February 24, 2014
By Contributor
Photo by Chris Jackson
Dubai, UAE – On Saturday, February 22, Cartier won the prestigious Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge today. This team had been in great form all week and was favorites to win the trophy after such an impressive start. In today’s thrilling final they defeated CNN 11.5 – 7. CNN, who were making their debut in this tournament’s final, had looked strong in the latter league stages, but struggled against an in-form Cartier team here this afternoon.
The winning team patrons, Saeed Bin Drai and Adriano Agosti, received the trophy and winners’ prizes from HH Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who attended the event on behalf of the tournament’s patron, HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein. HH Sheikh Mansour was accompanied by Laurent Gaborit, Regional Managing Director of Cartier Middle East, India and Africa and Ali Albwardy, the owner of Desert Palm.
In addition to awarding prizes to the winning team, HH Sheikh Mansour presented Cartier’s Raul Laplacette with the La Martina Most Valuable Player Award. He also placed the La Martina Best Playing Pony Rug on Saeed Bin Drai’s Cata, a seven-year-old mare which had been played by Laplacette in this final.
Four professional/amateur 14-goal teams were competing in this prestigious Cartier competition, now in its 9th year. The polo was managed by the core team from Guards Polo Club in the UK, while La Martina retained its Official Team Kit Supplier status, ensuring that players and ponies were as elegant as the game. Cartier’s illustrious guests were in fact treated to two superb displays of fast paced and exciting polo. The day included an earlier match for the subsidiary Desert Palm Trophy, in which Desert Palm defeated UAE Polo Team 7-5.
Guests were received at the Desert Palm Resort and Polo Club, where they were able to enjoy an exclusive preview of the Cartier latest Jewellery collections AMULETTE DE CARTIER displayed in an exclusive setting at the Villa Cartier. They then moved on to a seated lunch, followed by both the Desert Palm trophy match and the Final of Cartier Polo Challenge.
At the Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge, Laurent Gaborit, Regional Managing Director of Cartier Middle East, India welcomed more than 500 guests, among them were Poppy Delevingne (English Model and Young Ambassador for the British Fashion Council); Mohammad Abu Issa (Qatari racer); Joelle Mardinian (Popular TV Presenter at MBC TV’s “Joelle” show); Lojain Omran (Popular TV Presenter at MBC TV’s “Sabah El Kheir Ya Arab” show); Aline Watfa (Popular TV Presenter at MBC TV’s “Style” show); Mahira Abdel Aziz (Anchor – Business News at Al Arabiya News Channel); Rami Al Ali (couturier); and Saudi fashion designer Hatem Al Akeel.
