Deauville Friday 23 August
By winning its four qualifying games by the narrowest of margins, the Carmignac father-and-son team has qualified directly for the final of the 73rd Coupe d’Or Marta & Lucien Barrière, a tournament they have won six times. A seventh victory on Sunday would consolidate a record that is already difficult, if not impossible, to beat. But first, But before that, Talandracas will have to contend with the extreme motivation of Isabelle Larenaudie’s team, Barrière, who snatched today’s qualification following a penalty session.
Since 2002 and his first victory in Deauville, Edouard Carmignac has continued to delight French polo by engaging players who have become legends, such as the multiple winners of the Argentine Open that same year, Juan-Martin Nero and Milo Fernandez Ajauro, then Guillermo Terrera in 2004, followed by Lucas Monteverde in 2010, Nico and Polito Pieres in 2013, Sapo Caset and Flaco Gaztambide in 2016, the latter becoming his team manager, Fran Elizalde, and finally Ale Muzzio in 2019. And let’s not forget Jeta Castagnola, whom he played with in Chantilly, and his two victories in the iconic Queen’s Cup at Windsor, the last of which came last June with Polito Pieres. In short, the greatest French team in the history of French polo.
This year, the two “artists” called back by Édouard Carmignac are Rufino Bensadon (who won in Deauville in 2018 with André Fabre at the age of 16) and Juan Martin Zubia, with whom Talandracas won the Open de France in 2022. The Argentinean duo’s game is a real treat: extremely precise passes, accomplices who understand each other without ever raising their voices, and horses whose legs seem to be those of their riders.
Opposite them, however, is the Zavaletta family, united behind Isabelle Larenaudie in the Barrière team, which is none other than the title holder in Deauville, where it won its first 16-goal final. Last June, this team also won the Polo Nations Cup in Chantilly, and, strengthened by the addition of Argentine Open player and cousin Juan-Gris.
Beaten today by Mungo, Barrière, deprived of their key player Simon Zavaleta and replaced by Jota Chavanne, made up for it after a breathtaking penalty shoot-out.
The final will therefore be a rematch and, on paper, promises to be one of the finest polo games of an increasingly competitive French season. It will be played at 5.30 pm, following the Bronze Cup final between Rangers Polo Team and Red Falcon at 3 pm.
The teams
Talandracas : Hugues Carmignac 1, Rufino Bensadon 7, Juan-Martin Zubia 8 and Édouard Carmignac 0
Barrière : Isabelle Larenaudie 0, Ramiro Zavaleta 4, Simon Zavaleta 5 and Juan-Gris Zavaleta 7