Craig Sakin Memorial Tournament Highlights Weekend Action At Aspen Valley Polo Club

CARBONDALE, Colo., July 13, 2023--The third tournament of the summer polo season gets underway Friday at McClure River Ranch.

By Sharon Robb

With the breath-taking 12,965-foot summit of Mount Sopris as a backdrop, polo continues in the Roaring Fork Valley with the Craig Sakin Memorial, one of eleven tournaments the club is hosting in July and August with an exciting lineup of players.

The tournament is named in honor of Craig Sakin, who passed away on Feb. 11, 2014 at age 52. The former president of the Homeowners' Association of Sopris Mountain Ranch, was instrumental in helping Marc and Melissa Ganzi secure their first polo field. In 2015, some of Sakin's ashes were released over the polo field.

Five teams are entered: Mountain Chevrolet, Los Amigos, M.A.G. Polo, NetJets and Santa Rita.

Reto Gaudenzi, the godfather of snow polo and polo visionary, will make his Aspen Valley Polo Club debut on Saturday in the Just For The Love It Cup at 11 a.m. at Aspen Valley Polo Club. Reto's Dream Team of Artemio Figueras, Fran Spinacci and Pablo Spinacci will play McClure River Ranch with Ubi Columbo, Melissa Ganzi, Sugar Erskine and Juan Bollini. Gaudenzi founded the Snow Polo World Cup on the frozen lake of St. Moritz in 1985. It was the first-ever polo game on snow.

Team rosters and sponsors for the Craig Sakin Memorial are:

Los Amigos (15): Alejandra Foster, Vinny Sangaline, 1, Martin Jauregui, 6, Nacho Novillo Astrada, 8.

M.A.G. (15): Govinda Quish, Jason Crowder, 5, Dominic State, 2, Nic Roldan, 8.

Mountain Chevrolet (15): Michael Payne, 1, Tomacho Pieres, 6, Sugar Erskine, 6/Pablo Spinacci, 6, Stewart Armstrong, 2.

NetJets (14): Marc Ganzi, 2, Santos Bollini, 2, Nacho Figueras, 5, Hilario Figueras, 5.

Santa Rita (12): Melissa Ganzi, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7, Juan Bollini, 3, Tito Gaudenzi, 2.

Govinda Quish, an avid polo player, returns to Aspen Valley Polo Club in his summer polo debut with M.A.G. Quish also competed in the 2021 World Polo League Beach Polo Miami Beach charity game.

Two games are scheduled for Friday at McClure River Ranch. At 10:30 a.m. MST, round robin action between Mountain Chevrolet, Los Amigos and M.A.G will be held. At 12:45 p.m. NetJets and Santa Rita will play a regulation game.

On Sunday, the tournament final is 11 a.m. followed by the Just For The Thrill Of It round robin at 12:45 p.m. and Wheelie Polo at 2 p.m.

Last season in a wild finish, McClure River Ranch won the tournament. The foursome of Marc Ganzi, Jason Crowder, Pancho Bensadon and Stewart Armstrong held off Santa Rita (Melissa Ganzi, Vinny Sangaline, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Juan Bollini) in the final two minutes for a thrilling 9-8 victory. Bensadon, making his Aspen Valley Polo Club summer debut, was Most Valuable Player.

The 2023 season has attracted some of the world's top pro players including Martin Jauregui, making his Aspen debut; Gonzalito Pieres, Juan Martin Nero, Nic Roldan, Alejandro and Nacho Novillo Astrada, Tomacho Pieres, Nacho Figueras, Hilario Figueras, Sugar Erskine, Pablo Spinacci, Jason Crowder and Grant Ganzi, as well as world-class horses.

The highlight of the season is the August 27th Summer Polo Charity Classic, benefitting the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation. It is the club's summer marquis event and one of the city's most anticipated social summer events. The event has raised $3 million since it began in 2016 including a record $1 million last year.

Other summer tournaments are the Basalt Handicap, Emma Challenge Cup, High Alpine Cup, Mount Sopris Cup, Rocky Mountain Open, Carbondale Classic, Triple Crown of Polo-Aspen and Silver Queen Invitational.

Two 2023 champions have already been crowned. Victory Polo (Becky Schmeits, Grant Ganzi, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Juan Bollini) won the Independence Cup with a 4-3 win over Mountain Chevrolet (Riley Ganzi/Santos Bollini, Michael Payne, Nic Roldan, Jimmy Seward). In the ChukkerTV Cup final, Santa Rita (Melissa Ganzi, Tito Gaudenzi, 2, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7, Juan Bollini, 3) defeated Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Jimmy Seward, 3, Tomacho Pieres, 6, Martin Jauregui, 6), 9-7.

Last summer Aspen Valley Polo Club finished its most successful and historic season in club and Rocky Mountain Circuit history with a record 13 tournaments. Los Amigos won three tournaments and Brookshire and NetJets each won two tournaments. Los Amigos won the season-opening Independence Cup, High Alpine Cup and Triple Crown of Polo-Aspen making the Texas-based team the winningest team this season.

Wellington, Fla.-based ChukkerTV (CTV sports) will live stream the entire 2023 polo season Mountain Standard Time with announcer Dale Schwetz calling the action. Aspen Valley Polo Club is the only USPA club live streaming its entire summer schedule.

The family-friendly club welcomes spectators. All matches, food and refreshments are free and open to the public.
 
Since Marc and Melissa Ganzi resurrected the club and polo in 2014, polo has increased in popularity in Aspen and surrounding cities with the club's offerings of various weekly grass and arena tournaments, Arena & Asado Nights, Kids Polo, Kids Wheely Polo, Gymkhana, the Polo School headed by former 8-goaler Juan Bollini, and Polo On Demand. In addition, the club offers practice sessions for teams competing in the club tournaments on more than six world-class fields. There are also indoor and outdoor polo arenas.

The Polo School is for all ages and ability levels amd operates in Carbondale. For more information on tournaments or Polo School contact Director of Operations Juan Bollini at 561-346-1099 or club manager Cale Newman at 561-876-2930.

Aspen Valley Polo Club caters to men, women and youth polo players at all levels. Its' expert staff can customize a complete playing experience including horses, pros and certified umpires in addition to lessons and practice sessions as part of its' Polo On Demand program.

When not playing or watching polo, there's all kinds of outdoor activities in a true adventurer's playground including hiking, mountain biking, paddle boarding, water rafting, swimming, fly fishing and golf.