The fourth tournament of the summer season at Aspen Valley Polo Club gets under way Friday with the Basalt Handicap.
By Sharon Robb
With stunning views of the mountains, the fun begins on Friday at McClure River Ranch with two semifinal games.
In the opening game at 10:30 a.m. MST, Audi (Santos Bollini, 2, Santi Toccalino, 7, Hilario Figueras, 5) plays The Setai (Melissa Ganzi, Silver Novillo Astrada, Jason Crowder, 5, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7).
In the second game at noon, Los Amigos (Alejandra Foster, Tomacho Pieres, 6, Nacho Novillo Astrada, 7, Juan Bollini, 3), one of the club’s winningest teams, makes its summer debut against Mountain Chevrolet (Michael Payne, Sugar Erskine, 6, Grant Ganzi, 3, Nic Roldan, 7).
The 12th season kicked off the July Fourth weekend with world-class polo and unforgettable summer vibes and continues with another busy weekend of polo. On Saturday, there is the Saturday Series and Kidz Polo starting at 11 a.m. The Basalt Handicap winds up on Sunday with the final at 11 a.m. and Just For The Love Of It Cup at 1 p.m.
Last year’s Basalt winner was Los Amigos Red (Paul Foster, Grant Ganzi, 3, Nic Roldan, 8, Hilario Figueras, 5) with an impressive 15-8 victory over Audi (Martin Jauregui, 6, Tomacho Pieres, 6, Jimmy Seward, 3) for its first win of the summer. Grant Ganzi was MVP.
The Basalt Handicap honors the former railroad town which was named for the basaltic rock formation on Basalt Mountain. Basalt is known as a vacation mecca for families and sports enthusiasts in water sports, fishing, camping, hiking and much more.
Located between Glenwood Springs and Aspen, sports and cultural opportunities are only minutes away. Amid the variety of activities, the small mountain town still preserves it original, quaint charm. The fishing paradise sits at the junction of two Gold Medal rivers, the Frying Pan River and Roaring Fork River, which begins on Independence Pass and flows through Aspen.
Nestled in the heart of Basalt, there is a collection of stunning properties that are perfect for picturesque mountain living. From riverside retreats to equestrian estates, Basalt is an effortless blend of natural beauty and luxury.
Among this season’s highlights at the nation’s fastest growing club are the new “Polo Is Beautiful” Beach Club on Sundays; Twilight Polo Series featuring Tuesday Night Arena and Twilight Polo, an exclusive series from July 29 to August 26; and Aug. 17th Summer Polo Charity Classic to benefit Aspen Valley Health Foundation.
Other highlights are the Aug. 21-24 Triple Crown of Polo-Aspen and Silver Queen Invitational doubleheader and August 26 Aspen Arena Series Final.
The remaining summer tournaments are July 24-27 Emma Challenge Cup, July 31-August 3 High Alpine Cup, August 7-10 Mount Sopris Cup, August 7-17 Rocky Mountain Open, August 14-17 Carbondale Classic and Aug. 28-31 season-finale Maroon Bells Cup.
To open the 2025 season, Wellington-based 3 Graces Polo, making its Aspen debut, won both the Independence Cup (Rebecca Cohen, Nacho Novillo Astrada, Nic Roldan, Juan Bollini) and ChukkerTV Cup (Rebecca Cohen, Nic Roldan, Alejandro Novillo Astrada). Last weekend McClure River Ranch (Roberto Poma/Ale Poma, Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Hilario Figueras) won the Craig Sakin Memorial.
The family-friendly club on 15 acres of pristine land welcomes spectators of all ages. All matches, food and refreshments are free (with the exception of special catered events) and open to the public including dogs on leashes.
Unlike any other summer polo destination in the world, the local culture offers shops, incredible culinary scene, art, music and nightlife in addition to hiking trails, mountain biking, whitewater river rafting, kayaking, golf and fly fishing.
Last year Aspen Valley Polo Club celebrated its 11th anniversary and enjoyed its best season on the Rocky Mountain circuit, highlighted by the Summer Polo Charity Classic. This year’s event is scheduled for Sunday, August 17th. The day will feature polo, champagne, caviar and luxuruous food by Caribou Catering. For those interested in purchasing tickets, sponsoring a table, donating an item for the live auction or volunteering for the event, contact Amy Kaiser Pendarvis, Events Coordinator, at 970-544-1126 or apendarvis@aspenvalleyhealth.org.
Last year’s event raised the most money in a single-day polo event in the United States. The event hit the $1 million mark with about $700,000 going to Aspen Valley Hospital operations. It was the second time the event hit the $1 million mark since it was created in 2016.
If you can’t make it to the games in person, Wellington, Fla.-based ChukkerTV (CTV sports) will live stream the entire 2025 polo summer season Mountain Standard Time with announcer Dale Schwetz calling the action. Aspen Valley Polo Club is the only USPA club to live stream its entire summer schedule.
With a vision for the community and surrounding areas, the Ganzi family resurrected the club and polo in 2014. Since then polo has increased in popularity in Aspen and surrounding cities with the club’s offerings of various weekly grass and arena tournaments, Arena & Asado Nights, Kidz Polo, “Polo Is Beautiful” Beach Club, Twilight Polo Series, Kids Wheelie Polo, Gymkhana, Christmas In July, The Polo School at AVPC and Polo On Demand.
In addition, the club offers practice sessions for teams competing in the club tournaments on more than six world-class fields. There are also indoor and outdoor polo arenas.
Aspen Valley Polo Club caters to men, women and youth polo players at all levels. Its’ expert staff can customize a complete playing experience including horses, pros and certified umpires in addition to lessons and practice sessions as part of its’ Polo On Demand program.
For more information on leagues or Polo School contact Polo School Director Juan Bollini at 561-346-1099.