Simply Abu Dhabi VI

6 7 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I W e were lucky enough to attend the Cartier international Dubai Polo Challenge Final in February, which was held at the Desert Palm retreat. Polo is known as a sport of royalty, and has historically been bound up with traditions of opulence and luxury. But even within this culture of extravagance, this year’s event at Desert Palm Resort was really one to remember: a dramatic spectacle accompanied by some truly sumptuous hospitality. Four pro-am polo teams had been playing all week at Desert Palm in the 7th Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge. Earlier in the afternoon, the Julius Baer team had defeated CNN 8-6 to win the Desert Palm Trophy, but the big event was yet to come: the final, between Desert Palm and Cartier themselves. Unstoppable attack By convention, this particular match starts in a unique way, with a ball being thrown in from the back seat of a Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet: it’s a reminder of the sense of absolute luxury that runs through the whole event. After this impressive beginning, the match proceeded at seemingly breakneck speed. It’s a real pleasure to watch the skill of these players, and – unlike some footballers! – they always show impeccable manners. The match was fun to watch throughout, but with Cartier leading 10-3 at the end of the third chukka (a polo match is divided into four ‘chukkas’), it looked like they were going to win it easily - and you could be forgiven for thinking there would be no real drama. Nothing could have been more wrong: things really got exciting when the dynamic of the game changed in the fourth and final chukka. Desert Palm scored an incredible six goals, with Cartier managing none in return. Martin Valent, the captain of the Desert Palm team, was ferocious in attack in this period. Scoring goal after goal, he seemed unstoppable! It was a hugely impressive sight to watch. Appropriately enough though, time was on the side of Cartier and the final bell rang before Desert Palm could level the score. Cartier had narrowly defeated the current holders of the trophy by 10 goals to 9. Generous prizes This meant that for the first time the Cartier team were the proud winners of their own event – which is held under the patronage of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HHSheikhMohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and PrimeMinister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. As the event’s patron, HRH Princess Haya, was unable to attend the final day of polo, HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented the prizes, accompanied by Cartier guest CharlotteMarie Pomeline Casiraghi who is the second child of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco, and the late Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist. She is fourth in line to the throne of Monaco. Her maternal grandparents were the late Prince Rainier and the late Princess Grace of Monaco. She is named after her maternal great-grandmother, Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois. Also present were both Bernard Fornas, Chief Executive of Cartier and Louis Ferla, Managing Director of Cartier Dubai. Adriano Agosti stepped forward to receive the trophy and then watched as his team- Sporting Drama in Sumptuous Surroundings Cartier won this year’s International Dubai Polo Challenge, where the excitement of the sport was matched by the splendour of the surroundings.

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