La Fortuna

A gray 15.1 hand Thoroughbred gelding, La Fortuna was one of Tommy Wayman’s favorite horses, named after the Argentine estancia (ranch) of Ricardo “Dickie” Santamarina where the horse was bred and raised. Wayman recalls, “He was very green, but he took to polo like a duck to water… He’s a very powerful horse, very strong, yet always relaxed and easy to ride.”

La Fortuna carried Wayman to victory in the U.S. Open and garnered many best playing pony awards in his long career. Wayman noted, “The only fault La Fortuna has is that I can’t get another one like him.”

While owned by Santamarina, La Fortuna raced in Palermo and Buenos Aires as “Lord Chico.” When Tommy Wayman bought the horse, he kept him in Argentina for a while, where even his young children could stick and ball with him because the horse was so quiet and good-natured. After La Fortuna came to the U.S., it took time for him to acclimate – the seasons are backwards, the feed is different, and Argentine horses need to adjust to the U.S. style of shoeing.

Tommy Wayman with La Fortuna, early 1980s

But from his first 18-goal polo match in California, La Fortuna just got better and better. Tommy Wayman said, “Probably his best quality is the way he will run through a bump. When somebody tries to knock him off the ball, they can hit him as hard as they like, but it doesn’t affect him. He just keeps on going… Everybody has got a horse that’s fast and handy but to have one that is strong, quick, and can bust through bumps and get you to the ball is unique.” La Fortuna became known throughout the U.S. as a very talented horse, and played polo until his retirement at age 14.

Tommy Wayman on La Fortuna, Palm Beach Polo Club

Watercolor portrait of La Fortuna (Top Photo) by artist, Melinda Brewer; www.poloart.ca