SimplyAbuDhabi XII

2 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I T he sport of kings has once again graced Abu Dhabi’s shores in the guise of one of the most anticipated events in the city’s social calendar – the Coutts Polo at the Palace, held of course within the spectacular environs of the Emirates Palace Hotel as part of the City Polo Series. This was no mere excuse for a glamorous picnic – though naturally, as always in the UAE capital, the style count was off the scale and the picnics were in the premier league, having been designed by the master chefs at Emirates Palace. Abu Dhabi’s finest were out in force to witness the polo playing weekend’s nail biting finale. The highlight match brought together two teams feted for their horsemanship onto the same lushly grassed pitch in a fixture that saw defending champions, Team Buenos Aires, fight it out chukka by chukka against home team Coutts Abu Dhabi. The teams got stuck in hard and fast to a re-invented and high-octane version of the sport that has been created in conjunction with some of the world’s best polo players. Designed not only to create a more exciting spectator experience, it also makes the game more accessible in terms of location. The Coutts Polo at the Palace polo field is built specifically for the Emirates Palace gardens – playing on a smaller pitch means the sport can now be played in the heart of major cities. The game features three players per team (instead of the traditional four), which keeps the pressure up and increases the need for teamwork, skill, speed and tactics. Abu Dhabi was represented by Sam Instone, Matias Machado and Facundo Castagnola, whilst Mohammed Al Habtoor, Santiago Gomes Romero and Guillermo Cuitino lined up for team Buenos Aires.