Sieber Memorial 12-Goal Begins Sunday, Highlights February League Action At Grand Champions |
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The second month of the winter polo season, highlighted by the Sieber Memorial 12-Goal Tournament, begins Sunday at Grand Champions Polo Club.
By Sharon RobbAfter a successful season-opening month, players and teams will continue to compete in the regular 6, 8 and 12-goal tournaments in addition to the Women’s Weekly League Series.
The 6, 8 and 12-goal leagues are the Halo Polo Trophy 6-Goal, Top Pony 8-Goal and Sieber Memorial along with the Women’s League games played every Wednesday morning at Santa Rita Polo Farm.
Eight teams are entered in the Halo Polo Trophy 6-Goal including Valiente with Mia and Poroto Cambiaso, the daughter and son of 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso; Pony Express featuring brothers Benji, Justin and Landen Daniels and Harrison Azzaro; Deeridge with Will and Charlie Jacobs, a top show jumper; and Shamrock with father and son John and Hayden Walsh.
Eight teams are entered in the Top Pony 8-Goal including recently-crowned Aspen Valley Cup 8-goal champions Patagones; Valiente with Kareem Rosser, one of Philadelphia-based Work-To-Ride’s success stories; and Altair Polo, featuring US Polo Assn Brand Ambassador Ashley Busch.
The Sieber Memorial 12-Goal Tournament features nine teams including Palm Beach Equine, Beverly Equestrian, Goose Creek/GSA, Valiente, Sebucan, Mayer Ranch, Patagones, Newport and Skaneateles.
The Sieber Memorial begins Sunday with two games. Sebucan (Pablo Pulido, Marc Ganzi, Jesse Bray, Stewart Armstrong) plays Mayer Ranch (Clark Mayer, Brendan Stenzel, Matt Coppola, Nacho Badiola) at 10 a.m. Newport (TBA, Gene Goldstein, Michel Dorignac, Tomas Alberdi) plays Skaneateles (Marty Cregg, Cesar Gimenez, Costi Caset, Marianno Obregon Jr.) at noon.
GSA, the youngest and one of the most talented teams in club history, is defending champion of the Sieber Memorial. The foursome of Henry Porter, Santino Magrini, Juan Martin Zubia and Torito Ruiz defeated Patagones (Joaquin Avendano, Tavi Usandizaga, Benjamin Avendano, Santi Wulff, Santiago Avendano), 11-4 in the final. Porter was named Most Valuable Player.
This year Goose Creek/GSA features Maureen Brennan, Henry Porter, Santino Magrini, and Peke Gonzalez.
The tournament is named in honor of polo player Rob Sieber, who died in a polo-related accident 32 years ago at Oak Brook, Ill. Members of the Sieber family annually attend the tournament and participate in the awards ceremony.
In the Margaret Sieber Memorial Handicap final, Cria Yatay (Bill Ballhaus, Hilario Figueras, Inaki Laprida, Marcos Garcia del Rio) defeated Audi, 12-10, (Teo Calle, Pablo Pulido, Tomas Pieres, Stewart Armstrong). Laprida was MVP.
Grand Champions Polo Club and Santa Rita Polo Farm is the largest and most unique 100-acre polo facility in Wellington with 120 stalls in five self-contained barns, exercise track, five climate-controlled tack rooms, vet room, staff quarters, guest house and polo fields with state-of-the-art underground irrigation and stick-and-ball fields.
During fall, winter and spring seasons, Grand Champions Polo Club, the nation’s largest club with 11 well-manicured fields, hosts polo tournaments ranging from six to 26-goal in addition to special events.
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