98 SIDELINESMAY 2014
FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
BEETLEJUICE
Foaled in
1988, Beetlejuice
is a
chestnut
Thoroughbred-Quarter
Horse crossmare,
owned and played by
Mike Azzaro. At just
14.3 hands, this small
bundle of dynamite
has not let her size
stop her. She has won
numerous awards
including BPP of the
1997GoldCup of the
Americas, the 1999
TexasOpen, two 30-
Goal tournaments
and five 26-Goal Best
Playing Pony awards,
one of whichwas the
Hartman Award for
BPP of theU.S. Open
in 1996. In that game,
Beetlejuice played almost three chukkers, leadingMike to
score six goals on her alone. Mike has said that was the best
game he ever playedwith her. Still playing at age 18, in the
2006U.S. Open, the speed and handiness of the petite polo
veteranwas still dazzling. Beetlejuice is now 25 years old,
living out her days happy and healthy on the ranchwith a foal
at her side.
Polo courtesy of theAmericanPoloHorseAssociation
FUSSBUDGET
Foaled in 1928, FussBudget was anAmericanThoroughbred
marebred for racing. SiredbySt. Germans out of Quarrell by
Broomstick, she had an impressivepedigreemaking her a half-
sister to the great racing championTwentyGrand. FussBudget
won12 races in her early career. Shebeganplaying polo at
9 years of age, andwas trained for poloby notedpolo player,
pony trainer and horsemanTerencePreece. FussBudget was
purchased byC. V. “Sonny”Whitney andheplayed her in the
U.S. Open during her very first year of play. Considered by
C. V. as one of his greatest mounts, FussBudget playedwith
distinctionas part ofWhitney’sOldWestbury team in themost
hotly contestedmatches of theera. Toadd to her laurels, she
was a two-timewinner of the prestigiousPrinceFriarstownCup
in1937and 1938, whichwas awarded to thebest mareplaying
in thebig tournaments, suitable toproduce apolo pony. Fuss
Budget’s impressive accomplishments and theaccolades she
garnered earnedher the right tobe called “the first lady of the
polo realm” during her era.
WILLIAMS. “WILLIE” TEVIS
- Posthumous Iglehart Award
Born in 1891,WilliamTeviswas a colorful character who playedpolonationally and
internationally for over 60 years. Highly regarded in theWest for his superior skills as
a horseman, polowas the dominant interest of his lifeand he reached a respectable
handicapof 6-goals in1929. Dubbed the “ironman of California,” hewaswell known for
his contributions toCalifornia polo as an active proponent in keeping the sport alive there.
He had enduring influencewithpolo clubs inNorthernCalifornia, most notably theSan
FranciscoPoloClub, and inSouthernCaliforniawas anoriginal founder of theEldorado
PoloClub outside of PalmSprings, listed as its first delegate in1957. He is credited for
getting teams from other countries such asGreat Britain, MexicoandCostaRica to play in
California in thosedifficult years of rebuilding the sport and served as amentor tomany.
Respected for his reputation as a superb horseman and endurance rider, in1954Tevis
was approached to help launcha 100-mileendurance ride that became known as the
“TevisCup” whichwas named forWillie’s grandfather, LloydTevis, and is still competed
for today.WillieTevis served in bothWorldWars and died in1977.
PAULVONGONTARD
–
Living Iglehart Award
Paul vonGontard has a legacy of unselfish contribution to polo. Amember of theUSPA since 1949, he
has been one of the longest continuous activemembers. Paul served on theUSPABoardof Governors
from 1973–1974 and2001–2009. Paul has been the backbone of twomajor clubs, JacksonHole and
EldoradoPoloClub. His support and leadership at Eldorado spans nearly half a century, and it has been
said that therewould be no JacksonHolePoloClubwithout Paul. Hewas presentedan award from the
players of JacksonHoleon his 80th birthday in appreciation of his support. Internationally, Paul was one
of the first Ambassadors to theFederation of International Polo (FIP) andhasworked tirelessly for that
organization. He has servedas ZoneA (NorthAmerica) coordinator formanyWorldChampionships,
ensuringa fair and competitive zone playoff. At times hehas reached into his own pocket toguarantee
quality horses for these events. He has servedmany years on theUSPA International Committee,
promotingand supporting international competition at all levels.
