Quite on Z continued its dominance in eight-goal polo Friday at Grand Champions Polo Club.
By Sharon Robb
Photos by Candace Ferreira
Quite on Z (Alecia Seidler, -1, Artemio Figueras, 2, Joao Pedro Souza, 2, Hilario Figueras, 5) led from start to finish to defeat Tuff Rider (Benjamin Obregon, 0, Timmy Sharma, 0, Agustin Obregon, 5, Nico Eurnekian, 3), 12-8.
Artemio Figueras, 16, swept Most Valuable Player and Best Playing Pony honors. His horse Snap Chat was Best Playing Pony.
It was back-to-back 8-goal tournament titles this season for Quite on Z. The first eight-goal tournament of the season was the Aspen Valley Cup won by Ricky Bueno, -1, Joao Pedro Souza, 2, Artemio Figueras, 2, and Lucio Ocampo, 5, which they won for the second consecutive year with a 12-7 win over Newport.
The second eight-goal tournament of the season lived up to expectations from the opening game where Quite on Z held off defending champion Amaro Polo to win the Top Pony 8-Goal opener. Quite on Z (Alecia Seidler, -1, Joao Pedro Souza, 2, Artemio Figueras 2, Lucio Ocampo, 5) led for most of the game to defeat Amaro Polo (Scott Sorbaro, 0, Michael Armour, 0, Nick Manifold, 2, Kris Kampsen, 6), 13-12.
Quite on Z got stronger as the tournament progressed. On Friday, the foursome was a well-oiled machine.
Quite on Z jumped out to a 3-0 lead with back-to-back goals from Artemio Figueras and Souza in the opening chukker. Quite on Z continued to control the offensive attack in the second chukker for leads of 5-0 and 5-1 with Agustin Obregon scoring Tuff Rider’s first goal on a 30-yard penalty conversion to end the chukker.
With Souza taking out the defender, Artemio Figueras scored with 5:37 left in the third chukker and again on a breakaway with 1:58 left for a 7-1 halftime lead.
Tuff Rider came back in the second half to outscore Quite on Z, 7-5, but it wasn’t enough to reel in the champions. In the sixth chukker, Tuff Rider trailed by three, 11-8, but could get no closer. Tuff Rider had advanced into the final winning a three-team shootout against Smithfield Farms and Victory Polo.
Artemio Figueras scored a game-high seven goals. Souza added four and Hilario Figueras had one. Agustin Obregon led Tuff Rider with five goals and Eurnekian had three.
In last year’s final, Amaro Polo led from start to finish to win the Top Pony 8-Goal Tournament. Amaro (Scott Sorbaro, 0, Nick Manifold, 2, Kris Kampsen, 6, Michael Armour, 0) jumped out to a 7-2 halftime lead against Victory Polo (Tiffany Armstrong, 0, Kevin Schmeits, 0/Vinny Sangaline, 1, Leo Mandelbaum, 2, Tommy Collingwood, 5) and went on to win, 11-9. Kampsen, rated at 6 goals for 23 consecutive years, was MVP.
During the winter polo season, Grand Champions Polo Club, the nation’s largest and most innovative USPA-sanctioned polo club nestled in the heart of the world’s winter equestrian capital, hosts a wide range of tournaments: 6, 8, 12, 20, and 26-goal leagues, 26-goal World Polo League, The Polo School Women’s Weekly Polo League, WCT Finals, several Polo Training Foundation junior tournaments, World Polo League Pride and Sunset Chukkers & Cocktails at either Grand Champions and Santa Rita Polo Farm.
Grand Champions and Santa Rita Polo Farm is the largest and most unique private 102-acre polo facility in Wellington with 212 stalls in nine self-contained barns, two tracks, five climate-controlled tack rooms, vet room, staff quarters, guest house and four polo fields with state-of-the-art underground irrigation and short work arena. The club has 10 well-manicured world-class fields at GCPC and Santa Rita.
Grand Champions Polo Club caters to men, women and youth polo players at all levels. Its’ expert staff can customize a complete playing experience including horses, pros and certified umpires in addition to lessons and practice sessions as part of its’ Polo On Demand program.
The Polo School, now located at the former Pony Express facility, operates in Wellington January through May and September through November. The stand-alone USPA-sanctioned polo club is dedicated to teaching polo to all ages.
For more information on leagues or The Polo School contact Juan Bollini at 561-346-1099 or Cale Newman at 561-876-2930.