The Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) and United States Polo Association (USPA) announced today the winners of its awards to recognize Thoroughbreds that have excelled in a career as a polo horse.
- High-Goal Horse: “Cubana,” registered with The Jockey Club as “Total Regs”
- Low-Goal Horse: “Cajun Colonel”
- Arena Polo Horse: “Wild 2 Me” (unnamed with The Jockey Club)
- Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Horse: “Annie,” registered with The Jockey Club as “Grada a Annie”
- Lesson Horse: “Dolly,” registered with The Jockey Club as “Little Doll”
- Women's Polo Horse: “Rocket,” registered with The Jockey Club as “My Mom's Pretty”
Cubana is owned by Nic Roldan. “Cubana is a key player in my string and a bit of a fave in the barn due to her super kind demeanor,” Roldan said. “I played her in spring and fall polo at Grand Champions Polo Club getting her used to the game before her graduating to high goal, where she is now a firm fixture in my string.”
Cajun Colonel is owned by Cheryl Arnold and now ridden by her son Daniel. “Cajun Colonel embodies what amazing athletes Thoroughbreds are and demonstrates how the breed can successfully transition off of the track to becoming winners on the polo field,” Daniel said.
Wild 2 Me is owned by Wendy Stover and was bought as an unraced 2-year-old. “She has excellent bloodlines, and she can play both arena and grass polo with equal prowess,” said Stover. “I can always count on her to give me an awesome chukker.”
Annie is owned by Sherry Sheldon Gibson / Polodeo Ranch LLC. According to Zachary Cobbs, an interscholastic polo player, “Annie is an exceptional multilevel equestrian athlete. She tops the charts with her speed, agility, and her intuition regardless of which level rider she is with. She is the best babysitter for beginning riders while effortlessly transitioning to a skilled polo player.”
Dolly, owned by Laura Goddard, has been used as a lesson horse for nine years. “Dolly continues to be one of our staple beginner horses and has traveled to play USPA arena tournaments, field tournaments, and USPA interscholastic games across three states,” said Goddard. “Dolly's calm temperament, endless patience, and athleticism are a perfect fit for our polo school.”
Rocket is owned by Stephanie Colburn. “Rocket has not only shown that Thoroughbreds can transition into a career as a polo horse, but she has also shown that they can be completely phenomenal as polo horses,” Colburn said. “In my heart, Rocket is the best polo horse; she is brave, courageous, fast, strong, dedicated, and completely in tune with her rider.”
As part of T.I.P.'s effort to encourage the retraining of Thoroughbreds for careers playing polo, it will be offering awards at up to 50 USPA tournaments in 2021 and at the National Arena Amateur Cup.
“Our inaugural class of winners of our polo awards demonstrates the success that Thoroughbreds can have as polo horses,” said Kristin Werner, senior counsel of The Jockey Club and coordinator of T.I.P. “When individuals are considering careers for their Thoroughbred beyond the racetrack or breeding shed, we hope they add polo to the long list of potential disciplines in which their horse can excel.”
“Thoroughbreds are proven talents on the polo field, and we are excited to expand our partnership with T.I.P. to reward these athletes,” said Justin Powers, executive director of the United States Polo Association Polo Development LLC.
Created and announced in October 2011, T.I.P. recognizes and rewards the versatility of the Thoroughbred through sponsorship of Thoroughbred classes and high point awards at sanctioned horse shows, year-end performance awards, a recreational riding program, and non-competition awards. Additional information about T.I.P. is available at tjctip.com and on the T.I.P. Facebook page at facebook.com/tjctip.
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