Polo Season is upon us

Sam Hopkinson at the Auckland domain. Supplied to Spy February 2020 Photo / Vivid Creative

The polo season is upon us; pre-events for the BMW NZ Polo Open and the Lexus Urban Polo are rolling out.

The Open at Cleveland on Saturday February 22 promises to bring the best talent with the captain of the English polo team James Harper, 40, playing for Glenmark up against his son, 18-year-old Will, who is playing in opposing team, Mystery Creek.

The woman to watch on the day is Ellen Morgenstern, who won the Savile Cup, New Zealand's oldest sporting trophy, last Sunday.

Off the-field action for the event includes Fashion in the Fields, a shoe shine, and a whisky highball experience with Glenmorangie.

BMW is back as naming rights sponsor after a three-year absence and promises lots of action around the grounds.

The place to be seen once again will be the Veuve Clicquot Marquee, Clicquot in the Sun, where guests are encouraged to pose in their Vanity Fair -style setting. The champagne house is partnering with two bold New Zealand women, Barbara Brinsley and Louise Hilsz, to curate the marquee with a nod to nostalgia and all things retro-chic.

Two weeks later is possibly the event of the summer — the Lexus Polo Open. Its location in the Domain has everyone who is anyone wanting to check it out. During World War I, I thousands of horses were stabled there before going overseas, so the horses are, in a way, returning to their spiritual home.

The event promises a fusion of music, fashion, food and sport.

It's the final part of a trifecta for event organiser Simon Wilson, who will have previously rolled out the Urban Polo mix in Singapore and Christchurch before his last hurrah in Auckland. Giddy up!