SimplyAbuDhabi X

7 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I H osted in the stunning surroundings of Abu Dhabi’s Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, the private Royal Club of His Highness Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the 5th successive year for the British Polo day was another resounding success. The day’s proceedings were kicked off in style with the Hackett Camel Polo Cup, a specially tailored desert variation on the famous sport. Instead of horses, the mounts in this contest featured some of the region’s finest ‘ships of the desert’, ridden by members of the elite Cavalry & Guards regiments of the British Army. Each camel was selected after months of training that enables them to reach the level of fitness and skill they demonstrated on the field. In a hard fought contest, the Cavalry team narrowly won. Next followed the highlight of the evening, the British Exiles versus Ghantoot Polo. The British Exiles showcased some prestigious players, including the Jaeger-LeCoultre polo Ambassador, the Marchioness of Milford Haven. Wilf Laugher, a local patron, also played for the British Exiles alongside Rick Paton-Philip, scorer of the winning goal for the Eton team at British Polo Day India. Team Captain George Meyrick, returning to the side after British Polo Day China, is one of the most exciting rising talents in British polo and completed the line-up. With a famous history of unrivalled horsemanship at the centre of Arabic culture, the event unsurprisingly attracted some of the Emirates’ most senior and notable players, including Nasser Al Shamsi, Ali Al Merri and the captain, Nasser Al Dhaher. Just when the day seemed like it couldn’t get any more impressive, the star scale was turned up even further by the international VIPs in attendance. They arrived in style to the Royal Club in chauffeur- driven Land Rovers from the InterContinental, Abu Dhabi. Notable amongst them was Jodie Kidd, the British polo-playing model and Vogue cover-girl, who was awarded the Beulah best- dressed award. After taking in a few spectacular chukkas, guests were treated to a sumptuous Argentinian-style dinner prepared by The Gaucho Grill, rounded off with coffee served by Nespresso. The Marchioness of Milford-Haven playing at the British Polo Day Abu Dhabi