Santa Rita and Richard Mille Advance to Final in $100,000 World Cup
WELLINGTON, FL, February 26, 2021— Santa Rita defeated Great Oaks yesterday by a score of 9-8, while Richard Mille squeaked by Casablanca 11-10.
By: Rebecca Baldridge
Photos by: ChukkerTV
Santa Rita (Paquito De Narvaez, Torito Ruiz, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, and Juan Martin Zubia) took on Great Oaks (Dillon Bacon, Clemente Zavaleta, Facu Llorente, and Nacho Novilla Astrada), both teams were rated at 24 goals.
Play was hot and heavy from the get-go, with both teams shooting on goal. Clemente Zavaleta put the first goal on the board with a Penalty 2 conversion. Torito Ruiz scored from the field for Santa Rita and with 12 seconds remaining, made a run to goal with Dillon Bacon in hot pursuit. The chukker ended 2-1 for Santa Rita. With 4:15 to play, Nacho Novillo Astrada pulled Great Oaks neck-and-neck with a goal from the field, but brother Alejando slammed the ball downfield to keep Santa Rita’s one-goal lead.
In the third chukker, Clemente Zavaleta hammered the ball home to tie the game at 3-all, but Juan Martin Zubia answered with a long shot on goal. With 1:27 remaining, Facu Llorente picked up a loose ball to score. With just 46 seconds left in the chukker, Alejandro Novillo Astrada put Santa Rita back in the lead to end the half 5-4.
The fourth chukker was nip and tuck, with Zavaleta and Alejandro Novillo Astrada each finding the uprights. A shot on goal by stretched Santa Rita’s lead to 2 but Clemente Zavaleta answered for Great Oaks. With 13 seconds remaining in the fifth chukker, Alejandro Novillo Astrada got around brother Nacho to end the period with Santa Rita leading by 8-6. Clemente Zavaleta trimmed that lead to one with a Penalty 2 conversion following a whistle on a turning foul.
With 2:45 remaining on the clock, Facu Llorente scored for Great Oaks to tie the match up at 8-all. Just when it was looking like the game could go into overtime, Zubia took the ball in for Santa Rita to win by 9-8. Clemente Zavaleta was the high scoring player with five goals.
In the second semifinal match of the day, Richard Mille (Marc Ganzi, Jeta Castagnola, Poroto Cambiaso and Lolo Castagnola) met Casablanca (Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Nic Roldan, and Barto Castagnola). As is so often the case in polo, the match was a family affair that pitted sons against fathers and brother against brother. Richard Mille, rated 22-goals against Casablanca’s 24, started the match with two goals on handicap.
Nic Roldan wasted no time, scoring his first goal barely 25 seconds into the first chukker. The chukker was possibly the fastest we’ve seen this season and the back and forth continued until Lolo Castagnola put Casablanca on the board with less than a minute remaining in the chukker. Barto Castagnola scored back-to-back goals in the second period, tying up the match at 3-all until father Lolo put Richard Mille back in the lead by one goal. Nic Roldan drew Casablanca even, but a Penalty 2 conversion by Marc Ganzi put Richard Mille back in the lead. A final goal from Barto Castagnola saw the half end with the score tied at 5-all.
The teams were locked in a fierce defensive battle in the fourth chukker, and neither team was able to score from the field. A successful Penalty 2 conversion by each team ended the period with the score tied at 6-all. Richard Mille poured on the steam in the fifth chukker, pulling ahead by three goals with Jeta Castagnola scoring from the field then following up with a Penalty 3 conversion. Poroto Cambiaso picked up a shot from Jeta and gave it a helpful tap on through the posts, putting Richard Mille in the lead 9-6. With 2:55 remaining, Grant Ganzi eluded his pursuing father to run to goal, narrowing the lead to 9-7. Poroto, again picking up a pass from Jeta, took the score up to 10-7. Barto scored the final goal, ending the chukker with Casablanca behind 8-10.
Play continued to be exceptionally fast in the final two chukkers. A final Penalty 4 conversion put Richard Mille in the lead by 11-8. With 3:46 remaining, Nic Roldan slammed the ball through the posts. Just a minute later, Barto Castagnola took an impressive shot that missed the posts by a hair. Richard Mille was working to run out the clock but Nic Roldan drew a foul, allowing Barto to convert a Penalty 2. Richard Mille prevailed by 11-10 and will advance to the final. Barto Castagnola was the high scoring player of the match with 6 goals.
The single-elimination, winner-take-all tournament, is the richest prize purse offered in club history. Each player on the winning team receives $25,000 in prize money. The tournament features eight teams from 16 to 25 goal rating.
The 2017 inaugural champion was Palm Beach Illustrated, with players Jared Zenni, Santi Torres, Agustin Obregon and Tommy Collingwood. The tournament was resurrected by Grand Champions owner and president Melissa Ganzi. It was last played at Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in the 1990s.
What makes the Word Cup so unique is the fact it’s open to teams 0-40 goal on handicap, similar to the Copa Republica in Argentina where teams of any handicap from 0-to-40 can compete. In 2017, the lowest rated team was Equuleus at four goals and highest ranked teams were Orchard Hill, Audi, Valiente and Flexjet at 26 goals. The 2017 tournament also featured 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso playing with his son Poroto in a U.S. tournament for the first time. This year Poroto is back playing for Richard Mille alongside his Uncle Lolo Castagnola and cousin Jeta Castagnola.