Paspaley Polo in the City a Winner!

At Doomben racecourse on Saturday 23 October, there wasn't a race horse in sight, however, there were plenty of Thoroughbreds – four and two legged – Paspaley Polo in the City had come to Brisbane!



Luckily, Queensland put on its most perfect weather for what turned out to be a huge day of polo action and civilised socialising for the who’s who in Brisbane.

Horsezone's Website Content Manager, Jo Johnson, was there to take in the action.

The setting was perfect. Marquees white against the clear blue sky, flags fluttering in a light breeze, potted plants of all varieties providing colour and Veuve Cliquot flowing. Considering the field had only been grassed for three months, it was looking pretty good too – apparently in six months it should be just about perfect and Queensland polo people are already talking of holding the next Australian Open Polo Tournament at Doomben.

Of course, without the hard working polo ponies there would be no polo, so as a dedicated horseaholic, my first stop was the horse trucks, with the ponies tied up in long patient lines awaiting their turn on the field. These fit and well cared for equines are obviously the centre of the universe for any polo team.

When I spoke to polo grooms, Sharon Kent and Vanessa Burton as they busily saddled up their precious charges, they had recently finished a busy season of polo (polo is mainly played during winter in Australia) but were happy to be out at the Polo in the City match, caring for the horses they love.

I was most impressed with the horses’ totally calm natures, so I spoke to Jim MacGinley of Canungra Queensland, about what makes a great polo pony. Jim, who owns many of the ponies used in the Polo in the City match and is a former Captain of the Australian Polo Team said, “The best polo ponies are usually a lighter style of Thoroughbred, between 15hh and 15.2hh, as they have the natural speed and agility for the game and it’s easy for them. I’ve found that the proven racing bloodlines usually make good polo ponies and don’t mind if they’ve been raced – I generally find them very trainable. We will often put a good polo pony mare to a racing-bred Thoroughbred stallion to breed polo ponies. It is essential that the stallion have a good temperament.

"Mares are preferred for polo as they tend to have more try and are more trainable than geldings for this sport – sometimes when under pressure the geldings will give up. We start them as six year olds, they peak at eight, but then they can be great ponies for another 10 years – it’s not unusual to have ponies in their late teens. It’s very important not to start them too young, as their minds can be ruined. A good polo pony has to be able to stand quietly at the truck and then fire up for a game, however, they can’t be too hot because you need them calm and totally under control, especially if you have to take a penalty shot. Also remember they are always ridden with only one hand on the reins. A good polo pony is a special horse.”

Owner of another string of polo ponies being used at the match, Allison Adamson from the Darling Downs, made similar comments to Jim about the attributes of a good polo pony, adding “Good polo ponies come alive and are ready for action when they cross the boards onto the polo field.”

Allison is very positive about the Polo in the City series and hopes it will make polo as popular in Brisbane as it is in Melbourne (where apparently there are as many marquees as the Melbourne Cup!)

Once I’d had my horsey fix, it was back to the marquees to see what was going on with Brisbane’s glitterati, who were eagerly awaiting the commencement of the game. In the Paspaley VIP Marquee there were plenty of frocked up ladies in attendance, enjoying the beautiful weather and sipping Veuve Cliquot, which was endlessly circulated by handsome waiters in polo uniforms. Many of the polo players were also wandering around in their team shirts, breeches and boots, answering questions and chatting to VIPs. It was hard to decide who was more glamourous – the ladies or the polo players!

If you weren’t fortunate enough to be in the VIP marquee, there was still plenty of fun and frivolity in the Coopers Bar which also had its fair share of glamour and glitz. All marquees had excellent views of the field and there was a big screen installed if you needed to see more of the action. Thoughtfully, there was also a Tote provided so guests could have a punt on the Cox Plate – Doomben is a racecourse after all! Further atmosphere was supplied by a DJ playing up-beat music, just right for watching polo on an exquisite Queensland afternoon.

Prior to the match, the players and ponies – looking impossibly gorgeous – swarmed onto the field for a warm up session. The whole setting was as if Jilly Cooper’s novel, ‘Polo’ had come to life! In fact polo groom, Sharon Kent, said that the polo scene often closely resembled Jilly’s iconic novel.

When it was time for the match to start, the players all lined up with the umpire (4 players on each team) and were introduced to the crowd by the commentator. Each player did a lap of honour to the songs ‘Eye of the Tiger’ or ‘Rocky’, which were blasting from the speakers, as the commentator shared the rider's merits with the crowd. Suddenly, it all seemed more like a Rodeo, when they introduce the bull riders, than a sedate afternoon at the polo! It was great fun though and added to the excitement and atmosphere of the game. When it was time for the game to start, a sponsor in an Audi car threw the ball in and they were off! There was nothing sedate about this - it was thrilling to watch and evident from the start that the riders and ponies were of a high calibre. Rock music played throughout the match and each time there was a goal the DJ would play ‘Bad to the Bone’ and for no goal, there were funny sound effects, which all added to the crowd’s enjoyment of the game and professionalism of the sport. Australian polo is certainly up there with any other spectator sport in the excitement stakes.

I will definitely be watching out for polo matches being held in Brisbane in future, polo is a genuinely exhilarating spectator sport and a great excuse to drink Veuve Cliquot at 2.00pm!

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