Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XVIII

Sponsors of prestigious series include Land Rover, who support equestrian sport from grassroots all the way through to the elite level, as demonstrated in its role as Presenting Partner of British Polo Day. The Official Timekeeper for both British Polo Day Abu Dhabi and British Polo Day Dubai is Jaeger-LeCoultre. No watch can claim to be closer to the world of polo than Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso. It was designed in 1931 at the request of British polo players in India and is therefore the perfect fit to be partnered with British Polo Day. A Spectacular Evening Held at the spectacular Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, the private Royal Club of HH Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, British Polo Day Abu Dhabi raised £35,000 for Women and Health Alliance (WAHA) and Help for Heroes. Keeping the British polo buzz alive across the region, British Polo Day Abu Dhabi followed HRH Prince Harry’s recent visit, where he too swung his polo mallet for the crowds at Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club (as you may have read about in Simply Abu Dhabi Edition XVI). Some of Britain’s best young players including George Meyrick and Jamie Morrison flew in, courtesy of Etihad Airways, to take to the prestigious pitch of Ghantoot – one of only three floodlit pitches in the world. What followed was an evening of exhilarating polo, fervent fundraising and superb pitch-side fine dining. More than 200 VIPs guests, including HH Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Falah Al Nahyan, HH Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur and his father Maharaj Narendra Singh, His Grace the Duke of Argyll, HM Ambassador to the UAE Philip Parham CMG, and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Marc de Panafieu and his wife Princess Alexandra Cantacuzene-Speransky, attended the prestigious black-tie evening event. Whisked from the InterContinental Abu Dhabi in chauffeur-driven Land Rovers, guests arrived to a Champagne Taittinger reception, a beautiful blooming pop-up Harrods garden party – complete with caricaturist and Harrods Green Man – and a traditional game of camel polo. The Hackett Camel Polo Trophy saw members of the British Army’s elite Cavalry and Guards regiments go head-to-head in a lofty battle that ended in a draw. 8 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I