Nacho Figueras launches steamy romance series, "The Polo Season"
As the global face of Ralph Lauren's Polo brand, Nacho Figueras is one of the most recognizable men in the world. He's also the captain of the Argentinean Black Watch polo team, but the sport he loves is much less known.
That was part of the inspiration for his new romance trilogy, "The Polo Season."
"My friend Luke Janklow, who is an agent for books... said 'you know, I really think that a romance novel could help you spread the word about polo, get more people interested in the sport of polo, get more people to love what you do, to understand how you guys work - the time that you spend with the horse, the time you spend on the barns and you know, women would love it,'" Figueras told "CBS This Morning" Tuesday.
The romance novels follow a glamorous Argentine family living in Florida, set against the backdrop of the polo scene. The first book is called "High Season," which is followed by "Ride Free" and "Wild One."
When Figueras initially pitched that they write a biography, his friend immediately rejected the idea in favor of a steamy, romantic series because "sex sells."
"He said 'no, no, no way, let's go with sex.' I said, 'OK, I want to trust you on this one,'" Figueras recalled.
Polo hasn't been an Olympic sport since the Berlin Summer Games of 1936, when Manuel Andrada of Argentina won the gold medal. Figueras hopes his book series will bring more attention to the sport.
"I feel that this game has a lot to offer. I feel that this game is not well known and I think more people would get to love the game... I hope that millions of people would start watching it," Figueras said. "I think there's something very sexy about a man and a horse."
Figueras also opened up about his friendship with Prince Harry, with whom he recently played polo in a charity match for orphan children in Africa. Figueras is an ambassador for Sentebale, a charitable organization Prince Harry co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help children affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
"He's a wonderful guy, someone that really inspires me. He's really committed to his things" Figueras said. "His grandmother loves horses, his father played polo, his grandfather played polo, he loves horses and he loves to play and he uses polo as a platform to raise money for very important causes."