The fourth tournament of the summer polo season begins Friday with the Basalt Handicap at Aspen Valley Polo Club.
By Sharon Robb
The fun begins Friday with two preliminary games at McClure River Ranch on Field 2.
The opening game at 10 a.m. is a three-team round robin game between Los Amigos Blue (16) (Paul Foster, Grant Ganzi, 3, Nic Roldan, 8, Hilario Figueras, 5) vs. Maltese Falcons (16) (Melissa Ganzi, Vinny Sangaline, 1, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7, Nacho Novillo Astrada, 8) vs. Santa Rita (14) (Fran Spinacci, 1, Jason Crowder, 5, Pablo Spinacci, 5, Juan Bollini, 3).
In Game Two at 12:30 p.m., Audi (Marc Ganzi, 1, Martin Jauregui, 6, Tomacho Pieres, 6, Jimmy Seward, 3) and Los Amigos Red (Alejandra Foster, Sugar Erskine, 6, Santi Toccalino, 7, Santos Bollini, 2) will play a regulation game.
Winners advance to the championship final on Sunday for an exciting day of polo complete with a DJ and great food at McClure River Ranch Stadium at 11 a.m. followed by the Just For The Love Of It Cup at 12:30 p.m.
On Saturday, the Just For The Fun Of It game will pit Santa Rita and WPL at 10:15 a.m. at the AVPC Barn Field.
Argentine Nacho Novillo Astrada will make his Aspen debut competing on Maltese Falcons with his brother Alejandro.
Astrada is coming off his second Argentine Open victory, this time as coach of La Natividad. Twenty years ago, in 2003, he won the coveted Triple Crown, playing with his three brothers Eduardo, Javier and Miguel for La Aguada. They were the first team in history comprised of brothers to accomplish the achievement. Astrada also coached last year’s U.S. Open champion Park Place.
The Basalt Handicap honors the former railroad town which was named for the basaltic rock formation on Basalt Mountain. Basalt is known as a vacation mecca for families and sports enthusiasts in water sports, fishing, camping, hiking and more.
Located between Glenwood Springs and Aspen, sports and cultural opportunities are only minutes away. Amid the variety of activities, the small mountain town still preserves it original, quaint charm. The fishing paradise sits at the junction of two Gold Medal rivers, the Frying Pan River and Roaring Fork River, which begins on Independence Pass and flows through Aspen.
Nestled in the heart of Basalt, there is a collection of stunning properties that are perfect for picturesque mountain living. From riverside retreats to equestrian estates, Basalt is an effortless blend of natural beauty and luxury.
Last season NetJets dominated most of the game to capture the Basalt Handicap. NetJets (Ale Poma 1, Nacho Figueras, 3, Marc Ganzi, 1, Nic Roldan, 8) won the two-day, six-team tournament with an 11-8 victory over ST8 (Melissa Ganzi, Dominic State, 2, Nacho Novillo Astrada, 8, Juan Bollini, 3) in front of a good crowd. Nic Roldan was named Most Valuable Player.
So far the season-opening tournaments have been won by Santa Rita (Haley Schaufeld, Grant Ganzi, Tomacho Pieres, Juan Bollini) in the Independence Cup; Casablanca (Marc Ganzi, 1, Martin Jauregui, 6, Nic Roldan, 8, Grant Ganzi, 3) in the ChukkerTV Challenge Cup, and Casablanca (Marc Ganzi, 1, Santos Bollini, 2, Grant Ganzi, 3, Nic Roldan, 8) and Casablanca again, this time the Craig Sakin Memorial with an 8-6 in over Maltese Falcons (Alejandra Foster, Melissa Ganzi, Santi Toccalino, 7, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7).