The second Philippine Polo Open finals was a glamorous climax to the season at the Manila Polo Club.
Businessman-polo player Mikee Romero, organizer of this international match, and his wife Sheila, chose a vibrant and sensual Cuban theme to welcome the summer. Rhythms evocative of Havana nightclubs wafted through the air, while dancers in colorful clothes shimmied.
Dressed in vibrant prints and easy summer clothes, the guests sat under the tents sipping their cocktails laced with Don Papa Rum while others imbibed caffeine from Kickstart Coffee. During the divot ceremony, the people preferred to drink Veuve Clicquot champagne and take selfies.
Aside from watching the games, the spectators also had an eyeful of hot models sporting Folded & Hung’s summer collection. Clad in bermudas and open shirts, male models brandished their washboard abs.
“It’s been great. This has been one of the cooler seasons we’ve had,” said polo player-turned-annotator Jack Clark Jr. “The horse is 80 percent of the game. If they play in hot weather, it’s going to be hard on them. Because it was cooler, they could play better.”
He pointed out that this season was made exciting with more games than usual.
Romero held the six-team Globalport Philippine Open participated in by Filipino players and high-goalers from Argentina, Thailand, UK and China in Calatagan, Batangas. This was unprecedented in Philippine polo. The climax was an All-Star exhibition and championship match held last March 8 at MPC Enrique Zobel field, against the backdrop of Air Asia and Oracle Hotel banners.
Los Tamaraos, under the patronage of Bobby Aguirre, won the championship with a score of 8-7, against China’s Tang Polo. The local team consisted of Aguirre’s sons, Cole and Gus, English pro Max Charlton and Ignacio Ithurburu, while Tang Polo was led by Shilai Liu, China’s most famous polo player, Nan Liu and imports Miguel Diaz and Benjamin Urquiza.
Strong players
At first, the Philippine team was lagging behind in the first two chukkers, but eventually caught up. Clark said the local players leveled up with the imports.
He attributed Los Tamaraos’ success to the strong players and was impressed with Cole and Gus Aguirre, both of whom are studying in Australia.
Clark said Cole played exceptionally well by scoring three goals to add up to the five goals scored earlier by English teammate Max Charlton. The Aguirre boys bumped other players and went shoulder to shoulder, pushing off these higher goal players from Argentina,” said Clark.
He added that Tang Polo’s import, Miguel Diaz, was quite a match. “He’s a heavy hitter. The field is 300 yards long and he hits 200 to 250 yards. He carries the ball a long way, and gives it to his teammate.”
The annotator pointed out that China’s patron-player, Shilai Lu, a one-goaler, played in the offensive position that brought up the scores. “He was able to pick up the ball and carry it on a number of occasions. He scored a terrific goal.”
Earlier, the Sultan Cup was a friendly match between polo patrons Iñigo Zobel, owner of the Ayala/San Miguel team, and Romero, owner of Globalport team.
Romero’s Green Team and Zobel’s Blue Team tied at 3-3.
Clark noted that Zobel and Romero were at the top of their game. “Mikee had a good day. He was playing his horses very well, feeling loose and hitting the ball very well. Iñigo is an experienced player. He can hit different shots. Because he understands the strategy of the game very well, he knows how to play offense and defense. That’s why he wins many of his games.”
Aside from the Aguirre brothers, other second-generation players are on the rise. “Santi Juban is a young aggressive player but is courteous and fair-minded. That’s good sportsmanship. His father, Jun, gave him good training,” said Clark.
He also cited Tommy Bitong, son of businessman Vince Bitong and actress Ana Abad Santos, and polo patron Jun Eusebio’s children, Jam and Nicole, for their equestrian skills.
Then there are Adrian Garcia, son of Tony Garcia and model Carolyn Masibay, and Alfonso Araneta, son of Greggy Araneta and Irene Marcos.
With such new blood, the future of Philippine polo looks bright.