PRESS RELEASES
USA Cartier Team wins the Americas Polo World Cup 2008
AMERICAS CUP AWARDS MARYLAND & PREVIEW ON DC MALL
AMERICAS CUP ANNOUNCES AMERICAN IDOL SUPERSTAR TO PERFORM
Americas Polo Cup Kick Off on DC National Mall
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEADDITIONAL PHOTOS & B-ROLL FILM AVAILABLE UPON REQUESTMedia Contacts:Sky MeltonPress Secretary to the America’s Polo Cup703-209-7371LAND ROVER AMERICA’S POLO CUP 2009 TO FEATURE USA VS. AUSTRALIACartier USA Polo Team bring home the America’s Cup – Final Score 6-2 - USALEESBURG, VA ( MAY 13, 2008)- The Land Rover America’s Polo Cup hosted the US and Italian teams May 9th and 10th in a fun-filled weekend of International competitions. Amidst the challenges in food, wine, fashion, and polo, president and founder Tareq Salahi announced that Australia would be the challenging country in the 2009 Cup, taking place at its new venue of Capitol Polo Club in Potomac, Maryland.“Rockin’ the Runway,” hosted on Friday night at Morven Park, featured approximately 2,000 guests sporting high fashion and accessories despite the inclement weather. The prestigious culinary competition featured Americans Master Chef Alain Borel of L’Auberge Provencale, Chef James McCullough of Bleu Rock Vineyards, Executive Chef Jim Butchart of The Greenbrier Sporting Club, and Chef Aaron McCloud of Vintage 50 competing against Italians Chef Fortunato Nicotra of Felidia, Chef Roberto Grazioli, Personal Executive Chef to The Ambassador of Italy and Mrs. Castellaneta, Chef Romina Lugaresi of Famoso Restaurante, Chef Luigi Diotiaiuti of Al Tiramisu, Chef Enzo Febbraro of D'Acqua, Chef Roberto Donna of Bebo Trattoria, Chef Enzo Fargione of Teatro Goldoni, Chef Cesare Lanfranconi of Spezie, and Chef Paolo Buffa of Bice Ristorante. After Celebrity Chef judges Patrick O’Connell of the famous Inn at Little Washington and Lidia Bastianich sampled all of the chef’s prepared dishes, they declared the competition a tie!Following the culinary announcement the CBS / CW Network national televised fashion show continued with a decadent event featuring spring fashions from Italys most celebrated fashion designer, Renato Balestra and included USAs fashionable summer clothing lines from Saks Fifth Avenue. Balestra’s daughter attended the show along with His Excellency, Italian Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta and wife Lily, both seen enjoying the diverse samples from each country’s collection. The Gipsy Kings Family closed out the evening with a 45 minute performance of popular hits from their family on stage.Saturday began with several demonstrations on the polo field, including hunt & hounds, an American Legion military parade, United States Park Police Mounted Unit show, a BlackWater USA parachute jump and fly overs by various military branches including a stunning fly over by a C-130 by the US Coast Guard and USCS J-Hawk Search & Rescue Helicopter. The Half Time featured remarks by Brigader General Mark Kimmit, with a shock and awe performance by the United States Marine Corps National Silent Drill Team. After performances of both the United States and Italian National Anthems, Mr. Salahi awarded Australia the opportunity to challenge the United States for the prestigious America’s Polo Cup. The Embassy of Australia accepted this honor on stage during the ceremony in front of approximately 10,000 spectators.The main International America’s Polo Cup was played between USA Cartier Polo Team vs. ITALY Eli Lilly Polo Team. The United States did conquer the Italians 6-2 in the game, prompting the Italians to call for a rematch to take place in Rome in September 2008.After the match, the polo field became open lawn seating for attendees to enjoy the musical performances by Italian Super Star Sensation Vittorio Grigolo, the Gipsy Kings Family, and Americas Legendary Rock Band, Huey Lewis and the News. All three performances excited the crowds, with Huey Lewis and the News triggering attendees to start dancing. The evening concluded with an outstanding display of fireworks rivaling those on the DC Mall at the 4th of July.“All in all, it was an amazing day. We are so glad that attendees could experience this polo weekend, celebrating charity, freedom and democracy, many of them experiencing polo for the first day. This is a new chapter for the sport of polo, making the sport more accessible to a wider audience. Each year we plan to add more to the America’s Polo Cup experience, and we hope that everyone will join us for the 2009 event versus Australia to see what’s in store!” commented Tareq Salahi.Select photos from Friday and Saturday night can be seen on the following web pages. High resolution versions of these photos, as well as additional images of all events, are available upon request. Photos should be attributed to Visual Initiatives.About the Land Rover America’s Polo Cup –The Land Rover America’s Polo Cup, is the world’s largest International invitational televised polo sporting event, provided a unique experience for both loyal fans of polo and those discovering the majestic sport for the first time. On May 9th & 10th , 2008, the America’s Polo Cup returned to Historic Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia to challenge Italy in a weekend filled with polo, fashion, wine, music, and family fun. Friday night’s fashion and culinary challenge featured a full runway show and each country’s best chefs sampling their famous dishes. Saturday’s festivities were accented by military demonstrations and unique performances of both the Italian and American anthems, followed by a competitive polo match featuring Italy challenging the United States for the America’s Polo Cup. A spectacular fireworks display, live performances by Huey Lewis & the News, Gipsy Kings family and Italian sensation Vittorio Grigolo drew the event to a close. Proceeds from the Land Rover America’s Polo Cup benefited the Journey for the Cure Foundation, a not for profit public charity foundation. For more information on this year’s event, please visit www.americaspolocup.com.###