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Dubai Polo Challenge

HRH Prince Rashid bin Hassan of Jordan led the Qatar Airways team to victory in the third Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge at Desert Palm Polo Club on Friday 28 March. This win for the Prince was even more pertinent as he received the trophy from his cousin, HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Accompanying the Princess to the polo was her sister HRH Princess Raya Bint Al Hussein.

There were several other well know faces seated in the grandstand, including leading French actress Charlotte Rampling and international shoe designer Christian Louboutin. Both of these guests had been flown in from Paris by Cartier especially for the event and before the game had the opportunity to view Cartier’s new Inde Mysterieuse Collection, in the exclusive Cartier Villa at Desert Palm.

In the main game of the day, the Qatar Airways team defeated an Emirates NBD The Private Office quartet 8-7 in an exciting match, played on the beautiful polo ground in front of the Desert Palm Resort and Spa. This luxury boutique hotel, created by Ali Albwardy at his Desert Palm estate, was officially opened by HRH Princess Haya during the afternoon. The resort’s managers, David and Jacqui O’Hara, are now looking forward to receiving their first guests in early April.

There was more than one game of polo on this day as earlier in the afternoon a Young England team, who had travelled to Dubai especially for this event, took on a Young Dubai team. Luck was with the English on this day though as they defeated the home side 4-3. The La Martina Most Valuable Player award went to a Young Dubai player though. Rashid Bin Drai came forward to receive a saddle from the Princess.

In the seniors’ game, HRH Princess Haya presented a pair of polo boots to Emirates NBD player Nico Petracci as he was named The La Martina Most Valuable Player. The Princess then personally put the Gibson Best Playing Pony blanket on to a beautiful grey mare that had been in action on the field for Emirates NBD player Najieb Khoory.

Cartier, the title sponsor of the Dubai Polo Challenge, is one of polo’s most loyal supporters and has just celebrated its 23st year of sponsorship of the Cartier International Day at Guards Polo Club in the UK as well as sponsoring the Cartier World Polo on Snow Tournament in St Moritz and the thrilling elephant polo in Jaipur. At this year’s event here in Dubai, Cartier donated a cheque for 570,000 dirham to HRH Princess Haya for the United Nations High Commissioners for Refugees (UNHCR). The money was raised through the Cartier LOVE Charity Campaign, which was launched last June.

The local Riding For the Disabled Group also lined up to be presented to the Princess. The organiser of this group is Astrid Petracci, whose husband Nico was named Most Valuable Player in the earlier match.

Although there was plenty of horsepower on the field, Bentley Motors added to that by providing a fleet of cars for the VIPS. One of these was the luxurious Brooklands Bentley – one of only 550 ever to be built – which made its Dubai debut at Desert Palm. In fact, Christine Gaskell, a director of Bentley Motors, was driven onto the course by colleague David Gorsuch to throw in the first ball for each game.

Keeping everything in order was the senior management team from Guards Polo Club – Europe’s leading polo club – led by the Chief Executive Charles Stisted. This English team always brings a quintessentially English feel to this traditional afternoon of first class sport and hospitality.