Crowds gathered for Wednesday’s much anticipated game of the CV Whitney Cup, which featured Daily Racing Form-DRF Bets (Agustin Obregon 5, Mariano Obregon 6, Hilario Ulloa 10, Jared Zenni 5) challenging a star-studded Valiente team. Ultimately it was Valiente (Facundo Pieres 10, Adolfo Cambiaso 10, Tommy Beresford 4, Rob Jornayvaz 2) who unsurprisingly came out on top, winning 13-10.
The was no shortage of polo enthusiasts and photographers to witness the first time Cambiaso and Pieres play on a Florida high-goal team together. Photographers stood by and snapped the historical moment as onlookers carefully watched the player interactions, attempting to interpret their every move. Players remained consummate professionals as they each put on their blue jerseys, mounted and cantered onto the field.
The game began with Daily Racing Form-DRF Bets holding the majority possession of the ball and saw Ulloa scoring the first goal of the game on penalty. Valiente’s Facundo Pieres quickly scored the first goal for Valiente with a long and fast run to goal. Daily Racing Form-DRF Bets continued to hold their own against Valiente through the majority of the first half, never falling more than one goal behind. Agustin Obregon in particular stood out as he took on double-10 team with much success.
It wasn’t until the second half that Valiente found their groove and took a firm control of the game for the remaining three chukkers. Cambiaso and Pieres worked well together to lead their team through plays that put them on top and avoided penalties. In fact, Valiente benefited six times from penalty goals, each made by Pieres. Despite their usual longstanding rivalry playing on opposing teams, the 10-goal duo looked like old friends in their debut game for Valiente.
