The prestigious Open de France is set to kick off on Friday at Chantilly Polo Club. All matches will be streamed live on Pololine TV. One of the organisations set to compete is Nicky Sen’s Amanara, whose team is due to play the opening match of the tournament against Le Pommeraye. After spending several weeks competing at Polo Club de Saint Tropez, Sen is ready for a new challenge.
“As we started late this season, and due to the current situation of the confinement in Argentina, Santi and Lolo will be able to stay longer in Europe,” shares Sen. “This allows us to play the French Open in Chantilly for the first time. We travelled from Saint Tropez to Chantilly to play the Open de France and afterwards we are going back to our home club, Villa a Sesta, nestled in the beautiful hills of Tuscany, to finish the season.”
– How has your experience of the season been so far?
“My thoughts go out to all the people who are affected by COVID-19. Whilst I really love polo as a sport, this year polo has taken a different priority in my life. I am grateful that, so far, we have been very fortunate and we were able to spend some time in our beautiful home club of Villa a Sesta, in Tuscany, Italy. As of July, we have moved to St Tropez, where we started to play tournaments.”
– Will this be your first time playing in Chantilly?
“I played the ladies tournament in 2013, and whilst I was watching the 16 goal final of the Open de France, I could never have imagined playing it myself one day! I am very grateful for this opportunity, and we are definitely ready for it!”
– How glad are you that polo was finally able to recommence after such a challenging year?
Obviously, the current challenges in the world are more important than playing polo. I am sure everybody agrees that COVID-19 reminds all of us that health and family are the most important things in life. I feel blessed after a long lockdown to have spent some time with family and friends in the beautiful South of France.
Nicky Sen will be sharing the Open de France team with Segundo Condesse Stanga, Santiago Laborde and Santiago Chavanne, who has been involved with Amanara for many years now.
-How important is Santi Chavanne to your organisation, and how long have you been playing with him?
“Without Santi and his family the AMANARA organization wouldn’t exist! Gigi Richini, his stepfather, introduced me to Santi back in 2015. We played our first family tournament in Cuatro Vientos, in Pilar, that same year. I knew instantly that this was the beginning of a long relationship. Santi shares his passion for horses with me and has become, in my view, one of the most renowned polo breeders in Argentina. He teaches me a lot about horses, and he gives me the opportunity to ride and play his best ones, which makes the addiction to polo even bigger! He is an excellent polo player and teacher, which allows me to improve my polo.”
– What do you like most about playing in Saint Tropez?
“I just love the combination of playing competitive polo and, at the same time, enjoying the charm of the old town of St Tropez, the hills of Gassin and the beach of Pampelonne. The polo club in St Tropez has lots to offer. Apart from the high quality fields and tracks, the infrastructure is modern and comfortable, and the staff are super friendly.”
In the 2019 Argentine Open match between La Dolfina and La Irenita, the great Adolfo Cambiaso played one of Nicky Sen’s horses: Gete Origami. One of Sen’s polo highlights, for sure.
“It was a dream came true! I was fortunate to buy Gete Origami at the Tanoira auction in 2013. Cambiaso saw her for the first time in 2018, when I played the final of the Copa Zafiro with Santi Chavanne against La Dolfina. Nearly one year later, after extensive training with Paola Martinez, Adolfito played the first practice with Gete Origami in La Dolfina, and 3 days later, she was with him playing in Palermo!”
ALL OPEN DE FRANCE MATCHES WILL BE STREAMED LIVE ON POLOLINE TV.