Saratoga Polo closed for 2020
GREENFIELD CENTER, N.Y. » Saratoga Polo Association announced on Thursday that it will not open for its 2020 season.
“It has been our privilege to host and present Saratoga Polo for the past 15 years and 16 seasons,” the association’s chairman Michael Bucci and managing partner Jim Rossi stated in a message to friends of Saratoga Polo, which was posted on Facebook Thursday afternoon.
“Throughout this time, we have enjoyed great support from our community – from our national, regional and local sponsors, our audience and fans, the leadership of the Town of Greenfield and City of Saratoga Springs and the many players and participants in the sport of polo who contributed to maintaining the tradition of Saratoga Polo at Whitney Field. You all helped to keep the legend of Saratoga Polo alive,” the letter continued.
The association leaders said it is with great sadness that they have to confront the fact that Saratoga Polo’s future is uncertain, and they are not in a position to present the 2020 Polo season.
“We are truly humbled and grateful to all who have shared
this journey with us and want to express our deepest appreciation to all who have shown us great kindness and generosity,” Bucci and Rossi said, noting that they are reviewing options and will communicate more with fans should the situation change.
Saratoga Polo Association’s 42-acre property, located at 2 Bloomfield Rd. in Greenfield Center, was recently for sale in an online auction at RealEstateAuction.com, with a starting bid set at $4.3 million. The auction’s bidding period, according to the website, was from March 2 to 10, during a time when U.S. stocks are being greatly affected by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
“We had this auction going on for the sale of the property, which coincided directly with all of these live events being canceled,” Rossi said in an interview on Thursday. “We had some interest, but then we extended the auction for a week and then Monday of this week the market took a dive.”
He continued, “Larger issues were at play.”
Though the decision to cancel the season was not solely based on the coronavirus pandemic,
“It is somewhat related because I think a lot of people are reassessing a lot of things right now,” Rossi said.
“Everyone in the live event business is assessing what they’re doing,” he added, noting that polo is an international sport.
Furthermore, “Even though our events are in July and August, it’s hard to get people to commit to season tickets and sponsorships and all that stuff at this point in time,” Rossi said.
Before this decision to cancel the 2020 season was made, “We were diligently trying to find a way for us to move forward,” Rossi said. “We were optimistic that we’d be able to make an arrangement to put this season on, but there’s just really too much working against us right now.”
Regarding the real estate situation, “A lot of our options have been exhausted, so we may need to turn the property over,” Rossi said.
Despite this possibility, Rossi remains hopeful that there could be a future at Saratoga Polo Association. “There is a lot of goodwill in the community, both in the polo community and the local community, and we’re still trying to work our way through this,” he said. “Many people have stepped forward and offered to help. I’m not sure what can be done, but we just really felt like it was important to let people know that we’re not going to be able to have a season.”
On the possibility of Saratoga Polo returning for a 2021 season, “It really depends on a lot of factors that aren’t in my control right now,” Rossi said.
No matter what happens, “It really just has been a privilege to be part of this community and to put those 16 seasons on, and we’ve just enjoyed so much goodwill and we’re so appreciative of that. I take that very humbly,” Rossi said. “We’ve had so many supporters over the years, and we’ve also had some magical nights there, and we’re going to miss them if we’re not able to move forward, but we’re very thankful for the time we’ve had.”
Many polo fans were sad to learn of the season cancelation on Thursday.
“That’s very disappoint[ing] news. I am so sorry to hear this,” said patron Ayumi Kasai, who has been attending matches at Saratoga Polo since about 2010. Kasai says she will miss the beautiful venue and people, great service, great food and ambiance and the polo game itself. As a local resident, Kasai said, “We will help whatever it takes to bring back polo in 2021.”
“I have such fond memories of going to the polo matches that summer at Saratoga won’t be the same,” said Deb LynchPinkowski, who was also disappointed with the announcement. “I’ll even miss seeing the signs downtown reminding everyone there would be Polo that evening.”
Lynch-Pinkowski and her husband, who live in Kentucky, have been visiting Saratoga Polo for about 20 years. “In the beginning, we would pick up crab ravioli takeout from Sabina’s Restaurant when it was open and tailgate, then we moved over to the clubhouse,” she shared.
Saratoga Polo’s season is typically held from July through early September, with matches held on Fridays and Sundays at the historic Whitney Field.
“We’ve been going and supporting since the 70s. Fridays were a great way to decompress and see friends after a week of work. Sundays were a way to put things in perspective before a new one. Mike and Jim picked up the reins - the mallet - and gave it everything they had. Not everyone gets a trophy but they were in the game and they tried,” Bob Giordano said.
Polo, a unique team sport played on horseback, has long been part of the local history in the Saratoga Springs region. In 2018, Saratoga Polo Association celebrated its 120th anniversary.
Saratoga Polo Association, established in 1898, is one of the oldest polo clubs in the United States. In the early years, prominent area families like the Whitneys, particularly William Collins Whitney and Harry Payne Whitney and Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, played a major role at the Saratoga Polo Association, resulting in the field taking on their name.
Saratoga Polo Association has been communicating with those who had reserved private events at the club about making alternate plans, though many of those events are being canceled by organizers anyway.
Information about the online auction of Saratoga Polo Association’s property is available online at realestateauction.lpages.co/saratoga-polo-auction. Though the bidding period has ended, the auctions status is listed as active and information can be requested through the website.