Reigning champions, Valiente, and La Dolfina, qualified to the championship match of the CV Whitney Cup, following their wins against Park Place y Coca Cola, respectively, in the semifinals that took place on Thursday February 22, at the National Polo Center, in Wellington, Florida, United States. The Gauntlet of Polo has been inaugurated in 2019 and Pilot is up-to-date the only team who claimed the three tournaments of the series in one season – CV Whitney Cup, USPA Gold Cup and US Open –precisely in the opening year, 2019. The tournament, currently underway at the National Polo Center, in Wellington, Florida, United States, sees eight teams up to 22 goals, split in four leagues, in participation.
Therefore, the final of the first tournament of The Gauntlet of Polo will be a family affair – Valiente’s lineup has Adolfo Cambiaso, and La Dolfina, in their debut in American polo, includes his son, Poroto.
En tanto, La Fe y Tamera jugarán la final de la Subsidiaria George Miller. La Fe superó a Dutta Corp por 10-9, el miércoles 21 de febrero, y Tamera venció a Pilot por 12-11, el jueves 22 de febrero.
CV WHITNEY CUP – SEMIFINALS – THURSDAY FEBRUARY 22
VALIENTE 11-10 PARK PLACE
Valiente: Bob Jornayvaz 0*, Francisco de Narvaez Jr. 5, Mariano González Jr. 7**, Adolfo Cambiaso 10 (2). Total: 22.
*Subbed in by Joaquin Vilgre la Madrid.
**Subbed in by Jesse Bray.
Park Place: Josh Escapite 0 *, Juan Britos 9, Hilario Ulloa 10, José Meirelles 3. Total: 22.
*Subbed in for Andrey Borodin.
Score Valiente: 3-1, 4-2, 6-4, 9-5, 11-7, 11-1o.
Umpires: Martín Pascual & Steve Dalton. Third man: Ronnie Hayes.
LA DOLFINA 13-10 COCA COLA
La Dolfina: Dillon Bacon 2, Quinn Evans 1, Poroto Cambiaso 10, Tomás Panelo 9 . Total: 22.
Coca Cola: Gillian Johnston 0, Kristos Magrini 6, Polito Pieres 9, Julián de Lusarreta 7 (2). Total: 22.
Score La Dolfina: 2-1, 4-2, 10-2, 11-2, 12-4, 13-6.
Umpires: Julian Appleby & Héctor Galindo. Third man: Martín Pascual.
The finals of the CV Whitney Cup will take place on Sunday February 25, with the following order of play:
12pm, Subsidiary George Miller Final: La Fe vs. Tamera
3pm, Final CV Whitney Cup: Valiente vs. La Dolfina
Originally known as the U.S. Handicap, the C.V. Whitney Cup was first played in 1979. Nine years later, in 1988, the tournament was renamed for C.V. (Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny”) Whitney, an avid polo player, three-time winner of the U.S. Open Polo Championship (1928,1937, 1938) and son of 10-goal Hall of Famer, Harry Payne Whitney.
2024 THE GAUNTLET OF POLO CALENDAR
CV Whitney Cup: February 9 – 25.
USPA Gold Cup: February 23 – March 24.
U.S. Open Polo Championship: March 22 – April 21.
Utilizing the same prize money distribution for the 2023 Gauntlet of Polo, the format guarantees a total of $200,000 in prize money. $50,000 will be awarded to each of the winning teams of the C.V. Whitney Cup and USPA Gold Cup. Similarly, $100,000 in prize money will bepresented to the winner of the U.S. Open Polo Championship and any team that wins all three tournaments will be crowned the Gauntlet Champion. In keeping with the spirit of philanthropy, U.S. Polo Assn. will provide a $2,500 donation to the winner and runner-up teams of all three finals to be donated to a polo charity of their choice.
All Sunday games are due on the National Polo Center main ground.
CV Whitney Cup – Teams & Fixture
Cover photo by Agustina Fonda.