GAUNTLET OF POLO

This year’s Gauntlet of Polo series produces three winners, with Park Place winning their rst US Open title, reports Alex Webbe

It was an epic end to the rain-delayed 2023 US Open Championship, when Park Place bounced back from a two-goal de cit in the nal chukka of play to capture the team’s rst US Open Championship, outscoring Valiente 4-1 in the nal seven minutes of the game for a 12-11 victory.

A powerful, well-mounted Valiente team took the eld with an impressive 10-1 Gauntlet record that included a win over

Park Place in the C. V. Whitney Cup seminals. A back-and-forth battle on Sunday afternoon was interrupted after three periods of play by heavy rains, causing the game to be suspended with Valiente holding a narrow 6-5 advantage.

Action resumed on Monday afternoon with Park Place being awarded a Penalty 1, knotting the score at 6-6. A goal from the eld by Agustin Nero and a 30-yard penalty conversion from Gonzalez had Valiente on top, 8-6. Ulloa’s sixth well-played goal of the match closed out the chukka with Valiente defending a 1-goal, 8-7 advantage.

Ru no Merlos scored his rst goal of the game on a breakaway in the opening minute of the fth for a 9-7 Valiente lead. Ulloa and Cambiaso exchanged goals to end the fth with Valiente in front, 10-8.

Park Place was awarded their second Penalty 1 of the day, cutting the Valiente lead back to a single goal, 10-9. Ulloa levelled the score at 10-10 with a nearside cut shot through the posts. The pace continued to quicken as the players scrambled for control of the ball. With 2:29 left in regulation play, Cambiaso scored his fourth goal of the day for an 11-10 advantage, but Ulloa wasn’t through yet. Ulloa’s ninth goal of the day came at the 1:45 mark, 11-11, and the go-ahead goal, 12-11 came from Ulloa with just 38 seconds on the clock.

A nal charge by Valiente came with Cambiaso on the ball racing toward the Park Place goal. In what appeared to be a certain Valiente goal, Ulloa swept across the back end of Cambiaso’s horse just in time to hook his mallet, clear the ball and save the day. Ten goals from Ulloa and a pair of Penalty 1s gave Park Place their rst US Open Championship.

Ulloa was named MVP with his Latia Kavaska earning Best Playing Pony honours.

Scone captures the USPA Gold Cup Florida polo fans got a good look at Adolfo (Poroto) Cambiaso Jr as he led the Scone team from the pivotal Number 3 slot and carried them to wins over Tamera (9-8 in OT),

Opposite: 2023 US Open Championship victors. From left: Juan Britos, Andrey Borodin, Hilario Ulloa and Jason Wates. Right: the C.V. Whitney Cup winners. From left: Bob Jornayvaz, Peke Gonzalez, Luckitas Criado, Adolfo Cambiaso with Whitney and Royal Douglas III

2023 USPA Gold Cup champions Scone –Tomas Panelo, Poroto Cambiaso, Cody Ellis, David Paradice, David “Pelon” Stirling. Presented by USPA chairman Stewart Armstrong

Two Trees Polo (18-4), La Fe (13-9) and Dutta Corp (14-10), before meeting Pilot in the nal.

Cambiaso showed ashes of his father as he deftly carried the ball up and down the eld demonstrating acute hand-eye coordination and experienced horsemanship.

A solid defensive effort by Scone held the tournament’s high scorer, Facundo Pieres, to a season low four goals as Scone held on for the 8-6 win. Pieres ended the tournament as high-scorer with 38 goals.

Tomas Panelo (replacing the injured Pelon Stirling) was named MVP, with Poroto Cambiaso’s Cabe Bailarina earning Best Playing Pony honours.

Valiente edges Pilot in C.V. Whitney Cup nal Twelve teams lined up for the rst 22-goal tournament of the season with pretournament favourites featuring Pilot, Park Place, Scone and Valiente in the USPA’s opening tournament of its Gauntlet of Polo series, the C.V. Whitney Cup.

Unfortunate seeding saw Pilot score an overtime win over Scone in the opening match of the tournament (in what should have been a semi- nal matchup) and go on to add victories over Dazos (10-9) and Shack Attack (12-11) to reach the tournament nal.

Bob Jornayvaz’s Valiente team returned to Florida after a two-year absence and scored wins over La Elina (11-6), Aspen (17-2), and Park Place (12-10) before handing Pilot their rst loss of the season, 10-9, in the nal, in spite of Pieres’ eight goals.

Pieres led the tournament in scoring with an impressive 36 goals. Lucas Criado Jr led the Valiente attack with six goals. Teammate Peke Gonzalez earned MVP honours while his horse Carpacho was named Best Playing Pony. Adolfo Cambiaso commanded the Valiente attack from the back position, relying on Gonzalez and Criado to do most of the offensive damage to Pilot.

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