Polo America, the oldest marketing firm in the United States that specialize in the sport of polo, is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. The brainchild of Randy Russell, Polo America began in 1989 when Russell turned his new hobby into a business. The bold move wasn’t too surprising, marketing came naturally to Russell whose background included publishing and concert promotions, with shows ranging from Beatlemania to B.B. King and Beach Blanket Babylon.
In 1987, before starting Polo America, Russell played polo as a student at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. That year, he was introduced to professional polo being played in the Equidome at L.A.E.C. 1987 was the heyday of arena pro polo in Burbank, California. Players such as Joe Henderson, Tom Goodspeed and Ronnie Tong were like rock stars, playing for the home team: the L.A. Colts. Huge crowds, many of them celebrities working at nearby studios, cheered for their local team every Saturday night. Years later, Russell never imagined that he would eventually bring back pro polo to L.A. after the Equestrian Center filed bankruptcy, signaling the end of of play for the Colts.
In 1991, Russell contacted several Rodeo Drive merchants who helped him revive professional polo at the Equidome. Over the next six years, polo greats including Joe Henderson, Memo Gracida, and Mike Azzaro treated the crowds to action-packed arena polo.
In 1990, Producer and Director Garry Marshall came to the Equestrian Center to film a movie about a financier and a call girl. One of the scenes featured a polo match. The film was “Pretty Woman”, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. Russell and other LAEC players, including: Vince Azzaro, Kendrick Hughes, Rome Azzaro and Ed Metz, participated in the polo scenes. At the time, no one could have imagined how much “Pretty Woman” would help promote the sport of polo.
In 1993, looking for new ways to call attention to the sport, Russell produced the highest-rated arena polo game in history. He recruited: Joe Henderson (10 goals), Tom Goodspeed (9 goals) and Miguel Torres (9 goals) to play against: Bill Walton (9 goals), F.D. Walton (9 goals) and Dave Offen (9 goals). He called the match “The Legends Cup”. Russell also hired Prime Television to air the match and distribute it nationally. It is believed to have been the first-time arena polo was televised nationally.
At the beginning, after playing his first season of outdoor polo at Eldorado Polo Club, Russell contracted with Alex Jacoy at Eldorado to handle the club’s corporate sales. This union, which lasted from 1989 through 2008, was the start of a great relationship for him with the club and its managers Alex Jacoy and Susan Stovall. In 1992, and 1993, together they produced two U.S. Open Polo Championships and arranged television coverage for both.
Russell also helped fund major improvement projects for the club. In 1991, he secured sponsors to purchase thousands of feet of white fencing. In 1999, to upgrade the stabling facilities, he purchased five acres across from the club to build three mini ranchettes. Each had a red tile roof, slump stone barns, hay pads, turnouts for 20 horses and much more. In 2007, Polo America also built three FCP Barns ranging from 6 to 20 stalls along the polo office road.
Polo charity events are a major part of Polo America. Over the last 35 years, the firm has raised over a million dollars for charities, including: Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, Boys and Girls Club, Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, Wounded Warrior Project, Make A Wish, American Cancer Society, and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.
When it comes to satisfying his many important clients, Russell thinks outside the box. In 2002, the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center asked about an annual polo event to raise money for the Children’s Center. Russell brainstormed a new concept for polo, one that had worked well for golf — a Skins Polo Game. In the tournament, six to eight high-goal teams competed during three weeks for a chance to play in the Barbara Sinatra Skins Polo Game. During the finals, the two teams with the best win-loss record would compete for $24,000 in prize money. Each of the chukkers were worth $4,000. Winners of each chukker would receive $4.000. In case of a tie, the money would roll over into the next chukker. It was a huge success, The Skins Polo Game has continued as an annual event at the Eldorado Polo Club, now in its 24th year.
For Russell, marketing the sport of polo from new and different perspectives is a labor of love. To publicize the Susan G. Komen polo event in Dallas, Russell arranged for the ice-skating rink in the Dallas Galleria to have two 30’ polo players painted into the ice for 30 days.
In 2001, Russell was traveling through Arizona and New Mexico when he saw the Trail of the Painted Pony. It was a unique art exhibition of life-size fiberglass horses painted in whimsical themes. He immediately thought the idea was a wonderful way to promote polo and commissioned an L.A. sculptor to create a mold of a standing polo player. From there, he secured sponsors and 25 statues were each painted differently by various talented artists. Through his friendship with polo player, Phil Karber, Russell arranged to display the statues at J.F.K. Airport in the International Terminal. In two months, more than 1 million people viewed the statues. Later, they were shipped to Las Vegas, where they were displayed at the Polo America Expo and sold for charity.
To celebrate Polo America’s 25th anniversary, Russell once again commissioned fiberglass polo statues, only this time they were players on horseback, each standing 5’ 6”. Numerous polo players have purchased statues depicting their polo team colors and logos. Additionally, a few whimsical themes have been created. As before, the statues were sold to benefit charities such as the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.
Another significant concept, an idea to hold a Polo America Expo, came when Russell realized that the oldest team sport in the world had never hosted a convention. He envisioned, and then produced, a two-day event where players throughout the country would gather to improve their skills, attend seminars and have fun- all in one place. The vendor village brought together, under one roof, everything imaginable for the sport of polo. Russell even arranged Polo Pony auctions at the last two conventions. Las Vegas was chosen for the original site in 2000 and has held five Polo America Expos in the last 24 years: two have been held at The Aladdin, one at The Rio and two at South Point Casino.. As part of each convention, Polo America recognizes individuals who have helped advance the sport by awarding “Polo Angel” and “Polo America Lifetime Achievement” awards. Polo America Lifetime Achievement recipients have included: Ambassador Glen Holden, Henry Trione, Tony Coppola, Rege Ludwig, Patrick Guerrand Hermes, George Haas, Rodney Fragodt, Susan Stovall, Alex Jacoy, Paul Von Gontard and Fred Mannix among others.
Russell loves executing ideas that have never been used in polo. As a past marathon runner, the idea of a marathon polo game intrigued him. In 2010, Polo America produced the longest outdoor polo game in history, the “Dawn to Dusk Chukker Challenge”. The 32-chukker polo game started at 8 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m. Quite an undertaking, it required 60 polo players, 240 horses and untold hours of organization. The event took place at Stormbranch Polo Club in Aiken, S.C., where Melissa Ganzi and Luis Escobar were stars. Each played 30 straight chukkers. With an outdoor record set, it was only natural to set an arena record for longest arena polo game. In 2012, Polo America pulled together a similar marathon polo match at South Point Casino and Equestrian Center arena during Polo America Expo. It was a monumental task for Polo America to create a world record for longest arena polo game in a city that did not have a single polo club -or polo pony. Players from: California, Arizona, Washington, Colorado and Texas brought in horses for the match. When all was said and done, 37 players played 26 chukkers in eight hours and ten minutes. One point separated the final score, lifting the Trione Vineyards and Winery team to victory against Noh Foods of Hawaii, 75 to 74.
In 2005, Russell created the “Ford Trucks FIP Global Cup”. Two, 40-goal, teams competed for $360,000 in cash and prizes. At the time, it was the richest purse in polo. Players, Eduardo Heguy, Pepe Heguy, Nachi Heguy, Adam Snow, Memo Gracida, Carlos Gracida, Mike Azarro and Mariano Aguerre faced off in two matches. The first was a $100,000 Skins Polo Game. The second was the Ford Trucks FIP Global Cup. First-place winners received new Ford F-350 Super Duty trucks; second-place players received Jaguar and Land Rover leases. Both matches were incredible, but the trophy presentation was what changed the course of Polo America events over the next nine years. Russell wanted something spectacular as the backdrop to the trophy presentation, so he hired hot air balloons to inflate on the field. The attendees stayed for the trophy presentation and long after which is not usual at a polo game. The hot air balloons were magical!
Polo America then contracted Ford Trucks to create a polo themed hot air balloon. The balloon featured two 40’ tall polo players. From 2006 to 2013, Russell, who by now had obtained his balloon pilots license, flew the balloon at venues around the country including various polo and balloon events, including the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M., where 750,000 people attend every year. Russell then decided to try a Polo and Balloon Festival at California’s Eldorado Polo Club and people loved it. Tens of thousands turned out for the event and traffic control was needed in Indio, where the event took place. Since then, Polo America has coordinated more than fifteen “Built Ford Tough Polo and Balloon Festivals” benefiting soldiers and their families. Polo and Balloon Festival recipients are: Twenty-Nine Palms Marine Corp Base, Nellis Air Force Base, Luke Air Force Base, Fort Gordon, Wounded Warrior Project and Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.
In 2013, Polo America was contacted by the City of Coronado to pick up the pieces from a failed attempt to bring Beach Polo back to the Hotel del Coronado for their 125th Anniversary. Unfortunately, it was too late to do anything for 125th Anniversary. A few years later, Polo America had an opening in their event schedule and Randy took a second look at Beach Polo. He contacted Hotel del Coronado and secured sponsors for the return of Beach Polo at Hotel Del in 2017. A tent the size of a football field was constructed on the beach for VIP seating, the sand was groomed, and four 16 goal polo teams played the first beach polo game in Coronado in over 75 years. Marc and Melissa Ganzi loved the idea of Beach Polo so much they fielded all four teams. Beach Polo at Hotel Del continued for three years until the costs became too prohibitive with the new ownership of Hilton.
In 2017, the America’s Fund / Semper Fi Fund asked Polo America if they had any upcoming events that could be used to raise money for the Fund. Polo America created the Wellington Barn Tours. The first year, six polo barns graciously opened their barns to several hundred people. Large 55 passenger busses were hired to transport the attendees. The polo barns toured that year were: Valiente Polo, Santa Clara, Pony Express, Tonkawa, Blackwatch Polo. It was an instant hit. Over the next five years, Show Barns and Dressage Barns were added to the tour.
In 2018, Randy retired from playing polo after 30 years, and started started racing cars for fun.
For 35 years, luxury super cars have been synonymous with Polo America events. Almost every major luxury brand of automobile has partnered with Polo America at one time or another and been featured at various polo events across the country. Our client list includes: Lamborghini, BMW, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Porsche and many more. Adding auto racing to Polo America’s portfolio is a natural. Polo players love luxury, speed and excitement. Most polo players love their cars as much as they do their horses. To make the crossover, Polo America made changes to the magazine that we have been publishing for 35 years and utilized a new Jack and Jill format.
Half of the magazine features polo and the other half features racing. The interest was immediate! Advertisers and sponsors signed on to reach our expanded market. Polo has always guaranteed a high-end demographic. With racing and car enthusiasts, who have the same large amount of disposable income as polo players, the change drastically increased our high-net-worth readership.
For Randy, this is like placing a kid in a candy shop. Each issue he has the opportunity to drive a different race car and hone his skill while writing about it for the magazine. In the last six years, he has driven numerous race cars from Lamborghini, Ferraris, Formula 4, Audi R8, Formula 2000, Radicals, C8 Corvettes, BMW M4 GT4 and Ginetta to name a few.
In 2020, long time sponsor, Lamborghini Las Vegas signed on to do the annual Las Vegas Polo Classic. What first started in the football practice field at Sam Boyd Stadium, has now moved to South Point Casino. Each year, two 12 goal arena teams compete in their indoor Priefert Pavilion. To allow guests a chance to meet the players before the game, an over-the-top cocktail party has been held the night before at an eight-million-dollar home in MacDonald Highlands. This two-day event has become the social event of Las Vegas.
Recently, to expand on the Polo America Racing side, Formula One Watch Parties were created by Russell. Thirty thousand square foot private jet hangars were transformed into Candy Stores for Billionaires. Guests were treated to Martini Bars, Tequila Bars and gourmet food as they watched the race on a compilation of large screen tv’s. They could purchase items including: private jets, million-dollar watches, exotic cars, jewelry, fashion, homes from a wide range of non-competing luxury sponsors. The highlight of each Watch Party is the fashion show; instead of models walking the catwalk, a 300’ runway is created for an automobile runway show with exotic cars such as: Bugatti, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and McLaren .
One of the accomplishments Russell is most proud of is Polo America magazine. More than 100 editions have been published in 35 years. The magazine is now published twice a year. Every few years, the winter issue features The Polo Players Yearbook, which has grown from 75 polo player headshots to over 1500 headshots in this issue. The summer issue features Polo America’s Best of the Best. This section showcases everything polo related, including: tack shops, polo clubs, trailers, boots and more.
In his early days of publishing, Russell learned that a person is only as good as the team that surrounds him. In the last 35 years, he has amassed a group of talented and dedicated people who will do anything and everything to make Polo America and its events nothing short of the best they can be.
Russell says the best thing to come out of polo is his wife, Annie. When they met, she was the attractive young woman in the polo office who sold him polo lessons. She took all his money and his whole heart, and they have been married for 34 years. Annie has traveled as many miles as her husband and worked by his side at countless events — one of the many reasons she uses this favorite expression to summarize their life together: “Barnum, Bailey and Russell”.