Belmond El Encanto Robert Skene Trophy
Tournament History
The Robert Skene Trophy commemorates the career of a Santa Barbara polo legend. "Hurricane Bob" was 10 goals at the height of his career, played in the Westchester Cup, U.S. Open Polo Championship® and Argentine Open, and survived three years as a prisoner of war in the infamous Changi prison in Asia during World War II. He was deeply connected to the Santa Barbara Polo Club, managing it for several years in the 1960s and playing a pivotal role in keeping the club alive during a time of financial crisis. He was inducted into the Polo Hall of Fame in 1990 and died in his beloved Santa Barbara in 1997. Santa Barbara's 16-goal tournament series is now in full swing with seven teams vying for the tournament trophy. New this year are Santa Clara and FMB Too!, with last year's Ben Soleimani of Restoration Hardware now playing for Bensoleimani.com.
Three players returning to defend their 2018 title, Lucchese will be joined this year by Jorge Cernadas as they attempt to claim back-to-back trophies. Demonstrating the generational appeal of polo, Santa Clara features three generations of the Escobar family while Klentner Ranch features two members of Team USPA, Jesse Bray and Geronimo Obregon.
2018 Belmond El Encanto Robert Skene Champions: Lucchese - (L to R) Jeff Hall, Facundo Obregon, John Muse, Toly Ulloa, Luke Klentner. ©David Lominska
