The final of the 12th annual BMW-B.Grimm Thai Polo Open took place on Saturday afternoon January 17 and culminated in an exciting victory for the home side, Thai Polo, who downed Fast Fish by 8 goals to 5 in front of an appreciative crowd at the Thai Polo & Equestrian Club in Pattaya.
Thai Polo, led by patron Harald Link, featured Agustin Garcia Grossi (7 goals) and Pedro Fernandez Llorante (5 goals) alongside Caroline Link, and went through the tournament undefeated.
The Thai Polo Open has become one of the most sought-after titles in the region and is a 10 to 12-goal competition with the day of the final featuring a host of sponsors promoting their products and showing their support under a range of marquees.
The 4 teams pose with their trophies at the conclusion of the 2015 BMW-B.Grimm Thai Polo Open.
This year, the Thai Polo Open commenced on January 8 with four teams, Thai Polo, BMW, Fast Fish, and The 300, looking to make it through to the final nine days later.
The first rounds saw The 300 narrowly defeat BMW by 5 goals to 4.5 while Thai Polo edged Fast Fish 5 goals to 4. The second set of matches were held on Sunday, January 11 with Thai Polo downing The 300 by 12 goals to 8 and Fast Fish winning by 6 goals to 4 over BMW.
Harald Link (centre) welcomes Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana (left) to the Thai Polo & Equestrian Club on finals day.
The following Wednesday saw the last of the round robin games take place, with Thai Polo beating BMW by 7 goals to 5.5 and thereby going through to the final. In the second match, Fast Fish overwhelmed The 300 by 8 goals to 4.5 to set up a meeting with Thai Polo.
The 300 and BMW contested the third and fourth places, and they staged an exciting and close fought contest which saw The 300 win by a single goal, 8 to 7.
The victorious Thai Polo team: Harald and Caroline Link with Agustin Garcia Grossi and Pedro Fernandez Llorante.
Prior to the finals taking place, an exciting show-jumping competition worth 100,000 baht in prize money was held, featuring some of the most talented show jumpers of all ages in Thailand. Helena Gabrielson took out first place ahead of Areenatha Chavatanont, with Montakant Nuanmanee in third place. There were also some novelty events with children on horseback as well as a fashion show and a children’s polo match.
There was the traditional stomping of the divots on the playing field at the conclusion of the main event, after which HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana was on hand to present the prizes to the various competitors, and also gave a bouquet of flowers to winning patron Harald Link in honour of his 60th birthday. The entertaining day concluded with a fireworks display and a cocktail party.
Harald Link (right) receives the International Southeast Asian Polo team award on behalf of Thai Polo Club from Dato Mohamed Moiz.
Prior to the party getting underway, the inaugural Southeast Asian Polo Awards took place, with the winners of the three competitions held during 2014 by the Royal Malaysian Polo Association (RMPA) being honoured. The International Award was won by Thai Polo, the National League Award went to the Windhorse team, while the Merdeka League Award was bestowed on the La Sarita team.
The Thai Polo Open is sponsored by BMW and B. Grimm, and helps to raise funds for HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Chitralada Vocational School.
(Photos courtesy Dominic James)
The 300 and BMW fought for third place in the playoff, BMW edging it 8-7.
Thai Polo and Fast Fish riders chase the ball downfield in the Thai Polo Open final, Saturday, Jan. 17.
The 100,000 baht show-jumping competition was fiercely contested.
