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First spring polo pony sale held Saturday night
5/12/2008 12:21 AM

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By BEN BAUGH
Staff writer
The inaugural Aiken Spring Select Polo Pony Sale, presented by Banks Mill Feeds, was held Saturday evening at New Bridge Polo and Country Club. A total of 26 hip numbers went through the sales ring. Nine horses did not meet their reserve or failed to sell.
"The quality of the horses in the sale were phenomenal," said Charlie Herrick, Banks Mill Feeds' owner.
The sales topper was a 12-year-old Argentine gelding, Lunatico, who was consigned by 10 goal player Matias Magrini. Ron Stenger of Springfield, Mo., who purchased Lunatico, bought three horses at Saturday's sale and was also very active during last year's fall sale, purchasing seven head.
"Lunatico is a horse I bought from Jeff Hall," said Magrini. "I played him for many years. I consigned two very nice horses to the sale. When I played with Nick Roldan in Palm Beach and we won, he (Roldan) played him for two chukkers. When we won the USPA Gold Cup in Aiken, Gonzalo Garcia Del Rio played him for two chukkers and I played him for two chukkers. He's a fantastic horse and has excellent bloodlines, and had he not been gelded, as a stallion he would have been worth a lot of money. He's a fantastic horse."
Professional polo player Tod Martineau consigned a 7-year-old Argentine-bred gelding, Butters, who was played earlier in the day during the Aiken Equine Charities Cup by Jeff Hall. The Polo Pony brought $20,000.
"We have a strong concentration of good quality horses at the Select Sale, sold by consignors with good reputations," said Martineau.
Martin Estrada, who has enjoyed a successful career as a professional player and has an equally strong reputation as a trainer, consigned five horses to the evening sale: three mares and two geldings.
"I'm very pleased with the sale," said Estrada. "We've had a good response from the prospective buyers and there are some very good horses in the sale."

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