Your game The knowledge Vital riding and playing tips from Jamie Peel, three-goal pro and 2008 Gold Cup winner
To market, to market, Argentine-style
O
ver the last decade with the introduction of embryo transfer the breeding of polo ponies has been transformed. Argentina is the world leader and it is there
that you can see how embryo transfer has really taken off. All of the top players and patrons are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in their breeds and this has created a marketplace where people can access the top bloodlines. In November and December, Argentina is the place to be. All the leading players in the world are there, the Argentine Open is in full swing and as it is usually pouring with rain in England it is the perfect excuse to get away! Also at this time the big organisations are holding their pony sales. If you have never been to one of these then I thoroughly recommend it. The sale room or field is heaving with people; patrons and players alike are studying the sale book and discussing the stock. It's a hive of activity. When the sale starts you are blown away by the money being spent: embryos that are not even born are fetching enormous sums. At the sales of the top organisations the total spent always seems to be in excess of a million dollars: it is big business.
The stock for sale is from the top bloodlines in the world, you can buy embryos from some of the most successful mares ever to have
Argentine sales are well established and well attended. How can we create a similar marketplace in England?
buying young horses here is not as easy as people might think. You can clock up hundreds of miles driving between yards and going to sales at Ascot and Doncaster trying to find
Should each major club hold a sale a season? Can individuals get together to attract more interest?
played in Palermo, and the quality is there for everyone to see in the catalogues, with detailed breeding information.
What the Argentines have created should be an example for us all to follow. They are investing heavily in their organisations and understandably they want to recoup as much as they can. Whether the money they raise from the sales pays for their breeding organisations I don't know but the amount they generate is incredible.
Where is the marketplace here in England? What are the top breeders in England doing to generate business? From personal experience
suitable polo types but there is no guarantee that you will find what you are looking for. So far this season there have been two sales – one in Berkshire, which I gather wasn't a great success, and one in Surrey that was quite well attended. As I write we are eagerly awaiting the Polo Saleroom event after the semi-finals of the Queen's Cup, where there will be embryos for sale from some of the top mares currently playing here in high-goal. How can we begin to create a marketplace? Can we emulate anything from Argentina? Should each of the major clubs hold a sale once a season? Can individuals get together to hold a
What I'll be doing this month
1 Organising Salkeld in the Gold Cup 2 Watching the Gold Cup final 3 My first ever foals are being born!
sale on a larger scale so as to attract more interest? Can we get Retraining of Racehorses to stage a sale where there is a guaranteed pool of quality polo types?
These are all ideas but what is the reality? I'd love to hear what you think – especially if you've been to the sales mentioned here. F
◗ Tell Jamie what you think or ask him a question by writing to
letters@polotimes.co.uk
Read past Your Game columns in our online archive. Subscribers can access current and back issues with their personal login. Contact
georgie@polotimes.co.uk if you’ve lost your password.
www.polotimes.co.uk July 2010 69
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100