Cloning Came to Polo. Then Things Got Truly Uncivilized
July 11, 2025 at 04:30PMIn a groundbreaking moment at the 2016 Argentine Open, six genetically identical polo ponies stormed to victory. They were clones of one of the sport’s greatest stars—a bay mare named Cuartetera, owned by legendary polo player Adolfo Cambiaso. His wildly successful horse cloning venture began through an alliance with Texas oilman Alan Meeker and Argentine businessman Ernesto Gutierrez. But the business of replicating Cuartetera soon spiraled into betrayal, backroom deals, and legal warfare in the ruthless world of polo. The stakes are high, and the drama fierce, in a tale that gallops at full speed from triumph to turmoil.
As the US polo season rolled around in the spring, Meeker and his son would often visit the Cambiasos in Florida. His son was similar in age to Poroto, and the two boys would play polo together, sometimes roping in their fathers for practice games. “If he ever runs away from home I will have to call you and [Cambiaso’s wife] Maria, because that’s where he would go!” Meeker messaged Cambiaso in 2018. The polo player promised that he’d help Meeker’s son with anything he needed in polo. Meeker told Cambiaso he dreamed of a day when his son, Aiden, would sponsor Poroto Cambiaso’s team and the two boys would ride on cloned horses together.
More than anything, the men trusted one another. Loyalties shift quickly in polo, and with the clones garnering so much attention there was always the possibility that a jealous rival would try to come between them. Still, the oilman and the polo star had been through enough to know they could rely on one another. “I appreciate your friendship more than anything,” Meeker messaged in August 2018. His friend agreed. “Me to [sic] thank you Alan. i feel safe with you.”
He shouldn’t have.
from Longreads https://longreads.com/2025/07/11/cloning-came-to-polo-then-things-got-truly-uncivilized/
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