July 2021 Polo Players' Edition- Beach Ball

Beach Ball

Seminole Casino hits Jackpot on the sand

By Gwen Rizzo

World Polo League’s Juan Bollini tries to avoid the hook from Seminole Casino’s Alejandro Novillo Astrada.

World Polo League Beach Polo was held April 23-25 on Miami Beach’s tony South Beach. It was a great way to cap off a competitive season and kick start the summer. Seminole Casino Coconut Creek edged Land Rover, 9-6, to capture the trophy. Six teams competed over the three days.

The action kicked off on Friday with Seminole Casino (Melissa Ganzi, Nacho Figueras, Alejandro Novillo Astrada) edging World Polo League (Vinny Sangaline, Jeta Castagnola, Juan Bollini), 8-7.

The second match pitted cousin against cousin when Poroto Cambiaso took on Barto Castagnola. Italkraft (Poroto Cambiaso, Juan Martin Zubia, Govinda Quish) narrowly fell to Land Rover (Philip de Groot, Barto Castagnola, Tito Gaudenzi), 6-5. Italkraft ran out of time trying to overcome the three-goal handicap given to Land Rover.

The Setai (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Torito Ruiz) ended the day’s action with a 7-6 win over The Villa Collection/GFI Development Company (Marc Ganzi, Horacio Heguy, Nic Roldan).

Cousins Poroto Cambiaso and Barto Castagnola had fun competing in beach polo.

Cuba Gooding Jr., Melissa Ganzi, Nacho Figueras and Delfina Blaquier

The teams came back the next day with The Setai picking up its second victory, this time over World Polo League, 6-5. Land Rover also celebrated a win, getting the best of The Villa Collection/GFI Development Company, 9-7. The last match of the day saw Seminole Creek sink Italkraft, 9-5.

After the matches, the players and guests gathered at The Setai for a cocktail party.

The last day began with Seminole Creek taking on Land Rover for the first place trophy. Beach-goers lined the temporary fences surrounding the action, while boaters floated in for a closer look at the unusual site of two- and four-legged athletes on the sand. Spectators also filled the VIP section in a tent lining one side of the field. Celebrity spectators included actor Cuba Gooding Jr. and girlfriend Claudine De Niro; developer Alan Faena; journalist Jackie Guerrido; architect Kobi Karp; politicians Michael Góngora and Mark Samuelian; and former football star Jeremy Shockey.

Land Rover began with a two-goal handicap but it didn’t take long for Seminole Creek to overcome it. Figueras took the ball to goal from the opening throwin. Ganzi’s Penalty 2 conversion tied the score, and a goal by Novillo Astrada put Seminole Casino on top, 3- 2.

Barto Castagnola’s penalty conversion in the second tied the score but Ganzi and Novillo Astrada responded to end the half ahead, 5-3. Figueras and Novillo Astrada widened the gap to 7-3. Castagnola found the mark, but Figueras shot back to keep the four-goal spread, 8-4. Castagnola scored early in the fourth but Ganzi had the answer. A Penalty 2 conversion by Castagnola cut the difference to three but Land Rover ran out of steam and Seminole Casino had the 9-6 victory.

Barbara Boller enjoyed the up-close beach polo action from the VIP tent.

In the consolation Casablanca Trophy, The Setai edged World Polo League, 4-3.

The action continued in the Celebrity Charity Cup to benefit Give Back for Special Equestrians, a Miamibased nonprofit that provides therapeutic horseback riding scholarships for disabled children and veterans throughout Florida. Baltimore Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey joined Gussie Busch and Marc Ganzi on the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame team. They took on the Polo Training Foundation team consisting of artist Romero Britto, actor Sterling Jones and Nacho Figueras. Britto scored for Museum of Polo, but Ganzi answered back with two for PTF for the win.

The beach polo event was held between 21st and 22nd Streets in South Beach.

PTF stayed on the sand and were joined by the Give Back for Special Equestrians team made up of ESPN commentator Tucan Pereya, Miami news anchor Louis Aguirre and Beach Polo organizer Tito Gaudenzi. Humphrey, who began riding only a month prior, scored for PTF, but Pereya and Aguirre, who hit the ball out of the air and into the goal, gave Give Back for Special Equestrians the win. The celebrity jerseys were signed and auctioned, raising an additional $23,000 divided between the three team charities.

In the final match of the day, The Villa Collection/GFI Development Company edged Italkraft, 4-3, for The Villa Collection Cup. The day was capped off with an awards presentation.

Marlon Humphrey and Gussie Busch played in the celebrity match.