RoR Polo Series

Overview

Owners and players of polo ponies that started their career on the racetrack have another chance in 2010 to win substantial cash prizes from Retraining of Racehorses (RoR).

RoR is offering six prizes of £1,000 each to the ex-racehorses judged to be the most successful on the polo circuit.  Five further prizes of £500 to the best bought and played ponies ridden by 1-goal and under players will be awarded at the end of the year.

The prizes are open to any polo pony that has raced in the UK and is registered with RoR. They will be judged by a committee, in conjunction with the clubs and the HPA, on their polo performance past and present, with their racing record also taken into account. The £1,000 prizes are awarded at the HPA dinner on 22nd July, and the £500 prizes will be awarded at the end of the year. 

RoR is hugely supportive of polo as an alternative career but polo needs to support RoR by registering horses to help the charity know that racehorses has a life after racing.

To have their horses considered, owners need to register them on the RoR website – a process that is simple, quick and free click here – and to submit a performance record, with details of past tournaments and achievements and future plans to darbuthnot@ror.org.uk
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In addition, RoR in association with Lycetts Insurance will be awarding prizes during the season in high, medium and low goal tournaments as well as at Pony Club/Junior HPA Championships. 

For more photographs view the Gallery.

RoR Polo Series Winners in 2010

Six ex-racehorses judged to be the most successful on the polo circuit were awarded £1,000 each by RoR at the HPA Cartier Dinner on 22nd July.  The winners were:

LALAPAANZI (Lambourn) and Jonny Good
A 10 year-old mare who was trained in Lambourn by Oaks winning trainer, Ralph Beckett. She ran nine times as a two and three-year-old and was placed once first time out over 5f at Doncaster.
Polo career: She was given to Jonny as a wedding present by Robert Thame and they were to split the profits when she was sold. She is a top pony and has not been sold! The better the level the better she goes, she has high top speed and a large heart.

TOP HAT (Top Hat) and Lanto Sheridan
A nine-year-old gelding by Easycall who ran five times as a two-year-old over 5 and 6 furlongs without troubling the judge for Yorkshire trainer, Mick Easterby.
Polo career: His best attributes are his top end speed and power in ride offs. 

MAGIC GENIE (Magic) and Jack Richardson
An eight-year-old bay mare by Lujain trained by Mick Easterby who ran three times in the north without any success.
Polo career: She is the most agile Thoroughbred Jack has ever ridden and she has great acceleration. 

ENDLESS CHIMES (Sabo) and Eden Ormerod
A seven-year-old mare by Timeless Times ran three times in the south for Mrs Sweeting over 6 and 7 furlongs.
Polo career: She is a great hitting platform with good balance, she is a brave mare with plenty of guts in a ride off.

LOL DRAPER (Lolly) and Ed Hitchman
A seven-year-old mare by Forzando trained in Wales by David Evans, ran three times on the flat as a three-year-old.
Polo career: She is super easy but fast and very sweet natured.

LIGHTED SMILE (Sonrisa) and Malcolm Borwick (now owned by Jerome Wirth)
A seven-year-old mare by Emperor Jones who ran 18 times, winning a race in France and being placed several times before coming to run three times in England.
Polo career: She is everything you want in a Thoroughbred and refuses to be beaten, the minute you drop the reins she comes back to zero.

RoR and Lycetts Polo Series 2010

RoR and Lycetts will be awarding prizes at the following events in 2010:

MAY
22nd May - TEST MATCH, Cowdray
BEST PLAYING PONY - TINA PLAYED BY TOM MORLEY 

30th May - GERALD BALDING CUP, Cirencester
BEST PLAYING PONY - AVARIS PLAYED BY MARK BALDWIN

JUNE
5th June - ARTHUR LUCAS CUP, Beaufort 
BEST PLAYING PONY - CHANEL PLAYED BY WILL LUCAS
19th June - INTERNATIONAL, Beaufort 
BEST PLAYING PONY - TOMORROW PLAYED BY LUKE TOMLINSON

JULY
15th July - GOLD CUP SEMI-FINAL, Cowdray 
BEST PLAYING PONIES:
FUSH PLAYED BY MAX ROUTLEDGE
SOMERSET MORNE PLAYED BY CHARLIE HANBURY
25th July - CARTIER INTERNATIONAL, Guards
BEST PLAYING PONY - CIENDRA GIRL (HAVANAH) PLAYED BY RODDY WILLIAMS 

AUGUST
8th August - PONY CLUB/ JUNIOR HPA CHAMPIONSHIPS, Cowdray
8th August - WARWICKSHIRE CUP, Cirencester
30th August - CREDIT CRUNCH LEAGUE, Knepp

Marmite wins £5,000 first prize in new RoR Series

Polo pony Marmite ridden by Mark Tomlinson was the inaugural winner of the £5,000 first prize in the new RoR Polo Series.

The prizes were presented at the pre-Cartier Day HPA dinner on 23rd July, with Marmite being judged the most successful ex-racehorse on the polo circuit this season.

This eleven-year-old mare raced five times on the Flat under the racing name of Fille de Dauphin without troubling the judge. She was bought by Bruce Urquhart, who won the RoR 'producer/sources' prize, from her trainer. Following which the Bromley Martin family retrained her to play regularly in Low and Medium Goal polo matches.

Mark Tomlinson then took Marmite on, and has now had her for two seasons, playing in the Queens Cup, Gold Cup and Cartier. She is his second best pony and Mark will be playing her in the International this Sunday.

Other RoR prizes awarded at the dinner were runners-up prizes of £2,000 each.  One was won by Dashfa Baileys ridden by Henry Brett, a six-year-old gelding bought privately from a trainer's yard by Brett Thoroughbred Polo, who have bought over 70 ex-racehorses to go into polo over the years.  Henry said of Dashfa Baileys, "He is the fastest horse in my string, and has a great temperament." 

Crafty Politician ridden by Max Routledge won the second runners-up prize.  Having raced all over the world he quickly took to polo at the age of seven, now 12 years he is playing 12 - 18 goal.  He is also a stallion with his first progeny aged three proving willing and very sensible.  An excellent achievement to excel at both a playing pony and a polo stallion.

Finally a prize of £1,000 was awarded to United Onion (Onion) ridden by Robin Spicer, a former junior RoR winner.   

Results

1st prize of £5,000 - Fille de Dauphin (Marmite) ridden by Mark Tomlinson

Runners-up prizes of £2,000 each - Dashfa Baileys ridden by Henry Brett and Crafty Politician ridden by Max Routledge

3rd prize of £1,000 - United Onion (Onion) ridden by Robin Spicer

RoR and Lycetts Polo Series - Results 2009

RoR and Lycetts will be awarding prizes at the following events in 2009:

MAY
31st May - GERALD BALDING CUP, Cirencester
Polo Pony Prize Winner:  BEEKO - Ollie Taylor

JUNE
6th June - ARTHUR LUCAS CUP, Beaufort 
Polo Pony Prize Winner:  LAPA LA LA - Ollie Cudmore

20th June - INTERNATIONAL, Beaufort 
Polo Pony Prize Winner: MARJELLA - Ruki Baillieu

JULY
16th July - GOLD CUP SEMI-FINAL, Cowdray
Polo Pony winners
FALTA ENVIDO - Adolpho Cambiaso
CUVEE - Nachi De Plessi 
26th July - GUARDS, Cartier International 
Winner: OCHO - Henry Brett

AUGUST
7th to 9th August - PONY CLUB/ JUNIOR HPA CHAMPIONSHIPS, Cowdray 
Best ex-racehorse in Junior HPA:  MAGIC GENIE - Jack Richardson
Best ex-racehorse in Pony Club polo:  ASOFNOW - Hamish Denton

SEPTEMBER
6th September - INTERNATIONAL, Cowdray