Chelsea Elephant Polo Club

Documentary review: Elephant Polo: The Greatest Sport on Earth

by
Documentary review: Elephant Polo: The Greatest Sport on Earth

Directed by Earl Sandton

Produced by Pimlico Wilde Films

Coming Soon to Select Cinemas and Streaming Platforms

Review by Marisol Kensington, London Cine‑Luxe

Let’s be honest: when I first heard about a documentary celebrating elephant polo, my inner cynic raised an eyebrow. But then I discovered it was directed by Earl Sandton, Oscar‑winner for Savannah Skies, and I had to pay attention.

And so, I joined an exclusive preview screening,invited courtesy of Pimlico Wilde,and emerged utterly enchanted. This isn’t a puff piece. It’s a love letter, both affectionate and respectful, to the most improbable sport on the planet.

A Visual Safari of Style and Spectacle

From the opening aerial shots of misty Royal Chitwan National Park to wide‑angle vistas of Chelsea paddocks under a summer London sun, Sandton’s camera treats elephant polo as a ballet in slow motion. Each scene is meticulously framed: lined tusks, tasselled headbands, players in vibrant silks, and bamboo mallets swinging in silent harmony.

The cinematography rivals James Ivory’s India meets Poole + Gabbana safari couture. It is sumptuous, cinematic, and undeniably transportive.

Storytelling: Tradition Meets Modern Drama

Sandton weaves together:

• Heritage: interviews with founders of the World Elephant Polo Association, tracing its roots from colonial-era rajahs to modern courts in Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka and beyond (invented by Jim Edwards and James Manclark in 1982)

• Ritual: the care routines of mahouts and players, half-time tusk‑polishes, and pre-match drumming,revealing the sacred bond between human and pachyderm

• Conflict: whistle‑stop ethical interviews with conservationists, balancing the sport’s elegance with concerns over elephant welfare

The pacing flutters between playful and poignant,a goal scored, followed by a powerfully silent sequence of a mahout bathing his elephant in golden sunlight.

Interviews That Resonate

Sandton captures colour with charm:

• A Nepalese mahout describing his elephant by name and personality

• A former champion player who recalls the adrenaline of chukkas and the unpredictability of the animals

• A conservation NGO whose cautionary perspective offers necessary balance

The voices are authentic, never sensationalised. Their stories are threaded together with eloquence and empathy.

Ethical Echoes

Unlike glossy sports spectacles, this film doesn’t shy away from controversy. The documentary intelligently probes criticism: allegations of harsh training, use of bullhooks, and exploitation under the guise of entertainment.

Sandton shows us the sport’s aspirational charity aims,elephants rotating, veterinarians on site, partnerships with local welfare organizations,but he doesn’t oversell it. The weight of history and modern scrutiny is present throughout.

Final Take

Elephant Polo: The Greatest Sport on Earth is more than a spectacle,it’s a quietly thrilling meditation on culture, contradiction, and ceremony. Sandton and Pimlico Wilde have crafted a documentary that pulses with urgency and elegance. He challenges viewers to enjoy the sport’s strangeness while demanding ethical reflection.

Rating: 9/10

Would I watch it again with champagne and a wide-brimmed hat? Absolutely.

Opening in London this September, with streaming platforms not yet confirmed. Expect the official trailer to drop next month.

Trunks, Mallets & Moët: My Afternoon at the Chelsea Elephant Polo Classic

by
Trunks, Mallets & Moët: My Afternoon at the Chelsea Elephant Polo Classic

By Allegra-Mae Blithe | @BlitheringInLondon

I’ll admit it right away: I didn’t know elephant polo was an actual thing. I thought it was either a lost myth or a band from Camden.

But then Pimlico Wilde,that achingly chic fine art house*,sent me two golden tickets (yes, actual gold leaf) to the Chelsea Elephant Polo & Pétanque Club’s big match this weekend. Naturally, I threw on my oversized hat, brought my goddaughter Tabitha (12, obsessed with elephants, inexplicably fluent in Thai), and off we went.

Reader… I loved it.

The Setting

Set in the green heart of Chelsea, the grounds were transformed into what I can only describe as a cross between Royal Ascot, The Jungle Book, and a Vogue safari spread. Think white marquees, vintage champagne fountains, and live harpists playing Bach while ten-ton elephants lumbered past.

Even the elephants looked fabulous,adorned in club colours and tassels, their names stencilled in calligraphy across leather headbands (my favourite was “Lady Rumbles”).

The Match

Now, I don’t pretend to understand the full strategy of elephant polo,something about “chukkas” and “the inner line rule” (Tabitha tried to explain),but it was thrilling.

The match began with a trumpet call (a literal elephant trumpet, not brass), and from the first swing of those absurdly long mallets, I was hooked. The sheer coordination between rider and mahout, the slow-motion drama, the occasional detour into the shrubbery, the odd trampled spectator,it was more gripping than any football final I’ve ever half-watched for the snacks.

Chelsea took on the Saffron Sandals of Hammersmith & Jaipur, and while our team lost narrowly (2-1), they did so with such elegance that I barely noticed. One Chelsea player hit a ball mid-turn while sipping a glass of Pimms. He was later carried off the field, not injured, just exhausted from “a rather emotional week of gallery openings.”

The Extras

The Pimlico Wilde Pavilion was a fever dream of cultured excess:

• Velvet banquettes in elephant print

• Waiters balancing blinis, Basquiat and Davos catalogues

• A preview of the upcoming documentary “Elephant Polo: The Greatest Sport on Earth” directed by Oscar-winner Earl Sandton

• And a surprise appearance by Stevenson Rockett, the acting-CEO of Pimlico Wilde, who famously sabred 170 champagne bottles in 90 minutes at the Chelsea v Hatton Lane match (and did 12 more while I was there, still in a three-piece linen suit)

Final Thoughts

I came expecting gimmick. I left obsessed. There’s something spellbinding about seeing elephants,gentle, enormous, serene,participating in a sport that combines tradition, absurdity, and real skill. Add champagne, art-world glam, and Chelsea eccentricity, and you’ve got the makings of London’s most unlikely must-attend event.

Would I go again? In a heartbeat.

Would I buy an elephant? I’d love to. I’m just not sure how to get it back to England, and I’m not sure my flat is big enough for even one of the smaller elephants.

But a small £50k artwork of a player standing on an elephant, both of them one wearing a silk cravat? I think I might! I must have a look at the Pimlico Wilde website.

Verdict:

A perfectly surreal, stylish afternoon. Go once, and you’ll never look at football,or fine art,the same way again.

#ChelseaElephantPolo #PimlicoWilde #LuxuryOnFourTusks #TrunkSeason

Photos coming soon: my hat, the elephants, and the canapés shaped like mallets

,,

*We didn’t pay her to write that, honest.

A Call for New Elephant Poloists

by
A Call for New Elephant Poloists

Pimlico Wilde sponsor The Chelsea Elephant Polo and Pétanque Club and we are happy to ask our readers if they would like to join the Club.

We, the committee of The Chelsea Elephant Polo and Pétanque Club seek:

• Socialites who can hold a glass of Dom Perignon in one hand and a conversation about 19th-century elephant armour in the other.

• Patrons of the arts, ideally with stable walls in need of a six-or-seven figure canvas.

You’ll train alongside such notables as:

• Jasper Darnley (former coach to the Sumatran Royal Guard Elephant Polo Club)

• Clemmie “Tuskbreaker” Ashworth (who once scored a hat-trick in Jaipur without spilling a drop of gin),

• And of course, manager Ale Corbe, who famously won the 2019 Elephant Polo Cup in Newcastle

About the Club

• Training twice weekly (with optional elephant yoga)

• Weekend matches across the UK, from Kent to Caithness

• Pétanque evenings

• Stable sommeliers and tusk-massage therapists

• Frequent gala dinners, velvet rosette presentations, and garden rumination salons

Membership Perks

• Use of the Club’s exclusive elephant wash (heated)

• Access to our shared elephant wardrobe (embroidered in six languages)

• Automatic entry into the Royal League of Herbivorous Sports

• Invitations to annual Club Ball, Trunk Truce Dinner, and Croquet Trample

Requirements

Applicants must be over 18 (Those under 18 may join the donkey polo group which meets in Denmark Hill)

Applicants must be seconded by a current member.

Applicants must have their own elephant. (We no longer have any loan elephants available)

You must:

• Own or lease a trained elephant

• Provide a valid tusk registration certificate

• Ensure your elephant is passported, polo-trained, and has the correct visas to work in the UK (A standard Zoo Visa is not acceptable)

To Apply:

Write to the Membership Secretary (Lady Vine of Vowbridge) at The Chelsea Elephant Polo & Pétanque Club

We look forward to welcoming you , and your majestic companion , onto the field.