In today’s matches for the Julius Baer Gold Cup, Julius Baer and Ghantoot achieved two important wins at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club. Julius Baer by Habtoor Polo defeated UAE Polo by 9-6 in a tough match. Guillermo Cuitiño was top scorer of the match, scoring the 9 goals for his team, and thus was named Most Valuable Player. Cuitiño led Julius Baer to their first win in the tournament against a really tough rival like UAE that fought till the end but was faced against a solid Julius Baer team.
In the second match of the day, Ghantoot also had a happy afternoon at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club after defeating Mahra by 6-5 in a testing game. Team made by Youssef Bin Desmal, Lucas Díaz Alberdi, Tomás Fernández Llorente and Bautista
Bayugar suffered till the last minutes to secure the victory. Bayugar was the top scorer of the match with four goals.
In a day full of action, goals and the unfortunate injury of 10-goaler Pablo Mac Donough, Zedan and Abu Dhabi achieved wins in yesterday’s matches for the Julius Baer Gold Cup at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club.
Mac Donough suffered a hard fall in the fourth chukka of the match against Edrees and had to drop out the field with an injured ankle. Replaced by Lucas Monteverde, Zedan achieved a bitter victory by a comfortable 8-2. Mac Donough was the top scorer of the match with 4 goals.
In the second match of the day, Abu Dhabi Polo Team achieved his first victory in the Julius Baer Gold Cup after defeating Bin Drai by 11-7 in a thrilling match. Team made by Ali Al Merri, Valentín Novillo, Facundo Fernández Llorente and top player Alfredo Capella had to fight till the very end to defeat the strong Bin Drai team.
With an outstanding half time, Abu Dhabi achieved a comfortable difference in the score of 7-3, but Bin Drai’s reaction in the fourth chukka, closing the gap to only one goal (7-6), put some suspense to the final 7 minutes of the game. The talented Alfredo Capella showed up in the last chukka to score four consecutive goals for Abu Dhabi’s victory by 11-7. Capella was top scorer of the match with 8 goals and named Most Valuable Player.
The Julius Baer Gold Cup will continue next Friday at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club with a double action day. Starting at 2 pm Zedan will play against Wolves Polo followed by Bin Drai facing Edrees at 4 pm.
The teams include:
• Abu Dhabi Polo Team: Patron Faris Al Yabhouni
• Bin Drai Polo Team: Patron Saeed Bin Drai
• Edrees Polo Team: Patron Sultan Edrees
• Ghantoot Polo Team: Patron HH Sheikh Falah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
• Julius Baer Polo team by Habtoor: Patron Mohammed Al Habtoor
• Mahra Polo Team: Patron Rashid Al Habtoor
• UAE Polo Team: Patron Her Highness Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
• Wolves Polo Team: Patron Ahmed M Al Habtoor & Khalaf Rashid Al Habtoor
• Zedan Polo Team: Patron Amr Zedan
About Julius Baer Gold Cup (Dubai Open)
The Julius Baer Gold Cup (Dubai Open), the UAE’s premier polo tournament, takes place from Friday, 19 February 2016 to Friday, 11 March 2016. A record number of teams vie for this year’s title. The Julius Baer Gold Cup (Dubai Open), an 18-goal handicap competition, is part of the Gold Cup Series. It immediately follows the McLaren Cup 2016. The event is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. The tournament, played under HPA rules, is now in its seventh year. It has grown significantly since inception.
www.dubaipologoldcup.com