hurlinghampolo.com
E V E N T N A M E L O C A T I O N D A T E
A C T I O N
60
A S P E N VA LL E Y P O LO C LU B
S I L V E R C U P , A S P E N V A L L E Y P O L O C L U B , C L O R A D O , U S A , S U M M E R 2 0 1 9
S I L V E R C U P
Sharon Robb reports on how Aspen Valley Polo Club made
history throughout the summer polo season in Colorado
Five years after Aspen Valley Polo Club was
founded by Marc and Melissa Ganzi, the club
brought 20-goal polo to Colorado and the
Rocky Mountain Circuit for the first time and
instantly became the summer destination
for polo. Six 20-goal tournaments were held
throughout the summer including the
prestigious 119th USPA Silver Cup, USPA
North American Cup and Triple Crown of
Polo, all held mostly at the club’s two newest
fields, McClure River Ranch.
The 20-goal polo and world-class fields
and facilities attracted some of the world’s
top players including 10-goalers Sapo Caset
and Hilario Ulloa, Sebastian and Tincho
Merlos, Alejandro and Nacho Novillo Astrada
and Nic Roldan, the highest rated player in
the United States at eight goals.
‘Word has
gotten out inside the pro community that
now there are really good fields here and
there is really competitive polo,’ Marc Ganzi
said. ‘The highest polo now played in the
United States is in Aspen in the summer.
There is not a higher level of polo. I think
we are sort of writing our own history here
in the Aspen valley.’
Among the highlights of the season
was the 119th USPA Silver Cup captured by
Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, A, Juan Martin
Obregon, 5, Sapo Caset, 10, Mason Wroe,
4).
In the final, Tonkawa led Casablanca
(Grant Ganzi, 3, Juancito Bollini, 4, Lucas
Lalor, 5, Nacho Novillo Astrada, 8) from
start-to-finish for an impressive 15-10
victory. Tonkawa finished the six-team
tournament undefeated at 5-0. Caset,
who dominated the game, was the
unanimous choice for Most Valuable Player.
Caset scored a game-high nine goals and
was instrumental in his team’s successful
run. In one of the most exciting games in
USPA North American Cup history, La Karina
