On a frozen lake against one of the world’s most stunning mountain backdrops of snow-capped Engadin Valley, the granddaddy of them all will celebrate its 40th anniversary this weekend.
By Sharon Robb
The Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz begins play on Friday with six teams competing for the coveted title over three days in the world’s only high goal snow polo tournament on a 200-meter long and 100-meter wide field.
For the second week in a row, Wellington, Fla.-based Grand Champions Polo Club will be well-represented.
Grant Ganzi, 26, will captain Mackage with teammates Benji Daniels, 1, Nic Roldan, 7, and Tommy Collingwood, 5.
In December, Ganzi won the St. Regis World Snow Polo Tournament in Aspen as a member of first-year team The Agency with teammates Pierre Henri Ngoumou and Jason Crowder. Last weekend in Kitzbuhel playing for the World Polo League, he finished runner-up to three-peat champion Intocast.
This weekend Melissa Ganzi will captain Team World Polo League with teammates Jason Crowder, 5, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7, and Mariano Gracida, 4.
Ganzi, President of Grand Champions Polo Club and co-founder of the 26-goal World Polo League, was the first woman to win the 35th Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz in 2019. She was the first woman to compete in the tournament in 2016 and first woman to make the final in 2017. She is making her eighth appearance in the tournament.
Other teams competing are:
The Kusnacht Practice: Eduardo Greghi, 0, Francisco Belaustegui, 3, Chris Mackenzie, 6, Isidro Strada, 7.
Flexjet: Jonathan Tidswell-Pretorius/Niclas Johansson, 0, Pelayo Berazadi, 5, Facundo Sola, 8, Tito Gaudenzi, 2.
TAOS: Cameron Bacon, 0, Dillon Bacon, 3, Max Charlton, 6, Alfredo Bigatti, 7.
Azerbaijan Land Of Fire: Elchin Jamalli, 2, Tarian Gurbanaliyev, 0, Adrian Laplacette, 6, Raul Laplacette, 6.
In last year’s event, Mackage, making its debut, won its first snow polo title. In front of a soldout VIP tent, Mackage (Lidia Gauss 0, Jack Hyde 5, Isidro Strada 7, Ryan Pemble 4) defeated The Kusnacht Practice (Eduardo Greghi 0, Hugo Taylor 4, Gonzalo Ferrari 7, Nico San Román 4), 10-9, after a series of penalty shootouts in windy conditions. Rather than the usual game format the shootouts decided the outcome because the unseasonable warm weather made it impossible to have an optimal and safe playing surface for horses and players. Jack Hyde, who converted all four penalty shots, was MVP.
All 2025 matches can be viewed live on the Internet at www.pololine.tv worldwide including South Florida.
Other highlights of the weekend are the traditional Schlitteda and Chalandamarz parades in the Polo Village. On Sunday, the Snow Polo grounds will also host the start of the men’s and women’s 20K freestyle Cross Country World Cup races.
A record number of VIP and Chukker Club tickets have been sold ahead of the tournament. The VIP tent is already sold out for Saturday and Sunday, as is the legendary Gala at Badrutt’s Palace.
The world’s most prestigious polo tournament on snow was the first snow polo tournament in the sport’s history created by polo promoter and visionary Reto Gaudenzi, founder and CEO of Snow Polo World Cup in 1985.
Snow polo is played around the world including Aspen Valley Polo Club in Colorado and Kitzbuhel, Austria but St. Moritz remains the most prestigious tournament that is played on snow.
“Our tournament is not only a sporting highlight, but also a symbol of the passion and team spirit required to organize such a high-calibre event,” Gaudenzi said. “It is only thanks to the close cooperation of all those involved that we are able to celebrate the 40th anniversary today.”
Jan-Erik Franck, the voice of polo, will handle the announcing duties in St. Moritz after announcing in Kitzbuhel. He will then head to Wellington, Fla. to announce the 26-goal World Polo League’s seventh season that begins in February at Grand Champions Polo Club.
During the winter polo season, Grand Champions Polo Club, the nation’s largest and most innovative USPA-sanctioned polo club cradled in the heart of the world’s winter equestrian capital, hosts a wide range of tournaments: 6, 8, 12, 20, and 26-goal leagues, Polo School Women’s Weekly Polo League, WCT Finals, several Polo Training Foundation junior tournaments, World Polo League Pride and Sunset Chukkers & Cocktails at both Grand Champions and Santa Rita Polo Farm.
The 26-goal World Polo League is the highlight of the season for the club. The WPL, the only 26-goal polo played outside of Argentina, is now entering its seventh season with some of the world’s top players including 10-goalers Pablo MacDonough and Tommy Panelo.
Other high goal season highlights are the Jan. 30-Feb 9 Sterling Cup (18-22 goals), Feb. 5-22 $100,000 World Cup (0-40 goals) and Feb. 24-March 8 Santa Rita Abierto (18-22 goals).
Other January tournaments are the Metropolitan 6 Goal Cup, Aspen Valley 8-Goal and Limited Edition 12-Goal Series. The GCPC Women’s Weekly Women’s Polo League also gets under way Jan. 22 and runs through April 9. It is the longest running women’s league in the world.
Grand Champions and Santa Rita Polo Farm is the largest and most unique private 102-acre polo facility in Wellington with 212 stalls in nine self-contained barns, two tracks, five climate-controlled tack rooms, vet room, staff quarters, guest house and four polo fields with state-of-the-art underground irrigation and short work arena. The club has 10 well-manicured world-class fields at GCPC and Santa Rita.
Grand Champions Polo Club caters to men, women and youth polo players at all levels. Its’ expert staff can customize a complete playing experience including horses, pros and certified umpires in addition to lessons and practice sessions as part of its’ Polo On Demand program.
The Polo School, now located at the former Pony Express facility, operates in Wellington January through May and September through November. The stand-alone USPA-sanctioned polo club is dedicated to teaching polo to all ages, particularly grass roots youth. Its mission is to provide individuals opportunities in polo at every economic and ability level. The Polo School has nurtured several junior, men and women polo players now playing in the pro and amateur ranks since its inception.
For more information on leagues or Polo School contact Juan Bollini at 561-346-1099 or Cale Newman at 561-876-2930.