On finals Sunday at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, it was all there: practice, tournament, finals and lots of people. The morning started with lots of action as the beaten tried to improve and the young tried to learn. At high noon, the wars started as the consolation tournament, called the Western Badge–after the trophy shop that’s supported SB Polo for close to a century– sent two very even teams to the finals. Klentner Ranch took on another group of cowboys out of Dallas called Mokarow Farms, who took the trophy back home to Dallas, after a close one in OT.
The big finals was the Folded Hills/Pope Challenge with the face of polo Nacho Figureas and Prince Harry. And it was a damn right good and very fast game. One one side, you had Nacho and Harry and a speedball named Keko Magrini, who lets ’em run all day long and likes the ball anywhere within 52 inches. On the other, hard-riding Sarah Magness and powerball Geronimo, “chief of the Cherokees,” with some major speed in Roberto Zeda and a hard charging dribbler named Juan Cruz. It was a very good finals Los Padres/Citi with the Royalty Versus Dundas 1 . They met a week ago in round robin play and Dundas gave them their first loss of the season. Today it started bad for Dundas, as L.P./Citi blew out to a 6 to 4 lead in the second and went up by 3 early in the 3rd. Dundas came roaring back to go up by 1, with most of the goals by Juan Cruz, only to have Keko tie it up at the end of the first 1/2 with a major play of speed. The 4th was all Dundas, but L.P./citi came right back early in the 5th to put them within a goal. And just as in the 4th, it ended in a tie, as Los Padres’ Harry made it 13 to 13, with no time on the clock. The 6th, though, worked out for Dundas with the help of 2 open goals, and ended with the trophy in their hands. Chief Geronimo was crowned MVP and Zeda’s mare best playing pony (no name mentioned) .
A very good game with lots of speed and action . The next tournament starts Friday, most likely at 10 am, with 4 games so come on out! The 4 o’clock is Party time.
On a sad note, I’m sorry to say George Conkright passed away, who was a Kentucky Boy that made it big in Cali in development and leaves behind his Lovely wife Jana.
c ya @ polo
internationalpoloconnection.com 