The 2nd annual America’s Polo Cup held at Morven Park and benefiting Journey for the Cure opened up yesterday a little, well, soggy.

Tareq Salahi, organizer of the event and one of the polo players said, “There’s no question that the rain had us worried. We’ll play slow -- not a full gallop.”

Tareq Salahi, Alyse Muldoon, Michaele Salahi (Photos by Erica Garman)

And then, as if the polo gods had been summoned, the sun came out and it turned into a rather pleasant afternoon.

The mud, however, did not go away. It was everywhere, except in the elegant Cartier tent. Wood chips and saw dust were thrown down there to soak up the glop that the rest of us, excuse the pun, had to muddle through. It’s amazing what perks the rich and well-to-do get, huh? Other corporate tent sponsors with invitation-only-access included SunTrust, Land Rover, and PNC.

The polo event drew folks from all over the D.C. region, but I did run into a few Loudoun notables.

I almost didn’t recognize Sheriff Steve O. Simpson out of uniform. He was wearing proper polo-watching-attire (nice hat!) and was enjoying the day with his family.

Steve Simpson, wife Glenda, daughters Elyssa and Emily, and family friend Reese Gelinas.

Also at the event with friends and family were Supervisor Supervisor Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg), former Supervisor Bruce Tulloch (they weren’t there together mind you.), and Cheryl Kilday, president of the Loudoun Convention & Visitors Association.

Andrew Wright of Leesburg was with his friend, Barbara Safian of Wilmington, Delaware. Wright raises buffalo on his farm here in Loudoun and is in the process of building a polo field there. “I’ve been playing [polo] for 3 years now and love it,” he said. “The sport brings people together and it makes for great charitable equestrian events—raising money for worthy causes.” Wright’s polo field will be ready this fall, he said.

And oh yes, the food…

Was the catering situation remedied this year? You may remember last year’s complaints of food shortages, and in response, organizers hired new caterers. The event’s web site even makes a promise of “greatly enhanced catering” and “no wait time in line” for a drink if you purchased the Celebration Italy VIP Tent ticket.

Muddy conditions at America’s Polo Cup

Oops.

In the Celebration Italy tent, where the $150 ticket included food and drink, the buffet, by late afternoon was depleted (except for salad). Folks arriving late were disappointed that food (except for salad) was not immediately available. When the buffet was finally replenished, no forks were available. One woman told me she was so hungry, she ate with her fingers.

White wine was also scarce in this tent by 4:30 p.m. I hear organizers asked wine vendors at independent booths for extra cases to get them through the day.

And if you didn’t purchase an all-inclusive VIP ticket, food was a bit pricey.

Hungry? How ‘bout a nine dollar hotdog? Or, a seven buck scoop of ice cream? Perhaps since this was billed as an international event, vendors thought we’d be paying in Euros.

Speaking of Euros, I must say that the Brits, Debbie Nash and Pam Brennan, won my award for most-spirited rail party. These ladies and several of their guests donned togas and decorated their hair with laurel leaves. Even their buffet had a Roman theme—in honor of the Italians, no doubt. Nash, who lives in Warrenton and is originally from Great Britain, played for the Brits in the America’s Cup inaugural match last year. They beat the U.S. last year, by the way.

Huey Lewis with me!

Some other cool stuff:

-Exposition by BlackWater USA Parachute Jumpers

-TV crew from the CW taping “Where the Elite Meet”

-US Marine Corp Silent Drill Platoon

-The Divot Stomp

-Huey Lewis and the News

And, oh yeah, polo was in the mix somewhere, too. With all this people-watching I personally found it to be a secondary feature.

Andrew Wright of Leesburg and Barbara Safian of Wilmington DE.

The official polo match was canceled due to the messy field conditions, but an exposition match was played—four chukkas (periods), instead of the regular six—and the action was played slower to protect the ponies and players. The U.S. won 6-2, I think. (Again, I was too busy people-watching).

Next year’s America’s Polo’s Cup will be held at the Potomac Polo Club in Poolesville, Maryland said Salahi, and the new event chairman will be Fernando Murias, who is the managing partner of the greater Washington area’s PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The event will be moving due to scheduled renovations at Morven Park, but organizers hope to bring the match back to Loudoun in the future.