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Polo
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The Dubai Polo Club was the first formal equestrian organization to be
formed in Dubai. It started nearly 30 years ago on land donated for the
use of the club by the late ruler of the emirate, Sheikh Rashid bin
Saeed Al Maktoum, father of the current ruler, HH Sheikh Maktoum.
Initially the founding members played polo on sand, graduating to polo
fields and by the 1990s the sport was thriving at the club's grounds
near Ras Al Khor on the edge of Dubai.
As new polo facilities developed in the UAE the Dubai Polo
Club suffered as members moved away or became associated with other
clubs. Local businessman Ali Albwardy built a splendid polo, equestrian
and residential resort on the Hatta road that quickly became the
epicentre of polo in Dubai.
Robert Thame has been the polo manager at Desert Palm Polo Club for 12
years and he talked about his experiences with the club and his
association with Ali Albwardy.
"I came out to see Ali Al Bawardy in 1993. He bought the land
and we built all we have now. It was the first grass polo club in the
UAE. We have four polo fields and 180 polo ponies plus other equestrian
facilities.
"We play seven days a week from October to May and in the
summer. When it is too hot here the horses rest and we continue playing
in Europe. We have the best player in the world in Adolfo Cambiaso and
we have won all the major tournaments there are to win in England. Our
summer base is in a village near Windsor where we probably have the
best string of horses. Dubai couldn't be better represented."
The neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi boasts one of the finest
polo facilities in the world at Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club under
the patronage of HH Sheikh Falah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an enthusiastic
and skilled player himself. Unofficially ranked amongst the world's top
three clubs, the Ghantoot grounds are situated along the main highway
between Dubai and Abu Dhabi close to the border of the two emirates.
Floodlit polo fields enable Ghantoot's world-class team to demonstrate
their prowess during the winter season in the UAE and in the summer
they travel abroad to contest some of polo's most prestigious prizes.
The recent development of the Arabian Ranches residential and
polo resort, an ambitious project by Dubai's biggest property developer
Emaar, has given the Dubai Polo Club a new home. The club's former
grounds are scheduled for further highway projects and Emaar management
took over the club, moving the ponies to its recently built Arabian
Ranches Polo & Equestrian Club on the Emirates Road. Already in
operation Arabian Ranches promises to be a polo resort extraordinaire
and its official opening is scheduled for October 2005.
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polo - Finals action (Mohammed
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polo - Finals action (Tareq Albwardy Robert Thame Satish Seem)
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