Hundreds of enthusiastic spectators arrived at the Thai Polo Club in Pattaya on February 19 to attend the Queens Cup Final polo match between two all women teams representing Thai Polo and St. Regis. Most of the female fans were decked out in hats of all types of styles and it showed again that polo is not just a dynamic equestrian sport but also a real social event.
The traditional Pink Polo spectacle is used to collect money for Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s centre for breast cancer treatment, which provides female patients in need with the – very often – life saving surgery and treatment they desperately require.
Thai Polo and St. Regis battle for possession of the ball at the Queen’s Cup Pink Polo event held at Thai Polo Club in Pattaya, Saturday, February 19.
Included in the attendees at the polo match were Dr. Kris Chatamra, president of the breast cancer centre and his wife Khunying Finola.
Other VIP guests at the event included the owner of the Thai Polo Club and CEO of B. Grimm, Harald Link, his daughter Caroline, Nunthinee Tanner, the executive director of LBG Ltd. Group and chairwoman of the Pink Polo organising committee, Paul James, the global brand leader for the St. Regis Hotels & Resort Group, which were the main sponsors, plus representatives of various foreign embassies and important businessmen.
The ‘best hat’ award went to Lee Puenboonpra
The special guest of honor was ML Khunying Piyapas Bhirombhakdi, who – on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen – presented the beautiful trophy to the winning team.
Prior to the exciting polo match a lunch buffet was served, followed by a terrific fashion show on horses where models and famous actors and society ladies wore designs by La Martina, Burberry and Cymberline.
Of course raffle tickets were available with great prizes to be won. The “Miss Pink Polo Queen” contest winner was rewarded with a voucher of 50,000 baht from The St. Regis Lhasa Samui. The best hat contest was won by Lee Puengbonpra, the head of the HI! magazine who received a 35,000 baht voucher.
Finally the polo game started with St. Regis in their fitting pink polo shirts and Thai Polo wearing their customary grey jerseys. For a long time the game ebbed and flowed and it seemed that St. Regis were gradually gaining the upper hand, but the traditional “stamping” of the field by the spectators before the 4th and last Chukka saw a transformation in the game and the Thai Polo Team of Caroline Link, Catalina Oettinger-Wallenstein, Claudia Zeisberger and Isabel von Morgenstern, rallied to score the match-winning goal in the last 20 seconds of the game to win the match 4-3.
Miss Pink Polo Queen 2011.
The victorious Thai Polo team (from left) Isabel von Morgenstern, Claudia Zeisberger, Ina Oettinger-Wallerstein and Caroline Link receive the trophy from ML Khunying Piyapas Bhirombhakdi (right) acting as representative for Her Majesty The Queen.
A fashion show with a difference.
The two teams race downfield in the final chukka.
