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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
G A U N T L E T O F P O L O , I N T E R N A T I O N A L P O L O C L U B P A L M B E A C H , W E L L I N G T O N , F L O R I D A , A P R I L 2 0 1 9
In the spring of 2018 the United States Polo
Association decided to lower the handicap
levels of the top three tournaments (CV
Whitney Cup, USPA Gold Cup and the US Open
Championship) from a 26-goal limit to
22-goals.The USPA labelled the series the
Gauntlet of Polo™ and offered prize money of
$125,000 to the winner of the CV Whitney Cup
and another $125,000 to the USPA Gold Cup
winner.The winner of the US Open will be
awarded $250,000, with a $500,000 bonus
going to any team that can win all three of
them in a season for a total of $1 million.
The Gauntlet of Polo received a record
16 teams signing up to compete. Four
members of the USPA executive committee
(Chip Campbell, Stewart Armstrong, Maureen
Brennan and Stephen Orthwein) sponsored
teams. International patrons ranged from
Russian Andrey Borodin (Park Place) and
Nigerian Sayyu Dantata (SD Farms) to
Colombian Camilo Bautista (Las Monjitas)
and England’s Henry Porter.Two additional
women, Gillian Johnston and Annabelle
Gundlach, sponsored teams. Last year’s
winner of the US Open,Jared Zenni captained
a team. Luis Escobar played with his son
3-goaler Nico. In contrast to the 22-goal in
England, where the highest handicapped
patron is 1-goal in the Gauntlet of Polo™, 10
patrons were 2-goals and above.The best
amateur on their handicap was former
7-goaler Stuart Armstrong, who played above
his current 3-goal handicap!
The Gauntlet of Polo™ fielded a number
of 10-goalers in Facundo Pieres, Sapo Caset,
Hilario Ulloa, Polito Pieres and 9-goalers
Gonzalito Pieres, Nico Pieres, Sebastian
Merlos and Miguel Astrada.There were some
new players who had strong performances
in 6-goaler Felipe Marquez, 7-goaler Ezequiel
Martinez Ferrario and and 3-goal American
Matias Gonzalez.
The absence of Cambiaso and the
Valiente organisation promptly recognised
Facundo Pieres and his Pilot teammates
(Curtis Pilot, Matias Gonzalez and his brother
Gonzalito Pieres) as the early favourites,
and they didn’t disappoint.
The play of the Pieres brothers was
seamless, with Pilot leading the attack down
the field. Gonzalez (3 goals) complemented
the brothers, blocking and passing as he
tormented the opposing team’s top players.
Pilot got off to a slow start in the
single-elimination CV Whitney Cup, recording
three straight wins before scoring a 13-6 win
over Las Monjitas in the final of the first leg of
the Gauntlet. Competition tightened up as the
USPA Gold Cup commenced, but the
teamwork between Facundo and Gonzalito
was only surpassed by their horses.
Fifteen teams had been eliminated from
a shot at the $500,000 bonus and all eyes
were on Pilot.The team then continued to
stay ahead as the pressure increased.
Five straight Gold Cup wins sent Pilot to
the finals, where they needed a penalty goal
in overtime from Facundo Pieres for the 12-11
victory over Aspen.
A confident Pilot team scored a 15/6 win
over Henry Porter’s Stable Door team before
peeling off four more wins and earning a spot
in the finals against Las Monjitas again.
The horses and teamwork of the Pilot
team proved to be too much for Las Monjitas,
once again, winning 12 to 7 and riding off with
the million-dollar prize money in the USPA’s
first Gauntlet of Polo. Curtis Pilot will donate
the prize money to cancer research, in
memory of his daughter, Nikki.
The first year of the competition was
a roaring success, with as many as seven
games decided in overtime in the Open alone.
Gonzales received MVP honours in both
the CV Whitney Cup and the US Open while
Facundo racked up Best Playing Pony
honours in all three tournaments (Open
Pensilvania – the Whitney; One Magnifica –
the Gold Cup; and Mega Chistosa – US Open).
2 2 - G O A L G A U N T L E T O F P O L O
The new series was a million-dollar success, writes Alex Webbe
@G A U N T L E TO F P O LO / G LO B A L P O LO E N T E R TA I NM E N T
