Holiday Cheer And Competition At The EqPH Christmas Classic

The EqPH Christmas Classic, held on December 16 at the Manila Polo Club, was an action-packed and family friendly event that combined both the holiday spirit and the fierceness of competition! The event capped off a week of high-performance training by visiting elite rider Guillaume Batillat, and also served as the perfect year-ender to the 2023 Manila Polo Club competition season. 

This competition, presented by Misibis Bay Resort, hosted a range of classes ranging from crossbar to 1.00m. There were many clear rounds in the crossbar category, notably by first-timers Anara Chiongbian and Mikayla Joson, both trained by Guillaume Batillat. In the 0.50m class, Anda Lagdameo was victorious, followed by 2nd Deila Joson (coached by Guillaume Batillat), 3rd Athalia Suarez, 4th Zoe Co (who also trains in France with Joker Arroyo and Guillaume Batillat), and Olivia Zobel in 5th place. Phemie Go (another Guillaume Batillat student) won the 0.60m class, with Anda Lagdameo in 2nd, Deila Joson 3rd, Amalia Aboitiz 4th, and Julianna Limjoco 5th. Phemie Go repeated her victory in the 0.70m category, with Amalia Aboitiz in 2nd and Carolina Felix 3rd. The 0.80m and 0.90m categories were dominated by Christia Flores, followed by Andreanna Chua 2nd and Jordan Hall 3rd in the 0.80m, and Danni Virata 2nd and Isabella Felix 3rd in the 0.90m. Danni Virata was the lone participant at the 1.00m level, jumping clear to bag the class.

The highly-coveted prizes were very generously provided by Misibis Bay Resort, with the support of JFJC Equestrian, Metro.Style, and Ramen Nagi. In the spirit of teamwork, knowing that the riders’ successes would not be possible without the support teams around them, special prizes were also awarded to the grooms who worked tirelessly to prepare their riders and horses, with Lito Viloria and Angelo Liwanag taking the two premium awards for having the Best Turned Out Horses. 

The Young Voices of the Philippines and UP Singing Ambassadors were both in attendance, and performed beautifully to the audience’s delight and to spread the holiday cheer. Riders, spectators, and grooms were treated to food carts from Homer, Berry’s Deli, Krispy Kreme, NYFD, Big Chill, and an assortment from KMJ Food Carts. Dinner was a copious spread by Margarita Fores’ Cibo, as the audience enjoyed Polo Kids Got Talent, an event that showcased the many talents of the young community at the Manila Polo Club, with Carolina Felix , Amalia Aboitiz, and Catalina Aboitiz reigning supreme in the 4-12 years category, and Marei Moreno and Juana Tiaoqui winning the 13-18 years category. 

EqPH President Carissa Coscolluela says that we can look forward to a number of new projects by EqPH in 2024: “After a brief absence due to the pandemic, EqPH is eager to pick up where we left off and continue to play a role in promoting and advancing the equestrian sport in the Philippines. We have many young, talented, and motivated riders, and it is important that we create opportunities for them to cultivate their talent, as we seek to develop a new generation of Philippine athletes.” 

EqPH relies heavily on the technical expertise of Sports Director and JFJC Equestrian owner Joker Arroyo to develop programs that will expose local riders to an international standard of riding. “The best is yet to come. While the elite Philippine riders continue to perform consistently on the international stage, and it is wonderful to see many young riders coming up through the ranks at the same time. With the right programs and continued exposure to top-level training opportunities, in the next few years I believe we can look forward to seeing many of these young riders making their international debuts, which spells a bright future for the sport.”

Needless to say, the EqPH Christmas Classic was a most festive and successful event, and we certainly look forward to the next edition!

Photos by Arthur Tselishchev

Words by Joker Arroyo and Anton Barretto