The USPA Gold Cup, second leg of The Gauntlet of Polo, continued through Thursday February 29 and Friday March 1, with two games, played at the National Polo Center, in Wellington, Florida, United States. The tournament, that preceeds the most significant competition in the United States, is celebrating its 50th. anniversary this year, and sees nine teams up to 22 goals, in participation.
On Thursday February 29, Park Place – with Facundo Pieres back on the saddle after recovering from an injury – defeated Pilot by a 10-9 score. Meanwhile, on Friday March 1, Tamera were victorious over La Dolfina/Tonkawa, by an identical result, following a tight game that was decided by Alejandro Poma’s lineup in the last chukka.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
All teams will play four preliminary matches each. Following the conclusion of preliminary play, all teams will be ranked 1-9. The top four ranked teams will draw for semifinal pairings with the winners of the semifinals advancing to the USPA Gold Cup final. Any ties between teams that played each other will be broken by who-beat-who. All other ties will be broken by a one-player shootout. The Retama Cup will serve as the subsidiary to the USPA Gold Cup. Teams who do not qualify for the semifinals of the USPA Gold Cup will automatically be entered in the Retama Cup.
The final of the USPA Gold Cup is due on Sunday March 24, at the National Polo Center.
USPA GOLD CUP – THURSDAY FEBRUARY 29
PARK PLACE 10-9 PILOT
Park Place: Andrey Borodin 0, Juan Britos 9, Hilario Ulloa 10, Marcos Bignoli 3. Total: 22.
Pilot: Curtis Pilot 0, Santiago Torres 6, Antonio Heguy 6, Facundo Pieres 10. Total: 22.
Score Park Place: 2-0, 2-2, 3-4, 6-5, 9-8, 10-9.
Umpires: Martín Pascual & Kimo Huddleston. Third man: Steve Dalton.
TAMERA 10-9 LA DOLFINA/TONKAWA
Tamera: Alejandro Poma 1, Segundo Saravi 5, Matías Torres Zavaleta 8, Diego Cavanagh 8. Total: 22.
La Dolfina/Tonkawa: Jeff Hildebrand 0, Rufino Merlos 3, Poroto Cambiaso 10, Tomás Panelo 9. Total: 22.
Score Tamera: 2-3, 3-4, 4-6, 6-7, 6-8, 10-9.
Umpires: Gastón Lucero & Steve Dalton . Third man: Jamie Mirikitani.
The USPA Gold Cup will resume on Sunday March 3 and Tuesday March 5, with the following order of play:
Sunday March 3:
3pm: Valiente vs. Dutta Corp
Tuesday March 5:
10am: Clearwater vs. La Dolfina/Tonkawa
12,30pm: Tamera vs. La Fe
3pm: Coca Cola vs. Park Place
USPA Gold Cup – Teams & Fixture
2024 THE GAUNTLET OF POLO CALENDAR
CV Whitney Cup: February 9 – 25.
USPA Gold Cup: February 28 – 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.
Cover photo, by Agustina Fonda.