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hurlinghampolo.com
C O P A D E O R O , S A N T A M A R I A P O L O C L U B , S O T O G R A N D E , S P A I N , A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
A C T I O N
The high-goal Copa de Oro marked the apex
of the Spanish season at Santa Maria Polo
Club in Sotogrande – five competitive teams,
three 10-goalers, one mission: to win Spain’s
most prestigious tournament.
Plenty of plot twists and turbulence kept
spectators engaged. An unexpected loss for
Silver Cup winners Lechuza Caracas saw
La Indiana squeeze through to the final.
Michael Bickford’s team was pulled through
the trenches this month, suffering injury
after injury, but raw determination put
them in another high-goal final.
They would face Iñigo Zobel’s Ayala
team. Zobel, who had promised to retire
from high-goal polo at the end of the
season, asked for only one thing: to win
the Copa de Oro, as he had in 2007, one last
time. He recruited Ellerstina frontman,
Facundo Pieres, for a second season,
convinced he would have the golden touch.
Pieres brought his A-game with him, and
controlled the final from the first throw-in.
By the fourth chukka, Ayala were 10–4 up.
La Indiana got it together in the fifth, scoring
three quick goals to make it 7–11, and, for
a fleeting moment, it seemed as if they
might make a historic comeback. But Pieres
quickly reminded those on and off the field
who’s boss. He scored twice more to seal
the convincing victory (13–8) and fulfil
Zobel’s last polo wish.
‘We knew this was important for Iñigo,
as it was for us. This is a big achievement for
any player,’ said Pieres, who was named MVP
of the final. ‘We had a good game plan and
we knew what to do. We started the game
on top, and that was the key to our victory.
We didn’t give our opponents any chances.’
Former Spanish King Juan Carlos
presented the trophy to the champions,
while his daughter Infanta Elena
awarded Pieres’s outstanding mare,
Cube, the BPP prize.
It was a particularly heavy loss for
La Indiana, who have come up short in
a few finals over the years but it is not over
for them yet. Pieres will be joining Bickford
in England next summer, 2018 might see
La Indiana finally claiming the champion
status they have been craving.
C O P A D E O R O
Argentine superstar Facundo Pieres fulfilled a dream for Iñigo Zobel in the
final of Spain’s most prestigious tournament, reports Carolina Beresford
From left:
Facundo Pieres,
Santiago Laborde, Iñigo Zobel,
Gregorio Gelosi
TONY RAMIREZ/IMAGESOFPOLO.COM
