To Do in RI: Pony Parade welcomes Dominican team and opens Newport Polo season

Come for the parade! Stay for the first game!

Newport Polo is excited to announce the arrival of the Dominican Republic Polo Team in a Pony Parade on America’s Cup Boulevard from 6-6:30pm on Friday, June 14, 2024 on the Newport harbor front.

The column of 8 polo ponies will be led by the Dominican Republic Polo Team, with returning captain Mauricio Bogaert and teammates Alex Schad and his son Alex, and Juan Thomas Diaz, along with their rivals, the USA Polo Team, who will face off on Saturday June 15 at 5pm in the Newport International Polo Series Presented by Turkish Airlines.

The parade of horses and riders will make their way from Newport’s Gateway Center to Bannister’s Wharf, ending at Clarke Cooke House where the teams will Meet & Greet supporters who are warmly invited to welcome the teams with a cocktail reception inside the venerable establishment at its Midway bar from 6:30-8:30pm by RSVP. Capacity limited. Parking can be found at the Sayer’s Wharf Lot; Brick Market Place Lot (off Upper Thames); Williams St. Lot; Mary St. Lot; Newport Visitor Center lot.

Returning to avenge its 2021 defeat, the Dominican Republic team has been a regular participant in the Newport International Polo Series since 2010 with many fans and followers. Read its backstory.

“We are thrilled for the return of our rivals from the DR. They are masterful players with excellent horsemanship and technical skill, so we welcome the challenge that we know they will bring on gameday.  Team USA and all the fans of the Dominican team are really looking forward to their return, and this special itinerary planned for the occasion,” comments Dan Keating, International Polo Series founder and President.

The polo action will begin on Saturday at 5 pm (Gates at 1 pm). Seating is available in advance and Lawn seats and standby options are available at game time at the entry gates. TD Bank cardholders can get 5% off polo admission upon entry.

The match on June 15 will be the 3rd in a series of 18 matches this season. Last week USA narrowly lost in its first international challenge of the year against newcomer Pakistan, christening a new perpetual Cup.

The polo grounds are located minutes from downtown Newport at historic Glen Farm, 250 Linden Lane, Portsmouth RI. Tickets and reservations to the polo match and associated events are available online at www.nptpolo.com. More information about the Newport International Polo Series, the venue, concessions, and amenities, can be found in the About Us section. Keep with the current 2024 team lineup and stats, events, news, and more through our weekly e-magazine (sign-up).    

During the USA vs. Ireland polo match, the Stella Artois Best in Show Contest will award prizes to those whose polo party is decorated in the theme of the day – Green, white, and orange to honor our Celtic friends. The decorative picnic tradition has earned Newport Polo the title of Best Tailgating in New England from Yankee Magazine. A weekly Door Prize Drawing will award a special gift from Veuve Clicquot to a very lucky spectator who will also be entered to win the Turkish Airlines Grand Prize Drawing, which includes 2 round trip business class tickets to anywhere in the world on Turkish Airlines.

Throughout the afternoon, the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Cart will circle the field, bubbling over with a selection of chilled sparkling wines, while the Patio Bar pours cocktails, wine, beer, and more with classics like Stella Artois on tap, and Veuve Clicquot Champagne. Other field-side amenities will include a host of Gourmet Food Trucks featuring options such as, Newport Chowder Co., Wally’s Hot Dog Cart, A Mano Pizza, Chelsea’s Creamery, Hawaiian Jim’s Shave Ice, and Milk Caffe. The ProShop will be abuzz with new team gear and 2023 souvenir merchandise arriving weekly.

The match will conclude with a victory lap around the field in the Newport Polo Fan Salute, a time-honored tradition since 2003, followed by the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Toast and Trophy Presentation of coveted prizes from Providence Diamond. Plan to stay for the Champagne Trophy Presentation and après polo cocktail hour with the teams, field side at the Modern Luxury Lounge & Patio Bar with a complimentary cocktail, courtesy of Gosling and The Cocktail Guru, to regale with the players after their hard-fought match.

Dominican restauranteurs will provide a catered buffet of authentic specialties available by advanced reservation only. RSVP today!

It’s Polo time!

The Polo Series will continue every Saturday through September with the 2024 roster of international challengers, including Pakistan, DR, Ireland, Italy, Argentina, Jamaica, England, and Egypt, as well as US city rivals, Boston, Pittsburgh, Palm Beach, New York, and championship matches of major Northeast tournaments, A1 Roofing Independence Cup, Governor’s Cup, and BMW Newport Pro-Am among the 18 featured matches this season.

The Newport International Polo Series thanks it’s loyal sponsors including Brenton Hotel, BD, TD Bank, Turkish Airlines, Modern Luxury Boston, Herb Chambers Exotics, Vanderbilt International Properties, Hotel Viking, Hammetts Hotel, Newport Harbor Island Resort, Forty 1° North, Newport Life, Veuve Clicquot Champagne, Providence Business News, Clarke Cooke House, BMW of Newport, Atria Senior Living, Tito’s Vodka, US Polo Assn, Stella Artois, British American Business Council New England, The Truth About Horses, A1 Roofing & Construction, Visit Jamaica, Goslings, ROCKSTAR Limo, and Classical 95.9 WCRI.

Promotional partners including Newport Helicopter Tours, The Cocktail Guru, Newport Jaguar Tours, Picnic Charters, Island Adventures, On Watch Sailing, International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport Vineyards, Newport Mansions, Island Surf and Sport, Newport Picnic Co. and Audrain Automobile Museum. 

“Our sponsors have been with us since the beginning. Without their support, the Series would not be as extensive as it is,” explains Dan Keating, Polo Series founder.

About the Newport International Polo Series

Dating back more than 130 years in Newport, the polo matches are one of Newport’s grandest & most popular traditions, a living legacy from the Gilded Age with the founding of America’s First Polo Club in Newport. Open to the public, audiences of several thousand spectators enjoy contests against international teams, as well as teams representing major US cities, playing against the home team every Saturday, June through September at 5PM / 4PM in September. 

Minutes from downtown Newport, the International Polo Grounds are located at historic Glen Farm, 250 Linden Lane (off of Rte 138) in Portsmouth, RI. The bucolic setting is the last 100 acres of what was once a 700-acre manorial farm whose settlement dates back to the 1600s. Its classical stone barns from the Gilded Age and its park-like grounds were rehabilitated by the polo series founder, Dan Keating, and thrive today as an equestrian and community recreational property, and home of the Polo Series. 

Gilded Age Legacy: Polo is, without a doubt, the oldest ball game in the world today. First recorded in the 6th-century B.C. when the Turkomans beat the Persians in the diplomatic tournament, the alluring game caught on with equestrian royalty and calvary, and took off with globalization, withstanding the tests of time. Arriving on Newport’s shores during the Gilded Age, the sport had evolved for nearly 2500 years, steeped in tradition, captivating newcomers like Newport’s summer sporting set who embraced the new pastime, establishing America’s first polo club in 1876. A charter member of the United States Polo Association, the club today is still a trailblazing model polo club, hosting the Newport International Polo Series public exhibition matches, supporting philanthropic causes, organizing tournaments, polo club member services, and polo instruction year-round. Experience the king of games in its American landing at Newport Polo.