Facundo Pieres joins Pelón Stirling as ambassador for the Ainsley MVP polo saddle. Facundo’s new saddles were baptized in the King Power Gold Cup and they will offer protection to his horses and a perfect platform for Facundo also in the Argentine and US high goal seasons. Facundo will benefit from a perfect, adjustable fit on all his horses, a wide gullet, ample space at the withers and sculpted panels protecting shoulders and backs, while placing Facundo in the ideal playing position. Like Pelón, Facundo will work with Ainsley Saddlery to ensure that the MVP continues to be the preferred choice for polo players demanding great performance from themselves and their horses. For more information on the MVP, and to read about the once in a lifetime chance to play a practice match with Facundo.
Facundo Pieres
History was made at Cowdray Park Polo Club on Saturday, June 23rd, as the All Pro Polo League (APPL) gave the club its first ever 40-goal match. Eight 10-goal players took to the field to showcase a set of rules, proposed by APPL founder Javier Tanoira, which intend to make polo a more dynamic and spectator friendly sport. Saturday’s event proved that Tanoira’s vision has the potential to transform modern-day polo.
Action kicked off at 4:30 pm with an 18-goal “Young Guns” battle, which saw up-andcoming players from England, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina and Australia play a competitive, fast flowing match. Kings and Hurlingham Polo 1875 fought hard to claim the victory, but Kings managed to score in the last minute to win 7-6. “The rules are really simple and well thought out,” shares Hurlingham Polo 1875 Captain Jack Richardson. “I loved the hit-ins after the goal because it keeps the game flowing, and from what people said on the sidelines it was entertaining to watch. It was amazing to play on Lawns 1 and there was a really good crowd there.”
Up next, eight of the world’s best players rode onto Lawns 1. Representing Hurlingham Polo 1875 were Facundo Pieres, Pelon Stirling, Gonzalo Pieres and Juan Martin Nero. They took on Cowdray Park, composed of Polito Pieres, Sapo Caset, Hilario Ulloa, and Nico Pieres. The 10-goalers put on a fantastic spectacle, much to the delight of the viewers, many of whom had never witnesses this level of polo before. After six full speed chukkas, Cowdray took the win to claim the APPL Eagle trophy.
“It was a great event and it was a lot of fun to play 40-goal polo,” says Cowdray Captain Sapo Caset. “I had never played that level here in England and it was a pleasure to do so. We have been working on the rules and improving certain aspects of the league to make it better for spectators, players, and horses. This is my third APPL event this year and I am very happy to be a part of it. The feedback between the players and Javier is very positive. He is always open to new ideas, which is great because at the end of the day we all want the best for the sport.”
“We are very happy,” says Tanoira. “It was a historic day for the APPL and for Cowdray. Both exhibitions were fantastic to watch. The 10-goalers played hard and fast, it was clear both sides wanted to win. It was the best possible way of showcasing the rules. I got a lot of positive feedback from people who are very involved with polo. I want to thank everyone who worked to make this event a success.”
Roderick Vere Nicoll, Chariman of Cowdray Park Polo Club and an early supporter of the APPL, recognised the significance of the event: “What a tremendous day for polo at Cowdray! I salute Javier Tanoira for his vision. What better endorsement than to have eight of the world’s best players play under the APPL rules! I would like to thank the players and their patrons for allowing them to play on the eve of the Gold Cup. There was a wonderful vibe and I hope we can do it again next year!”
“Young Guns” Battle:
KINGS (18 goals)
O Cork (2)
S Stirling (5)
B Castagnola (6)
P Villela (5)
HURLINGHAM POLO 1875 (18 goals)
T Brodie (4)
J Daniels (4)
J Richardson (7)
F Horne (3)
40-GOAL Challenge:
COWDRAY PARK (40 gols)
P Pieres (10)
H Ulloa (10)
G Caset (10)
N Pieres (10)
HURLINGHAM POLO 1875 (40 goals)
F Pieres (10)
D Stirling (10)
G Pieres (10)
J M Nero (10)
The All Pro Polo League (APPL) is proud to announce their collaboration with Cowdray Park Polo Club (CPPC) during their 2018 WORLD TOUR. For the first time in polo history, an All Star 40-goal match will be played in England, and Cowdray Park, widely considered the home of British polo, has been chosen as the venue for the event taking place on 23rd June.
The APPL first hosted a 40-goal match in Argentina in 2017, and it is the aim of Javier Tanoira, founder of the league, to see this level of polo played around the world. Many 10 goal players have shown their support for the league, including Facundo Pieres, Gonzalito Pieres, Nico Pieres, Polito Pieres, ‘Sapo’ Caset, Hilario Ulloa, Pablo MacDonough, Juan Martin Nero and ‘Pelon’ Stirling. All of these star players have confirmed their commitment to the Cowdray Park match.
Roderick Vere Nicoll, Chairman of Cowdray Park Polo Club, says: “We are proud to be hosting the first ever APPL 40-goal polo match in the UK. To be the venue for such an exhibition of human and equine skill is a privilege. The APPL is trying to speed up the game and make it easier to understand, especially for those who are not familiar with the sport. One of our goals at CPPC is to take polo to a wider audience and show what a fantastic spectacle it truly is.”
“We are very happy to support the league,” adds 10-goal superstar Facundo Pieres. “The APPL has put forward a number of good things that we would do well to implement in polo. I agree with Javier that it should be a parallel league, one that does not compete with patron-based polo and important tournaments. The Associations have been taking ideas from the league and trying them out in professional polo. Several have worked well—like the elimination of the throw-in from the boards or shorter timings between fouls and chukkas, as well as the time you have to take a penalty.”
‘Sapo’ Caset also voiced his enthusiasm for the upcoming event: “I think that hosting a 40-goal exhibition in England is a great idea. Javier has been taking the league all over the world and there is no better way of putting the concept across than by getting the 10-goalers involved. We want to get as many people watching as possible so that we can popularise the sport. We all have commitments and it’s not easy to get everyone together, but a 40-goal game in England will be historic.”
Tanoira founded the APPL with the intention of professionalising polo and providing a pure sporting spectacle for polo fans around the world. “Matches like these are very important,” he explains. “They not only show that the best players in the world support our project, but that the best clubs in the world are getting involved, too. Cowdray is undoubtedly one of the most important clubs in the world, and it is wonderful that they are giving us this opportunity. We are going to put on a real spectacle. The Cowdray audience knows a lot about the sport so we are going to do our best to keep them happy.” The programme on 23rd June will also feature a match starring eight young professional players from the major polo playing countries.
Valiente defends title at the USPA Gold Cup against Flexjet with 12-11. Driven by an ambitious desire to sweep the Triple Crown of Polo, powerhouse Valiente rode for the second consecutive year into the USPA Gold Cup® Final on Sunday, April 1, at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida. Untouchable throughout tournament play, Valiente faced a strong offensive drive by Flexjet in their second matchup, but ultimately defended their title 12-11.
Claiming two immediate goals in the first, Facundo Pieres set the pace for a fast, competitive final. As the first half progressed, both teams relentlessly traded goals back and forth, Flexjet strategically taking every available opportunity to intercept the ball and capitalize from the penalty line. Demonstrating excellent control, Adolfo Cambiaso propelled the ball downfield, expertly weaving it between Flexjet’s defenders to pick up his first goal in the second. Staying in position and making key plays happen, Valiente’s optimal teamwork secured two additional goals, keeping them ahead by two at the end of the second. “I was mainly playing back on Flexjet’s hit-ins and trying to push forward on our plays,” Tommy Beresford revealed. “I tried to make space for Adolfo and Facundo and since those two are the best they can usually pull through with that.” Missing several opportunities to score, Flexjet allowed Cambiaso to get on another breakaway to goal, doubling the scoreboard. Just before Facundo Pieres could score another goal, Rodrigo De Andrade managed to steal the ball and move it downfield, ending the half 6-3 in favor of Valiente.
Benefiting from gaining possession from the initial throw-in at the start of the fourth, Flexjet’s De Andrade made an effective team play with Nico Pieres for a fast field goal. As both teams began to play a more open style of polo, the goals also began to stack up with increasing speed. Valiente acted quickly in retaliation with a goal each by Cambiaso and Beresford, preventing Flexjet from making up any ground and maintaining a three-goal lead. Explosive in the fifth, Nico Pieres played his strongest chukker yet, hitting a giant neckshot to goal and converting a Penalty 4 and 6 in an effort to derail Valiente in the second half. Consistent throughout, Valiente anticipated the plays and followed through with their team strategy, using Beresford to protect Facundo Pieres and allowing him to have the open shots to goal.
Valiente still in the lead 11-9 as the final chukker began, Cambiaso grabbed his fifth goal of the game, determined to prevent another uprising from Flexjet. Charging up and down the field, De Andrade finally managed to score two consecutive goals bringing his team within one, but the 30-second horn ended Flexjet’s final drive. Valiente claimed their second consecutive USPA Gold Cup® with a final score of 12-11.
Responsible for seven out of 11 goals, five from the penalty line and two from the field, Nico Pieres was named Most Valuable Player. Best Playing Pony honors were awarded to Macarena, a grey mare owned by Mariano Gonzalez and played by Adolfo Cambiaso in the third chukker. “Macarena is an amazing, fantastic horse that can run as long as I need her to,” Cambiaso said. “She will rest for a bit now then go to Argentina to play the Argentine Open with me.”
Looking forward to participating in the prestigious U.S. Open Polo Championship®, Bob Jornayvaz recognizes the steep competition Valiente will have to face in the final 26-goal tournament of the season. “Now the hard work begins, we can’t lose focus so we need to stay healthy and keep the horses healthy” Jornayvaz said. “You have to go out on the field with a game plan, execute it, and stay disciplined. Flexjet came within one goal and that’s when we need to fall back on our game plan because that’s what a good organization is all about.”
The All Pro Polo League (APPL) USA came to an end last weekend at Outback, in Wellington, Florida, with four exciting matches and will continue in April with a tournament in São Paulo, Brazil. The league works with a set of new rules to motivate dynamic, open, and fully professional polo. Four teams, composed of the top twelve young, up-and-coming American players and four 10-goal superstars (Facundo Pieres, Sapo Caset, Gonzalito Pieres, and Hilario Ulloa), battled it out to win the APPL Eagle trophy. Open Polo and La Zeta kicked off the day’s action with a fast and fluid match. Team USPA player Santi Torres meshed well with 10-goal legend Gonzalito Pieres, and Open Polo claimed the victory to qualify for the final. Up next, La Hache-Villa del Lago defeated Sapo Caset’s Santa Maria de Lobos, in a game which saw spectacular runs from Hilario Ulloa. La Hache’s win allowed them to advance in the tournament and fight Open Polo for the title.
The APPL USA final was the expression of full speed polo. It was a well fought match, with La Hache maintaining a slight advantage throughout. A goal by Wesley Bryan tied the match just as the final bell rang, taking the final into a penalty shootout. After several missed attempts, Jason Crowder sent a 60-yard shot between the posts to give La Hache-Villa del Lago the All Pro Polo League title.
“I am very happy to have played and to have won with La Hache,” shares Ulloa. “The league creates a wonderful spectacle, with open, four-man polo. I think this is a great initiative on Javier Tanoira’s part. He always tells us that this project belongs to everyone, because it is something designed to benefit polo, and that we all have to feel included.”
“I like that Javier [Tanoira] invited the best young Americans to play with the 10 goalers,” tells Caset. “I think that it is great for polo as a whole for us to mix. A lot of people are very excited about the league. Every player put their best foot forward and lots of people came out to support us. I would love the All Pro to continue evolving.”
“I think the APPL is something polo needs if it is ever going to reach the level of any other sport in the world,” says Mariano Gracida, finalist of the tournament. “As a young player from the States trying to make it to play 22-goal, it is very special to be playing with the 10-goalers. For me it is a learning experience without having the pressure to win, and I think that allowed me to play better. Personally, it was my favourite game of the year.”
A large crowd of people gathered to watch the tournament, and many others tuned in online via the USPA network. “This was the first time we had the chance to work with Chukker.TV, where they filmed and live streamed the matches,” highlights Javier Tanoira, Founder of the APPL. “What they do is amazing, and their studio is very impressive. They are the kind of partner we need if we want to film our tournaments at a high level.”
The All Pro Polo League World Tour continues in April, with a tournament in São Paulo, Brazil.
Follow @allpropolo for information and news about the league!
Teams:
La Hache – Villa del Lago: Hilario Ulloa, Jason Crowder, Jared Zenni, Justin Daniels
La Zeta: Facundo Pieres, Kris Kampsen, Juan Monteverde, Lucas Escobar
Open Polo: Gonzalito Pieres, Santi Torres, Nano Gracida, Wesley Bryan
Santa Maria de Lobos: Sapo Caset, Pelon Escapite, Tommy Collingwood, Nico Escobar
About APPL: The All Pro Polo League (APPL), founded by Javier Tanoira in 2015, is set to host its third tournament on US soil. The competition, which spans two days (March 20 and 23), invites up-and-coming local players take to the field alongside several 10-goal icons. The tournament format, which will not follow a traditional set up, reflects Tanoira’s belief that polo can only flourish if young players are granted time with Argentine 10 goalers in the context of the APPL, where new rules have been established to improve the speed and rhythm of the game. On that basis, this APPL tournament will focus on giving young Americans precious time with the leaders of the sport.
“We believe that Argentina’s dominance is a barrier to the development of the sport, and it is time that we, as Argentines, do something about it,” says Tanoira. “That is why we have structured the tournament in this way. The only way a polo player of any level can improve is by playing with and against the best players in the world, at a level superior to the one they are used to. That is how Argentine players grow—there is no secret to it, they are not superhuman. But neither American, English, French nor Spanish players have that possibility on a recurring basis.” However, the All Pro Polo League is working hard to break the cycle. “The APPL can incite change,” insists Tanoira. “We think this tournament is a fantastic opportunity to start a scholarship fund, so as to help American players travel to Argentina in the high goal season. We are trying to make that a reality, with the support of the USPA and the Argentine 10 goalers.”
Succumbing to Pilot in their first game of the tournament, La Indiana was granted another opportunity to rectify their one loss in the Iglehart Cup Final on Thursday, March 15, at the International Polo Club in Wellington, Florida. Despite a strong comeback in the sixth, La Indiana was unable to stop Pilot’s offensive drives and they ultimately took the trophy 11-9.
Utilizing the strong defensive skills of their teammates to create breaks, Facundo and Gonzalito Pieres opened the first with two commanding goal shots from the field. Winning the next throw-in and galloping straight to goal, La Indiana countered with two impressive goals of their own. Excellent blocking from Timmy Dutta kept Facundo Pieres well out of La Indiana’s reach throughout the first half, as he thundered across the field relatively unchallenged, easily picking up two field goals by the end of the second chukker to double up the score 6-3 in favor of Pilot.
“It was a pleasure to play with Curtis as a team,” Dutta said graciously. “He and I go back and forth, one of us to one guy one to the ball, it’s amazing. We knew that after playing La Indiana before they were going to come back even stronger in the finals, so we had to prepare, but I think we did well today.” Benefiting from penalty conversions, La Indiana slowly began to close the deficit with strong plays by Facundo Obregon and Toro Ruiz, ending the half trailing by one 6-7.
Making the only goal with a shot approximately 40-yards from the posts, Ruiz played a fearless fourth chukker. Diverted temporarily in the fourth, Pilot’s prowess accelerated them into the lead in the fifth with three consecutive goals by the Pieres brothers. Once in possession of the ball, Facundo Pieres surged forward, dodging the mallets of defenders as he rode out in front free and clear. Starting off the sixth 10-7 with Pilot leading, La Indiana would have to elevate their game in an attempt to overtake the lead.
Aggressive plays by both sides led to two pivotal penalty conversions for La Indiana, providing the motivation they needed for a final push. The clock ran down as La Indiana searched desperately for the equalizer. In the final moments however, Facundo Pieres would seal Pilot’s victory with a goal from the penalty line, his eighth of the game, bringing the final score 11-9.
His first time competing in a high-goal final, Curtis Pilot enjoyed every moment of the experience. “It was a fantastic win, we played La Indiana which I think is one of the best teams to play because they are very aggressive,” Pilot said. “We have great horses and a great organization with Gonzalo de la Fuente.”
Responsible for four out of nine total goals for La Indiana, Toro Ruiz was named Most Valuable Player. Best Playing Pony honors were awarded to So Easy, a 12-year-old mare ridden by Gonzalito Pieres in the second and sixth chukkers. “She’s a mare that has played in the [Argentine] Open with me many times, she in the last one too, and I decided to bring her because I knew she was going to help me a lot—and it’s happening,” Gonzalito Pieres said with a laugh. “She is bred from an American mare called Easy Go, that Facundo [Pieres] bought from Charlie Armstrong, and a stallion named Picaro.”
The USPA Polo Network will livestream both the USPA Gold Cup® and the Carlos Gracida Cup on Saturday, March 17, beginning at 10:30 am ET from the International Polo Club Palm Beach.
Valiente wins the C.V. Whitney Cup at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. Fresh off their recent win in the Ylvisaker Cup, defending C.V. Whitney Cup champions Valiente kept the momentum going, landing Colorado in the final Sunday, March 4, at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida. Putting their new rosters to the test for the first 26-goal tournament of the season, both teams created fresh dynamics on the field, but Valiente rode away with their second consecutive tournament title 9-4.
Valiente’s unprecedented final featuring the two top 10-goalers in the world and rivals, Adolfo Cambiaso and Facundo Pieres, was a display of incredible skill and teamwork. Executing a beautiful 70-yard shot to goal quickly followed by a deep neckshot in the first chukker, Pieres unleashed a strong offensive force Colorado could not stop. Expertly setting up his forward, Adolfo Cambiaso worked the ball down field, leaving it for Rob Jornayvaz* who picked up the only goal of the second. As play progressed, Colorado experienced many missed opportunities throughout the game as players repeatedly were unable to connect and overrode, leaving the team scoreless in the first half. Taking full advantage of broken plays and costly mistakes, Cambiaso ended the half 5-0 in favor of Valiente.
Fighting to get his team in the game, Diego Cavanagh charged through the formidable blue jerseys to finally score two goals in the fourth effectively outscoring Valiente by one in the chukker. Cambiaso opened the fifth with a field goal, but was then answered by Cavanagh who hit a neckshot through traffic to goal. Completely in sync and dominating the field, Pieres and Cambiaso completed two additional plays to triple Colorado’s score 9-3 headed into the final chukker.
As precious minutes ticked by, the ball was passed back and forth across the field numerous times, finally crossing between Colorado’s goal posts and giving Magoo Laprida his first goal of the game. Despite a valiant effort in the last two chukkers, Colorado could not rival Valiente’s momentum. Valiente claimed their second consecutive 2018 C.V. Whitney Cup with a final score of 9-4. Reflecting on the tournament Tommy Beresford said, “The horses are getting fitter and I’m playing a little faster. It is becoming a bit easier as we are getting to know each other. We feel great and are looking forward to the next tournament.”
Responsible for five of Valiente’s nine goals, four from the field and one Penalty 3, Pieres was named Most Valuable Player. “Every game we are going to get a little bit better as a team,” Pieres said. “Today we were better with passing the ball between each other. Our last game was more difficult from the beginning and we had some pressure because it was our first together, but today was much better.” Best Playing Pony honors were awarded to Mentolada, owned by J5 Equestrian and ridden by Adolfo Cambiaso in the third chukker.
Photo: David Lominska
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