Late this January, Sankt Moritz was again the host of the Snow Polo World Cup. The 35th edition of the tournament took place on the frozen lake of St. Moritz and was a state-of-the-art event, encapsulating everything the small Swiss resort town is: elegance, excitement and a lot of fun.
The event started on Thursday, the 24th with the presentation of the teams, as there were many new players coming to St. Moritz to compete in one of the four teams which played for the cup. The teams were: team Cartier (which won last year), team Maserati, team Badrutt’s Palace and team Azerbaijan Land of Fire.
On Friday, the event kicked off with two games. Firstly, team Cartier played against team Azerbaijan Land of Fire in what was a very tense and exciting game. Team Cartier had 10 goal Juan Martín Nero on their side, which made the boys from the Land of Fire fight as hard as they could, an effort which eventually paid off, as Azerbaijan Land of Fire won with 5 ½ – 5.
The second game was between Melissa Ganzi’s black- shirted team Badrutt’s Palace, which played against team Maserati. The match started out rather slow, but the tension and dynamism grew more and more during the last two chukkas, and especially towards the closing bell, as the score was an equal 5 – 5, with just seconds to play left. It was Max Charlton who tilted the score in favor of team Maserati right at the end of the game, which ended in a close 6 – 5.
The second day of games gathered many more spectators than on Friday, as the weather was warmer than on the previous day and the sun was out and bright. On Saturday, the first match was between teams Azerbaijan Land of Fire and Badrutt’s Palace. Unfortunately, not very long after the start of the game, Adrian Laplacette, the team’s highest handicapped player, suffered a badly cut ear and had to be rushed to the hospital for small surgery. Afterwards, it was a rather slow game, but Badrutt’s Palace Alejandro Novillo Astrada found himself in full shape and scored goals and blocked the efforts of the Azeri team. However, soon enough his dynamism was curved due to a tumble, which was suspected to be a broken arm. Fortunately, it turned out that it was just a bad bruise and so Astrada was soon back in the saddle to play. Towards the end of the game, both teams were playing to win and the game stretched out on about 1 ½ hours. In the end, it was team Badrutt’s Palace that won the game.
The second match of the day was between team Cartier and team Maserati, which was a smoother game than the previous one. Frenchman Robert Strom of team Maserati played a hard game and scored several goals. It was a close game, as both teams played hard to get qualified in the final, but in the end it was team Maserati’s game, which won with 7 ½ – 6.
On Sunday, it was the day of the finals. Firstly, team Cartier played against team Azerbaijan for the small final. Adrian Laplacette was back in the game, despite having been in the hospital the previous day and spectators were excited to see how the game would turn out. Before the start of the tournament, many people had thought that the two teams would be battling for the first prize, but as Jan-Erik “The Voice of Polo” Franck said, in polo anything can happen. Team Cartier, which consisted of the father son duo of Marc and Team Captain, Grant Ganzi, alongside Engadin star Tito Gaudenzi and 10 goal maestro Juan Martín Nero was definitely seen as a favorite by many, who had a big surprise that the team lost with a staggering 5 – 0 for team Azerbaijan Land of Fire.
As time passed, the snow that was slowly setting started to turn into a small Alpine blizzard, with the snow and wind giving the players of teams Maserati and Badrutt’s Palace an extra challenge as they battled for the Cartier trophy in the grand finale.
Despite the wind, spectators gathered around the field and watched closely the match, many of them wearing red Cartier blankets, which by the way, looked amazing against the white snow which was now covering the frozen lake of St. Moritz. Both teams brought their A-game, which made the match a nail-biting experience, but unfortunately there were also included falls and hits. In the end, it was a clear win for team Badrutt’s Palace, who won the game with 7 – 3. This win was very special; as it marked not only the first Cup win for team Badrutt’s Palace, but also the first win of a team lead by a woman.
The Cartier Trophy was presented to team Badrutt’s Palace by Mrs. Laurence Bourgeois, Cartier Managing Director (Switzerland) and Mrs. Kaethy Dobers, the Boutique Director of Cartier St. Moritz. The award for best Playing Patron was presented by Peter Schmid, Head of Wealth Management Northern and Central Europe Deutsche Bank and was awarded to Melissa Ganzi. The Most Valuable Player award was given to Alejandro Novillo Astrada and the Polo Times Best Playing Pony award was offered to Pantera, played by Alejando Novillo Astrada in the fourth chukka.
The 18 000 enthusiastic spectators of the Cup had once again a wonderful time in Sankt Moritz, as they could enjoy an event that combined sports matches, great culinary experiences and a lot of glamorous parties, all in the beautiful setting of St. Moritz and the breathtaking landscape of the Engadin Valley.
The magical frozen lake, the passion of the players for the game and the sophistication and elegance of the overall experience, in the form of great food, great Perrier-Jouët champagne and great music, made the 35th edition of the Sankt Moritz Snow Polo World Cup a 5-star tournament and one of the world’s most refined and luxurious events.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
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