Pacers and Polo has been part of the Aiken Triple Crown since 2004, and that again is the case this year.
There will be some changes, however, according to an email sent Feb. 2 by USC Aiken to the event’s past patrons.
Pacers and Polo, which is scheduled for March 30, will be held at Whitney Field at 420 Mead Ave. instead of its former venue, the Powderhouse Polo Field.
USC Aiken will remain the title/principal sponsor of Pacers and Polo, but the Aiken Polo Club will oversee its general operation, including the sale of tickets.
Gates will open at 10:30 a.m. and Pacers and Polo will begin at 2 p.m. There will be an opening ceremony, a match with six chukkers of seven minutes each, a 20-minute intermission and an awards ceremony.
The USC Aiken Division of Athletics and USC Aiken’s equestrian programs will share a portion of the proceeds.
The email sent to past patrons described the changes as “a natural evolution, capitalizing on the strengths of our two organizations.”
USC Aiken and the Aiken Polo Club’s “strong” partnership has contributed “immensely to the event’s success as the third leg of Aiken’s Triple Crown,” the letter stated.
For more information about Pacers and Polo and to purchase tickets for field side parking, general admission and the pavilion area, contact the Aiken Polo Club’s director of marketing, Susie Kneece, at skneece@gmail.com or 803-646-3302.
Kneece couldn’t be reached for comment prior to the deadline for this article’s publication.
The other events in the Aiken Triple Crown are the Aiken Trials, scheduled for March 16 at the Aiken Training Track, and the Aiken Steeplechase, which will be held March 23 at the Aiken Steeplechase Association’s racecourse.