Al Habtoor Polo

PRESS RELEASE

Habtoor Polo Team wins debut match

The debut game of The Queens Cup 2009 was played at Guards Polo Club, under challenging weather that went from pouring rain to sunshine several times throughout the game, testing the players' ultimate talents.
After an extremely close and breathtaking match to the last second, Habtoor Polo Team defeated Talandracas 10 to 9 with a goal of Alejandro "Piki" Diaz Alberdi in additional chukker/sudden death.
The Al Habtoor Polo team entered the last chukker 7 to 9 under, and only evened the score 9-9 with two minutes remaining, forcing the extra chukker and well deserved victory.
Rashid Al Habtoor had a great performance and scored two goals for his team.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

QUEENS CUP

The Queens Cup is one of the longest established polo tournaments at Guards Polo Club. HM The Queen first presented the trophy in 1960and it has remained one of the most competitive and high caliber competitions throughout the world. Previous holders of the impressive trophy include HRH The Prince of Wales with the Diables Bleus team, Urs Schwarzenbach and his Black Bears squad and Adolfo Cambiaso, who won the title five times: Rick Stowe’s Geebung and Loro Piana winning once, Kerry Packers’s Ellerston team now run by son Jamie are the current holders having won a total of three times.

The Queen’s Cup is the largest European open polo tournament in the polo calendar and held every year at Guards Polo Club and regularly attended by Her Majesty The Queen and Prince Philip.

The Queens Cup is the premier high-goal tournament to be played at Guards Polo Club, Smith’s Lawn. It attracts the world’s leading teams and internationally renowned players; household names from the world of polo jet in just to play for their patrons in The Queens Cup.

In 2008, for the first time the Al Habtoor name was proudly associated with the highly competitive and prestigious Royal Windsor Cup. This year Al Habtoor Polo is taking it one step further, and will be competing in one of the most prestigious high goal tournaments of the UK season and indeed the world, The Harcourt Development Queens Cup. With the most competitive teams in the world, some of the finest polo ponies, and the most beautiful grounds, it promises to be a thrilling experience.

Rashid Al Habtoor, and Habtoor Polo will be in front line and eyes of the Polo world with one set in mind, winning the Queens Cup Trophy.

AL HABTOOR POLO TEAM AT THE QUEENS CUP

Rashid Al Habtoor (0)
Alejandro Diaz – Alberdi (8)
Alejandro Mussio (8)
Nacho Gonzalez (6)

Rashid Al Habtoor:
CEO and President of Al Habtoor Trading Enterprises, and the son of Khalaf Al Habtoor. He graduated from George Washington University and established his own business in 1995. He has been a part of various charities involved with Christies and was the first to bring the Flying Hospital to Dubai. Rashid is on the Board of the Sheik Zayed University technical committee and Chairman of the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club. He is an avid and devoted player, having played in Spain, Germany, Austria, Brazil, France, Australia, and England. Starting his polo career in 1990’s with Ali Albawardy, patron of Dubai Polo team he soon became a major enthusiast of the sport and started building up Habtoor Polo, now one of the leading polo organisation in the UAE. He has over the years helped build up polo across the UAE, bringing Beach Polo to Dubai for the first time in 2003 attracting scores of local and international spectators. Always striving to generate publicity and awareness for the sport, he is constantly inviting many overseas teams to participate in Charity and exhibition games at his home club. His passion for the sport has meant he has become a leading ambassador for polo in the UAE, and is extremely proud to be leading such a competitive team on to the field, for this year’s Queens Cup. His future vision for polo across the UAE is for it to attract as many fans, sponsors, oversees professionals as possible, and a new generation of polo players to be inspired.

Alejandro (Pikki) Diaz – Alberdi (8)
One of the greatest exports from Argentina, Pikki Diaz-Alberdi has won nearly all of the most prestigious tournaments in the world. In a career spanning two decades his accolades include, The Argentine Open, with Indios Chapalafu 2, The British Open Gold Cup, The Queens Cup, The Prince of Wales Trophy, The US Open, St Moritz and many many more. Widely respected by the polo world, he is one of the true greats.

Alejandro Muzzio (8)

Alejandro Muzzio is one of Argentina’s most promising young players. Already achieving a handicap of 8 goals, and playing on the international circuit. His reputation is building, and last years victory’s in the UK include the highly competitive Duke of Sunderland Trophy. He has also won the Sotogrande Gold Cup, and The Ellerston Gold Cup in Australia. He also competes in La Camera in Buenos Aries, and various other tournaments.

Nacho Gonzales (6), 33yrs

Nacho s first major victory was at the young age of 17 in 1993, when teamed with Pikki Diaz-Alberdi, together they won The British Open Gold Cup at Cowdray Park, and the following year reached the finals. He has represented England on countless occasions, both at the Cartier, and Internationally. His many high goal victories include, The Gold Cup, The Prince of Wales Trophy, The Deauville Gold Cup, and St Moritz. His medium goal career contains trophys from The Royal Windsor, The Harrison, The Eduardo Moore, The County Cup and many more. He also holds an arena handicap of 9 goals, and has won the prestigious Arena Gold Cup and HPA Nations Cup on numerous occasions.

The Harcourt Developments Queen’s Cup 2009

League One: El Remanso: George Hanbury (1); Jaime Huidobro (8); Lolo Castagnola (9); Tom de Bruin (4). La Bamba de Areco: Jean-Francois Decaux (0); Gonzalito Pieres (10); Facundo Pieres (10); Tomas Garbarini (1). Ravensbourne: Adrian Kirby (1); Nicolas Pieres (6); Pite Merlos (9); Fred Mannix jnr (6). Sumaya: Ahmed Aboughazale (1); Hilario Ulloa (7); Milo Fernandez Araujo (8); Ignus Du Plessis (6).

League Two: Azzura: George Meyrick (4); Bautista Heguy (9); Marcos Heguy (9); Stefano Marsaglia (0). Habtoor: Rashid Al Habtoor (0); Alejandro Muzzio (8); Piki Alberdi (8); Nacho Gonzalez (6). Les Lions ll: Chris Mackenzie (2); Agustin Merlos (9); Sebastian Merlos (10); Max Gottschalk (1). Talandracas: Edouard Carmignac (0); Guillermo Terrera (7); Alejandro Agote (7); Lucas Monteverde (8).

League Three: Broncos: Max Routledge (3); Santiago Chavanne (8); Pablo MacDonough (10); George Milford Haven (1). Les Lions l: Francisco Elizalde (4); Ignacio Heguy (9); Eduardo Heguy (9); Joachim Gottschalk (0). Enigma: Jerome Wirth (1); James Beim (7); Matias MacDonough (8); Malcolm Borwick (6). Salkeld: Jose Donoso (7); Marcos Di Paola (8); Rob Archibald (6); Nick Clarke (1).

Group 1: Apes Hill: Charlie Hanbury (3), Mark Tomlinson (6), Juan Gris Zavaleta (6), Luke Tomlinson (7). Billingbear Park: Roger Carlsson (0); Gaston Laulhe (7); Ruki Baillieu (7); Jean Paul Clarkin (8). Dubai: Ali Albwardy (1); Christian Laprida (7); Adolfo Cambiaso (10); Martin Valent (4). Lechuza Caracas: Victor Vargas (1); Guillermo Casset (8); Miguel Novillo Astrada (9); Juan Carlos Harriet (4). Loro Piana/Fise: Alessandro Santucci (0); Alfio Marchini (3); Juan Martin Nero (10); David Stirling (9). Zacara: Thomas Meyrick (1); Ignacio Toccalino (7); Eduardo Novillo Astrada (9); Santiago Laborde (5).