March 12, 2020

North America, Polo News

Successful First Weekend Of The World Polo League Palm Beach Open

12. March 2020

Richard Mille Rallies Over Amaala To Win Sunday Feature Game

Over the weekend, The Palm Beach Open has been portraying polo prowess in the heart of Florida’s polo mecca, Grand Champions Polo Club, with the first five matches in the exciting third installment of the 2020 World Polo League gracing the pristine fields.

Following two epic matches between Alegría and SD Farms, followed by Colorado and J5 La Dolfina, to start the weekend’s entertainment, on Saturday 7 M arch,Seminole Casino fought tooth and nail to defeat their rivals STM, 10-7. Melissa Ganzi’s side and her band of long-time friends and 8 goaler extraordinaires, Lucas James, Alejandro Novillo Astrada and American number one, Nic Roldan, were all power, proving three 8 goalers is exactly what the doctor ordered in this high stakes, high goal thrill of a tournament.

With three goals to her name, Melissa led her team to a resounding victory despite their lower handicap, and to put the icing on the cake, Nic Roldan, for all his offensive plays and cohesive fervor, was named Most Valuable Player. What a start for this exciting team in The Palm Beach Open!

Valiente vs Casablanca 13-8

To commence a thrilling Sunday, the powerhouse foursome of Valiente, fresh from a victory under the Scone banner in The Founders Cup, came flying out the starting blocks, up against Grant Ganzi’s Casablanca. With Hilario Figueras stepping in for Valiente patron Bob Jornayvaz, polo fans on the sidelines were keen to see what magic this team could bring, up against the well-drilled Casablanca side.

From the off, both teams tested the mettle of their opponents, with power plays and lofty shots up field, but it was the Casablanca Captain, Ganzi, who was the first to find the uprights, putting his boys in black ahead 1-0, with 5 minutes to go. Valiente spent the first chukker forming two man plays, then three man plays, each time extending their time in front of goal, getting closer and closer to a conversion. Diego Cavanagh was the first to convert for Valiente, against increasingly strong wind, placing a set of ones on the board, with plenty of more action to come. He quickly followed with a second penalty, and a neat field goal from the main man himself Adolfo Cambiaso, putting Valiente ahead, 3-1, so as the first chukker ended, the play, having seemingly slowed down due to numerous whistles blown, started to pep-up, with Valiente going strong.

It was clear Valiente meant business going into the second period, but Casablanca had synergy and they meant to use it. The father/son Cambiaso duo had settled into a nice rhythm, but Hilario Ulloa and Rodrigo Andrade, Casablanca’s own perfect pairing, ensured they made hard work of any Valiente gains. The penalty whizz Cavanagh put a fourth goal on the scoreboard for Valiente and as the chukker continued, the goals mounted. Following some stern words, with extra passionate gesticulation thrown-in from Andrade and Cambiaso, Valiente headed into the third chukker with 6 goals to Casablanca’s 2.

A lot can happen in polo, so with seven and a half minutes before half-time, perhaps Casablanca could turn this around? Would the polo fates be that kind? Unfortunately for Casablanca; no. As the teams wound down to half-time, Valiente still led, 8-3, with a veritable whitewash underway.

Three chukkas to go and plenty of time to climb the scoreboard for Casablanca and Juancito Bollini had just the ticket, beginning the long road back to potential victory for Casablanca with a converted penalty 3. But unsurprisingly, the Cambiaso duo, with the help of young Figueras well and truly put their foot on the throttle with field goals and penalties off Cavanagh’s mallet, ending the fourth chukker 10-4 ahead, followed by the fifth with 12 goals to Valiente’s name to only 5 in response from Casablanca. Passions were flying, but despite a perfectly placed neckshot goal from Ganzi just a minute into the sixth and final chukka, Casablanca didn’t have the gumption needed to overpower the sheer Valiente might. So, with one qualifying match under their belts, Valiente had the win 13-8.

Richard Mille vs Amaala 15-7

Up next, thrilled spectators on the sidelines were set to see a clash of titans, with Richard Mille up against Nacho Figueras’s Amaala. And wow, these spectators were not disappointed. Amaala began the showdown with some quick stickwork, but the young might of the Castagnola brothers, Camilo and Barto, was sure to be a force to be reckoned with, a fact they proved in the first minute of play. Barto, with a handy, lofty shot, placed the ball perfectly through the posts, with no one on his tail to make the first, all-important mark on the scoreboard. Richard Mille continued their initial onslaught with a second goal, completely dismantling Amaala’s defense. The 8 goaler Tincho Merlos however, came back for Amaala with a beautiful penalty conversion, and as if by magic, Amaala were back in the game. As the clock wound down to the chukker end, with Richard Mille leading 3-1, a small mistake from Camilo Castagnola saw Facu Llorente find a gap, racing towards goal, ensuring his Amaala side was back in the game, 3-2 to finish the first period.

The ever-present Castagnola brothers were first out the gates in the second chukker, with older brother Barto receiving a perfectly poised pass from Camilo to open scoring in the period and putting Richard Mille 4-2 ahead. Camilo, keen for a slice of the pie, wasted no time in scoring his third goal of the afternoon and so began Richard Mille’s ongoing assault. Figueras was determined to ensure Richard Mille didn’t run away with the match too easily, but with two missed goal opportunities, it was seemingly impossible for the cascade of Castagnola power shots to falter. Furthermore, when you’re backed up by one of the best players in the world, in the form of 10 goaler Pablo Mac Donough, it’s going to take some serious collaboration to overcome this mountain of horsepower and skill.

Going into the third, Amaala were on the back foot, letting Richard Mille play their game, and Camilo Castagnola was more than happy to add salt to the wound with a fourth goal from a converted penalty 4. With fresh enthusiasm, Amaala’s Llorente and Merlos went for power play over close-range stick work, but Barto Castagnola’s horsepower ensured Merlos’ efforts were all effort with no cigar, making matters even worse for Amaala as Camilo Castagnola scored a goal from a seemingly impossible angle to make it 7-2 to Richard Mille. This was Richard Mille’s game and they weren’t going to let anyone take their thunder. As one of the WPL’s newest additions, these new kids on the block meant business – could The Palm Beach Open title be within their grasp at such an early stage?

The Mille might was as fresh as a daisy going into the second half. With an 8-2 lead, Amaala had a lot of ground to make-up and a Castangola blitzkrieg to overcome, but one thing’s for sure; they were keen to make ground. Llorente had his head in the game, coming back with the first score of the second half for Amaala, 8-3, but Mac Donough had other ideas, capitalizing on a little error from Amaala and scoring a ninth goal for Richard Mille. And on and on it went; with three minutes left to play in the fourth, Barto found the posts again to make double figures, thus ending the period 10-5, still in Richard Mille’s favor.

Despite trying with all their might, Amaala just couldn’t convert effort to goals, trying time and time again to out maneuver Richard Mille’s power foursome. Play in the fifth continued along the same tack, as the boys in black continued to power through Amaala’s handy work.But, with a nice little penalty conversion from Amaala, they narrowed the score to 10-6; could they narrow it further? If the Castagnola’s had anything to do with it, no they could not! It was to and fro up and down the field, until Barto ultimately overcame Juan Britos to run away with an 11th goal, 11-6.

With only one chukka to go, Richard Mille remained 5 goals ahead, a large, but not insurmountable score to overcome for Amaala, or so it seemed at the outset. Unfortunately for Amaala, it was one, two, three for Richard Mille who, with 1½ minutes remaining were ahead 14-6. Llorente secured a seventh goal for Amaala, but Richard Mille did exactly what they had planned to do; win their first Palm Beach Open match and win they did, with a whopping 15-7 final score.

As the sun began to set on Grand Champions Polo Club, Woods, a beautiful grey, owned and played by Nacho Figueras was named the World Polo League Best Playing Pony, whilst Subaru, played by Pablo Mac Donough was awarded the American Horse Association Best Playing Pony rug. Young Barto Castagnola picked up the Most Valuable Player honors, a sure sign of things to come in this exciting tournament.

2020 WORLD POLO LEAGUE SCHEDULE

Palm Beach Open

Wednesday 3/11 10:30AM Richard Mille vs Casablanca

Wednesday 3/11 4PM STM vs SD Farms

Thursday 3/12 10AM J5/LaDolfina vs Seminole Casino

Thursday 3/12 1PM Alegria vs Colorado

Thursday 3/12 4PM Valiente vs Amaala

Saturday 3/14 1PM J5/LaDolfina vs SD Farms

Saturday 3/14 4PM Seminole Casino vs Alegria

Sunday 3/15 10:30AM Casablanca vs Amaala

Sunday 3/15 1PM STM vs Colorado

Sunday 3/15 4PM Richard Mille vs Valiente

Semifinals 3/18-3/19

Mar. 28-Apr. 18, Triple Crown of Polo

Apr. 6-12, U.S. National Mixed Doubles Polo Championship

Apr 9-12 World Polo League Beach Polo World Cup, Miami Beach

World Polo League

Co-founded by Grand Champions owner and president Melissa Ganzi and Valiente Polo Farm owner Bob Jornayvaz, the World Polo League is the only 26-goal polo in the world outside of Argentina. The WPL is preserving the highest level of polo and its rich, hallowed tradition in the U.S.

The WPL, with 11 tournament-quality fields to play on, featured the Feb. 6-16 All-Star Challenge won by Valiente; Feb. 19-March 1 Founders Cup, March 4-22 Palm Beach Open and March 28-April 18 Triple Crown of Polo.

The WPL schedule also features the unique April 6-12 U.S. National Mixed Doubles Championship, created by Jornayvaz. It pairs men and women players. There is also the April 9-12 WPL Beach Polo World Cup in Miami Beach.

The World Polo League attracts a large international field of players from all corners of the world including Australia, Chile, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Argentina, Canada, Ecuador, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Germany, Uruguay, Venezuela, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Nigeria and England.

www.gcpolo.com

www.worldpolo.org

© Thomas Wirth

Richard Mille Rallies Over Amaala To Win Sunday Feature Game Over the weekend, The Palm Beach Open has been portraying polo prowess in the heart of Florida’s polo mecca, Grand…

North America, Polo News

Sunday Upsets Highlight Thrilling Start to Third Round of USPA Gold Cup®

12. March 2020

An action-packed start to the third round of the 2020 USPA Gold Cup® featured three games, with upsets occurring in each game including Dutta Corp handing Las Monjitas their first loss of the season with an impressive 20-11 victory. Santa Clara defeated C.V. Whitney Cup finalist La Indiana 10-7, while Equuleus narrowly edged Coca-Cola 8-7 for their first victory of the tournament at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.

The opening game featured a stunning performance from Dutta Corp, who produced the highest goal total of the season thus far with 20 goals against previously undefeated Las Monjitas. Dutta Corp was efficient from both the field and the penalty line, where they shot 86% and 80% respectively, in what provided to be a foul-ridden game with 29 fouls. Limiting Las Monjitas’ opportunities from the field, Dutta Corp completed the dominant 20-11 victory.

Eight fouls in the opening two chukkers from Las Monjitas resulted in five penalty goals for the duo of Facundo and Mariano Obregon as Dutta Corp raced out to a large lead. Conceding possessions, Las Monjitas was kept off the scoreboard, while Dutta Corp produced six goals, receiving at least one goal from each player for a quick 6-0 lead. After a penalty 2 conversion from Francisco Elizalde, Dutta Corp went on another goal run, scoring four unanswered goals, three from Mariano Obregon to finish the second chukker with a 10-1 lead. Playing at a lightning quick pace, Dutta Corp overwhelmed Las Monjitas across the entire field and took advantage of each opportunity to lead by 10 goals at halftime.

Entering the game as the lone undefeated team, Las Monjitas was stunned by Dutta Corp’s relentless attack that continued to extend their lead further. The umpire’s whistle slowed play in the second half as scoring turned to the penalty line, with Facundo Obregon adding two more penalty goals. Finishing the fourth chukker and still yet to score from the field, a frustrated Las Monjitas side were left facing an insurmountable 16-4 deficit with two chukkers remaining. Sitting back defensively over the final two chukkers, Dutta Corp finally conceded their first field goal to Bautista Panelo, who replaced an injured Mackenzie Weisz, but Dutta Corp cruised to the convincing 20-11 victory, improving to 3-0 in the tournament.

The second game of the day featured 2-0 La Indiana against 1-1 Santa Clara, but it was Santa Clara who controlled play throughout the match. Five goals each from Ignatius Du Plessis and Polito Pieres led their respective teams, but it was an organized defense from Santa Clara, holding La Indiana to 3 for 10 shooting from the field that proved to be the difference in the victory. Luis Escobar opened the scoring for Santa Clara, but a penalty 3 conversion from Pieres, along with a field goal from Jeff Hall gave La Indiana the early 2-1 lead. In one of the most decisive chukkers of the match, Santa Clara produced four goals in quick succession, led by two from Du Plessis and an impressive goal from Henry Porter to race into a 5-2 advantage on the scoreboard. Fouls from Santa Clara slowed their momentum to finish the half, but they maintained their three-goal lead heading into halftime.

Focused on making their comeback, La Indiana fought to create chances at goal, but Santa Clara’s strong defense made their shot attempts difficult. Converting just one of their first six shot attempts, La Indiana saw their deficit grow to four with Du Plessis pacing the Santa Clara attack. The duo of Pieres and Hall combined for three goals as La Indiana found their footing in the fifth chukker, pulling within two goals as excitement rose around the field in a potential comeback. A clutch penalty 4 conversion from Du Plessis to begin the final chukker gave Santa Clara a commanding three-goal lead, which they didn’t give up, capturing the 10-7 victory, matching La Indiana’s 2-1 record atop Bracket I.

The final game of the day on the U.S. Polo Assn. Field 1 displayed a defensive battle between Coca-Cola and Equuleus that came down to the final second on a penalty conversion from Mariano Gonzalez. Despite inaccurate shooting from the field and the penalty line, Equuleus outshot Coca-Cola 17-10, with the extra attempts leading them to the narrow victory. A back and forth start to the game resulted in the two teams trading goals, deadlocked at 2-2 after the first chukker. The duo of Inaki and Magoo Laprida combined for a three-goal run that gave Equuleus control of the game, but before the end of the half, Coca-Cola responded with back-to-back goals from Nico Pieres and Julian de Lusarreta.

Defense highlighted the second half of the feature game, leaving the teams within one goal of each other over the final three chukkers. Steve Krueger’s second goal of the game tied the score at 5-5, but scoring was hard to come by for the remainder of the game, with five of the final six goals coming from the penalty line. Penalty goals from Gonzalez and Pieres sent the outcome into the final chukker as spectators were treated to a close finish. Drawing a foul in the final seconds, Equuleus had a penalty 2 attempt for the victory as time was expiring and Gonzalez converted the chance, sending Equuleus to the thrilling 8-7 victory. Magoo Laprida captured MVP honors, while his mare „Nike“ was named the Best Playing Pony.

The USPA Gold Cup® – the second leg of the GAUNTLET OF POLO™, continues today, March 9 at 11:00 a.m. with Postage Stamp Farm vs. Daily Racing Form on field 5 and at 3:00 p.m. with Cessna vs. Patagones on field 3. For the full daily game schedule, click here. All games can be watched live at GlobalPolo.com.

About the International Polo Club Palm Beach

The International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) is the premier polo destination in the world, hosting the largest field of high-goal teams and the most prestigious polo tournaments in the United States. Polo enthusiasts descend upon Wellington, FL each winter season to enjoy their love of the sport at the most prominent polo facility in the country. The 2020 Palm Beach Polo Season opens Sunday, December 29, and concludes 17 weeks later with the U.S. Open Polo Championship® Final on Sunday, April 19. Polo matches are open to the public, with a wide range of hospitality and guest seating that includes elegant grandstand viewing, field tailgating, stadium seating, field-side champagne brunch at The Pavilion, and exclusive sponsor boxes. See more at www.internationalpoloclub.com.