Newport

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Newport Wins Fall Classic In Season-Ender At Grand Champions Polo Club; Gene Goldstein MVP

25. November 2024

WELLINGTON, Fla., November 24, 2024—Newport saved its best for last, winning the final tournament of the fall season Sunday at Grand Champions Polo Club.

Newport (Gene Goldstein, Eliza Limehouse, Pablo Spinacci, Tomacho Pieres) held on for a 6-5 victory over Santa Rita (Miles Rich, Martin Jauregui, Rebecca Cohen, Juan Bollini) in the Fall Classic.

It was Newport‘s first tournament win of the season.

Newport‘s Gene Goldstein, the fall season‘s leading scorer, was Most Valuable Player. Goldstein missed only two goal-scoring attempts this season. He scored a game-high five goals to finish the season.

Royal, a 10-year-old Roan mare, played by Rebecca Cohen in the first and fourth chukkers, and owned by Santa Rita Polo Farm, was Best Playing Pony.

Newport led from start to finish, but Santa Rita made it interesting.

Newport jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the opening chukker behind Goldstein‘s two goals.

Newport extended its halftime lead to 5-3 with a 70-yard goal from Pieres to open the chukker and two more goals from Goldstein.

Santa Rita cut Newport‘s lead to one, 5-4, when Miles Rich scored with a second remaining. Goldstein scored his fifth goal, a 63-yarder, to open the final chukker for a 6-4 advantage. Bollini cut the lead to one again with 3:11 left to play. Goldstein came up with the defensive play of the game to turn back Bollini and preserve the victory.

Santa Rita could not take advantage of its scoring opportunites in the second half. Rich led Santa Rita with a team-high three goals.

Grand Champions finished a successful season that featured both medium and high goal tournaments.

Looking back on the season, other 2024 fall champions were: Tackeria Invitational, Audi (Dominic State, Martin Jauregui, Marc Ganzi, Sugar Erskine); Pedro Morrison Memorial, Maltese Falcons (Melissa Ganzi, Teo Calle, Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan); Banyan Cup, SebiLion (Sebastian Mandelbaum, Santos Bollini, Sugar Erskine, Jason Crowder); Fall Plates, Grand Champions (Miles Rich, -1, Grant Ganzi, 3, Martin Jauregui, 6, Pablo Dorignac, 4); Casablanca Fall Cup, Santa Rita (Rebecca Cohen/Phil Gutman, Jason Crowder, 5, Nic Roldan, 8, Juan Bollini, 3) and ChukkerTV Fall Challenge Cup, Santa Rita (Rebecca Cohen, Andres Fanjul, Martin Jauregui, Juan Bollini).

The family-friendly club welcomes spectators of all ages. All matches are open to the public and dogs on leashes.

In last year‘s Fall Classic, the Maltese Falcons won their team debut. Maltese Falcons (Melissa Ganzi, Jason Crowder, 5, Juan Bollini, 3, Nic Roldan, 8) led the two-day, 18-chukker round robin from start-to-finish. They defeated Casablanca (Marc Ganzi, Grant Ganzi, 3, Tomacho Pieres, 6, Martin Jauregui, 6), 7-5, in the final three chukkers to clinch the title on Aspen Field. Roldan was MVP.

The well-organized fall tournaments attracted players from all over the world. Roster lineups changed from tournament to tournament with evenly-matched teams featuring pro and amateur players.

Wellington-based ChukkerTV (CTV Sports) live streamed the entire fall season. Grand Champions is the only USPA club that live streams all its games.

Grand Champions and Santa Rita Polo Farm is the largest and most unique private 102-acre polo facility in Wellington with 212 stalls in nine self-contained barns, two tracks, five climate-controlled tack rooms, vet room, staff quarters, guest house and four polo fields with state-of-the-art underground irrigation and short work arena. The club has 11 well-manicured world-class fields at GCPC and Santa Rita.

Grand Champions Polo Club caters to men, women and youth polo players at all levels. Its‘ expert staff can customize a complete playing experience including horses, pros and certified umpires in addition to lessons and practice sessions as part of its‘ Polo On Demand program..

The Polo School is for all ages and ability levels and operates in Wellington year-round. The Polo School, a 501c3 organization and stand-alone USPA club, is dedicated to teaching polo to all ages, particularly grass roots youth. Its mission is to provide individuals opportunities in polo at every economic and ability level. The Polo School operates year-round in Wellington. For more information on the club‘s leagues or Polo School contact Cale Newman at 561-876-2930.

Sharon Robb
Photos by Candace Ferreira

WELLINGTON, Fla., November 24, 2024—Newport saved its best for last, winning the final tournament of the fall season Sunday at Grand Champions Polo Club. Newport (Gene Goldstein, Eliza Limehouse, Pablo…

North America, Polo News

Newport Wins Top Pony 12-Goal Title; Michel Dorignac Named MVP

7. April 2021

WELLINGTON, FL, April 6, 2021— Newport defeated Ellipse by 17-13 on Sunday to take the Top Pony 12-Goal title.

Newport (Gene Goldstein, Milo Dorignac, Michel Dorignac, and Nick Manifold) met Ellipse (Jack Whitman, Toly Ulloa, Robi Bilbao, and Louis Devaleix) Sunday morning to vie for the title in the Top Pony 12-Goal tournament. Newport ceded one goal to Ellipse on handicap.

The match started with a foul in the first 20 seconds of the game, setting the tone for what was a penalty-heavy match. Milo Dorignac put the first goal on the board for Newport, but Ellipse ended the chukker ahead 3-1 on penalty conversions by Robi Bilbao. Michel Dorignac converted a Penalty 2, putting Newport in striking distance, but field goals by Jack Whitman and Toly Ulloa kept Ellipse in the lead. Nick Manifold found the posts with 23 seconds on the clock and the period ended 5-4 with Newport nipping at Ellipse’s heels.

A goal by Robi Bilbao put the score up to 6 but it was quickly answered by Nick Manifold, keeping Ellipse’s lead down to one goal until Toly Ulloa converted a Penalty 2. Milo Dorignac evaded Toly Ulloa to put the ball through with 2:18 left on the clock but a final penalty conversion by Bilbao ended the half with Ellipse leading 8-6.

The penalties really started to stack up in the fouth chukker, with Ellipse adding two goals from the line. However, Newport was the greater beneficiary of penalities, with Michel Dorignac converting three penalties after starting the chukker with a goal from the field. Ellipse started the fifth chukker with a penalty conversion, but Michel Dorignac racked up another hat trick with one goal from the field and two successful penalty shots to put Newport into the lead for the first time in the match at 13-11.

Although Toly Ulloa and Robi Bilbao were able to score from the field, the continued fouling cost Ellipse the match as Dorignac converted another four penalties during the final chukker to win the match for Newport 17-13. With his baker’s dozen goals, Dorignac was named the MVP of the match. Purdon Guri Canina, ridden by Michel Dorignac and owned by Sebastian Merlos, took the Best Playing Pony award.