By Alex Webbe

February 9, 2009

Not even the combination of RalphLauren model/polo player Nacho Figueras sitting with Madonna in the standscould tear people’s eyes away from the offensive display on the field byGonzalito Pieres Sunday afternoon. Pieres scored eight goals on the day and put on a wonderful display forall in attendance when he scored five unanswered goals in the last five minutesof the third chukker.

 

On a sad note, Tracey Mactaggart ofthe Hawk Hill team in the 8-goal February Invitational at the Outback Polo Clubsuffered a frightening fall in a Sunday contest that had her airlifted to theDelray Medical Center in a scene eerily reminiscent of Skeeter Johnston’stragic accident of two years ago. Arriving at the Center in a comatose state, surgery was performed on herto alleviate the pressure on her brain.

Although she suffered three brokenribs, her spinal column remained intact and friends and family await patientlyand hopefully.  Her husband Philip was onthe field with her at the time of the fall.

 

Black Watch will enlarge the numberof teams in the 2009 US Open Championship to eight teams.  A collaborative effort, the team consists ofNacho Figueras, Luis Escobar, Sugar Erskine and Fred Mannix, Jr.

 

For the first time in over twentyyears, the Camacho Cup (Mexicovs.

United States) will be played.  Thecompetition will take place at The Villages Polo Club in Central  Florida on Friday, March 13.The effort is aperfect compliment to the staging of the Westchester Cup, which hadn’t takenplace in the United Statessince 1939.  The Westchester Cup isscheduled for Saturday, February 22 at the International Polo Club and willfeature the top players from the UnitesStates and England.  The Camacho Cup has The Villages Polo Cluband Gracida International to thank for its revival, while the Westchester Cupwas rescued from obscurity in the USby Horace Laffaye and the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame.

 

Sunday’s 20-goal Iglehart Cupcontest between Audi and BTA was affected by injuries to players.  Not saying that Audi wouldn’t have beatenBTA, the season’s opening tournament (Joe Barry memorial Cup), but with patronKelly Beal watching from the sidelines while Pablo Spinacci (swollen hand) andHector Galindo (muscle strain) not at their best, we’

re going to have to see if they canmend themselves back into contention.

 

The injuries on the polo field haveimpacted a number of players already this season.  Beal dislocated his shoulder in the course ofBTA’s championship win over San Saba in the finals of the Joe Barry MemorialCup, and replaced it himself to finish the game.  Mt. Brilliant’s GastonLisioli broke his collarbone in a fall, and was replaced by English 6-goalerJulian Daniels.  BTA’s Hector Galindo washit in the mouth with an errant mallet and despite a number of stitches andhaving to have his front teeth straightened, returned to the field.  A few games later he was forced to leave thefield suffering from a lower abdominal muscle strain.  Enter 7-goaler Tommy Biddle.  Patagones patron Gonzalo Avendano suffered asevere ankle injury and was forced to leave the field in the course of a match.

 

Julian Daniels had to leave his Mt. Brilliantteammates after three chukkers the finals of the Ylvisaker Cup due to an elbowinjury suffered previously.

 

“He said that he was going to see ifhe could get through it,” said Mt.

Brilliant coach Julian Hipwood, “butat the half he said that he wasn’t able to play effectively and we replaced himwith Mariano Obregon, Jr.”

 

As Mt. Brilliantentered the Iglehart Cup, it was Obregon in the saddle again.  No one said it wasn’t dangerous.