On Saturday, polo superstar Adolfo Cambiaso rode a cloned horse in the of the Argentine National Open鈥攁 first in equestrian sports.
With the score 11-9 in the game鈥檚 backstretch, Cambiaso saddled up Show Me, his . The duo scored two goals (Cambiaso finished with nine goals in the match), helping his team win 16-11.
The victory brought Cambiaso one-step closer to his dream of playing an entire polo match on clones.
Alan Meeker, Cambiaso鈥檚 business partner and founder of , compared cloned polo to NASCAR: 鈥渁ll of the players would have the same vehicle, and then the player鈥檚 skill would be what is most important.鈥澛
Experts say that Show Me heralds a . The mare is a genetic copy of an American thoroughbred, Sage, that was awarded 鈥渂est playing polo pony鈥 at the 1997 International Gold Cup. Sage version 2.0 has already played two seasons in the Palm Beach polo season, the sport鈥檚 minor league. But Argentina, home to , was Show Me鈥檚 call up to the bigs. By helping Cambiaso鈥檚 team win the national championship, she answered critics who wondered if a clone could compete at the same elite level as the original.
Cambiaso鈥檚 clones perform as well on the pitch as they do at auction. In 2010, a copy of Cuartetera — two-time winner of the Copa Lady Susan Townley, an MVP award for horses鈥.
鈥淪he鈥檚 the best I鈥檝e ridden in my life,鈥 Cambiaso says. 鈥淪he has everything: power, mouth, acceleration and velocity.鈥
鈥淔or a polo player to ride an extremely talented horse, like Show Me or Cuartetera, would be like for a soccer player to wear Maradona鈥檚 feet,鈥 one expert told .
The win has far-reaching implications beyond the world of polo. In June 2012, the F茅d茅ration Equestre Internationale , making them eligible for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Polo isn鈥檛 an Olympic event, but dressage, jumping and eventing are鈥攕ports with .
As of September, Cambiaso had in his string. With this many future ringers, the only thing stopping Cambiaso could be his own age, 38, leading some to wonder if Cambiaso鈥檚 next move is to .