SUNDAY POLO ACTION AT PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL POLO CLUB
January 11, 2004

WELLINGTON, Florida - Actress Stefanie Powers has put her heart and soul into polo and she continued her passionate affair with the sport with an appearance at the new International Polo Club Palm Beach.

Powers, an enthusiastic celebrity polo player, drove a Hummer, the official vehicle of the International Polo Club Palm Beach, to lead the teams onto the field and then officiated the pre-game coin toss before an important 22-goal Joe Barry Memorial Cup tournament contest. Following the match, Powers and polo legend Bill Ylvisaker presented trophies and champagne to the teams. Powers also visited with many players and their families.

A long-time conservationist and animal activist, Powers was in town for the polo and to attend a private event on Monday night at the polo club celebrating the return of the East African Bongo antelope to mountains in Kenya, spearheaded by the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation in Loxahatchee.

The program will establish a breeding group of 20 bongos at the Mount Kenya Game Ranch. Within six to 10 years, offspring from the original breeding group will be slowly released into the Mount Kenya National Park. Powers is President of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation and Director of the Mount Kenya Game Ranch.
Powers, who plays in numerous celebrity polo matches annually, was able to play a four-chukker exhibition match with teammates Mike Azzaro and Adam Snow, the only current American 10-goalers.

American tenor Charles Pitt, an avid polo fan, delivered a stirring rendition of the national anthem to begin the day’s activities, which included a bounce house for kids.

More than 300 guests dined on a delicious brunch catered by The Breakers before heading into the stadium to watch a key polo match in the 22-goal Joe Barry Memorial Cup tournament.

On the field, Crab Orchard jumped out to an 8-3 halftime advantage and coasted to a 12-8 victory over Old Pueblo in front of 1,267 spectators. The victory clinched the wildcard position in Thursday’s semifinals for Crab Orchard (2-1), along with undefeated division winners Bendabout, Brigadoon and Catamount.

“We lost in overtime (13-12 to Brigadoon) last week and we were hungry,” said Julio Arellano of Crab Orchard, who led all scorers with eight goals. “Things seemed to go our way. We were pushing hard and the bounces were going our way.”
The game featured a father-and-son combination on each team - Memo Gracida and his son Julio for Crab Orchard and John Hall and his son Jeff for Old Pueblo.

Jeff Hall led Old Pueblo (0-3) with four goals while Brandon Phillips scored three and Nicolas Roldan had one.

The championship game will be played Sunday (Jan. 18) at 3 p.m. at the stadium field at International Polo Club Palm Beach. The polo game is open to the public with tickets beginning at $10 each. For information, call (561) 204-5687.

International Polo Club Palm Beach is located at 3667 120th Avenue South in Wellington. From I-95, take the Forest Hill Boulevard exit and go west approximately 12 miles. Turn left onto South Shore Boulevard and go two miles. Turn left onto Pierson Road, travel about one mile and then make a right onto 120th Avenue South. The club is on the right. From Florida’s Turnpike, take Exit 93 (Lake Worth Road) and go west about six miles. Make a right onto 120th Avenue South. The club is on the left.