PTJan/Feb 2010 p38-41 Breeding YC PJ MB 21/1/10 17:01 Page 3
As a clone of one of Mariano Aguerre’s best mounts, Califa, is to become the
first polo pony ‘double’, the outgoing La Dolfina captain and acclaimed
breeder tells Cristina Kroll why he embraces innovation and technology
ollowers and fans of Mariano Aguerre, my own needs,” he recalls. “However, at that
F
who fired the winning goal for La moment there was not much breeding in Argentina
Dolfina at Palermo in December, know and demand was rising, so it turned out to be an
Sunny Hale:
him not only for his skill on the field excellent opportunity.”
Why the APHA
but for his sensational ponies and the With a stock of 20 horses he set up Los
highly successful breeding operation behind Machitos. He now owns 600, and this year 100 foals
is following
them. For 15 years now, on the expansive green will be born. His breed has its roots in the US. Peter
fields of Buenos Aires province, Aguerre has been Brant, a racehorse breeder and patron of White cloning keenly
steadily building his stud, Los Machitos. And Birch, for whom Aguerre plays on the American
AMERICAN PLAYER Sunny Hale, one of
although the 10-goaler has hundreds of ponies, circuit, allowed him to import to Argentina some of only two female players in history to
he has each animal’s name and family history the team’s retired mares. Aguerre, who made his
reach five goals, is president of the
American Polo Horse Association
engraved on his memory. name on home ground playing for Ellerstina, Indios
(APHA), which was set up in 2006 and
This year, along with victory in the Open, Chapaleufu I and finally La Dolfina, also imported has 700 horses registered – and rising.
Aguerre has another success to celebrate. Califa, mares from England and Australia. Some of these
The APHA named Califa its horse of the
year in 2009 and it is down to Sunny that
the handsome and distinctive bay who carried became important stud mares for Los Machitos,
the gelding has been cloned: she was
him to three 26-goal victories in the US in 2005 while the main stallions were Durazno, Michael and the one to earmark him as the ideal
and has been one of his greatest mounts, has Machitos Chelo.
horse to “duplicate”.
become the first polo pony to go through the One of those imported from White Birch was
“I think cloning is an amazing
opportunity for polo people who are
cloning process. Three of gelding’s “doubles” are Cumbia, one of Aguerre’s dearest stud mares. “This
open to it. ViaGen was looking to be
due to be foaled in America in April, the process turned out to be one of the best bloodlines in polo,”
introduced to polo, and I thought Califa
having been carried out by cloning specialists he says. Her decorated descendants include
would be the right horse to be the first.
Polo is so performance-based and
ViaGen, with the support of the American Polo Machitos Jazz, who won prizes after the 2007
Califa has an outstanding record and a
Horse Association (APHA) (see also page 4). Argentine Open and the 2005 Hurlingham Open,
highly successful family.
Visiting Aguerre at his seasonal Pilar base, and Machitos Rastafá, best mare at the 2001 Jockey
“I called Mariano and said ViaGen
wanted to talk to him. He’s heavily into
Centauros Polo and Country Club, a few days before Club Open.
breeding, and for him to produce a
the Argentine Open final – his last with La Dolfina – Luna, the revered mare bred by [the late] Héctor
stallion with Califa’s genetics is an
I met Califa and his stablemates, who make up Barrantes and played by Gonzalo Pieres, became
incredible opportunity. You can sell
offspring and semen, use him for your
Aguerre’s 20-strong top string, one of the most another important dam for the Machitos string, and
own breeding and so on. If you have the
admired in high-goal. was the mother of Califa, who is by the acclaimed money [ViaGen charges $165,000] and
It’s safe to say that, among horses, Aguerre feels stallion Sobornado. Califa’s playing performance and
are interested in breeding it’s exciting –
and as a top horse can sell for more
like a fish in water. When he started in the breeding “royal” breeding led to his being hand-picked for the
than $100,000 you could also do well.”
business, in 1994, it was not because of its potential cloning process in America. Hale adds she can think of plenty of
profitability, but as a way to provide himself with Aguerre explains: “In the APHA was looking to
other polo candidates for cloning. “If
you have the money to roll the dice
quality mounts. “At first, there wasn’t even a select one polo pony to be the first in history to be
there’s a whole laundry list of horses!”
business plan, since I began in this activity to satisfy cloned, and for this process they selected Califa.” X
www.polotimes.co.uk January/February 2010 39
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