Valiente and Daily Racing Form race through to US Open Polo Championship Semi Finals
This week’s US Open Polo Championship play concluded with a win for Daily Racing Form against Melissa Ganzi’s Flexjet yesterday, Thursday 13 April, at the International Polo Club in Wellington, Florida. Jared Zenni’s team, ably captained by Hilario Ulloa, were clearly the strongest team and led the field from the first throw-in. Flexjet fought back with a vengeance, scoring a worthy 11 goals for their efforts, but as the final bell sounded, Daily Racing Form took home the win 14-11 and with it a position in the US Open Semi Finals.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday 10 April, Valiente continued their unbeaten US stint with a 13-8 win against Marc Ganzi’s Audi. The match came to a head in the fourth and fifth chukkas, as has become a common theme for the Triple Crown favourite’s this season, as Valiente took complete control of the game, scoring four goals in as many minutes. Valiente have thus far secured titles in the C.V. Whitney Cup, Butler Handicap and the USPA Gold Cup, putting them in an exceedingly strong position for the 2018 Triple Crown title.
The US Open Polo Championship Semi Finals are scheduled to take place on Wednesday 18 April, with the Final due to take place on Sunday 22 April. For more news from the International Polo Club, please click here.
The US Open Polo Championship Teams:
Audi (26): Marc Ganzi (2), Mike Azzaro (6), Polito Pieres (10) & Nic Roldan (8)
Colorado (25): Robert Jornayvaz (1), Juan Britos (7), Christian ‘Magoo’ Laprida (8) & Diego Cavanagh (9)
Daily Racing Form (26): Jared Zenni (5), Agustin Obregon (5), Hilario Ulloa (10) & Mariano Obregon (6)
U.S Polo Assn (24): Grant Ganzi (2), Juancito Bollini (4), Juan Martín Nero (10) & Alejandro Novillo Astrada (8)
Valiente (26): Bob Jornayvaz (2), Tommy Beresford (4), Facundo Pieres (10) & Adolfo Cambiaso (10)
Flexjet (26): Melissa Ganzi (0), Rodrigo de Andrade (9), Gonzalito Pieres (9) & Nico Pieres (8)
Photograph: Flexjet Captain, Melissa Ganzi, grabs possession from Daily Racing Form. By Alex Pacheco