Gauntlet of Polo: C.V. Whitney & USPA

Success for Park Place & Scone C.V. Whitney & USPA Gold Cup

The Gauntlet of Polo is formed of three tournaments, played over three months, with the biggest prize pot in the sport up for grabs. The series kicks off with The C.V. Whitney Cup ($125,000), followed by The USPA Gold Cup ($125,000) and culminating in The U.S. Open Polo Championship ($250,000); for any teams able to secure all three titles, there is a bonus $500,000 and with it the title of Gauntlet Champion. At the time of going to print, two of the three titles had been played for, with The U.S. Open Polo Championship about to begin, although with C.V. Whitney Cup winners Park Place knocked out of The USPA Gold Cup in the Semi Final stages, it was already known that there would be no overall 2021 Gauntlet Champion.

C.V. Whitney Final

C.V. Whitney Cup winners, Park Place Where: International Polo Club, Palm Beach

Park Place (22) Scone (22)

Jack Whitman – substitute for Andrey Borodin (0) David Paradice (0) Matt Coppola (4) Peke Gonzalez (6) Juan Britos (8) Poroto Cambiaso (6) Hilario Ulloa (10) Adolfo Cambiaso (10) Chukka Scores: 2-2, 2-3, 5-5, 5-6, 8-7, 10-10, 11-10, to Park Place

The C.V. Whitney Cup Final is the first leg of the Gauntlet of Polo and the winners claim with it a $100,000 prize (with $25,000 for runners-up), this year saw an undefeated Scone captained by the mighty Adolfo Cambiaso – versus Park Place, whose own journey to the Final had seen just one defeat at the hands of La Indiana by a narrow margin of just one goal.

Scone attacked Park Place’s goal from the start, forcing the boys in blue into defensive plays, but Jack Whitman quickly replied with a goal of his own, and this was the format throughout the match with both teams never more than a goal apart in each chukka. The combination of teamwork between Ulloa and his teammates, allowed Ulloa to add to their scoresheet while his younger teammates took out the opposition with strong defensive play, Ulloa Commented “We tried to keep possession of the ball and keep it away from Cambiaso, but I think we were playing a bit slowly at the beginning, chukka by chukka we found a way to open up the game, hit long shots and run a bit more”.

The game continued in a similar ilk in the second half, with neither side able to create the large lead they desired, instead trading goals with one another and the scores remaining very tight. The fifth chukka saw Park Place step up the offensive, with three consecutive goals, however entering the sixth chukka this lead was swiftly eroded by Scone’s Adolfo Cambiaso. With the clock ticking down in the last two minutes of action and the pressure increasing, Peke Gonzalez secured the lead for Scone but with just 10 seconds to spare, Ulloa tied the match at 10-10, pushing the match into an extra chukka. The overtime chukka continued with the same thrilling pace; Ulloa sent a neckshot to 16-year-old Jack Whitman who scooped up the ball and scored the golden goal for Park Place – Whitman was later named Most Valuable Player for his efforts throughout the match and commented on his title-clinching goal as, “Goal of a lifetime, game of a lifetime, opportunity of a lifetime!”.

On 7 March The C.V. Whitney Cup Final was played at the International Polo Club, Palm Beach, ending the battle between nine teams for this illustrious 22 goal title which started back on 17 February. The tournament comes with the added kudos of being the first leg of the Gauntlet of Polo and with it a $125,000 prize.

“Goal of a lifetime, game of a lifetime, opportunity of a lifetime!” Jack Whitman

STATS AND FIGURES

PARK PLACE SCONE Fouls Committed 13 7 Penalty Conversions 2/3 2/4 Feld Shot Conversions 9/20 8/16

BPP

Lavinia Heroica (Lavinia Naipe x Lavinia Heroina), owned and played by Hilario Ulloa

MVP

Jack Whitman

Best Polo Argentino Bred: Big Bay (Open Cabernet x Grappa Big H), owned by Valerio Zubiaurre Jr and played by Juan Britos

USPA Gold Cup

“This was a significant day for the Cambiaso family, Adolfo Cambiaso won his first USPA Gold Cup title at 15-years-old (in 1991 with Cellular One) and now 30 years later his son Poroto, secured himself the title at the same age”

STATS AND FIGURES

SCONE Fouls Committed 12 Penalty Conversions 4/6 Feld Shot Conversions 9/16 TONKAWA 11 4/7 6/19

The USPA Gold Cup Final Teams:

8

MAR

Tonkawa (22) Scone (22)

Jeff Hildebrand (0) David Paradice (0 Lucas Escobar (3) Poroto Cambiaso (6) Sapo Caset (10) Peke Gonzalez (6) Fran Elizalde (9) Adolfo Cambiaso (10) Chukka Scores: 3-0, 6-1, 8-3, 10-4, 12-5, 13-10, to Scone

Photography by ©David Lominska

28MAR FINAL

Where: International Polo Club, Palm Beach

MVP

Poroto Cambiaso

BPP

For the second time in a month, Scone found themselves in a Gauntlet of Polo Final at International Polo Club, Palm Beach. Following on from their exhilaratingly close 11-10 loss in overtime in The C.V. Whitney Cup Final at the hands of Park Place, Scone returned determined to secure themselves success in The USPA Gold Cup.

The USPA Gold Cup was first established in 1974 at Oak Brook Polo Club, Illinois, but was moved to Milwaukee Polo Club until 1979 when it moved to Florida, where it became the trophy to secure in the Floridian winter season; following a 17 year stay at Palm Beach Polo and Country Club, the trophy moved to the International Polo Club Palm Beach in 2007, where it has been played for ever since. The 2020 USPA Gold Cup was postponed due to Covid-19, but the Finals were rescheduled for 2021 which saw la Indiana secure the title with a 14-9 win against Daily Racing Form.

As the second phase of The Gauntlet of Polo, the qualifying rounds held added pressure for C.V. Whitney Cup winners, Park Place, who were seeking to add another title to their belt and with it take one step closer to the Gauntlet of Polo Champions crown and the $500,000 bonus prize. However, patron Andrey Borodin’s hopes of glory were dashed in the Semi Finals after Park Place suffered an incredibly close 8-9 defeat at the hands of Scone.

On the day, Scone faced the only undefeated team from the tournament, Tonkawa, who had enjoyed an unblemished journey to the Final, but Tonkawa were immediately put on the defensive by Scone who won the majority of the throw-in in the first chukka and Poroto Cambiaso securing back-to-back goals; despite the best efforts of Tonkawa, by half-time Scone had increased their lead to 8-3. The fourth chukka saw Tonkawa fight to stay in possession, but Scone continued to dominate with the powerful Cambiaso duo teaming up seamlessly with Peke Gonzalez in the second half which meant Tonkawa had a mountain to climb at the start of the sixth chukka with the scoreboard reading 12-5 against them. The last chukka saw Tonkawa score an impressive five goals, but it was not enough to erode Scone’s earlier lead and the red shirts ran out the winners, 13-10.

This was a significant day for the Cambiaso family, Adolfo Cambiaso won his first USPA Gold Cup title at 15-years-old (in 1991 with Cellular One) and now 30 years later his son Poroto, secured himself the title at the same age and also the Most Valuable Player prize, Poroto commented, “It’s a pleasure to play with Scone and incredible to play with my father. Winning with my dad is an opportunity that very few people have so I am very grateful for that and I really have to thank David Paradice”.

Caña Monjita Coronada (Dolfina Cuarteto x Chapaleufú Tapera), played by Adolfo Cambiaso