His Royal Highness took part in the game in aid of the Princes’ chosen charities England and Wales Mountain Rescue, Household Cavalry Foundation and Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust. Since 2007 the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry have been playing polo in support of their charities. This summer’s matches will see the total they have raised pass the £10 million mark.
Joining the Princes in the action were England Internationals and La Martina ambassadors, Malcolm Borwick, and George Meyrick.
2016 is the third year Maserati and its historic partner La Martina have hosted a world polo tour, with the UK match being the third of six matches on the calendar. The 2016 season spans nine months, covering three continents and six time zones.
La Martina, the prestigious supplier of technical polo equipment and luxury lifestyle clothing and official supplier of the Maserati Team, has partnered with the luxury car manufacturer to further strengthen the relationship of the two brands. To mark this leg of the tour, La Martina released a limited edition polo shirt – the Anatomic Sport, of which only 300 will be available.
Enrico Roselli, La Martina CEO, said: “It is a fantastic opportunity to host a third prestigious world polo tour match in the UK alongside Maserati, and at the same time continue to further grow our relationship with another like-minded brand that also contains such magnificent heritage.”
Today’s victory was secured by Maserati, whose excellent performance saw a final score of 9 – 5 ½. After an impressive showing, the Maserati Most Valuable Player prize was presented to polo player, Charley Law.
Peter Denton, Region Manager Maserati North Europe, commented: “Today’s match at Beaufort Polo Club highlighted exactly why we look forward to our annual International Polo Tour. The thrill of the match and the power and agility of the ponies is everything we try to encapsulate in our products.”
“It’s always a great atmosphere and we wish The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry every success in achieving their target of raising £10,000,000 for their charities.”
Enrico Roselli added: “To celebrate being able to host the UK leg of the polo world tour, La Martina is proud to release a limited edition polo top. This new exclusive shirt – the Anatomic Sport – features a Union Jack second button, alongside seamless anatomical decoration on front and back, as well as the historic La Martina and Maserati logos.”
Showcased alongside the star-studded line-up of polo players were Maserati models including Maserati’s luxury flagship saloon car, the Quattroporte. And adding to the event’s horse power was Maserati’s first SUV, the Levante, which was recently unveiled to the UK media and selected guests at The Royal Horticultural Halls in London.
The Maserati Polo Tour continues on 15-24 July with the “USPA Maserati Silver Cup” at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, California, USA. Maserati will then fly to Sotogrande, Spain, for the “45° Torneo Internacional de Polo” that will be held from 27 July to 11 August at the Santa Maria Polo Club.
Dubai, 8 April 2016 – Acceleration combined with excellent off-road handling was the focus as the Maserati Polo Tour 2016 continued in Dubai, with the first Maserati Dubai Polo Challenge taking place at Desert Palm Polo Club. The winning team, “Desert Palm”, produced an impressive performance at this inaugural tournament.
Played over five days, four talented polo teams, featuring both professional and amateur players from the UK, Europe, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Argentina, produced both competitive and entertaining polo, much to the delight of Maserati’s guests. They were joined by a hand-selected audience of VIPs and special guests from the individual team sponsors, which included Gulfstream, Scavi & Ray and Desert Palm.
“While we are very familiar with thoroughbred horsepower from our cars, the game of polo adds a different level of excitement to the Maserati experience. We are delighted to share this with our guests and our special thanks goes to the teams and Desert Palm for making this such an exhilarating event,” explained Umberto Cini, Managing Director of Maserati Middle East, India & Africa.
The winning team, featuring Team Patrons Tariq Albwardy (UAE, Handicap 1) and Sam Instone (UK, 0) as well as Martin Gandara (ARG, 4) and Matias Machado (ARG, 4), narrowly won the final, only going ahead to win the match in the last chukka. Their opponents, Team Maserati, put up a strong fight on Desert Palm’s impressive hotel grounds, but could not score enough goals to put the match into extra time. Third place was claimed by Gulfstream, who beat Scavi & Ray in the Trident Trophy.
The Maserati Most Valuable Player prize was awarded to Nacho Gonzalez from the Maserati Team, while Castora, played by Matias Machado, was named the Equestrio Arabia Best Playing Pony.
Besides the actual horsepower on the field of play, Maserati had a fleet of vehicles with a different kind of horsepower on display. The special highlight was the Maserati Levante, which made one of its first appearances in the region. With the Levante, the Trident brand’s mission was not just to build an SUV, but to build a true Maserati, combining on-road handling typical of all Maserati cars with solid off-road capabilities and breath-taking Italian design.
The Maserati Dubai Polo Challenge was supported by the world's leading supplier of polo equipment, La Martina. Enrico Roselli, CEO of La Martina, said: "The Maserati Polo Tour always creates strong emotions. It is a celebration of our origins and our passion for the sport. Our partnership with Maserati and Guards Polo Club highlights the prestigious character of the event, showing once again the success of the combination of luxury and performance.”
The Maserati Dubai Polo Challenge also marks the start of a series of La Martina and Maserati #PoloStories videos revealing the secrets of polo from the unique perspective of top polo players. Ebe Sievwright, an Official Commentator at Guards Polo Club and founder of the Guards Polo Academy, was chosen as the ambassador and protagonist for the first episode of the series. The videos unveil the limited edition polo shirts dedicated to each leg of the Maserati Polo Tour and are available exclusively on the digital platforms of Maserati and La Martina.
In conjunction with the Dubai Polo Challenge, the two brands presented the spectacular “24K Gold Dubai Polo” - a unique polo shirt which blends sportswear with luxury: the stretch piquet fabric is embroidered with a 24-carat gold thread. The “24K Gold Dubai Polo” will be available exclusively at La Martina Stores in the Dubai Mall and the Mall of the Emirates and subsequently in the brand’s London and Milan flagship stores.
The Maserati Dubai Polo Challenge was organised by the UK-based Guards Polo Club, Europe’s leading polo club, which was founded in 1955 by HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who remains the Club’s President to this day.
Sunday, 31 January 2016 - The Maserati Polo Tour 2016 began with a thrilling start at the “Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz” that took place on the frozen lake of St. Moritz from 29th – 31st January, where the Team Maserati captured the “Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz” Trophy.
Over the three day tournament, the 4 polo teams played entertaining and high-class polo matches to the delight of about 13,000 spectators. The favourable weather conditions transformed the polo field on the frozen lake of St. Moritz with its captivating snow-capped mountains in the background into a spectacular backdrop. Among the guests of the renowned “Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz” were a number of local and international VIP-personalities from business, politics and show business.
“We are delighted to have kicked off the Maserati Polo Tour with such a magnificent tournament” said Giulio Pastore, General Manager Maserati Europe: “There is something special about snow polo, that gives the thrill of the game an additional level of excitement, especially with such a unique atmosphere as here in St. Moritz”.
Enrico Roselli, CEO of La Martina, adds “It is always exciting for us to participate at the Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, since we were among the creators of the tournament over thirty years ago. To share such an experience with Maserati came naturally, given our similar backgrounds characterized by a burning passion for sports and excellent performances”
The Polo Team Maserati with Team Captain Rommy Gianni (Italy, Handicap +1), Luciano Vazquez (Spain, Handicap +2), Dario Musso (Argentina, Handicap +7) and Frankie Menendes (Argentina, Handicap +6) received the support and cheers from the audience to win the finals of the “Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz” over Team Cartier in a thrilling finish 5 to 4.
A demonstration of horsepower that continued from the lake of St. Moritz to the Polo Village, where Maserati displayed a Ghibli in Diesel version. In addition, VIP guests had the pleasure to experience the entire Maserati saloon range during the shuttle service from the village centre of St. Moritz to the Polo Village, testing the Q4 all-wheel drive system.
Maserati aficionados were also able to enjoy exclusive weekend packages ranging from a snow golf tournament, test drives on snow & ice, and the world-class Snow Polo with the Maserati Team to an exclusive Gala dinner.
The “Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz” marked the exciting kick-off of the Maserati Polo Tour 2016 and emphasized the long-lasting involvement of Maserati in the sport of polo. Accompanied by the successful partnership with the world's leading supplier of polo equipment, La Martina, the Maserati Polo Tour 2016 will bring many more highlights to this year’s international polo scene.
The protagonist of La Martina & Maserati collaboration for the current season is the iconic Polo Duvet, appeared for the first time on a polo field during the 2015 edition of the Snow Polo World Cup. It is a special “cashmere insulated” quilted outdoor polo to be worn during the warm-up sessions before the winter matches, when the uniform shirt, even though thermically insulated, was still too thin, whereas a simple outdoor jacket would be too bulky for the game. The Polo Duvet is worn over a polo and turtleneck shirt, it is taken off at the beginning of the match. Thanks to its technical characteristics and cool design, the Polo Duvet is perfect as a sportswear item to be worn beyond the polo field in-between seasons.
Detailed information on the Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz can be found under the following link: www.snowpolo-stmoritz.com
Following St. Moritz and Dubai, the third instalment of Maserati Polo Tour 2016 will take place in the UK in June.
