94 SIDELINES SEPTEMBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
e
Polo
The Ganzis And Prince Harry:
A Royal Game Of Polo
By Sharon Robb
When Marc Ganzi played with Prince Harry in the Sentebale
Royal Salute Polo Club charity game in Greenwich, Connecticut
in May, it wasn’t just about raising money.
For Marc, it was about raising awareness of polo in the sports
world. He has made it one of his life’s missions to promote polo
and spread his family’s enthusiasm for the sport. Marc and his
wife, Melissa Potamkin Ganzi, have been devoted to raising the
game’s exposure among the masses ever since they started
playing polo more than a decade ago.
Playing With Royalty
The Ganzis have played with royalty before, including Prince
William and his father Prince Charles. The charity game was the
first time Marc teamed with Prince Harry on the Sentebale Land
Rover team that won, 4-3, over the St. Regis polo team.
“We have been lucky enough to get to play polo with the Royal
Family several times,” Marc said. “We have built a relationship
with them and the Royal Office.”
With the Royal Standard and U.S. flags flying above the
scoreboard at the Greenwich Polo Club, Marc led scoring with
two goals and Prince Harry scored the tying goal. The polo field
was the 28-year-old Prince Harry’s final U.S. appearance after
a weeklong trip with stops in Colorado, Virginia, New York, New
Jersey and Washington, D.C.
“He is a very competitive player,” Marc said of Prince Harry.
“When he plays, he plays to win. It was nice to be on the same
side as opposed to playing against him this time around.”
Despite not being on a horse for nearly a year because of
his military duties in Afghanistan and royal duties, Prince Harry
Prince Harry and Marc Ganzi talk polo.
Photo by John Robben
Marc Ganzi, one of the nation’s top amateur players, has made it
one of his life’s missions to promote polo and spread his family’s
enthusiasm for the sport.
Photo by John Robben
Melissa Ganzi wears her trademark pink polo helmet when
competing.
Photo by Alan Fabricant
played well, working both sides of the horse with deft mallet play.
The four-chukker game raised more than $1 million for Sentebale,
the Prince’s charity for underprivileged children in Lesotho, which
he started in memory of his mother, Diana, the late Princess of
Wales.
“This was a special match for him since it supported a charity
