The season may be winding down at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, but the polo is heating up. A whirlwind weekend of polo including four women’s tournament matches, a lively Pro Pool league and six thrilling 8 goal games kept players and spectators on their toes.
The weekend kicked off with the Santa Barbara Women’s Tournament. Several injuries whittled down the teams, but the remaining four took to the field on Friday afternoon for the semi-final round of play. Central Coast/Santa Barbara collected the first win of the day against Zegers Electric. The second match featured a high-flying La Herradura team against a defensive Dec My Room. La Herradura stormed their way to victory, defeating Central Coast/Santa Barbara in the Sunday final. A big thank you to Safari Royale and Horse Coin Jewelry for supporting the Women’s Tournament!
Gillian Johnston was awarded Most Valuable Player. Meghan Gracida’s horse, Mafia, was named Best Playing Pony. “I am so grateful for this experience and I know that it was teamwork that allowed us to win… My goal was to get one of our horses recognized as Best Playing Pony because Memo works so hard to have superior horses and he deserves the recognition.” The Sportsmanship award was given to Hayley Heatley.
Central Coast/ Santa Barbara 12
Cory Williams 2
Hayley Heatley 2
Megan Judge 4
Melanja Jones 4
Dec My Room 10
Molly Agee 2
Kendall Plank 4
Claudia Uretz 3
Hannah Heitzig 1
La Herradura 12
Meghan Gracida 1
Hope Arellano 3
Gillian Johnston 6
Malia Bryan 2
Zegers Electric 8
Mia Bray A
Kathrine Campos 2T
Roxy Keyfauver 4
Michelle Huber 2
Six teams entered the final 8 goal tournament of the year, the USPA Von Dornberg Stick & Ball Wickenden Cup. A buzzer-beating goal by Graham Bray of Twin Palms/Gipsy Farms against La Herradura was the highlight of the weekend, sending fans to their feet as the ball rolled through the goal mouth with no time to spare.
Klentner Ranch once again proved to be a strong force on the field, defeating FMB Too!/Prima and Highwood in the first weekend of the tournament.
Twin Palms/Gipsy Farms secured a strong placement in the tournament with a 2-0 record as well, defeating La Herradura and Highwood.
Acme Elixirs, the winners of the previous tournament, also emerged from the weekend with a 2-0 record, defeating La Herradura and FMB Too!/Prima.
The final round of bracket play features match-ups between each of the 2-0 and 0-2 teams.
2017 SBPRC 8 goal Roster- Wickenden Cup
Acme Elixers 2-0
John Ziegler A
Jim Wright 2
Max Menini 5
Leandro Floccari A
Gipsy Farm/ Twin Palms 2-0
Paige Beard A
Sterling Giannico 4
Graham Bray 3
Chris Maloney 1
FMB Too!/Prima 0-2
Jenny Alter B
Warwick Prendiville 1
Santiago Wulff 5
Henry Walker 2
Highwood 0-2
Lesley Tims B
Marcelo Abbiati 4
Maco Llambias 5
Ron Mathison A
Klentner Ranch 2-0
Luke Klentner A
Dayelle Fargey 2
Jesse Bray 5
Justin Klentner 1
La Herradura 0-2
Maximo Vedoya B
Rodrigo Fernandez 2
Memo Gracida 6
Alvaro Fernandez 1
Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club
The Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club is the premier destination for polo on the West Coast. Located on the beautiful American Riviera, the Club offers three high goal fields, a Polo School, boarding facilities, polo lessons and country club amenities, including eight tennis courts and a fitness facility, all alongside the Pacific Ocean. The 2017 season opened May 5th and runs through the first week of October. For more information about the Club and to purchase tickets please visit www.sbpolo.com.
