NEWS

The legend of King Midas tells of a monarch whose touch turned everything to gold. In the world of polo, a colt named Midas is bringing this legend to life. With a genetic lineage designed to produce golden-coated offspring, Midas stands out as a horse with a truly remarkable future.

Pamela Devaleix, a celebrated polo player in the United States and multiple U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship winner, has temporarily set aside her career to embrace motherhood. Alongside her husband, Louis Devaleix of the La Fe polo team, she welcomed their daughter, Alina Kelley. Pamela Devaleix’s dedication to horses extends beyond the polo field; she founded the Rescue Polo Project to save horses from slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada. Her first rescue, Stella reached the highest level of women’s polo and competed in the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship.

Midas’s story begins with his dam, Sunny, a special quarter horse mare rescued by Pamela Devaleix and named in honor of the late Sunny Hale. Sunny’s exceptional qualities made her stand out in women's and mixed polo tournaments. Midas’s sire, Dolfina Jordie, is a distinguished stallion with a rich polo pedigree, having played in the U.S. Open Polo Championship and other high-goal tournaments.

Together, these two horses have produced Midas, a colt whose unique genetics promise a legacy of golden-coated descendants. Midas embodies the mythical touch of King Midas, bringing a touch of legend to the world of polo.

What inspired you to name this special colt Midas?
“I named the colt Midas because of the legend of King Midas. As the legend goes, everything he touched turned to gold, so basically, with the special genetics that this horse has […] the baby will come with the golden coat color, either palomino or buckskin. Any mare that this stallion breeds will have a golden baby. Because of that, like the legend of King Midas, everything he touches will turn to gold.”

Can you tell us more about Midas' dam and sire. What made you combine their genetics?
“Midas’ dam is my mare Sunny, a really special horse to me. Sunny was named after Sunny Hale. I rescued her in 2017, right after Sunny had passed and that’s why I named her, in her honor. She is a special quarter-horse mare who turned out to be an excellent polo pony. I played her up to 24 goals in women's polo and 16-goal mixed polo. She's always been one of my favorite horses in terms of her size and her build. She's super handy, just a really nice horse.

His sire is Dolfina Jordie, a stallion that I played in the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship a few times and played in 26-goal mixed polo. He’s played all levels and under different players such as Diego Cavanagh. I know Diego enjoyed playing him. Dolfina Jordie came from Adolfo Cambiaso and his breeding. He is out of Josie, an Australian mare that Pelon Stirling and Adolfo played in England, Argentina the United States and Machitos Chelo. Jordie has a very beautiful polo line and is a proven playing stallion and breeding him with Sunny has created my perfect mix.

Both of them have been my favorites. The color is a bonus, but what I love most is their skill and their way of going. Both are super handy, quick and Jordie has power which I love. I hope this baby will inherit some of their traits.”

Given Midas' unique cremello genetics, what qualities do you hope he will pass on to his offspring?
“Genetically, because both horses carry the cream gene, which is the gene that gives them their golden color, when I bred them together, there was a 25% chance that the baby would inherit one cream gene from the mother and another cream gene from the father, which makes the particular coat color called cremello. That color only exists when the baby inherits two cream genes and not just one. The important reason is that if this little stallion has two cream genes, no matter what color he breeds too, he will automatically pass one of the cream genes 100% of the time. That’s why all of his babies will come out looking like Jordie or Sunny.”

What are your plans for Midas regarding training and participation in polo tournaments?
“My plans for Midas are to keep him with Beth Skolnik at Rinehart’s breeding farm so he can be part of their training program. They have produced some of the best polo ponies around the world. I think they had Cuartetera BO9 at their farm, so Midas will be in the same program so that he can get the best start in life and training. I tried to give him the best opportunity possible, not just as a stallion but as a playing stallion.

My dream for Midas is to see him play high-goal polo one day. I intend to keep him as a stallion as long as his talent and good temperament allow. I hope he will pass on both skill, temperament and good bloodlines. The prospect of him producing beautiful colored babies is the cherry on the top.

Because he is cremello, for sure every baby he has will be either Palomino or Buckskin. I hope he is a talented playing horse, too. If not, I won’t keep him as a stallion, but his genes are good, his breeding is good, his bloodlines are good and he is in a good program, so there’s no reason he shouldn’t be, but only time will tell.”

Can you describe Midas?
“Midas has had a rough start to life. He got an infection after he was born, so he spent the first couple of weeks in the hospital and because of that, he had a lot of human interaction. Beth was at the breeding farm and the vets were taking care of him. He is very quiet and friendly around people because of that early experience in life. Because he was in the hospital for a couple of weeks and had that early exposure to people, trailers and vets, has made him easy to work with, so he's a great little horse.”