The Julius Baer Gold Cup, the region’s largest polo tournament, returns for another year under the Patronage of HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. The live draw for the Julius Baer Gold Cup 2019 fixture was held on 10 February 2019 at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club, the home ground of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup (DPGC) Series.
The Gold Cup (Dubai Open) now in its tenth year, is one of the five mid to high-goal tournaments that fall under the umbrella of the DPGC Series. It has grown in parallel with the city of Dubai and is the only tournament in the United Arab Emirates (along with the Dubai Challenge Cup and the Dubai Silver Cup, also part of the DPGC Series) to be certified by the World Polo Tour (WPT) since 2012. The Gold Cup is part of the WPT Championship Cup which is considered as the highest competition in terms of points and awards 80 points to its winners, 40 points to the finalists, 25 points to the semi-finalists and 10 points to all other participating players. Only four other tournaments in the world are competed in this category under the WPT.
The Dubai Open is played under the banner of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) with tournaments being played under strict international supervision according to the HPA rules and provision of its umpires.
The tournament has received tremendous support from its title sponsor since 2014 – Julius Baer, a leading Swiss private banking group with presence in all major financial centres including Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Milan, Monaco, Montevideo, Moscow, Mumbai, Singapore and Tokyo.
The Julius Baer Gold Cup 2019 will officially kick off on Monday 18 February 2019 with eight teams competing until Friday 8 March for the prestigious title and trophy. Mohammed K. Al Habtoor, Vice Chairman & CEO of Al Habtoor Group, Founder of the DPGC Series and Patron of Habtoor Polo team was joined for the live draw by Régis Burger, Head Middle East, Julius Baer (Middle East) Ltd., Trevor Weller, Prestige Director, Al Habtoor Motors (Bentley Emirates), and Santiago Torreguitar, Tournament Director of the Emirates Polo Association.
Mohammed Al Habtoor said: “As a team patron and a polo enthusiast, I am excited to have eight strong teams with remarkable top-ranking players join us for the Julius Baer Gold Cup this season. As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Gold Cup tournament, I take this opportunity to thank of our patrons, sponsors, players and polo enthusiasts and the city of Dubai. Without their support this milestone would not have been possible.”
Régis Burger, Head Middle East, Julius Baer (Middle East) Ltd. said: “During our presence in the region for the past 15 years, we have sought forward-thinking partnerships that stand out within the Middle-Eastern region and the Julius Baer Gold Cup is one of them. Polo has been identified as one of the pillars in our sponsorship strategy as it provides a platform to connect with our clients and add value. The game of polo is one that mirrors fundamental attributes that are in in line with Julius Baer’s corporate philosophy, as it symbolises tradition, team spirit, and encompasses an innovative spirit: values that we have embodied since our inception. We are proud to continue our association with what has now become the leading polo competition in the Middle East and wish all competing teams the best of luck.”
TEAMS:
Habtoor Polo: Tommy Beresford 6, Facundo Sola 9, Hugo Lewis 3, Mohammed Al Habtoor 0. Total: 18.
Mahra Polo: Diogo Gallego 5, Pelayo Berazadi 5, Jaime Garcia Huidobro 7, Rashid Al Habtoor 0. Total: 17.
Dubai Wolves: Marcos Araya 7, Manuel Crespo 7, Habtoor Al Habtoor 1, Justo Cuitiño 3. Total: 18.
Abu Dhabi Polo: Alfredo Cappella 9, Santiago Gomez Romero 4, Faris Al Yabhouni 0, Guy Gibrat 5. Total: 18.
Desert Palm: Camilo Castagnola 5, Bartolito Castagnola 6, Martín Valent 5, Rashid Al Bawardi 2. Total: 18.
Zedan Polo: Santiago Laborde 6, Amr Zedan 0, Martin Gandara 5, Rauli Laplacette 7. Total: 18.
Ghantoot: Yousef Bin Dismal 0, César Crespo 4, Juan Gris Zavaleta 8, Martín Donovan 6. Total: 18.
UAE Polo: HH Sheikha Maitha 0, Vizcacha Benoit 6, Tomás Panelo 4, Alejandro Muzzio 8. Total: 18.
THE DUBAI GOLD CUP SERIES IS STREAMED LIVE ON POLOLINE TV HERE.
Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series:
-Silver Cup (18-goal): January 25 – February 8.
-Polo Masters Cup (10-goal): February 10-15.
-Julius Baer Gold Cup (18-goal): February 18 – March 8.
-Dubai Challenge Cup (18-goal): March 15-30.
-Dubai Cup (8-goal): April 2-12.
PICTURE GALLERIES:
