Field debut for horse sports finals

THOUGH the Melbourne Cup has come and gone, those still looking to get their horse sporting fix can look forward to a week’s worth of polo fixtures.

Following its launch today, the Victorian Polo Association and Melbourne Polo Fields’ annual Melbourne Cup Polo Tournament will see two days of events held at the Darriwill Polo Field throughout the week.

Melbourne Polo Fields’ Nikki Cook said the event will bring in a bevy of Australia’s top polo players.

“We get interstate players and the best polo players in the country,” she said.

“We’ll have anywhere between 100 and 200 guests attending from around the area and it’s always a great spectacle of a day.

“This is normally held at Werribee Park so this will be the first year that the finals have been held at Darriwill.”

With games to also be held at the Eynesbury Polo Club and the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre, Darriwill will host games four, five, and six this weekend followed by the finals event on Saturday 16 November.

The finals event will begin at 11am and will feature three games including one sub-final, and six and 12 goal finals. Eight players will take part per game, amounting to 24 riders overall throughout the day.

Fourteen teams will take part across the tournament with an even split between A league and B league competitors.

Ruki Baillieu has been competing in the tournament since the 1990s and will be one of the riders taking part of the event.

“It’s a spectacular property and the owners, the McGregors, have done an amazing job on it,” he said.

“It’s been an old property passed down through a few families. I actually knew the property before the McGregors had it because some school friends, the Ramseys, had it.

“I’ve played a lot on that field and helped the McGregors build it so I’ve been there since its inception.

“There’s been a polo field built there on the river flats which is a stunning amphitheatre so you’ve got this great elevation to view the game from. We’re all looking forward to the finals.”

Tickets for the finals are at bit.ly/4fzjdCQ.