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After two years of absence, the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad made a magnificent return with a sensational final that decided its winner only in the last seconds. A breathtaking game that saw Clinique La Prairie win this 25th edition of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup, the highest summer tournament in Switzerland, and with it, four watches offered by the Swiss watchmaker.
Clinique La Prairie won on the wire, 9 to 7 ½, thanks to an imperial Raul Laplacette who made sure his team remained calm and concentrated in the crucial final minutes when the game could still go either way. Sébastien Le Page, the captain of Clinique La Prairie, was indeed worried: “I must admit that at the end of the third chukker, I told myself that we were going to miss this final, but we woke up for the last chukker.” Playing for the first time in Gstaad, the French captain and boss of the Swiss club Polo Park Zurich, wanted to prepare well with a specific method … sobriety: “It’s the first time I play this level, I haven’t been drinking for the last three weeks so tonight it will be full-on champagne!” Talking about the game, Le Page has an explanation of what made the odds turn in their favor: “This final could have gone either way, but I felt that Kielder Agro started to put pressure on themselves in the last chukker, I felt them more nervous and that’s maybe what made the difference. The fact that they could not play with Bautista Beguerie (injured yesterday, broke his arm in the semi-final, ed.), must have disturbed them too, it must have certainly changed their strategy.” Clinique La Prairie‘s strategy was clearly based on calmness, especially that of its pillar, Argentine Laplacette: “Raul? He’s the quiet force! It seems like he’s in slow motion all the time, but he’s actually always on the ball. This is the first time I’ve played with him, but it’s definitely not the last,” said the French captain. But they could also count on Lucas Labat’s experience as he already won this tournament in 2019 wearing the same colors!
The small final, the one for third place, allowed the Hublot team to leave Gstaad with a victory over the solid Gstaad Palace team. A game that was very balanced and pleasant to watch, one goal being immediately countered with another, a duel between Argentines Pedro Fernandez-Llorente in purple and Dario Musso in red, the latter missing a 40-yard penalty in the last 30 seconds that would have allowed them to battle it out in overtime. A beautiful victory for Hublot much to the delight of its captain Henry Fielding Elser, at 16 years the youngest player to ever be in this tournament.
It was a pleasure to be back at the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad, which reunited with its public, packed at the edge of the field and captivated by the intensity of these finals. No doubt that they will come back next year, when the Saanen airfield will once again be the scene of highly competitive polo in the heart of the mountains from August 17 to 20 2023.
MVP: Raul Laplacette
Best amateur player: Luca Meier
Top scorer of the tournament: Raul Laplacette (15 goals)
BBP: Blanquita (ridden by Ezequiel Martinez-Ferrario in the 1st and 3rd chukker) by Dolfina Cuarteto (Cuartetera) and Blanquita, 8-year-old grey mare
Best groom: Claudio Marquez (team Gstaad Palace)
Teams and progression
FINAL:
Team Clinique La Prairie: Sébastien Le Page (h0); Facundo Kelly (h3), 1 goal; Lucas Labat (h5); Raul Laplacette (h6), 8 goals
Team Kielder Agro: Luca Meier (h1), 2 goals; Fabian Bolantario (h4); Ezequiel Martinez-Ferrario (h7), 5 goals; Fabio Meier (h1)
Progression Clinique La Prairie : (advantage ½ goal for Kielder) 3/3½ – 6/5½ – 6/7½ et 9/7½
Subsidary final:
Team Hublot: Henry Fielding Elser (h0); Teo von Neufforge (h5), 1 goal; Goffredo Cutinelli-Rendina (h3); Pedro Fernandez Llorente (h5), 4 goals
Team Gstaad Palace: Cedric Schweri (h0); Tomi Astelarra (h3), 1 goal; Joao Novaes (h5); Dario Musso (h5), 3 goals
Progression Hublot: 2/1 – 3/2 – 4/3 et 5/4
After intense rain all morning, the teams finally played in the dry, under a radiant sun even, and in the dream setting of the Gstaad mountains on a field in excellent condition. Two intense and competitive games and for a good reason: it was the semi-finals of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup. In the end, the two winners of Thursday’s games came out on top once again and will face each other in Sunday’s final: Clinique La Prairie and Kielder Agro Uruguay.
Second game:
Team Gstaad Palace: Cedric Schweri (h0); Joao Novaes (h5) 3 goals; Tomi Astelarra (h3); Dario Musso (h5)
Team Kielder Agro: Fabio Meier (h1); Luca Meier (h1), 4 goals, Bautista Beguerie (h5), 1 goal; Ezequiel Martinez-Ferrario (h7), 2 goals
Progression Kielder Agro: (avantage ½ goal pour Gstaad Palace) 2/0½ – 4/1½ – 5/2½ and 7/3½
The fresh mountain air inspired the players of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup today as they offered the public two beautiful games that were all the more closely fought as they could act as a semi-final if the weather conditions do not allow to play on Saturday. Two players stood out this afternoon on the “cancha” of the Saanen airfield: the Argentinians Bautista Beguerie and Raul Laplacette.
In the first game, the team wearing the green colors of the new partner of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup, Kielder Agro, made an impressive entrance by dominating the Hublot team thanks to Bautista Beguerie who was running everywhere. His five goals (top scorer of the day) gave his team a 7 1/2 goal lead at the end of the third chukker. Then Hublot caught up proving that they still have a role to play in this tournament where anything is possible as all four teams will be semi-finalists on Saturday (weather permitting).In the second game, Gstaad Palace held their own against Clinique La Prairie. But the lack of success on the penalty shots of Brazilian Joao Novao and the inspiration of Raul Laplacette, well supported by Lucas Labat, on the opposite side, allowed Sébastien Le Page’s team to take off in the third period. A beautiful game, very fluid, with spectacular actions, “golassos” by Laplacette, that was played quickly.We will have to wait until Saturday to see all these artists at work again during the semi-finals (1:30 pm and 3:00 pm) and the game is not over yet. In the meantime, let’s meet tomorrow in the streets of Gstaad for the traditional and picturesque parade of the teams accompanied by the local folklore. A delicious and popular moment without which the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad would not be the Hublot Polo Gold Cup! Teams and progression: First game: Team Hublot: Marco Maximilian Elser (0), Goffredo Cutinelli-Rendina (3), Teo von Neufforge (5), Pedro Fernandez Llorente (5) Team Kielder Agro: Fabio Meier (1), Luca Meier (1), Bautista Beguerie (5), Ezequiel Martinez-Ferrario (7) Progression Kielder Agro: (advantage ½ goal for Hublot) 1/1½ – 6/2½ – 10/2½ and 11/7½ Second game: Team Gstaad Palace: Cedric Schweri (0), Joao Novaes (5), Tomi Astelarra (3), Dario Musso (5) Team Clinique La Prairie: Sébastien Le Page (0), Lucas Labat (5), Facundo Kelly (3), Raul Laplacette (6) Progression Clinique La Prairie : (advantage ½ goal for Gstaad Palace) 1/1½ – 2/3½ – 5/3½ and 9/5½ |
Gstaad is renowned for its prestigious sporting and cultural events. One of these events is particularly special: the Hublot Polo Gold Cup. Every year in August, sixteen of the world’s best polo players and their one hundred and twenty horses climb to the famous glamorous alpine resort to compete in this highly coveted tournament in a unique setting during their season. An enchanting event.
The Saanen airport was chosen as the venue for this event because of the flat space it offers in the middle of the mountains. For four days, the grassy area around the runway is transformed into a competition field, which the eyes of the polo world are focused on. But this sport is not only for the initiated: it is spectacular, easy to follow and fascinating. The horses’ beauty amazes, the skill of the players leaves one speechless. And the public quickly becomes passionate and takes up the cause of one of the four teams that battle it out on the field. Six games in all, two per day, on Thursday 18th, Saturday 20th and the final on Sunday 21st.
After the games, life doesn’t stop: you can visit the village with its magnificent stands, have something to eat, meet the players and a huge playground awaits the younger ones.
From 18 August onwards, the Hublot Polo Gold Cup will certainly be the Alpine event not to be missed.
Winner of the HUBLOT POLO GOLD CUP in 2018, Zurich businessman Cedric Schweri returns to Gstaad for the eighth time with the intention of reclaiming the title he lost in 2019, the year of the last edition of the tournament. While renewing his confidence in the Brazilian Joao Novaes, this year he has called on an Argentine ace, Dario Musso, 44 years old, winner of the Gold Cup in Deauville as well as three times winner of the French Open in Chantilly, he also has three consecutive victories in St. Moritz, St. Tropez and one in the prestigious Copa Remonta Veterinaria in Buenos Aires… to name a few.
Of course, Dario was born into polo, in General Levalle, in the province of Cordoba. There, together with his father Jorge and his younger brother Claudio, he trains young horses in polo, “a family passion“, he emphasizes. His talent was soon spotted by professional players, such as Francisco Braun, who put him on the circuit, especially in Europe where he was pushed by Patrick Guerrand-Hermés and really began his international career in 1995 at the Chantilly Polo Club after a first tournament in Colombia in 1994. From there, he travelled to tournaments in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Spain (where he started his 2022 season), Germany, India, China and played ten seasons in Thailand: “In fact, I only never went to the United States and England, but thanks to polo, I was able to make all these other great trips.”
Playing all over the world requires an enormous amount of organization, especially when you need to have good horses: “It starts at home, in Levalle, with our breeding. Three people are in charge of breaking in the young horses, then we train them ourselves. We then select the horses for sale and those that are suitable for me to play. We have about 100 horses in Argentina. The best ones are sent to Europe: at the moment, we have sixteen here, so I always have at least six or eight very good ones to play with!”
With Dario, Cedric Schweri is doing a “good deal”, because the Argentinean, who has been a 7 goaler*, is now a 5 goaler as he had not been able to play before Covid due to two big leg fractures: “But the pandemic has allowed me to recover and I think I am getting back to my best level of play.” Twenty-four years later, he will therefore be back in Gstaad for the second time in his career: “It’s a beautiful place, the tournament is always very competitive, there are always big teams.” The truth is that it was Joao Novaes who asked him to join Cedric Schweri’s GSTAAD PALACE team this year: “I already had the opportunity to play against them in St. Moritz and St. Tropez, I have a good feeling with them and I’m convinced that the team will perform well, everyone should find their position and Tomas Astelarra, the fourth man, is a very good player. So yes, we come to Gstaad with motivation and I hope we will have a good tournament. Winning? Yes, that’s our goal. We have to reach the final first and I hope that that is what will happen on Sunday.”
The first game of the HUBLOT POLO GOLD CUP will be played on Thursday, August 18th at 1:30 pm, the second at 3:00 pm. The second day will be dedicated to the parade of the teams through the streets of Gstaad, a magnificent meeting of polo and Swiss mountain traditions. Same schedule as Thursday for the semi-finals on Saturday while the final will be played on Sunday at 3:00 pm after the game for the third place. The village will open its doors each day at 11:00 am.
* The handicap corresponds to the level of the polo player (it varies between -2 and +10). The handicap evolves according to the performance of the player during the games and the progress recorded during the year. The highest handicap in Europe is 7 (England). The very rare handicap 10 is currently held by 9 Argentinians and one Uruguayan.
At last! After a two-year hiatus due to the health crisis, polo is back in Gstaad, at the Saanen airport, from August 18 to 21 for four glamorous days dedicated to the oldest of team sports: the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad!
The magnificent resort town of Gstaad and its sublime mountain environment are indeed glamorous. But on the field, it’s all about sport and high-level equestrianism, as the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad demands it to be. The players are both horsemen and sportsmen who follow an extremely rigorous physical and technical training. But the real stars of this sport are the horses. They are the first polo athletes, bred and selected since the beginning of the last century (mainly in Argentina) to become the best partners, the “legs” of their riders even. Lively, intelligent, playful, fast, tough, brave, these four-legged rugby players are very endearing horses. As soon as the player has thought of an action, his horse responds and sometimes even anticipates because it knows the game and its rider so well. They are also sometimes called “ponies” and adapt to all conditions and therefore to the altitude of 1100 m, making this the highest summer tournament in the world.
There will be about one hundred and twenty of these little horses setting up camp for a week on the grounds of the Saanen airport to accompany the sixteen players of the four teams who are dreaming of winning this coveted trophy of the international circuit. Three teams, GSTAAD PALACE, HUBLOT and newcomer KIELDER AGRO, will try to topple title holders CLINIQUE LA PRAIRIE, which will be led this year by the Frenchman from Zurich, Sébastien Le Page. The “boss” of Polo Park Zurich has built a very competitive team around the Argentinean handicap* 6, Raul Laplacette, winner of last year’s Pakistan Open. KIELDER AGRO is a new team and will be led by the Swiss Fabio Meier who has entered a 7-goal player, the Argentine Ezequiel Martinez-Ferrario, who is used to playing the high-goal season in Palm Beach where he won the famous Whitney Cup and who also won the Silver Cup in Dubai.
Dario Musso has spent most of his career in France, where he has won the Silver and Gold Cups in Deauville and the French Open in Chantilly, among others. Together with the Brazilian Joao Novaes – a Gstaad devotee and former winner of the French Open – they will be a strong support for the Swiss Cedric Schweriwearing the colors of the GSTAAD PALACE. This captain, loyal to Gstaad, will be more than motivated to renew the victory he celebrated in 2018.
Finally, the HUBLOT team, led by the American Marco Elser, finalist of the last edition of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup, will be able to count on the Argentinean handicaps 5 Teo von Neufforge and Pedro Fernandez Llorente.
Beyond this absolutely exciting sport – and all the more spectacular in Gstaad because the public can watch the games right from the border of the field – the Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad is a unique experience in Switzerland. It goes beyond the simple sporting competition: an incredible green setting, on an airport surrounded by majestic Alpine peaks, transformed into a polo club for the duration of four days, on a quality ground that has been “worked” and maintained for many months before the tournament. This polofield allows a rare proximity with the players and the horses, and is surrounded by a VIP village and exhibitors with original luxury products to discover, a resolutely friendly atmosphere, a catering area for the public and a playground for children. Another tradition of this unique tournament is the parade of the teams on Friday, a picturesque event in the streets of Gstaad. A different way of experiencing high-level polo, unique to the Hublot Polo Gold Cup!
* The handicap corresponds to the level of the polo player (it varies between -2 and +10). The handicap evolves according to the player’s performance in games and the progress made during the year. The highest handicap in Europe is 7 (England). The very rare handicap 10 is currently held by 9 Argentinians and one Uruguayan.
Originally planned from August 20th to 23rd, the organizers of the 25th edition of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup have announced today the cancellation of the 2020 event.
The singular sport of kings’ competition, held on an airfield, will not take place this year in the exclusive Swiss Alps resort of Gstaad.
As the world moves to contain the COVID-19 virus, we witness a remarkable collaboration between nations, states, regions, public health and medical professionals around the globe, working together to try to treat the COVID-19 as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Pierre E. Genecand, President of the Organizing Committee commented on the decision: “we are living in unprecedented times, never in modern history has the entire world had to face such a brake through in such a short period of time. As Organizers, we each need to shoulder our responsibilities. In the actual situation and existing terms, it was impossible for us to maintain the event in the best conditions while insuring everyone’s safety. It was not an option to postpone it at a later date because of the airport’s activity, that has been making great efforts to welcome the competition year after year, which is why we have been obliged to cancel, with much regret”.
The duration of this unprecedented pandemic is unpredictable, which is why the Organizing Committee had to make an operational decision to protect all of its visitors and partners from today and in the future.
Therefore, after discussing with the Swiss Polo Association, having the support of Title Sponsor Hublot and long-term partners Clinique La Prairie and The Gstaad Palace, as well as the trustworthy sponsors Ferrari and Dassault Aviation, Gemeinde Saanen and the whole family of partners they all agreed it was the best and only outcome for this year’s tournament.
You can review all the previous editions on the official Youtube channel and website.
For now, our best thoughts go to you and your relatives, stay safe and in good health.
The 25th edition of the Hublot Polo Gold Cup will be held from August 19th to 22nd 2021 and we are all looking forward to welcoming you back at this occasion.
Gstaad, the 30th of March 2020
Sunday afternoon at the Saanen airfield the audience was treated to all the spoils of international polo. With perfect weather and breathtaking alpine views it was only fitting the Final be equally spectacular, and as expected, the teams boasting some of the world’s best didn’t disappoint. Today, rising to the occasion of the 24th Hublot Gold Cup Gstaad was none other than Team Clinique La Prairie.
True to the spirit of polo, the other teams joined in the celebration this afternoon. The best amateur player of the tournament, American Marco Elser, wore his trademarked grin while explaining that despite the clear defeat (10 – 5) there was no place for disappointment at the awards ceremony: “Being a finalist is already a great success in and of itself, and the winner was a beautiful team which produced a beautiful game with effective team organization and very good horses.”
Lucas Labat, handicap 6 and Clinique La Prairie’s backbone, admitted it wasn’t that difficult to win with a team which has both talent and chemistry, “I think this team is one of the best I’ve played with here in Europe, where I’ve been playing since 1998. The team worked together perfectly, the conditions were ideal, and the organization a well-oiled machine. For me, Gstaad is one of the best tournaments in Europe. This win wasn’t complicated because we decided to return the ball from the first shot and we didn’t waste time dribbling. As I have a strong enough swing, my job was to send the ball to my forwards who could then chain the goals. This is the type of polo I believe in, and I am convinced that in the future we must return to this kind of open game.”
It is also one of Lucas’ “forwards”, Juan Manuel Gonzales who was the best scorer of the tournament with 10 goals including 4 in this single final.
In the match for 3rd and 4th, Banque Eric Sturdza made good on their promise to try for the best result despite being dethroned of their title by Clinique La Prairie. In a much tighter game, they beat Gstaad Palace, where the highlight was when the extraordinary “golaso” Brazilian Joao Novaes registered a goal with a shot longer than 153 yards (beyond the middle of the field) and from the left side–an exceptional feat in polo! It was a rare moment that for most was never before seen, even in Argentina!
Rare like this incredible tournament in a mythic setting at more than 1,000 meters of elevation, 2020 is sure to be an even more beautiful edition as it will be its 25th anniversary. With Pierre Genecand and his teams at the helm, the quarter century celebration is sure to amaze all who gather in Gstaad from August 20th to the 23rd.
Progression Clinique la Prairie : 2 – 2 / 4- 3 / 7- 4 & 10 – 5
Clinique la Prairie : Piero Dillier (SUI, h0), Andreas Bihrer (SUI,h0), Bautista Beguerie (ARG, h4, 3 goals), Juan Manuel Gonzales (ARG, h4, 4 goals) and Lucas Labat (ARG, h6, 3 goals)
Hublot : Marco Elser (USA-ITA, h0, 1 goal), Marcos Antinori (ITA, h3, 2 goal), Nicola Antinori (ITA, h4) and Julio Novillo Astrada (ARG, h7, 2 goals)
BPP : Ceron played by Julio Novillo Astrada (Hublot)
Best amateur player : Marco Maximilian Elser (USA-ITA, h0)
Best scorer of the tournament: Juan Manuel Gonzales (ARG, h4, 10 goals)