Preakness and Polo (and hopefully Pimm's)

So this rain really needs to stop. I've had fun larking about in my Hunter wellies, splashing in puddles with the two minis, and I really will use the smallest cloudburst as an excuse to use my Liberty print umbrella, but this is getting ridiculous. Just two weekends ago there I was, sitting at Siro's in my adorable horse print strapless Lily, freshly purchased at the Pink Paddock, soaking up the sun and Ketel One while changing my Derby pick in my head pretty much non-stop for three hours. I didn't wind up settling on the winner, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was excited about my unofficial start of racing season. That brings me to this upcoming weekend, Saturday brings the Preakness and also the opening barbecue at Surya Polo Club in Greenwhich, both of which I can hardly wait for.

Now, let me tell you something about me. I'm pretty horrible at picking horses. I'm not of the slightly annoying variety who chortles "Oh I just pick based one which name I like the most", said while shrugging the shoulders and twirling a lock of hair around a finger. Not anymore at least. I don't pick based on the color of the jockey's silks, the color of the horse, the number, because I had a dog with a similar name once, the way the planets are aligned that day, or any other seemingly random factors. No, I have actually learned some (very little actually) ways to pick a horse based on real things, aka those little sometimes confusing words printed in the racing program. It used to be a bunch of meaningless numbers and abbreviations to me before I was educated on things like Beyer speed figures and the length of the race and the horses past performances. I did have to draw the line at one point though, I was afraid all of this new knowledge might push something else out of my head and I would forget how to drive or something. So I am trying to operate on a somewhat more educated level this year. However, as I said earlier, I did not wind up picking the winner for the Derby. I did have a dream a few weeks beforehand that Uncle Mo was not going to win in which some of the horses grew plane wings and took off, but that was about it. I'm hoping this weekend though that I can pick the winning horse, and I will share that pick with all of you dear readers so you can be sure to not bet that horse.

The other part of my Saturday will be spent at Surya Polo Club, which is located down a particularly pretty stretch of Route 29. It's a beautiful field, with the original brick farmhouse and barns on one side that were built in 1815. The original English style barn is made of massive hand hewn beams and there are amazing views of both the Adirondack and Green Mountains. On the grounds are two huge eastern white pines that are two hundred and fifty years old. It's one of my favorite places, and pulling up to it for either a polo lesson or to watch a match always fills me with excitement. This is Surya's second year, and it's president and founder, Ketav Shah, is taking a unique approach to polo, one that is gaining more ground in the polo world. Ketav's goal is to help bring "polo to the people". A lot of people think that in order to play polo you need to have a string of ponies and very deep pockets, but Ketav wants to make it a sport that is accessible to anyone. This year the club is welcoming Richard Prather as the Club Manager and Polo School Instructor. Richard came to the sport as part of the "Work to Ride" program that was created in 1994, which provides disadvantaged urban youth from Philadelphia with constructive activities centered around horsemanship and polo.

Surya is also excited to have Kareem Rosser, winner of the 2011 USPA Interscholastic Championship to Surya Polo Club. Kareem (that is him on the left in the picture) is from Philadelphia where he began riding at the age of 9 at Chamoinix Equestrian Center, home of the Work To Ride Program, where he had the opportunity to join the only all African American polo team in the country. Kareem has travelled throughout the U.S and around the world to compete in numerous tournaments, his most recent and notable win being the United States Polo Association National Interscholastic Championship, while also being the first all African American team to win a major USPA title in the history of the US . You can read more about Kareem and the Work to Ride program in Ralph Lauren's online magazine feature here. 

With all of this new stuff going on I know it's going to be an exciting season at Surya, and I really can't wait to meet all of these new polo people as I try to not make a complete fool of myself atop Carpentera. The new season kicks off on June 11th with the Salem cup, with the gates opening at 5 and the match starting at 6. I urge all of you to come check out a match this season, bring a picnic basket and a blanket and take in the scenery and ponies. It is such a relaxed and fun environment for polo at Surya, with Ketav and his wife Laurel being the friendliest of all of the friendly faces you will encounter there. If you make the short trip over there, come by and say hello, and please give me some horse tips for the Saratoga season as well...

That being said dear readers, I suppose this is the time I give you my EXCLUSIVE TITO PICK for the Preakness. Now, we all know the world is going to end just before the horse race, so it is all really just for fun at this point, but I will nevertheless impart my knowledge to you. But really, couldn't the rapture wait until after the horse race? Is that too much to ask? Anyway, my pick is...Mucho Macho Man. I have based this on some serious research readers, none of which I'm going to get into here, but in addition to that I do quite enjoy saying Mucho Macho Man. So maybe I still have some of that annoying, hair twirling, nonsense horse picking personality in me. I'll have to get rid of it entirely this summer...Happy betting readers! Let me know what your picks are in the comments and who knows, I may just change my mind and piggyback on your choice! 

One last little gem I'm going to share is my recipe for Pimm's, a fantastic little drink to have while killing time before the race:

Pimm's Cup

• 4 lemon slices
• 4 apple slices
• 4 orange slices
• 4 cucumber slices
• 3 cups Pimm's No. 1 Cup, available at liquor stores
• 2 cups lemonade soda
• 4 fresh mint sprigs
• Ice cubes

Preparation: 

Fill four 8- to 10-ounce highball glasses* with ice cubes. Divide the fruit slices among the glasses. Pour 1/2 cup of lemonade and 3 tablespoons of Pimm's into each glass. Garnish with the mint and serve. 

 * I like to class it up at home and use Bonne Maman preserves jars, but if you own a set of highball glasses, then aren't you special?!

Update: The polo barbecue is canceled because of the rain, instead of going on a rant about the rain (again) I will just remind you that the season starts June 11th, and I hope to see lots of people there!