Horse Illustrated Magazine

It’s the United States versus the United Kingdom in the first America’s Cup of Polo championship. The event, organized to raise funds for the Journey for the Cure Foundation, will kick off May 12, 2007 in commemoration of America’s 400th anniversary.

Morven Park is the chosen venue, located in Leesburg, Va., and preparation for the event has been in full swing.

“Mountains of dirt have been moved,” says Will O’Keefe, executive director of Morven Park. “Two hundred tractor trailers are coming here every day to prepare.” 

Upon completion, the polo match is expected to accommodate 5,000 spectators.

Charles Muldoon, an international 6-goal polo professional, is the director of polo for the event and is responsible for bringing the U.S. team together. Tareq Salahi, America’s Cup chairman, serves as team captain.

While Muldoon and Salahi are admittedly on the roster, the rest of the U.S. team will remain undisclosed in hopes of gaining an edge on the competition.

Leading the United Kingdom’s team is father and son duo Julian Hipwood and Max Hipwood. Julian, who has been one of England’s highest rated polo players, is U.K. team captain and will be putting together their team’s strategy.

While the polo team leaders are devising their plans for victory, they emphasize that the real importance is about the charity. The Journey for the Cure Foundation works to provide grants to the Leukemia and Lymophoma Society and the Multiple Sclerosis Society, as well as Historic Morven Park.

“The illnesses do not see country boundaries,” Salahi says. “They affect all human beings in this nation and across the world.”

Muldoon is also particularly connected to the cause, having survived Hodgkin’s lymphoma himself. “Everyone is coming and playing for their country, but in the end, it’s about the charity,” he says.

America’s Cup of Polo is open to the public with an assortment of specialty and general admission packages. For more information visit www.americascupofpolo.com