Carlos Gracida
Encyclopedia
Carlos Gracida, is a polo
player, considered by many to be a living legend, and one of the few who has been ranked at a 10-goal handicap, which he reached at the age of twenty-five.
, Mexico
on September 5, 1960. As a product of the Gracida polo dynasty, Carlos began playing when he was only five years old and began competing at the age of ten. His father Guillermo was a 9-goaler who played in Meadowbrook and Palermo
in Argentina
and still enjoyed the distinction of 5-goals at the age of 65. Carlos first reached 10 goals in 1985, and has since spent over fifteen years at this handicap. He was a member of Ellerstina, the legendary team owned by Australian magnate Kerry Packer
, and also of La Espadana, considered by many as the best polo team of the last twenty years.
1994 was a golden year for Carlos, when he won nearly every possible tournament in the game, including the Argentinian Triple Crown of Hurlingham
, Tortuguitas
and Palermo
. That same year, he also won the US Open and the British Open Gold Cup, becoming the only player in history to win the Grand Slam of Polo, in 1987, a feat he later replicated twice, in 1988 and 1994.
Alongside his brother Guillermo Gracida
(often referred to as Memo), Carlos has won Player of the Year in America five times, the only other player to do so in history. He has racked up more tournament wins than any player in the history of the game. Along with the Mexican Antonio Herrera and his brother Memo, he is one of three foreigners to win the Abierto Argentino de Palermo
, considered the most prestigious tournament, having won five times, and is the only foreigner who has won the Olimpia de Plata
, Argentina's Most Valuable Player Award, which he picked up in 1988. He has won the British Open Gold Cup ten times, more than any other player, and has won the US Open nine times. He reached 10 goals in 1985 and has spent fifteen years on and off at 10 goals, including the 2006 season in Palm Beach
.
Carlos is currently ranked 9 goals in England
, where he is reportedly HM Queen Elizabeth
's favorite player. He is a favorite instructor with celebrities and royalty and has given lessons to HRH Prince Charles, HRH Prince William, HRH Prince Harry, King Constantine II of Greece
, HRH Prince Talal of Jordan
, James Packer
and Sylvester Stallone
.
Carlos's most famous horse was Chesney, who won the Best Playing Pony award numerous times, including in 1988, 1989 and 1991 at the British Open Gold Cup. His personal favorite was Nony Nony, seven times Gold Cup winner in England.
He lives in Wellington
, Florida
with his two teenage sons, Carlitos and Mariano, both polo players. Carlos loves Cinema, specially biopics. He plays golf
, tennis
and his second favorite sport is alpine ski
.
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
player, considered by many to be a living legend, and one of the few who has been ranked at a 10-goal handicap, which he reached at the age of twenty-five.
Biography
Carlos was born in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on September 5, 1960. As a product of the Gracida polo dynasty, Carlos began playing when he was only five years old and began competing at the age of ten. His father Guillermo was a 9-goaler who played in Meadowbrook and Palermo
Palermo, Buenos Aires
Palermo is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It is located in the northeast of the city, bordering the barrios of Belgrano to the north, Almagro and Recoleta to the south, Villa Crespo and Colegiales to the west and the Río de la Plata river to the east. With a total...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and still enjoyed the distinction of 5-goals at the age of 65. Carlos first reached 10 goals in 1985, and has since spent over fifteen years at this handicap. He was a member of Ellerstina, the legendary team owned by Australian magnate Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
, and also of La Espadana, considered by many as the best polo team of the last twenty years.
1994 was a golden year for Carlos, when he won nearly every possible tournament in the game, including the Argentinian Triple Crown of Hurlingham
Hurlingham Club (Argentina)
The Hurlingham Club of Argentina is a golf and polo club in Hurlingham, Buenos Aires Province.-History:It is named after the Hurlingham Club in London and was set up in 1888 by the local Anglo-Argentine community...
, Tortuguitas
Tortuguitas
Tortuguitas is a city of the county called Malvinas Argentinas Partido in the Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, located 25 miles northwest from the capital city Buenos Aires. Part of the city falls in the José Clemente Paz Partido....
and Palermo
Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo
The Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo is the most important international polo championship at club level, that has taken place every year since 1893 at the Catedral del Polo in Palermo barrio in Buenos Aires, Argentina.It was known as the River Plate Polo Championship between 1893-1923, and as...
. That same year, he also won the US Open and the British Open Gold Cup, becoming the only player in history to win the Grand Slam of Polo, in 1987, a feat he later replicated twice, in 1988 and 1994.
Alongside his brother Guillermo Gracida
Memo Gracida
Guillermo "Memo" Gracida Jr. is a Mexican polo player whose international career includes several record-setting achievements, including the most U.S. Open victories and the most consecutive years as an American 10-goaler...
(often referred to as Memo), Carlos has won Player of the Year in America five times, the only other player to do so in history. He has racked up more tournament wins than any player in the history of the game. Along with the Mexican Antonio Herrera and his brother Memo, he is one of three foreigners to win the Abierto Argentino de Palermo
Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo
The Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo is the most important international polo championship at club level, that has taken place every year since 1893 at the Catedral del Polo in Palermo barrio in Buenos Aires, Argentina.It was known as the River Plate Polo Championship between 1893-1923, and as...
, considered the most prestigious tournament, having won five times, and is the only foreigner who has won the Olimpia de Plata
Olimpia Award
The Olimpia Award is a sport award in Argentina, given every year by the Argentine Sports Journalists' Circle since 1954.An Olimpia de Plata is awarded to one of the candidates of each one of the 41 sports disciplines...
, Argentina's Most Valuable Player Award, which he picked up in 1988. He has won the British Open Gold Cup ten times, more than any other player, and has won the US Open nine times. He reached 10 goals in 1985 and has spent fifteen years on and off at 10 goals, including the 2006 season in Palm Beach
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
.
Carlos is currently ranked 9 goals in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he is reportedly HM Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
's favorite player. He is a favorite instructor with celebrities and royalty and has given lessons to HRH Prince Charles, HRH Prince William, HRH Prince Harry, King Constantine II of Greece
Constantine II of Greece
|align=right|Constantine II was King of Greece from 1964 until the abolition of the monarchy in 1973, the sixth and last monarch of the Greek Royal Family....
, HRH Prince Talal of Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, James Packer
James Packer
James Douglas Packer is an Australian businessman.Packer is the son of the late media mogul Kerry Packer and grandson of Frank Packer. He inherited the family company, Consolidated Press Holdings Limited, which controls investments in Crown Limited, Consolidated Media Holdings and other companies...
and Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
.
Carlos's most famous horse was Chesney, who won the Best Playing Pony award numerous times, including in 1988, 1989 and 1991 at the British Open Gold Cup. His personal favorite was Nony Nony, seven times Gold Cup winner in England.
He lives in Wellington
Wellington, Florida
Wellington is a village in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. As of 2006, the village had a population of 55,584 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wellington is part of the South Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
with his two teenage sons, Carlitos and Mariano, both polo players. Carlos loves Cinema, specially biopics. He plays golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and his second favorite sport is alpine ski
Alpine Ski
Alpine Ski is an Alpine skiing arcade game, released by Taito in 1981.- Description :The player controls a skier, who can move left, right, or increase forward speed. The aim is to maneuver a skier through a downhill ski course, a slalom course, and a ski jumping competition in the shortest time...
.