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Nick Roldan has a chance to put his name on the Tiffany & Co trophy of the Triple Crown of Polo Championship Series twice in a row thanks to his victory with Zacara winning over Piocho Ranch 14-10 in the Pacific Coast Open finals at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club, the second leg of the ESPN-televised tournament.
"I thought they did a great job [with the Triple Crown of Polo in Santa Barbara]," said Roldan who plans to watch the show on ESPN2 on October 7 – a two-hour special incorporating Santa Barbara and Aiken. "I think we have a really good chance of winning in Aiken too."
Roldan teams up with Matias Magrini and Martin 'Facha' Valent for Russ McCall's New Bridge for the third and final leg of the Triple Crown of Polo. "I'm looking forward to it," he said. "I arrive in Aiken on Friday and I'm sending nine horses from California and already have some in place there."
The Triple Crown of Polo sports three weekend feature 22-goal games on Sunday September 9 and 16 and Saturday September 22 at the New Bridge Polo and Country Club and polo followers are already booking their field side seats.
"The Aiken community loves polo," said David McLane, President of the Triple Crown of Polo. "We are hoping for a great turnout of spectators, especially for the finals, which will be taped and aired on ESPN2 in a two-hour special show, October 7 from 3pm – 5pm."
The show will include an overview of the Aiken polo scene showcasing player profiles and polo lifestyle in Aiken. Among those featured will be Mike Azzaro who is set to make his Aiken debut during the Triple Crown of Polo Championship Series. Azzaro is one of several new faces on the preliminary team rosters announced for Aiken. Azzaro joins Tommy Biddle Jr. and Kris Kampsen in an all-American line up for Texas' Andy Stack.
Spectators can select from several options for viewing the tournament games, from private cabanas and luxury sky-boxes to individual VIP tickets for the Chairman's Club inside the Lexus Oasis. There will also be field side tailgating spots as well as general admission. Tickets are already selling in the small southern town as polo fans and enthusiasts reserve their place in Aiken's history.
Billed as the 'event of the season' the Triple Crown of Polo celebrates the 125th anniversary of The Aiken Polo Club and Whitney Field with an invitation-only black tie gala at the Green Boundary Club in the city of Aiken, on the eve of the finals of the 20-22 goal tournament at New Bridge Polo and Country Club. The Black Tie Gala is presented by Lexus and this special evening will pay homage to the past and future of polo.
While focusing on Aiken's polo traditions it seems appropriate that two players most often credited for the current polo renaissance in the town – Owen Rinehart and Adam Snow – will play on the same team for Maureen Brennan's Goose Creek in the Triple Crown of Polo.
TCP host sponsor, Via Mizner a Lilly Pulitzer Signature store from Augusta, Georgia is staging a 'Launch party' at another of Aiken's historic landmarks, The Willcox Hotel, on September 5 when the Tiffany & Co trophy will be unveiled and the players introduced to sponsors – Lexus, The Carolina Company, Aiken Standard, Agsouth, UPS, Atlantic Broadband – and TCP guests. Tickets are also on sale for this event.
Tickets may be bought for the TCP events at the New Bridge Polo Club online at www.triplecrownofpolo.com or at the Aiken Downtown Development Association office in The Alley in Aiken.
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