Houston Polo Club hosts 12th Annual Ladies Tournament and
ZSweet Texas Tailgate and Wine Festival.

There is a saying that everything is bigger in Texas, and women’s polo is no exception. With 47 women players competing, some of them among the world’s best, the 12th Annual Houston Polo Club Ladies Tournament demonstrated that the Lone Star State boasts one of the nation’s top women’s polo events.

The winning goal made by Kristy Outhier sealed the deal in the Finals for LA Waters Quarter Horses’ 6-5 defeat over Pegasus in overtime. The exciting OT finish wrapped up a terrific week of fast polo and top-shelf parties, in true Texas style. This year marks Houston’s second year as a WCT [Women’s Championship Tournament] Qualifier Event, with six WCT teams entered at the 2-4 goal level. The addition of four teams competing in the 0-goal Invitational bracket and 2 more in an exhibition league created one of the largest women’s polo tournaments at this level in the United States, rivaling Aiken and other well-know women’s polo venues in both number and quality of players.

“It’s great to have a well-supported Qualifier event like Houston in the WCT Series,” says Sunny Hale. “The idea behind the WCT Series is not just to give women the chance to play in the Florida finals, but also to improve the quality of women’s polo at local clubs across the country. After two years as a Qualifier, I can see the concept working here at the Houston Polo Club. There are some very talented players here and we hope to see some of them at the WCT Finals in Wellington again this spring.”

Since the Houston Polo Club hosted its first women’s tournament over a twelve year’s ago, the affair has grown from one to two days of polo with a few teams of amateurs to a major competition that attracts pros from around the nation, and a few from around the globe. Some of the players returning to Houston to compete in this annual season finale included Sunny Hale, Caroline Anier, Kristy Waters, Lesley Ann Masterton Fong Yee, Leigh Anne Hall, Kristine Hardwick, and Theresa King, as well as new faces like Sherri-Lyn Hensman of Zimbabwe, Dayelle Fargey of Indio, Alina Carta of Palm Beach, and Tiffany Busch of Aiken.

It’s not just the ladies that get into this event. The entire club turns out to support the tournament, not only with their attendance but with donated fields, leased or loaned horses for out-of-town players, and some hands-on help as well. At the matches, there were plenty of 2, 3, 4 or even 5 goal players working side by side with the grooms - wrapping legs, warming up horses, and, of course, providing their own “suggestions” about the game.

Better horses and better fields are a key factor in creating the fast, flowing games that, based on most player’s reactions, didn’t look like what most think of as “Ladies Polo”. Many of the horses that played in the WCT league are from excellent strings who compete in 8-goal, 12-goal or even 16-20 goal polo. Add an experienced 2-goal or better pro on every team who can control and move the ball, and the result is more competitive polo that’s beginning to change some opinions in Houston about women’s abilities in the sport.

The week kicked off on Wednesday with a polo clinic hosted by Sunny Hale and Sherri-Lyn Hensman. Women players of all levels were invited to improve their swing and get strategy and teamwork tips from Hale, one of the world’s most celebrated women players. That night, designers and divas ruled as the Calcutta Kickoff Party at Tootsies brought more than $14,000 in bids for the WCT teams. Proceeds from the evening benefited The Children’s Assessment Center of Houston.

The Qualifier League eliminations began on Thursday at ERG. Pegasus battled Sirius Solutions and took the win in overtime in the first match. The Lockton team came out strong and defeated Western Airways in the second match to earn an advance to Friday’s elimination round. LA Waters Quarter Horses and ZSweet drew a bye for Thursday’s matches.

Friday’s WCT elimination rounds were fast and furious on an outstanding field at Pecan Acres. Pegasus remained undefeated after a hard-fought match against Dayelle Fargey’s Zsweet team in the first game. The second match earned LA Waters Quarter Horses a slot in the Finals as they defeated the Lockton team by one goal.

On Saturday, the Invitational League began their elimination matches as Isla Carrol with a one-goal win over Catena USA by the Tootsies team. During the second match, Leyendecker’s Sherry Sheldon battled fellow Californian Jessica Bailey for the win in the second match. Leyendecker defeated Events of Houston and earned a trip to the Sunday finals.

Sunday was a full day of polo that began with Alina Carta taking the lead for Catena to defeat Events of Houston in the Invitational consolation match. In the first consolation match of the WCT league, Sherri-Lyn Hensman and the Western Airways ladies had a sweeter day than the ZSweet team with a 6-5 victory. In the second round, Sunny Hale made the winning goal for Sirius Solutions to defeat the Lockton team for the third place trophy.

The Invitational League finals was a fast running game on the Sunday field that ended with Tootsies defeating Leyendecker 5-3 for the Roenisch bronzes. APHA Best Playing Pony Acapulco, owned by Wesley Sinor, was ridden by Jenny Vargas. Vargas also received the coveted Catena watch as MVP.

Tailgaters and polo fans turned out for the polo finals and an afternoon at the ZSweet Texas Tailgate and Wine Festival. ZSweet, the title sponsor of the festival, is a new sweetener that provides a healthier alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. Zsweet is all natural, has zero calories, and tastes, looks, and measures like sugar without any unpleasant aftertaste. It’s the taste you'd expect from sugar without the sugar worries. In addition to desserts provided by Zsweet, guests enjoyed award winning wines from Texas vintners including Becker Vineyards, Brennan Vineyards, Driftwood Vineyards, Fall Creek Vineyards, Flat Creek Estate, Grape Creek Vineyards, Haak Vineyards, Kiepersol Vineyards, Lightcatcher Winery, Llano Estacado Winery, Peregrine Hill, Pheasant Ridge Winery, Pleasant Hill, Pillar Bluff Vineyards, Pleasant Hill Winery, San Martino Winery, Texas Hills Vineyard And Zin Valle Vineyards.

The WCT Qualifier League finals was a clash of some of the world’s best as LA Waters Quarter Horses’ powerful duo of Caroline Anier of France and native Texan Kristy Waters Outhier faced down Lesley Ann Master Fong-Yee of Jamaica and the Pegasus team. Playing for Pegasus with Fong-Yee were Anne Andras, Shelia Lequerica, and Canada’s Kristine Hardwick. Sarah Prinsloo and Cristi Payan Tabanou completed the LA Waters team. Scoring was tight through the third chukker, where the 5-5 score survived the 4th and took the game into overtime. Outhier’s goal in overtime took the LA Waters team to the podium, while the APHA BPP award went to Lola, ridden by Caroline Anier and owned by Sarah Prinsloo. The MVP award, a Catena USA watch, went to Lesley Masterton Fong-Yee of Pegasus, who proved almost unstoppable on horses provided by David and Anne Andras in all three of her games during the tournament.

“As a professional player, I have the chance to travel to a lot of different clubs to experience women’s polo, and I feel that our Houston tournament has reached a whole new level in the past few years,” says Kristy Waters Outhier, a two goal long-time player who has competed at various levels, including the US Open and world-class women’s events abroad in Great Britain and Singapore. “The players are serious about playing quality polo, and the level of the horses and fields are excellent. The sportsmanship is better here than at any other women’s event that I’ve competed in. The camaraderie is really amazing and it makes playing here a pleasure for the pros, which is why they are excited to travel in after year for this event.”

All women who competed in the WCT Qualifier league are now eligible to play in the WCT Finals, a national event held at Outback Polo Club in Wellington, Florida. The WCT Finals is held in April at the height of the high goal season and showcases some of the best women’s polo in the world.

Two of the key supporters of the Houston event, La Martina and Catena USA, will also return as sponsors for the 2007 Florida Finals. Houston’s winning team of Outhier and Tabanou have announced plans to enter their team in the WCT Finals for the second year in a row, in hopes of bringing the WCT Finals trophy back to Texas for 2007.

Official sponsors of the 12th Annual Ladies Polo Tournament included ZSweet, Catena USA and La Martina. Team sponsors included L.A. Waters Quarter Horses, Sirius Solutions, Lockton, Pegasus Polo, Tootsies, Western Airways, Leyendecker & Associates and Events of Houston.

(Action Photos by LJ Lipke / Daxiom Photography)

WCT Qualifier Teams: La Waters Quarter Horses Cristi Payan Tabanou (-1) Sarah Aguilar (0) Kristy Outhier (2) Caroline Anier (2) Pegasus Anne Andras (-1) Sheila Lequerica (0) Kristine Hardwick (1) Lesley Masterson Fong Yee (2) Sirius Solutions Abi Abel (1) Carol Hunton (0) Sunny Hale (3) Rebecca Killough (-1) Lockton Cathy Edmundson (0) Tiffany Busch (0) Theresa King (1) Sarah Van Wyck (2) Western Airways Jenny Sharrock (-1) Leigh Anne Hall (1) Sherri-Lyn Hensman (2) Kate Weber (1) ZSweet Mary Moody / Liz Lary (0 / -1) Barlee Flanders (0) Carolyn Stimmel (1) Dayelle Fargey (2)

Invitational Bracket Teams: Leyendecker Sherry Sheldon (0) Christine Moldvaer (0) Carin Dilley (-1) Colleen Marks (-1) Tootsies Allee Messina (0) Crystal Cassidy (-1) Brooks Diesel (0) Jenny Vargas (0) Catena USA Paige Flanders/Karen Beste (-1) Colleen Williams (-1) Alina Carta (1) Candace Smith (0) Events Of Houston Danya Bogart (-1) Jessica Bailey (1) Sabrina King (-1) Michelle Dumas (0)