Polo match fundraiser features pomp, pageantry and philanthropy

SOUTH JORDAN — Champagne bellinis, fabulous hats and the oldest team sport in the world transformed Salt Lake County's equestrian park into a veritable English countryside scene Saturday, with the pomp, pageantry and competition all coming together in the name of philanthropy.

The second annual University of Utah Pharmacy Cup brought professional polo players from South America and the U.S. together for an exhibition match of the "sport of kings" — a game in which horse and rider reach speeds in excess of 30 mph and a properly applied mallet strike can rocket the grapefruit-sized ball down the field at 120 mph.

More than 500 attended the fundraising event that will help cover completion costs for the L.S. Skaggs Pharmacy Institute — a $69 million facility, currently under construction, slated to house the U.'s pharmacy program currently operating out of six buildings spread across campus.

U. President Michael Young said Saturday the new 150,000-square-foot building will help streamline a very successful program at the state's top research institution.

"It's a terrific college," Young said. "This new facility will help integrate efforts that are already producing an extraordinary amount of research."

The building is being funded entirely through endowments and donations, with the lion's share of the costs coming through some $30 million in donations from the family of pharmacy giant, L.S. Skaggs. Skaggs' granddaughter, Claudia Skaggs Luttrell, was integral in launching the Pharmacy Cup, which had its inaugural presentation last year, and said the idea came from her love of polo.

"We were interested in doing something different," Luttrell said. "Staging a polo match seemed to be something that wasn't a typical fundraiser."

While polo may not be a sport that is familiar to many Utahns, it has surprisingly deep roots in the state.

In the 1920s, ROTC candidates at the University of Utah began playing the game and eventually competed with other colleges across the West. At that time, the land east of President's Circle was an open field and a perfect setting for a polo. While the U. earned a reputation has a skilled team, a call for horses and young men at the onset of World War II brought a halt to the matches.

A love of the game, however, appears to be an easy-to-kindle spark in the hearts of locals. This year's Pharmacy Cup sold out, and organizers are hoping they can top the $40,000 they brought in last year. Luttrell, pleased with the turnout, had some other reasons to be excited Saturday.