DAN CARTER ON THE POLO FIELD?
He had a golden boot on the rugby field, but does former All Black Dan Carter have the Midas touch on the polo field? As a shareholder of Urban Events Limited, which presents the annual Lexus Urban Polo, Carter has his fingers crossed for a move down in alert levels, as does Simon Wilson, the event’s founder and managing director.
“I am delighted to throw my support behind Lexus Urban Polo,” Carter, who announced his retirement from rugby two weeks ago, told Spy.
“The events are fantastic and offer something unique to the people who attend and the cities that host them. I am looking forward to attending the Auckland, March event.”
Spy understands Carter has taken to the sport like a duck to water and is well on his way to graduating from the beginner’s stakes.
The Urban Polo was the final event of Summer 2020 before Auckland and the rest of the country were plunged into level 4 lockdowns. And now, circumstances willing, it is back on March 21 — after the fourth lockdown.
“It takes nerves of steel to push on with events in the current Covid climate,” Wilson said. “We acknowledge that we were lucky to get Auckland’s event last year and we have our fingers crossed we are out of lockdown in time for this one.” A Christchurch Urban Polo went ahead last month, but the NZ Polo Open at Cleveland had to be scrapped as Auckland was at level 2. Wilson has prepared for all circumstances and has a reserve date set aside on March 27 if lockdowns are still fluctuating. “Sometimes it would be easier to pack it all in, but I truly believe events like ours are good for communities, and good for the economy, and I am determined to keep fighting to get them off the ground,” said Wilson. Prior to the latest lockdown, ticket sales were on track for record sales and Wilson said the biggest area of growth was the VIP private marquees where people could rub shoulders with “property developers, All Blacks and media personalities”.
Lexus ambassadors Colin Mathura-Jeffree, designer Karen Walker and celebrity chef Ben Bayly will all be there, as will former All Black Israel Dagg, also a shareholder in Urban Events, and wife Daisy. They were at the event at Hagley Park last month, where they handed out the prize for best dressed.
“The events are fantastic and offer something unique to the people who attend and the cities that host them.”