Harbour Centre Cup on at Manila Polo Club

MANILA, Philippines - A merry mix of veterans and rising stars slug it out today in the first Harbour Centre Polo Cup at the Enrique Zobel Field of the Manila Polo Club in Makati.

The ninth polo event of the season, according to Harbour Centre president and CEO Mikee Romero, is expected to be a highly-spirited duel among the country’s top teams with each member of the four-player squad raring to showcase the tradition and thrill that makes the sport a part of Filipino heritage.

“For sure, it’s going to be a heated but exciting competition,” said Romero, one of “young guns” of the sport popularized by the rich and famous but was introduced to the country by American William Cameron Forbes more than a century ago.

Romero said team strategy is as vital as the breed, size and speed of their ponies in order to score in the “old-world sport” that never fails to capture the imagination of the sport’s die-hard fans.

The event, presented by Harbour Centre with support from AirAsia, Folded and Hung and Oracle Residences, is spread over four days, including an exhibition match on Saturday where the troika of Jun Eusebio Jr., Nicole Eusebio and Marilou Consing goes up against Ige Camara, Nino Pamplona and Tommy Bitong.

Clashing in today’s low goal match, to be graced by MPC officers, led by its president Roman A.V. Azanza Jr. and treasurer and former finance secretary Roberto de Ocampo, is the Blue Team of Jake Zobel, Alfie Araneta, Benjie Toda and Eusebio against the Yellow Team of Vince Bitong, Jimboy Dulay, Jones Lanza and Fred Borromeo.

The winner of the match will be pitted against the victor in the match between the Black Team and Red Team in a face-off on Sunday. The Black and Yellow squad square off on Thursday. 

Another featured event is the high goal face-off between the Red Team of Romero and the Blue Team of Antonio Veloso, also on Sunday.

Aside from Romero, other members of the Red Team are Inigo Zobel, Jerome Hernandez and Anthony Garcia while Veloso will have Manot Montilla, Gus Aguirre and Santi Elizalde as teammates.

The Black Team is composed of Adrian Garcia, Jay de Jesus, Jim Donovan and Butch Albert while Ray del Rosario leads the Red squad along with Jun Juban and Sonny Borromeo.