The 2018 French season will present several changes, marking the beginning of a new era in French polo. Excitement is in the air as it is revealed that the French Triple Crown (composed of the Silver Cup and Gold Cup in Deauville, and the Open de France) will be televised and available for streaming. The French Federation and clubs involved in the tournament have come to an agreement to commercialise the Triple Crown, giving the tournaments added value to those who support them. Three unmissable 16-goal tournaments will be broadcast to the world.
The Clubs involved are the mythical Chantilly Polo Club, a high-end venue for competitions and a heaven for riders and their horses with its famous Open de France, and Deauville Polo Club, with its history in the heart of an hippodrome by the sea, with its two traditional tournaments, the Gold Cup and the Silver Cup.
Chantilly hosted the last play-off this year and the World Championship in 2004, on the other side Deauville organized a polo demonstration during the World Equestrian Games in 2014. Since 2013, both Clubs are working together to show a first class polo in order to attract the best players in the world.
The Deauville Gold Cup boasts 67 editions. Some of the best players in the world have played and won this tournament, including Adolfo Cambiaso, the Heguys, the Pieres’, the Merlos’, and the Gracidas, among others. During the month of August, the French city becomes a polo hub, with around 250 people working there during the high goal season.
Point system
This year Cibao La Pampa claimed all three titles. Should this situation happen again, the French Federation will give the winning team a special prize. This season marked the first time since the inauguration of the French Open, over ten years ago, that a team won the Triple Crown. Independently of this, there will be a winner each year, since the tournaments will have a point system that will see one team top the ranking at the end of the season. This way, every match counts towards the general ranking.
TV
Thanks to the support of Juan Pepa and his company, PoloLine TV will be able to live stream every French Triple Crown match. In addition, a recap of the best moments of each tournament will be aired on television. Jean Edouard Mazery, President of Deauville Polo Club, has had much to do with the organisation of the Triple Crown.
There will be an official launch to mark this news in Buenos Aires on November 30, during the Argentine Open Championship. The event will take place at the Alvear Palace Hotel at 7:30pm, with presentations from both French clubs (Deauville and Chantilly) as well as from the French Federation, patrons and players. There will also be a presentation to award the 2017 prizes to Cibao La Pampa, the team belonging to the Pepa brothers, which set the bar for the new era of French polo.
French Triple Crown:
-Coupe d’Argent
-Coupe d’Or
-Open de France