Polo Players

Top Polo Players

	Alejandro “Negro” Astrada (7)
	The youngest of Argentina’s talented Novillo Astrada brothers, 29-year-old Alejandro Novillo Astrada has played in high-goal tournaments around the world. Relegated to the sidelines as his brothers took to the field at Palermo in 2003 on their way to the Argentine Open Championship, Negro continued to work his way up the ladder competing in Argentina, England and the United States. A staple with his brother Miguel on the Bendabout team in high-goal competition in the United States, Negro has racked up wins in two British Opens while making it to the finals in the USPA Gold Cup and the Queens Cup. His aggressive style of play is tempered by the patented Astrada defense and synchronized team play that seems to put another player on the field. A consummate horseman, Negro can be counted on to get the most out of his horses while making individual sacrifices for the good of his team.
	Jack Baillieu (7)
	A native of Dorrinallum, a small rural village in Victoria’s Western District, Australia’s highest rated player, Jack “Ruki” Baillieu is probably more comfortable in the country than in the urban settings of some of the more popular polo clubs in the world. Born into an old moneyed family, Ruki did his fair share of chores around the farm. His younger days were spent doing everything from shearing sheep to herding cattle. Boasting more of the physical aspects of a rugby player than a polo star, Ruki spends 46 weeks a year chasing the polo ball around the world. One of the highlights of his young career was scoring the winning goal in overtime as Australia defeated England in 2005 in the Coronation Cup; another was when he became only the third Australian polo player in history to qualify for the Argentine Open as a member of the Centauros Beaufort team. Whether it’s playing on the sands of South Beach in the Miami Beach Polo World Cup, or on the frozen lake in Switzerland’s St. Moritz Snow Polo Cup, this hard-riding player from down under is sure to draw a crowd.
	Jeff Hall (7)
	Born in Arizona and brought up between Santa Barbara, California and Houston, Texas, the 28-year-old 7-goaler is hoping to become America’s next 10-goal player. The son of an avid player, Jeff began playing polo at the age of four, spending every waking moment either at the barns with the horses or hitting the ball from the back of one. Jeff was playing actively at age seven and turned professional at the age of 13. A stay on a polo ranch in Argentina jump-started his career, and the hard-hitting Texan has been improving ever since. Wins in the US Open, the America Cup, the East Coast Open and several USPA Silver Cups had firmly established Jeff as a player to be reckoned with, and his desire to improve as a rider and player increases with the competition. In 2009, Jeff was MVP and won the Pacfic Coast Open with Grants Farm.

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