AMERICA'S OLDEST POLO CLUB CELEBRATES ITS 125TH YEAR WITH TOURNAMENT AND GALA BALL

Portsmouth, RI - The Westchester Polo Club announced today its 125th anniversary and a black-tie gala at the Astor's Beechwood in Newport, Rhode Island on June 29th, 2001. The "Boots and Black-Tie Ball" will conclude a week-long United States Polo Association Tournament, expects to draw players from throughout the US, Canada, Argentina and Europe.

Chairman for the 125th Gala Jim Garner said, "This is an historic occasion for polo players, fans and supporters of equestrian training who are all invited to take part in the events and celebrations of our 125th Anniversary. The tournament will be a 4- to 8-goal challenge for the Governor Cup. The ball will be held at the Astor's Beechwood in Newport."

The tournament and gala ball commemorate the introduction of polo to America and the founding of the Westchester Polo Club in the "Gilded Age" of the 19th Century. The first to be established in the United States, the Westchester Polo Club maintained grounds in Newport, Rhode Island, in close proximity to the "cottages" lining Bellevue Avenue, where many of its original members resided during the summer months.

In 1876, James Gordon Bennett, publisher of the New York Herald, brought polo to the United States from England. Ten years later, Bennett challenged the English army officers who introduced him to the sport to compete in the world's first international polo match. The historic match in 1886 was held at Newport, Rhode Island, which quickly became the international polo capital of the world. Wars, the Depression and the income tax ended the era of opulence and international polo in Newport in the Twenties. But the sport stayed alive, played by leaders and notables such as Winston Churchill and General George Patton, and gained new glamour as it was adopted by the Hollywood stars of the 30s and 40s, such a Spencer Tracy and Erroll Flynn. Today movie stars Tommy Lee Jones, Sylvester Stallone, Ted Danson, Stefanie Powers and many others are active players.

The tradition of international polo in Newport first created by James Gordon Bennett was resurrected by Dan Keating in 1992. Every summer the Westchester Polo Club hosts teams from Ireland, France, Argentina, Chile and other nations in a series of matches that attract tens of thousand of spectators. (See the list below for countries that have participated in international matches in Newport.)

Proceeds from the 125th gala and tournament will benefit the Rhode Island-based Polo Education Foundation, a non-profit organization founded to support opportunities for polo and equestrian education in order to encourage personal development, teamwork and good sportsmanship. For more information on the Boots and Black-Tie Ball, the 125th Anniversary Polo Tournament and how you can be part of the action, call (401) 847-7090 or visit the website: www.newportinternationalpolo.com

### END ###

Nations that have played polo in Newport in the last decade:
Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Portugal, and Spain.