What many call the sport of kings will be on full display at Werribee Park as the historic Urquhart Cup polo tournament gallops into town on Sunday 1 March.
More than 50 competitors aged 13 to 73 will be battling for the silverware in Victoria’s premier open-handicap event.
About 200 horses, many retrained thoroughbreds associated with Racing Victoria’s Off The Track program, will take the field in the mixed gender event.
Families and thrill-seekers are invited to enjoy a team sport that combines the speed of racing, the precision of golf and the physicality of rugby.
Heritage and horsepower will blend as friendly yet fierce rivalries will ensue.
The games will be played ‘off-scratch’, meaning no handicap headstarts are given to lower-rated teams so that only raw skill determines the winner.
This year, veteran Australian captain Jack ‘Ruki’ Baillieu will lead defending champions Mingela against a field of rising talent including German-Argentine prodigy Franz Spurgin, France’s Dorian Butteau and New Zealand’s Jimmy Wood.
The tournament is presented by Hexham Polo Club, founded in Victoria’s Western District in 1884 and Australia’s oldest continuously operating polo club.
Established in 1935, the Urquhart Cup honours one of Australian polo’s founding families.
Angus Urquhart rode in Victoria’s very first polo match at Warrnambool in 1874 – less than 40 years after the colony was established.
Gates open at 11am for the John Kelly Shield, followed by the Merrang Cup and Palmer Cup, before the Urquhart Cup championship final from late afternoon.
Live commentary throughout the day will demystify the rules for newcomers.
Details: https://www.hexhampolo.com.au/
