front of a record crowd at Aspen Valley Polo Club, Steta Polo Team held on for a thrilling 12-11 victory over Flexjet Sunday in the final of the Mount Sopris Cup.

Steta Polo Team (Guillermo Steta, Brian Boyd/Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Carlitos Gracida) built a 9-3 halftime lead and then turned back a second-half rally by Flexjet (Alejandra Foster, Marc Ganzi, Alex Gooding, Julio Novillo Astrada) to win its’ summer polo debut.

Carlitos Gracida scored a team-high five goals and was named Most Valuable Player.

“We changed the lineup,” Gracida said. “The other day Nic was playing back. Today I played back, that way Nic could receive it and hit it hard and score.”

Kismet, a 5-year-old mare owned by Santa Rita Polo Farm and ridden by Julio Novillo Astrada was selected Best Playing Pony.

Read More

On a picture-perfect day for polo at Aspen Valley Polo Club, St. Regis won the inaugural Family Traditions St. Regis Polo Cup in thrilling fashion.

Juan Bollini scored the game-winner through a crowd in front of the goal posts with less than thirty seconds remaining in the game to give St. Regis a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over Aspen Valley Polo Club.

The unique format featured fathers and sons bonded by their passion for horses and polo, competing in a four-chukker game.

St. Regis (Hilario Figueras, Juancito Bollini, Nacho Figueras, Juan Bollini) and Aspen Valley (Secundo Merlos, Grant Ganzi, Marc Ganzi, Sebastian Merlos) were evenly matched.

Figueras, polo ambassador and St. Regis Connoisseur, was named Most Valuable Player.

Read More

Guillermo Steta, president of the Mexican Polo Federation, returns to Aspen Valley Polo Club for this weekend’s Mount Sopris Cup.

Steta, a frequent visitor to Aspen Valley Polo Club and its Wellington, Fla.-based sister club Grand Champions Polo Club, is spearheading the drive to get polo into the Pan American Games, the first step expected to pave the way for the sport’s return to the Olympic Games.

The Pan Am Games is a major international Olympic-style sporting event that features 41 countries from North, Central and South Americas every four years.

Steta will head the Steta Polo Team in the eighth tournament of the summer polo season. Steta will be joined by fellow Mexican Carlitos Gracida, son of polo legend Carlos Gracida; Brian Boyd and Nic Roldan, America’s top-rated player at eight goals.

The four-team tournament also features Flexjet, Los Amigos and Tonkawa.

Read More

In a fast-paced, hardfought round-robin tournament, ChukkerTV defeated La Karina, 9-6, to win the ChukkerTV Arena Challenge Cup Tuesday at windswept Aspen Valley Polo Club.

The unique format of continuous play, win-or-go home and two-point goals from outside the 25-yard mark, produced one of the most competitive polo tournaments of the summer season.

“This was great,” said Gabriel Gracida, a member of the Aspen Valley team that dropped a 7-5 decision to La Karina (Brian Boyd, Julio Novillo Astrada, Tincho Merlos) in the opening two-chukker game.

In the second game, ChukkerTV (Lucas Lalor, Carlitos Gracida, Juan Bollini) edged Casablanca (Tomas Pieres, Sebastian Merlos, Grant Ganzi), 6-4, to advance to the final against La Karina (Brian Boyd, Tincho Merlos, Julio Novillo Astrada).

Read More

After back-to-back rainout days, Aspen Valley Polo Club hosted what can only be described as a polopalooza.

The busiest day of the summer polo season featured the final of the High Alpine Cup, two outdoor arena games, one indoor arena game, grooms’ race and first-of-its- kind Flying Golf Ball Contest pitting a polo player against two pro golfers.

In the featured game, Travieso (Paul Foster, Tony Calle, Teo Calle, Alex Gooding) and Los Amigos (Alejandra Foster, Brian Boyd, Alejandro Poma, Stewart Armstrong) played to a hardfought 4-4 tie in the High Alpine Cup.

Read More

CARBONDALE, Colo., August 3, 2016---Former Argentine 8-goal player Juan Bollini will make his summer debut in this weekend’s High Alpine Cup at Aspen Valley Polo Club.

Bollini, a top player, coach and commentator, will compete for Flexjet, last week’s runner-up in the Emma Challenge.

Bollini will be joined by Flexjet teammates Tomas Pieres, Melissa Ganzi, Riley Ganzi and Ace Boyd. Riley Ganzi and Boyd will split time playing.

After five successful tournaments, the sixth week of the summer polo season gets under way Friday with a season-high six teams.

Round robin competition begins Friday to determine Sunday’s finalists. In the opening round robin at 11 a.m. (MST), Flexjet, Los Amigos and Casablanca will compete at Sopris Mountain Ranch Field.

Read More

Tonkawa came from behind in the sixth chukker with two clutch penalty goals to capture the Emma Challenge Sunday at Aspen Valley Polo Club.

Argentine 9-goaler Agustin (Tincho) Merlos, the youngest of three Merlos brothers, converted two penalty-four, 60-yard goals including the game-winner to give Tonkawa a thrilling 7-6 victory over Flexjet.

It was Tonkawa’s first tournament win of the summer polo season.

Merlos led Tonkawa scoring with three goals and was named Most Valuable Player.

Read More

In an exciting comeback, The Polo School Blue knocked off The Polo School Green, 5-4, in the USPA National Youth Tournament Series (NYTS) Qualifier Saturday at Sopris Mountain Field.

Rufino Merlos, the 9-year-old son of Argentine 9-goaler Tincho Merlos, rallied his team with three goals including the game-winner in the fourth and final chukker for the thrilling victory.

The Polo School Blue (Nikko Ramirez/Rufino Merlos, Riley Ganzi, Santos Bollini, Grant Ganzi) trailed for most of the game.

The Polo School Green (Santos Merlos, Olivia Merlos, Segundo Merlos, Michael Calle) led 4-2 early in the fourth chukker before “Rufi” got a hot mallet and played circles around older and more experienced players.

Read More

Aspen Valley Polo Club opened its doors to the monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery and made history teaching them how to play polo.

The monks took time out from their Mystical Arts of Tibet tour to learn foot mallet polo and play arena polo with some of the world’s top players including Argentines Tincho Merlos, Julio Novillo Astrada, Lucas Lalor and American Nic Roldan.

Wearing the traditional sarong-like antarasavaka, sport shoes, t-shirts, polo jerseys and helmets, the monks were first introduced to foot mallet polo by longtime polo umpire and commentator Dale Schwetz. They quickly progressed to arena polo where Schwetz and Carlitos Gracida umpired and helped teach. Many of them had never been on a horse.

Read More

The halfway point of the summer polo season at Aspen Vallley Polo Club will feature the Emma Challenge and USPA National Youth Tournament Series (NYTS) Tournaments.

The fifth medium goal tournament of the 10-tournament season has attracted five teams with top players and brothers Sebastian and Tincho Merlos, Julio Novillo Astrada and Nic Roldan.

The two-day tournament gets under way Friday with two games. The opening game at 11 a.m. MST features Flexjet against Aspen Valley.

Read More

In one of the most exciting games of the summer polo season, La Karina rallied in the second half to defend its’ title in the Basalt Handicap Sunday at Aspen Valley Polo Club.

Trailing 7-3 in the fourth chukker, La Karina bounced back with six goals including four in the fifth chukker, to defeat Flexjet, 9-8.

“That was unbelievable,” said La Karina team captain Brian Boyd. “They were a really good team, tough as hell. It’s definitely one of my great wins in my 20-year career.”

It was La Karina’s first tournament victory of the season.

Read More

Tincho Merlos and Nic Roldan, fresh off playing in England, will make their summer debut in this weekend’s Basalt Handicap Cup at Aspen Valley Polo Club.

After three successful tournaments, the fourth week of the summer polo season gets under way Friday with a season-high five teams.

Competition begins Friday to determine Sunday’s finalists. In the opening game at 11 a.m. (MST), two-time summer tournament winner Travieso, featuring Argentine 9-goaler Tincho Merlos, will play La Karina at Sopris Mountain Ranch Field.

Read More

Travieso is making a name for itself at Aspen Valley Polo Club.

Following the winning tradition it started at Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Fla., Travieso is already the winningest team at this summer’s polo season in Aspen.

The foursome of father-and-son Teo and Tony Calle, Lucas Lalor and Carlitos Gracida defeated La Karina, 10-8, to defend its title in the Craig Sakin Memorial and win back-to-back tournaments. Last week Travieso won the ChukkerTV Challenge Cup.

Melissa Ganzi of La Karina, playing well above her handicap, was named Most Valuable Player.

Read More

After two successful season-opening tournaments, the third week of the summer polo season gets under way Friday with the Craig Sakin Memorial Cup.

Two first round games are scheduled for Friday. La Karina, led by 9-goaler Sebastian Merlos, plays Casablanca at 11 a.m. at Sopris Mountain Ranch.

In the second game, Tonkawa plays Travieso at 3 p.m. at High Mesa Field.

Read More