Grand Slam status for Santa María Polo Club’s 45th International Tournament

The status of Sotogrande’s Santa María Polo Club as being one of the sport’s elite venues has been confirmed by the upgrading of the annual High Goal Gold Cup to Grand Slam status.

Just two other tournaments outside Argentina—the US Open Polo Championship at Palm Beach International Polo Club, Florida, and the UK Open for the Gold Cup at Cowdray Park Polo Club—have been awarded this status by the World Polo Tour (WPT), emphasising the high regard in which Santa María is held by aficionados of the sport.

In practice it means the winners will now pocket 150 World Championship ranking points—25 more than last year, which itself saw a significant increase. The other competitions at this year’s 45^th International Tournament remain important too, with 90 World Championship ranking points on offer for the winners of the Silver Cup. The Gold and Silver Cup winners at medium goal, meanwhile, will gain 90 points for the WPT Challenge Cup.

Reward for hard work at Santa María

This upgrading of the tournament’s status for the second year running can be seen as reward for the hard work and dedication of the club to the sport of polo and in the hosting of one of the most popular tournaments in the world. Each year the event has grown in importance not just to the polo world, but also to the economy of the Sotogrande region. Last year the 44^th International Tournament attracted 88,891 spectators—up from the 75,000 mark in previous years. Together, they spent well in excess of €30 million in the region. This was an important factor in the WPT’s decision to award Grand Slam status, along with the accessible location, the excellent organisation of tournaments, the high calibre of participating international players and the number of teams attending.

It is an indication that the Santa María Polo Club’s policy of turning the Sotogrande facility into Europe’s premier equine centre on a level with the world’s finest is being recognised by those within the equestrian family as well as beyond it. The news of the tournament achieving Grand Slam status has already drawn worldwide publicity, including this article in UK national newspaper The Daily Telegraph, which helps raise Sotogrande’s profile at an international level.

Together with the development plans for La Reserva, the purchase of Valderrama by the La Zagaleta Group, as well as an ambitious residential project for Santa María itself, these are exciting times for Sotogrande.

*This year’s tournament will be held between July 27^th and August 28^th with the Gold Cup final due to be played on the last day as a culmination to the month-long tournament. The full schedule of this year’s tournaments at the Santa María Polo Club can be viewed here.