Exciting 16th Anniversary Season Underway At The Grand Champions Polo Club

Story by Sharon Robb | Photos by Candace Ferreira

The Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington is celebrating its 16th anniversary with highly anticipated fall and winter seasons.

One of the nation’s busiest and most innovative polo clubs will host high-, medium- and low-goal polo highlighted by the Legends of Polo Carlos Gracida Memorial, the International Cup and two USPA 20-goal tournaments during the fall season that got underway in October. The fifth season of the World Polo League, the only 26-goal polo played outside of Argentina, begins in February with a star-studded lineup.

The fall medium-goal schedule features five tournaments, including the season-opening Pedro Morrison Memorial, now in its 13th year. Morrison was an avid polo player, patron of the Sympatico Polo team and helped develop Wellington into a thriving community.

The season opened with the Oct. 18-26 USPA North American Cup and continued with the Oct. 24 to Nov. 9 USPA National 20-Goal Championship. The season continues with a Nov. 12 doubleheader featuring the Legends of Polo Carlos Gracida Memorial and the International Cup. This year, the GCPC-USA team will put its 10-year winning streak on the line against Switzerland.

Last year, GCPC-USA (Grant Ganzi, Jason Crowder, Nic Roldan and Tommy Biddle) defeated Argentina, 10-5, for its 10th win in a row since the tournament’s inception in 2012. Ganzi, making his sixth appearance, and at 23 the youngest member of the GCPC-USA lineup, was named Most Valuable Player.

Since 2012, in front of sellout crowds and a worldwide ChukkerTV audience, the U.S. has defeated England, Chile, Mexico, South Africa, Uruguay, Brazil, Azerbaijan, France and Argentina (twice) in the annual battle for the coveted cup.

In addition to the Pedro Morrison Memorial, the fall medium-goal tournament schedule began with the Oct. 17-23 Fall Classic and continued with the Oct. 24-30 Fall Plates.

Next up is the Oct. 31 to Nov. 6 Tackeria Invitational and the Nov. 14-20 Banyan Final. The Tackeria Invitational has a special place in club history as the inaugural tournament when the club first opened in 2007.

The well-organized fall tournaments attract players from all over the United States and the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, England, France, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria and South Africa. Grand Champions also attracts most of the nation’s top American players for the fall season.

Grand Champions had its finest fall season in club history last year. It was the only club in the nation to stage two USPA-sanctioned 20-goal fall tournaments and again is hosting two 20-goal tournaments this season.

“I think this has been the best polo season at Grand Champions I have ever been involved with,” said veteran player Tommy Biddle after the final tournament of the 2021 season. “I have played here a couple of times before, but I think that the polo has been the best polo. Everybody showed up with better horses.”

The successful World Polo League, now in its fifth year, again will feature some of the world’s best players, including Argentine 10-goalers Polito Pieres, Pablo MacDonough, brothers Barto and Jeta Castagnola, among others. The 26-goal league, created by club owners Marc and Melissa Ganzi, features extremely competitive polo.

The WPL season features the Feb. 7-25 All-Star Challenge; the Feb. 23 to March 12 Founders Cup; the March 8-26 Palm Beach Open; the Tommy Hitchcock Legacy Memorial on April 2; the March 22 to April 15 Triple Crown of Polo; and the Miami Beach Polo World Cup set for April 21-23.

The winter season also offers 6-, 8-, 12- and 16-goal leagues, in addition to a weekly Polo School Women’s League, WCT Finals, and Sunset Chukkers and Cocktails Polo Series.

Husband-and-wife team Marc and Melissa Ganzi and their children Grant and Riley, all accomplished players, take pride in teaching and sharing the exciting sport of polo with anyone interested in learning. The Ganzis are coming off a successful summer season at their Aspen Valley Polo Club, which ended in September.

The fall league features stick-and-ball sessions during the week; two medium tournament games every weekend; ambulance and USPA umpires for all tournament games; world-class polo fields; club-sponsored social events every weekend for all players; and top-of-the-line trophies for all teams every weekend.

The Grand Champions Polo Club and Santa Rita Polo Farm is the largest private 100-acre polo facility in Wellington with more than 150 stalls in several self-contained barns, an exercise track, five climate-controlled tack rooms, a vet room, staff quarters, a guest house, and polo fields with state-of-the-art underground irrigation and stick-and-ball fields.

Wellington-based ChukkerTV will live stream the entire fall and winter seasons. ChukkerTV’s state-of-the art technology, including 4K TV, also features team challenges and instant replay, which made their debut at Grand Champions in January 2014.

The Grand Champions Polo Club and Santa Rita Polo Farm cater 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 at the turnkey facility.

The Polo School, a nonprofit organization and stand-alone USPA club, is dedicated to teaching polo to all ages, particularly grassroots youth. Its mission is to provide individuals opportunities in polo at every economic and ability level. The Polo School operates in Wellington January through June and September through November.

The Grand Champions Polo Club is located at 13444 Southfields Road in Wellington. For more information about the upcoming polo season, visit www.gcpolo.com.