Playing polo for good cause at Bethpage

Call it a polo match for the people.

From its stance as a royal pastime to the slick opulence of Ralph Lauren ads, the idea of polo and polite society often goes hand in hand. Sunday at the Bethpage Polo Fields may not have seemed much different, though the ultimate goal was downright populist in nature.

For the polo inclined: Black Watch defeated Proskauer, 6-4, in a match featuring Black Watch superstar and Ralph Lauren model Nacho Figueras. For the rest of us: HelpArgentina, a non-profit that helps funnel money to approximately 70 Argentina-based charities, held its second annual High Goal Polo Challenge, meant to raise money to foster education in the nation's poverty-stricken provinces.

"We have a strong connection and a relatively large community of Argentines living in New York," said Emilio Ocampo, chairman of the board at HelpArgentina. "We concentrate on polo because it's emblematic. It's a sport where Argentina has excelled."

It's also an effective fundraising strategy. The non-profit raised $900,000 in 2010 in what Ocampo said was a banner year for HelpArgentina, and "this event accounts for a big portion of our budget."

It's not difficult to see why. The event, which was sponsored by companies such as Hermes and Aracano, attracted a decidedly upper-crust crowd -- many Argentines and a good number, Ocampo said, concerned with helping out back home.

Last year, proceeds from the event helped build a school in northern Argentina, where the majority of the population lives under the poverty level, he said.

Figueras, an Argentine who has lent his name to HelpArgentina for two years, said that even beyond the charitable nature, events such as these help to serve as an ambassador for the sport.

"Of course, charity is very important to me," he said. "It's also very important in raising awareness in polo . . . I can feel people more interested about it. They want to learn more about it."

Steven Carl, whose company, Carlyle Off The Green, helped put together the event, concurred and added that Long Island is a prime place to start.

"Doing it at Bethpage really expands what we can do," he said over the gallop of horses and clinking of glasses. "People love polo and it really lends itself as a social event."