Sports

Fifty Years of Equestrian Champions from the Stables of His Highness the Aga Khan

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Mar 11th 2011 at 2:01PM

A new lavishly illustrated volume by Philip Jodidio from Prestel highlights fifty years of the prestigious horse racing and breeding enterprises of His Highness the Aga Khan, the immensely wealthy Muslim spiritual leader. The urbane Aga Khan, a philanthropist, Harvard graduate and stepson of Hollywood bombshell Rita Hayworth, built his world class thoroughbred empire on a legacy handed down through generations and now oversees one of the largest and most successful racing and breeding operations in Europe. The luxe book traces the history of the Aga Khan Studs including many famous champions through remarkable photographs, engravings and paintings taken from the Aga Khan's archives. Also included is a lengthy interview with His Highness and informative essays on what makes a great racehorse. Check out the gallery for a preview.

Gallery: The Horses of the Aga Khan

A group of mares and foals bred at St Crespin, France

Dalakhani, winner of four Group I races, including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Zarkava, unbeaten winner of five Group I races, descends from Mumtaz Mahal, purchased in 1921 by the Aga Khan III

His Highness the Aga Khan inspecting yearlings at St Crespin in Normandy

A group of mares and foals grazing in a field in Ireland

Tags: Aga Khan, books, coffee table books, equestrian, Harvard, horse racing, horseracing, horses, Islam, Muslim, racehorse, racehorses, Rita Hayworth, royalty, sports, stables, the+aga+khan, theagakhan, thoroughbreds, wealth

The Best Ski Resorts in Utah (with video)

by shira levine (RSS feed) — Mar 4th 2011 at 5:31PM

To find out if the three resorts in the Park City, Utah area really do represent "The Greatest Snow on Earth", we skied and apres-skied and learned first-hand how fabulous the town and it's amenities have become. Indeed, the area has come a long way from the area's poor, silver mining history.

During the recent Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah was teeming with glittery Hollywood types littering local restaurants and bars, meanwhile abandoning the perfectly powdered slopes. Over the ten-day stretch, those idyllic resort town slopes– located less than an hour's drive from the Salt Lake City airport, stand virtually empty. It's an insider secret that the week and a half is ideal for powder junkies hungry for crowd-free runs during high season.

(Good luck finding a hotel room though!) As it turns out Hollywood isn't so into that kind of snow.

Fortunately out west ski and snowboard season run long. A good year means soft, fluffy snow starts falling just after Thanksgiving until -- if you're really, really lucky -- as late as Cinco de Mayo. Utah doesn't claim "Greatest Snow on Earth" for nothing -- the trademarked white stuff maintains a unique blend of "consistency, abundance and quality," says Ski Utah's Director of Communications Jessica Kunzer, "Anyone who skis dreams of skiing out west. You might like skiing wherever you're from originally -- if it's Minnesota, or, out east in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, [but] the general wish is to experience our soft, ice-free slopes."

The fleeting effects of Sundance come and go, but the snow steadily falls and the apres ski scene never dies. Here are three stellar spots to kick back and relax between smooth runs and story-worthy wipe-outs.

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Richard Nixon's Gold-Inlaid Browning Shotgun at Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Mar 4th 2011 at 8:01AM

In addition to Ernest Hemingway's safari hunting rifle that we wrote about on Wednesday, a rare gold-inlaid Browning 12-gauge automatic shotgun that was presented to president Richard Nixon in 1970 will be offered at James D. Julia Auctioneers' Important Firearms sale in Fairfield, Maine on March 14. The gun, estimated at $50,000 – $75,000, is also historically significant in that it was the two millionth Browning shotgun made. At one time destined for the Smithsonian, Nixon returned the gun to Browning Arms where it resided in their archives until it was given to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Gallery: Richard Nixon's Browning Shotgun

Tags: American presidents, Browning, browning+guns, browningguns, celebrity, Ernest Hemingway, firearm, gold, gun, hunting, James D. Julia, Maine, politics, presidents, Richard Nixon, rifle, shooting, shotgun

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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Gets Pulses Racing at Daytona 500

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Mar 3rd 2011 at 6:01PM

Our favorite blueblooded British stunner, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (above) turned heads and set pulses racing at the Daytona 500 recently where she put in an appearance as a Grand Marshall alongside her Transformers 3 colleagues Josh Duhamel and Michael Bay. The modified NASCAR stock cars of drivers Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – featured as characters in the film – made their first public appearance at the event as well leading the 43-car field during the pace laps of the kick-off event to the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. In 2009 the movie's director Michael Bay piloted the official pace car at a NASCAR Sprint Cup race to promote the DVD release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and credits his vision to include NASCAR stock cars in the new Transformers film to the experience.

Tags: actress, British supermodels, celebrity, celebrity cars, Daytona 500, directors, Josh Duhamel, lingerie model, Michael Bay, motor racing, movies, NASCAR, race cars, racecar, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, supermodel, Transformers, Victorias Secret

How to Ski Safely and Prevent Injuries (with video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) — Mar 3rd 2011 at 9:31AM

How to ski safely and prevent injuries No one wants a ski vacation cut short by an injury. So how to best protect yourself from injury? Don't ski late in the day.

Statistics have shown that most ski injuries occur toward the end of the day, according to the Steadman Clinic, which specializes in sports medicine and orthopaedic surgery in Vail and Frisco, Colorado (see video below).

"If it is 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon and you are thinking of taking one more run, you may want to think twice about that because more people are hurt at the end of the day," says Tom R. Hackett, orthopaedic surgeon with the Steadman Clinic in Vail who is also a team physician for the U.S. Snowboard Team.

Tags: awards-main, luxist-awards, main-pedia, ski, skiing, snowboard, snowboarding, VailColorado, winter-travel-pedia

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Ernest Hemingway's African Safari Rifle Up for Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Mar 2nd 2011 at 2:02PM

A remarkable double-barreled elephant gun made by London's Westley Richards in 1913 that belonged to Ernest Hemingway and was used by the famed author on safari in Africa is being offered for auction on March 14. The impressive .577-caliber Nitro Express, the starring lot at James D. Julia Auctioneers' Important Firearms sale in Fairfield, Maine, comes with the original case and accessories and is expected to fetch between $150,000 – $200,000. The 16-pound rifle, engraved with rhinos and tigers and designed to bag the biggest game, has its own chapter in the new book Hemingway's Guns: The Sporting Arms of Ernest Hemingway.

Gallery: Ernest Hemingway's Safari Gun

Tags: Africa, auction, author, celebrity, celebrity auction, celebrity guns, Ernest Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway Africa, Ernest Hemingway guns, Ernest Hemingway safari, ernest+hemingway+guns, ernest+hemingway+on+safari, ernesthemingwayguns, ernesthemingwayonsafari, firearms, gun, gunsmith, Hemingway, Hemingway gun, Hemingway safari, Hemingway shotgun, hemingway+rifle, hemingwayrifle, hunting, Key West, Maine, rifle, Royal Warrant, safari, shooting, shotgun, sporting, sporting style, UK, Westley Richards, writer

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RLX Ralph Lauren Launches First iPad App

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Mar 1st 2011 at 4:01PM

Ralph Lauren is launching its first ever iPad app for the brand's high-tech RLX line, utilizing some cool new technology. The RLX Ralph Lauren iPad app allows users to interact with world-class athletes on screen by tilting, rotating, flipping and tapping the iPad to manipulate different movements, colors and environments. There are 12 different "chapters" within the app that showcase the athletes wearing items from the new RLX line; each features an interactive key utilizing the iPad's built-in accelerometer, digital compass, assisted GPS and multi-touch screen capabilities to activate the stylish scenarios.

The application also allows users to shop the entire collection by creating a direct portal to RalphLauren.com. Created to answer the demand for superior high-performance outfitting, RLX for men and women unites the highest standards of luxury, technology and style. From cutting-edge functional gear for professional athletes to exceptionally luxe lifestyle apparel for modern living, RLX "defines the next evolution of design with a philosophy focused on purity of form, unrivaled construction techniques and the world's most innovative fabrications."

Tags: Apple, Apple iPad, apps, athletes, designer, fashion designer, gadgets, iPad, iPad app, Ralph Lauren, RLX, RLX Ralph Lauren, sports, technology

MINT Polo in the Park Returns to London in June

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Mar 1st 2011 at 2:01PM

On June 3–5 MINT Polo in the Park, a three day celebration of international polo, will return to the grounds of London's famed Hurlingham Club on the banks of the river Thames. Model and polo player Jodie Kidd (above) helped found the event, which also includes posh entertainments such as a Veuve Clicquot Champagne Garden, a Harrods food court, several bars and a luxury shopping area, all with direct views of the polo field. Six teams each representing global cities will play in a new 'Round Robin' format over the three days, culminating with the Final and the presentation of the MINT Trophy on Sunday the 5th. The new "high-octane" format aims to "introduce the adrenaline fueled sport of polo to a new city audience, also making the sport faster and more exciting for TV and event spectators."

Tags: equestrian, Harrods, Hurlingham Club, Jodie Kidd, London, MINT Polo in the Park, polo, sports, UK

Starwood Sponsors First Skating Rink at Boston's Prudential Center

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Feb 23rd 2011 at 8:01AM

Luxury hotel megabrand Starwood is sponsoring the first-ever ice rink at the Prudential Center in Boston, now open through the end of March. Starwood's Boston properties – Sheraton Boston Hotel, The Westin Copley Place, The Boston Park Plaza Hotel, W Boston, and The Westin Boston Waterfront – dedicated the rink to the Boston community in the hopes that Bostonians will take the time to connect with one another on the ice. "This rink speaks to our commitment to give back to the community that has been home to the Sheraton Boston for more than 45 years," notes Colleen Keating, Sheraton Boston's Marketing Manager. All opening day proceeds went to the Bruins Foundation. In celebration of the occasion, the Sheraton Boston (above) is offering two "Share the Ice" value stay packages:

Tags: Boston, hotel deals, ice skating, sports, Starwood, W hotels, Westin, winter sports

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Home Team Wins Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Feb 19th 2011 at 7:01PM

The home team emerged victorious for the second year running at the Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge on Friday. Four pro-am polo teams competed in the prestigious event at the Desert Palm Polo Club under the patronage of Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, wife of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The Desert Palm team edged out Cartier's own team to capture the top prize. The other two teams were fielded by Swiss bank (and Wikileaks target) Julius Baer and the UK's Guards Polo Club. Desert Palm patrons Clive Reid and Tariq Albwardy received the impressive trophy from Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the son of Dubai's ruler. Cartier suffered a setback early in the final when their best player, Salvador Ulloa, was injured though another Cartier team member, Nico Petracchi, was named Most Valuable Player.

Tags: Cartier, cartier+international+dubai+polo+challenge, cartier+international+dubai+polo+challenge+2011, cartier+polo+dubai, cartierinternationaldubaipolochallenge, cartierinternationaldubaipolochallenge2011, cartierpolodubai, Dubai, equestrian, horses, Julius Baer, polo, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE, wealth

Soccer Faberge Eggs Head To The Auction Block

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 18th 2011 at 2:01PM

American football players get jeweled rings and shiny trophies but European football (a.k.a. soccer) players get Faberge eggs. Or at least some of them do. Two Faberge eggs created to honor two soccer players, Celtic legend Jimmy Johnstone and Manchester United's George Best are being auctioned off by McTears' Auctioneers in Glasgow, Scotland. The enameled eggs are decorated with silver and gold and open to reveal a small silver and gold figure of each of the players inside.

The eggs were created by Sarah Faberge, the great grandaughter of Russian Imperial Jeweler Carl Faberge and go up for sale on March 1. The egg shown at right is Best's egg which shows the European Cup medal and the football League Champion's badge. The sides of the Egg are decorated with the official crest used by Manchester United in 1968 and, from the same year, the Northern Ireland official crest. Inside the egg, a figure of Best stands with a sterling and black-gold diamond studded ball at his feet. It is estimated at £20,000 to £25,000.

Tags: Faberge Eggs, George Best, Machester United, Mc Tears Auctioneers, Soccer

Gameplan Launches Diamond NBA Jewelry

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 16th 2011 at 11:01PM

Just in time for this weekend's NBA All-Star game, basketball gets a major bling-up. JCK reports that Gameplan Concepts, a division of Lamont Jewelry brands, has created a diamond-studded line of basketball-themed jewelry.

Geary's in Beverly Hills is selling the line which features team logos in white gold set with black and white diamonds. The prices vary depending on the elaborateness of the team logo. The Lakers piece shown at right runs a cool $16,800 but fans of the Pistons will only pay $7,800 to represent for their team with a diamond logo.

Tags: basketball, black diamonds, jewelry, nba

Williams Formula One Racing Team Offered on Frankfurt Stock Exchange

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) — Feb 13th 2011 at 4:01PM

Have you ever wanted to own an Formula One team? Usually that would cost you millions upon millions of dollars, the kind of cash that only an automaker (like Ferrari or Mercedes-Benz) or an incredibly wealthy individual (like Richard Branson or Vijay Mallya) could afford. But the Williams F1 team is offering an unprecedented opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

For the first time in F1 history, the team will offer publicly-traded shares on the open stock market – in this case the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. It's part of an effort to raise capital and ensure the team's future as its leadership – Frank Williams and Patrick Head – are growing older.

Although the team has nine world championships to its name, these days it's having trouble keeping up with the competition.

Tags: Frankfurt Stock Exchange, ipo, shares, stock, stock market, williams, williams f1, williams grand prix engineering

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Manchester Derby Is The World's Most Expensive Sporting Match, For Now

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 12th 2011 at 11:01PM

Think the Super Bowl is expensive? Today's soccer match between Manchester United and Manchester City of the English Premier League may have had the honor of being the richest sporting event on the planet. According to the Wall Street Journal if you add up the players on the field and on the two benches in the Manchester Derby, they totaled approximately $850 million to acquire. Compare that to U.S. teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox (approximately $380 million) or the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins (around $350 million). And this isn't even the most expensive of all possible matches. Next month when Manchester City and Chelsea square off that's a total of $900 million.

Tags: manchester city, manchester derby, soccer

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Jason Richardson Re-Lists His Oakland Home For Less

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Feb 12th 2011 at 7:01PM

Move Trends brought my attention to another in the long list of professional sports slow sellers. We first mentioned Jason Richardson's Oakland home back in 2008. Richardson, also known as J-Rich, is a slam-dunking NBA player who has been bounced around the league a bit. He bought the home in 2007 when he was still playing for the Golden State Warriors but since then he's been a Charlotte Bobcat, a Phoenix Sun and currently plays for the Orlando Magic.

He bought the home for $2.78 million in 2007 according to records on PropertyShark.com. The three-story home on .32 acres is up in the hills and has city views. There are five bedrooms, a game room, kitchen with an adjacent breakfast room and sun-splashed outdoor terraces. The home hit the market in 2008 for $3.1 million but now, the home is on the market for a please-buy-me price of $1.95 million.

Gallery: Jason Richardson in Oakland