CARBONDALE, Colo., June 29, 2022----Argentine legend Gonzalito Pieres heads a star-studded lineup for the summer polo season that gets under way Sunday at Aspen Valley Polo Club.

Rated ten goals in the United States, Pieres, 39, made his debut in the 1999 Argentine Open. Since then the son of former 10-goaler Gonzalo Pieres Sr. has followed in his historic polo family’s footsteps, joining brothers Facundo and Nico, along with cousin Polito Pieres at the 10-goal level. Both Gonzalito and Polito Pieres competed in the 2022 World Polo League season at sister club Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington, Fla.

Pieres has won tournaments in Spain, France, England and Argentina including the Tortugas Open, Hurlingham Open and Argentine Open. In the U.S., Pieres has won the U.S. Open, C.V. Whitney Cup champion, USPA Gold Cup and Ylvisaker Cup.

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CARBONDALE, Colo., June 13, 2022----Aspen Valley Polo Club, the world's destination spot for summer polo, is preparing for the upcoming summer season.

With the majestic 12,965-foot summit of Mount Sopris as a backdrop, polo returns to Aspen July through September with a record thirteen tournaments.

The season opens Sunday, July 3 with the traditional Independence Cup.

Other summer tournaments are ChukkerTV Cup, Craig Sakin Memorial, Basalt Handicap, Emma Challenge Cup, High Alpine Cup, Mount Sopris Cup, Rocky Mountain Open, Carbondale Classic, Triple Crown of Polo-Aspen, Silver Queen Invitational, Maroon Bells Cup and Ute Challenge.

The highlight of the season is the Aug. 28th Summer Polo Benefit for the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation. Last year's event raised more than $500,000 after a year's hiatus because of the pandemic. It is the club's summer marquis event and one of the city's most anticipated social summer events.

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ASPEN, Colo., December 20, 2021---Richard Mille made history at the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship Sunday at Rio Grande Park.

In front of a soldout heated VIP tent and worldwide ChukkerTV audience, Richard Mille (Sarah Siegel Magness, 0, Jesse Bray, 7, Pablo MacDonough, 10) won its third title with an impressive 9-6 victory over St. Regis (Melissa Ganzi, 1, Nacho Figueras, 6, Nic Roldan, 9) on the final stop of the World Polo Tour.

Richard Mille has won the tournament three of the last four years. MacDonough, the only player on all three winning teams, was named Most Valuable Player.

"It was good to win for the third time," said the Argentine 10-goaler. "We had a very good game. We played well. The most important thing was we won many throw-ins and we scored. It was an advantage towards the end of the game."

It was the first time Bray and MacDonough played together.

"There is a reason the guy is 10 goals and one of the best players in the world," Bray said. "He is a great teammate. It's hard for players who play outdoor to go and play in the arena or only do it once a year but he just picks it up so quickly. He is super talented and it shows."

Bray earned the High Scorer Award after scoring 12 goals in the tournament. The 29-year-old scored a game-high five goals in the championship. He also scored four goals in his team's 10-7 opening tournament win over Aspen Valley Polo Club and three goals in a 3-2 win over defending champion World Polo League.

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ASPEN, Colo., December 19, 2021---World Polo League captured the High Alpine Cup to kick off festivities Saturday at Rio Grande Park.

In front of a soldout heated VIP tent and worldwide ChukkerTV audience, World Polo League (Riley Ganzi, 1, Hilario Figueras, 6, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 8) edged Edmiston (Jason Crowder, 7, Sugar Erskine, 7, Cable Magness, 2), 3-2, and Aspen Valley Polo Club (Alecia Seidler, 0, Juan Bollini, 4T, Juan Martin Nero, 10), 4-3, in round robin play. In the other match, Edmiston defeated Aspen Valley Polo Club, 5-2.

Argentine 8-goaler Alejandro Novillo Astrada was Most Valuable Player.

Aspen Valley Polo Club (Sterling Jones, Riley Ganzi, Nacho Figueras) won the Celebrity Chukker with a 2-1 victory over ChukkerTV (Miss Saye Yabandeh, Landon Miller, Alejandro Novillo Astrada). Actor Sterling Jones scored the winning goal with 30 seconds left.

After competing in the qualifying matches on Friday at Aspen Valley Polo Club's world-class indoor arena, it was the first day teams got the chance to compete on snow.

World Polo League, the 2020 St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship, jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first chukker. Cable Magness tied the game, 2-2, with a quick goal to open the chukker. Hilario Figueras scored the go-ahead goal with 2:22 left. Figueras scored all three of his team's goals. Magness scored his team's two goals.

In the second round robin matchup, Crowder's hot mallet gave Edmiston a 2-1 lead in the first chukker. Edmiston never relinquished the lead building a 5-1 advantage before Edmiston won 5-2. Crowder led scoring with three goals. Erskine and Magness each had one. Seidler and Bollini each scored one goal for AVPC.

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ASPEN, Colo., December 18, 2021---The stage is set for the championship final of the ninth annual St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship.

After a full day of qualifying Friday at Aspen Valley Polo Club's world-class indoor arena, St. Regis (Melissa Ganzi, 1, Nacho Figueras, 6, Nic Roldan, 9) and Richard Mille (Sarah Siegel Magness, 0, Jesse Bray, 7, Pablo MacDonough, 10) play Sunday for the coveted cup.

On Saturday and Sunday, action moves to Rio Grande Park, Aspen's largest multi-functional park within the city's limits and just minutes away from the St. Regis Aspen Resort.

On Saturday at 1:15 p.m. the High Alpine Cup will be held. The round robin between 2020 champion World Polo League (Riley Ganzi, 1, Hilario Figueras, 6, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 8), Edmiston (Jason Crowder, 7, Sugar Erskine, 7, Cable Magness, 2) and Aspen Valley Polo Club (Alecia Seidler, 0, Juan Bollini, 4T, Juan Martin Nero, 10) will determine fifth, sixth and seventh places.

A Celebrity Polo Chukker will follow at 2:30 p.m. The celebrity teams feature bull rider Landon Miller, actor and director Miss Saye Yabandeh and Alejandro Novillo Astrada, playing for ChukkerTV and actor Sterling Jones, Riley Ganzi and Nacho Figueras playing for Aspen Valley Polo Club.

Action continues on Sunday with the St. Regis and Richard Mille championship final at 1 p.m. followed by the Aspen Cup at 3 p.m. featuring Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, 3, Juancito Bollini, 4, Juan Martin Zubia, 8) and ChukkerTV (Vinny Sangaline, 1, Martin Pepa, 4, Tommy Biddle, 9). The trophy presentation for all seven teams will follow at 4:15 p.m.

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ASPEN, Colo., December 17, 2021---Let's get this party started.

The atmosphere at the St. Regis Aspen Resort was fun and festive Thursday night for the ninth annual St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship draw.

Seven teams including defending champion World Polo League were introduced during the cocktail party for players, sponsors, family, friends and media.

The evening kicked off with the traditional St. Regis champagne sabering that dates back to John Jacob Astor's 1904 founding of the St. Regis New York. The art of champagne sabrage has become a signature St. Regis ritual that marks the end of the day.

Tournament co-host Marc Ganzi served as Master of Ceremonies for the draw which determined bracket pairings for Friday's qualification games at Aspen Valley Polo Club's world-class indoor arena in Carbondale.

"We are delighted to be back here at our second home here in Aspen, the St. Regis Hotel who are always so accommodating not only to the players but our family," Ganzi said.

"We have seven teams this year," Ganzi said. "It's going to be a very, very competitive tournament. It's hard to predict who is going to win this year."

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ASPEN, Colo., December 8, 2021---A Who's Who in polo players from around the world will compete in the much-anticipated Dec. 16-19 St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship at Aspen Valley Polo Club and Rio Grande Park.

The star-studded lineup is headed by Argentine 10-goalers Pablo MacDonough and Juan Martin Nero; 9-goalers Nic Roldan and Tommy Biddle; and 8-goalers Juan Martin Zubia and Alejandro Novillo Astrada.

In addition to returning as title sponsor, St. Regis will return as a team sponsor with team captain Nacho Figueras, the sport's ambassador and St. Regis Connoisseur. Figueras will play with Melissa Ganzi and Roldan.

The seven team sponsors and rosters are:

Casablanca (15): Grant Ganzi, 3, Juancito Bollini, 4, Juan Martin Zubia, 8.

Richard Mille (17): Sarah Siegel Magness, 0, Jesse Bray, 7, Pablo MacDonough, 10.

Edmiston (16): Cable Magness, 2, Jason Crowder, 7, Sugar Erskine, 7.

Aspen Valley Polo Club (14): Alecia Seidler, 0, Juan Bollini 4T, Juan Martin Nero, 10.

ChukkerTV (14): Vinny Sangaline, 1, Martin Pepa, 4, Tommy Biddle, 9.

St. Regis (16): Melissa Ganzi, 1, Nacho Figueras, 6, Nic Roldan 9.

WPL (15): Riley Ganzi 1, Hilario Figueras 6, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 8.

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CARBONDALE, Colo., November 5, 2021---After a year's hiatus because of the pandemic, the Summer Polo Benefit at Aspen Valley Polo Club raised more than $500,000 for the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation.

The club's summer marquis event, hosted by owners Marc and Melissa Ganzi and Aspen Valley Hospital, held the capacity to 200 VIP attendees adhering to COVID safety precautions, but still managed to raise the second highest total since the event was created in 2016.

"That was kind of a surprise," said Deborah Breen, Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation President and CEO. "At one point when we were planning this early-on I was thinking let's not lose money. We didn't know how many people we were going to be able accommodate or how many people would be willing to come to an event while we were still grappling with COVID and still are.

"We were just delighted that people stepped up in such a big way and helped out," Breen continued. "As per usual the players just jumped in, in a great way. Nacho Figueras was great. He auctioned himself off three times and brought in $60,000 alone. Nic Roldan also did a package where he offered to do a private lesson for up to six and champagne picnic with them. They were just great.

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CARBONDALE, CO, September 6, 2021--- On Sunday, NetJets bested Quite on Z by 8-4 in the Silver Queen Invitational.

On Sunday, NetJets (Brian Boyd, Pablo Spinacci, Nacho Figueras, and Juan Bollini) met Quite on Z (Alecia Siedler, Victoria Siedler, Gussie Busch, Tori Ruiz, and Alejandro Novillo Astrada) in the deciding match of the Silver Queen Invitational.

NetJets dominated the first chukker. Brian Boyd put the first goal on the board at 4:44 after picking up a pass from Pablo Spinacci. With under three minutes remaining in the period, Nacho Figueras swooped in to snatch the ball away from Toro Ruiz on the sideboards and take it downfield to score. Quite on Z made no progress in getting onto the board and the period ended 2-0 in favor of NetJets. Around a minute and half into the second chukker, Z picked up some steam. Gussie Busch took the ball and got out in front for an easy goal. After two minutes of back and forth, Figueras plucked the ball out from under Alejandro Novillo Astrada in a quick skirmish and sent it back toward Busch. Regaining the ball, he battled his way toward the posts.

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CARBONDALE, CO, August 23, 2021--- On Sunday, Casablanca defeated Tonkawa in the final of the Rocky Mountain Open by a score of 10-6.

It was a special day at Aspen Valley Sunday, as the club hosted the annual Summer Polo Benefit for the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation. In addition to four fast and exciting matches, guests enjoyed an elegant catered luncheon and a live auction between matches. One of the auction’s highlights was a private tour of Nacho Figueras’s architecturally acclaimed stable in Argentina, which went for $49,000. Follwing the day’s four matches, guests were treated to a special equestrian performance by John Payne, the One-Armed Bandit.

In the first match of the day, Casablanca (Marc Ganzi, Grant Ganzi, Gonzalito Pieres, and Toro Ruiz) met Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Jimmy Seward, Nic Roldan, and Nacho Novillo Astrada) in the final match of the Rocky Mountain Open.

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CARBONDALE, Colo., August 20, 2021---Aspen Valley Polo Club, one of the nation's largest and fastest growing polo clubs, hosted the biggest event in club history Thursday when the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup made its debut.

The Sentebale team of Prince Harry, Nacho Figueras and siblings Riley and Grant Ganzi, won the special charity round robin event, 3-0, with Prince Harry scoring two goals.

The Duke of Sussex was making his first public appearance since the birth of his daughter, Lilibet Diana in June. The event raised $3.5 million in funding which helps vulnerable children in southern Africa affected by extreme poverty, inequality and HIV/Aids epidemic.

The polo game, which was kept under wraps and not publicized for security reasons, featured three teams, Sentebale, Royal Salute and U.S. Polo Assn. U.S. Polo Assn., led by 8-goaler Alejandro Novillo Astrada, was runner-up and Royal Salute, led by 10-goaler Gonzalito Pieres was third.

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CARBONDALE, Colo., August 20, 2021--- The annual Summer Polo Benefit fundraiser for the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation is set for Sunday August 22nd.

After a year’s hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Aspen Valley Polo Club will host the annual Summer Polo Benefit fundraiser for the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation on Sunday August 22nd.

As the club’s premier event of the summer season, Sunday’s match is expected to draw a large crowd, although this year’s format will be slightly different given the continuing necessity for Covid precautions. Only reserved VIP tables will be available, and all guests must demonstrate proof of vaccine or present a negative Covid test.

The day will kick off at with the first match at 11 am, to be followed by a live auction and the next match at 1 pm. Caribou Catering of Aspen will be serving an elegant luncheon, while Beverly Hills Caviar will provide the caviar. Following the second match, guests will be treated to an exciting equestrian performance by John Payne, the One-Armed Bandit.

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CARBONDALE, CO, August 15, 2021--- On Sunday, NetJets defeated Sopris Mountain Ranch by a score of 8-4 to win the Mount Sopris Cup

On Sunday, in the feature match of the day, Mount Sopris Ranch (Lauren Sherry, Alex Gooding, Nacho Badiola, Tomacho Pieres, and Jack McClean) took on NetJets.

NetJets commanded the field from the start, with Pablo Spinacci putting the game’s first goal on the board just over four minutes into the match. Thirty seconds later, the whistle sounded for a timeout due to injury and Jack McClean substituted in for Lauren Sherry. At just under two minutes, Govinda Quish picked up a missed shot from Juan Bollini to score the second goal of the chukker. Leading by 2-0, NetJets’ Busch added two more goals for his team, with one on a Penalty 2, to advance their lead to 4-0 at the end of the second chukker. A minute and a half into the third chukker, Alex Gooding put Sopris Mountain on the board, but Busch converted a Penalty 3 and followed up with a goal from the field to keep NetJets firmly ahead. With nine seconds left on the clock, Alex Gooding got out in front and took the ball through the posts to end the half with NetJets leading 6-2.

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CARBONDALE, CO, August 9, 2021--- Santa Rita defeated Victory Polo by 8-5 to win the High Alpine Cup while Catamount prevailed over Tonkawa by 9-6 to claim victory in the Ute Challenge.

In the feature tournament of the week, The High Alpine Challenge final, saw Santa Rita (Alejandra Foster, Lauren Sherry, Tomacho Pieres, and Alejandro Novillo Astrada) take on Victory Polo (Kevin Schmeitz, Vinny Sangaline, Nic Roldan, and Horacio Heguy).

Nic Roldan started the scoring at 3:17, picking up the ball on a pass from Vinny Sangaline inside the 30-yard line. Play continued back and forth until Alejandro Novillo Astrada made a spectacular pass to Alejandra Foster, who took the ball just inside the 40-yard line and put it through the posts to score with one minute left on the clock. Novillo Astrada continued to work in sync with Foster in the second period, and she scored again less than a minute into play. Vinny Sangaline retaliated with a goal, but Foster ended the chukker with a perfect Penalty 2 conversion to put Santa Rita ahead at 3-2. Horacio Heguy tied up the score at 3-all, but Foster converted another Penalty 2 to end the half at 4-3 for Santa Rita.

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CARBONDALE, CO, August 2, 2021--- Rancho Los Amigos bested NetJets by a score of 8-7 to capture the Emma Challenge title. White Birch beat Tonkawa by 8-7 in the final of the Maroon Bells Cup. Mariano Aguerre was named MVP.

In Sunday’s title match in the Emma Challenge, Rancho Los Amigos (Gussie Busch, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Juan Bollini, and Paul Foster) met NetJets (Alejandra Foster, Vinny Sangaline, Nacho Figueras, and Pablo Spinacci).

A minute into the first chukker, Gussie Busch put the first point on the board for Rancho Los Amigos. Play was back and forth for another three minutes before Nacho Figueras passed the ball to Alejandra Foster, who completed the play to score. With just under a minute left in the period, Alejandro Novillo Astrada shot just wide of the goal, allowing Figueras to pick up the ball at the knock-in. Again, he passed to Foster, who eluded several pursuers to take the ball downfield and put it through the posts. Rancho Los Amigos dominated the field in the second chukker, with Novillo Astrada knocking in the first goal. Gussie Busch and Paul Foster both found the uprights, but NetJets was unable to get on the board.

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CARBONDALE, CO, July 26, 2020--- Tonkawa defeated La Karina by a score of 13-10 to capture the Basalt Handicap title. In the Just For The Fun Of It subsidiary, Aspen Valley Polo Club defeated McClure River Ranch in overtime by 6-5.

Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Jimmy Seward, Toro Ruiz, and Grant Ganzi) and La Karina (Brian Boyd, Gussie Busch, Nic Roldan, and Marc Ganzi) took to the field in Sunday’s final match of the Basalt Handicap.

La Karina dominated play in the first chukker, with Nic Roldan taking possession from the bowl-in. He slammed the ball downfield to Brian Boyd, who sent it on to Marc Ganzi to put the first goal on the board at 5:33. Roldan came out of the next bowl-in with control of the ball again, sending a long shot for Brian Boyd to pick up and put through the posts despite Jeff Hildebrand’s best efforts to ride him off the line. As the clock ticked under four minutes, Tonkawa had yet to take control of the ball for an offensive play, and Gussie Busch took his turn at the goal after working the ball downfield. With just a minute left on the clock, Roldan fired off another long shot to Marc Ganzi, who picked up the pass and carried the ball through the uprights. The chukker ended 4-0 in favor of La Karina.

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Carbondale, CO, July 19, 2021--- Casablanca defeated Victory Polo by 9-8 in overtime to claim the Craig Sakin Memorial title; Santa Rita was victorious in the Alpine Antler Cup, beating both Piocho Ranch and Rancho Los Amigos, while Mountain Chevrolet bested La Karina in the Just for the Love of It Cup.

In the final match of the Craig Sakin Memorial, Casablanca (Lauren Sherry, Alex Gooding, Toro Ruiz, and Grant Ganzi) met Victory Polo (Kevin, Schmeits, Marc Ganzi, Nic Roldan, and Stewart Armstrong).

The match started with a foul only 30 seconds in, giving Casablanca a Penalty 4. Unfortunately for the team in black, the shot was blocked. Less than a minute later, Victory Polo’s Nic Roldan sent a perfect pass to Stewart Armstrong, who put the first goal on the board. Casablanca’s Grant Ganzi scored on a Penalty 3, and the chukker ended 1-1. Barely a minute into the second chukker, Kevin Schmeits found the goal, but at 4:28 Toro Ruiz answered by taking possession of the ball and smashing it downfield. It hit the ground just a few feet short of the posts and went through on the bounce to tie the score at 2 all. With just under a minute left, Roldan got the ball less than 20 yards from the goal and put Victory Polo ahead 3-2 at the end of the chukker. However, the excitement didn’t last for Victory as Casablanca kept them off the board in the third period. Ruiz evened the score, and a successful Penalty 2 from Grant Ganzi ended the half with Casablanca leading 4-3.

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Carbondale, CO, July 12, 2021--- NetJets defeated Victory Polo by 7-5 to take the ChukkerTV Challenge Cup; Tonkawa beat White Claw 6-5 in the Just for the Love of It subsidiary, while McClure River Ranch bested Rancho Los Amigos by 7-4 in the Just for the Fun of It subsidiary.

The final match of the ChukkerTV Challenge Cup saw NetJets (Michael Payne, Alex Gooding, Sugar Erskine, and Nacho Figueras) take on Victory Polo (Alejandra Foster, Kevin Schmeits, Grant Ganzi, and Nic Roldan).

NetJets’ Alex Gooding kicked off the scoring action with a beautiful goal at the 4-minute mark. While NetJets failed to score again, they succeeded in keeping Victory off the goal. The second chukker began with NetJets leading 1-0. Two minutes into the period, Nacho Figueras took the ball downfield, leaving it for Michael Payne to finish off. NetJets, with a slightly more balanced team, continued to use all four players to good effect. Figueras picked up the ball and sent it to Sugar Erskine, who got out in front to take the ball up the field on the nearside. Switching to the offside, Erskine stayed in front to put the ball through and end the chukker 3-0.

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Carbondale, CO, July 5, 2021--- La Karina defeated Casablanca and McClure River Ranch in round robin play to take the Independence Cup title. Santa Rita beat Rancho Los Amigos by 11-9 in the Just for the Love of It Cup.

In the Independence Cup round robin, McClure River Ranch (Lauren Sherry, Alex Gooding, Nacho Figueras, and Nacho Novillo Astrada) took on La Karina (Sugar Erskine, Brian Boyd, Marc Ganzi, and Nic Roldan). La Karina dominated the first chukker, with Nic Roldan scoring the first goal with a neat near side shot. With 3:34 on the clock, Ganzi found the posts and Sugar Erskine followed up two minutes later with a goal of his own. With the clock running down and La Karina up 3-0, Nacho Figueras took command of the ball and made a bold run to goal to end the period 3-1.

Scoring went back and forth in the second chukker. Figueras scored two goals for his team while Ganzi and Roldan each put the ball through for La Karina to end the period 5-3. Roldan and Ganzi kept up the pressure in the final chukker, with each scoring again before Figueras could fight back with a goal. A final successful shot from Brian Boyd ended the first match 8-4 in favor of La Karina, giving the team in green a +4 for the first match and McClure River Ranch a -4.

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ASPEN, Colo., December 21, 2019---In an emotionally-charged final, Richard Mille defended its title in the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship Friday at Rio Grande Park.

In front of a soldout VIP tent, defending champion Richard Mille (Louis Jarrige, 3, Edouard Pan, 4, Pablo MacDonough, 10) held off two-time champion U.S. Polo Assn. in the final seconds for a thrilling 7-6 victory.

Frenchman Louis Jarrige, turning in one of his finest career performances, was named Most Valuable Player after scoring a game-high four goals and playing well defensively. 

Delicioso, a 15-year-old bay gelding played by MacDonough, was the Polo Today Best Playing Pony. 

Barata, played by Ganzi, was the American Polo Horse Association Best Playing Pony. Ganzi was also awarded the Play of the Game.

The APHA was created in 2006 by legendary Hall of Famer Sunny Hale to recognize polo ponies in America and encourage events that showcase them and hard-working dedication of grooms. 

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