Polo for the Proletariat

In both England and the U.S., polo seemed to be on its last expensive, thoroughbred legs. It had never been a common man's sport, since the minimum equipment usually includes a string of ponies at a minimum of $1,500 each. Now it was getting too expensive for the rich, too. Obviously no one was going to rewrite the nation's tax laws just to save polo. Millionaire Poloist George H. Bostwick decided that the only cure for the ailing old sport was an injection of professionalism.

"Pete" Bostwick had scandalized some of polo's elders 13 years ago by putting on 50-c- polo matches complete with soda pop. Now he dipped into his Standard Oil millions and came up with a $5,000 purse for a handicap tournament--the first cash prize ever offered in polo. His ambition is to convert polo into a mass-appeal sport in which a man can make a living from his winnings.

Last week, the first Pete Bostwick Handicap Tournament was won by a California team whose players included a horse dealer, a veterinarian, and a horse trainer. Bostwick's self-supporting millennium had not yet arrived: the winning team was largely subsidized by California's rich J. A. Wigmore. But there was encouraging news. At $1 a head, record crowds (average: 3,800 a match) turned out at Bostwick Field at Westbury, Long Island. The gate receipts were enough to pay all expenses, including the $5,000 prize. Cheered by his success, Promoter Bostwick promised fatter purses next year.

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