At the start of the afternoon, the defending champions once again proved that the phenomenal Raul Laplacette, scorer of another 5 goals today, is at the heart of a perfectly oiled team. The understanding between the Argentinian pillar and his two sidekicks Francisco Fucci and Facundo Kelly was more than perfect. Powerful teamwork that got the better of Kielder Agro Group, who held on for two chukkers before being outflanked in the third period by Gstaad.

Team Gstaad will now meet Team Hublot in the final. Although on Thursday, when the two teams already met, the players of Frenchman Sébastien Le Page (Gstaad) got the better of the quartet formed by German captain Jürgen Schröder (Hublot), this in no way predicts what the final will be like (Sunday at 3 p.m.). This time, the stakes and the context will be completely different. Playing for the first time here, Martincito Aguerre discovered this particular field only on Thursday. Now he knows how to handle it. After analyzing the game of his direct opponent, Raul Laplacette, who gave him a rough time on Thursday, he is more confident for Sunday. “Raul is my kind of opponent, confirms the Argentine 7-goaler. Our team didn’t know each other very well, some of the horses were new and, above all, the field is new. It’s a different kind of polo, closer to rugby (laughs). The aim was to have fun, have a good time, and what’s more, we­­’re in the final! This place is extraordinary – I’ve never seen anything like it!”

His captain, Jürgen Shröder, is also discovering this very special tournament, and made no secret of his delight at finding himself in the final with a team assembled in just a few weeks: “Of all the tournaments I’ve seen, for me this is the best in Europe, if not the world. I don’t see how it could get any better. Great sport, a beautiful event, I’m delighted. Today’s game was very intense, with everyone playing for a place in the final. Everyone was on fire and the players gave it their all. It was very tense, and at times a little heated too.”

Will Martin Aguerre and his teammates find the key to success against a tested opponent where the players know each other inside out and are particularly motivated to retain their title? “First of all, we want to savor this victory, tempers the Argentinian. Tomorrow, we’ll be facing the best team, the defending champions. Rauli is a very good player, and here he’s particularly strong, he knows how to play on this field that he knows by heart. His team is very good, it’s a good organization and to succeed in polo, you always need a good organization”.

Has Hublot’s young organization acquired enough reflexes in two days to stand up to Gstaad’s seasoned team? The answer on Sunday afternoon at 3.00 pm.

Before that, the game for the third place will pit Kielder Agro Group against Gstaad Palace at 13:30 p.m.

Ideal conditions, a perfect field, glorious sunshine and an already big crowd for the opening day of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup 2023. Two games with a completely different feel. The first match between Gstaad and Hublot was a Raul Laplacette festival, while the second match was an exciting neck-and-neck affair between the reds of Gstaad Palace and the greens of Kielder Agro Group.

Raul Laplacette and his team mates left Gstaad in 2022 with a clear victory in the final. This afternoon, the Argentinian cornerstone seemed to be back in his own garden on the beautiful grass of Gstaad-Saanen airport. He was everywhere: unstoppable in defense, stealing every ball from anyone who wanted to dribble, even from 7-goaler Martin Aguerre Jr., defending his goal with ruthless backs and, above all, scoring five goals, including a backhand golazo from an impossible angle the likes of which can only be seen in Palermo… and in Gstaad! But there is no good player without a good team, and Laplacette is admirably helped by his Argentinian team mates Francisco Fucci and Facundo Kelly. A team that has been “running” together for some time, and that is what made the difference in this first game.

It wasn’t until the last seven seconds and a 60-yard penalty goal from Argentina’s Pedro Fernandez Llorente that the winner of the very tight second game was decided: Gstaad Palace. Yet their opponents, Kielder Agro Group, were quite competitive as well with captain Cedric Schweri from Switzerland being particularly brilliant, scoring two goals and making numerous decisive defensive moves. Segundo Condesse’s golazo also stood out, escaping from one end of the field to the other yet keeping his cool in front of goal.

Tomorrow, players and horses will be at rest. Well, not quite, because they will be out and about in the streets of Gstaad for the traditional, colorful team parade starting at 4 p.m. A moment when polo meets Swiss traditions in a good-natured atmosphere.

The semi-finals on Saturday will pit Gstaad against Kielder Agro Group (1:30 p.m.) and Gstaad Palace against Hublot (3:00 p.m.).

Teams and progressions :

GAME 1

Team HUBLOT: Jürgen Schröder (hcp 0), Matias Gonzalez (hcp 4), Martin Aguerre Jr. (hcp 7, 4 goals of which 3 penalities)

Team GSTAAD: Sébastien Le Page (hcp 0), Facundo Kelly (hcp 4, 2 goals), Francisco Fucci (hcp 4, 4 goals), Raul Laplacette (hcp 6, 5 goals of which 1 penalty)

Progression GSTAAD: 4/0 – 6/2 – 7/4 – 11/4

MVP R&B Presse : Raul Laplacette

GAME 2

Team GSTAAD PALACE: Peter Cromm (hcp 0), Segundo Condesse (hcp 4, 5 goals), Teo von Neufforge (hcp 5), Pedro Fernandez Llorente (hcp 5, 3 goals of which 2 penalities)

Team KIELDER AGRO GROUP: Cedric Schweri (hcp 0, 2 goals), Joao Novaes (hcp 5, 3 goals), Tomi Astelarra (hcp 3, 2 goals), Francisco Menendez (hcp 6)

 Progression GSTAAD PALACE: 2/3 – 4/5 – 6/5 – 8/7

Preparing a polo field is an art in itself: it must be supple, but not too soft, and react well enough to allow the horses to stop and turn quickly in complete safety. Since last spring – as they do every spring – the “gardeners” of Pierre Genecand’s team have been working hard to ensure that the green carpet will be perfect for the launch on August 17th.

Four teams will be competing for this prestigious trophy, and the tournament promises to be as surprising as it will be exciting (see the composition of the teams via the link and an interview with the headliner of this 2023 edition, Martin Aguerre Jr. in the linked press kit).

Four days of sport and glamour: three days of competition and one (Friday at 4:00 p.m.) dedicated to the spectacular team parade through the streets of Gstaad. Access to the games at the Gstaad/Saanen airport is free of charge, and everything is arranged to welcome families in the best possible conditions: catering, children’s play areas and access to the impressive exhibitors’ village.

Please note: Gstaad Palace team changes:

The 2023 edition of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad, from August 17th to 20th, promises to be highly competitive… as usual! Four teams with two captains from Germany, one from Switzerland and one from France (the defending champion), and three other nations will be represented: England, Brazil and, of course, Argentina, headlined by Martin Aguerre Jr, winner of the prestigious Copa Càmara in Argentina.

It’s in the colors of HUBLOT that ‘Martincito’ Aguerre, handicap 7, will discover the very special polo field at Saanen-Gstaad airport for the first time in his career. A valuable asset for German captain Jürgen Schröder. Martin Aguerre Jr. is a player who essentially “grew up” in France, at the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly.  His father, Martin, was a pillar of the Chantilly-based Swiss team, Marquard Media, and played in Gstaad. Martin Jr. took over naturally, while his father has become a renowned referee who can be seen judging the biggest matches, such as those of the Argentine Open. This Abierto, which Martincito’s uncle Mariano won twelve times with three different teams, including La Dolfina. Enough of a reference to underline the fact that we’re dealing here with one of the great families of Argentine polo… and therefore of international polo.

Former winner of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad in 2018, Swiss businessman Cedric Schweri returns this year in the green colors of KIELDER AGRO GROUP, still counting on Brazilian World Champion Joao Novaes. The Gstaad public knows and appreciates his spectacular, forward-moving game. In top form, he is capable of turning around the game. Last year, KIELDER AGRO GROUP was a finalist with a different team: will Cedric Schweri’s new line-up offer him a chance for revenge?

The other German captain, Peter Cromm, will be counting on British player Max Charlton to lead GSTAAD PALACE to victory. Max Charlton is vivid player with his horses from England. Charlton is an all-round player, having shone on the snow in St. Moritz and is handicap 10 in Arena Polo! But he’s just as daunting on grass: he more or less won all UK medium goal cups like the Queen Mother’s Cup (15-goal) and he recently won the traditional Westchester Cup in Wellington (USA), a high-goal match between the United Kingdom and the United States, but

Last, but not least, title-holder Sébastien Le Page of France, seduced by Raul Laplacette’s play and efficiency at the last edition where he promised to return with the Argentinian this year: “Raul? He’s the quiet force! Yes, you get the impression that he’s in slow motion all the time, but in fact he’s always on the ball. This is the first time I’ve played with him, but it won’t be the last.” It’s true that the Argentinian moves around the field with ease, giving the impression of being in several places at once and regularly sending long, decisive passes to his team-mates. A crucial player capable of bringing a second title to Lepage and a first to the new colors of Team GSTAAD.

For four days, the lawn bordering the airport’s runway will be transformed into a competition field to which all eyes in the polo world will turn. But this sport is not just for the initiated: it’s spectacular, easy to follow and fascinating. The beauty of the horses amazes, the skill of the players is jaw dropping. And it doesn’t take long for the public to take up the cause of one of the four teams battling it out on the field. Six games in all, two each day, on Thursday 17th, Saturday 19th and the finals on Sunday 20th. Friday the 18th is dedicated to the traditional and picturesque team parade through the streets of Gstaad.

After the games, life doesn’t stop: you can visit the village with its magnificent stalls, eat and drink, meet the players and a huge playground awaits the children.

From August 17th, the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad is sure to be the Alpine event not to be missed.