IPC Remains home of C. V. Whitney, USPA Gold Cup and the
US Open
The Triple Crown of Polo stays at home
The International Polo Club
Palm Beach is pleased to announce that it has come to an agreement with the
United States Polo Association that will insure that the country’s top three
tournaments, the C. V. Whitney Cup, the USPA Gold Cup and the U. S. Open
Championship will continue to call the International Polo Club home for the
next three years.
“We’re thrilled to know that
the tradition of top quality high-goal polo will continue here at IPC,” said
club president John Wash. “Our Polo
Manager, Jimmy Newman, our Facilities Director, Ray Mooney, the grounds crew
and the entire staff at the International Polo Club worked hard to service the
many players and teams that compete here year after year, insure the integrity
of these esteemed tournaments. It is
reassuring to know that the United States Polo Association has the confidence
in our ability to continue to serve as the steward to these competitions.
The C. V. Whitney Cup was
created in 1979 and was first played at the Retama Polo Center in San Antonio,
Texas where it served as the handicap counterpart to the U. S. Open
Championship. It came to the
International Polo Club in 2003, and has made it home here for the last ten
years.
The United States Open
Championship has been played since 1904.
After its debut at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City the Open was
played at a number of clubs, making its longest stays at the famed Meadow Brook
Club in New York, the Oak Brook Polo Club in suburban Chicago. In 2004 the International Polo Club assumed
stewardship of the prized tournament.
The USPA Gold Cup was
established by the USPA and debuted at the Oak Brook Polo Club in suburban
Chicago. After bouncing around between
Texas, Connecticut and South Carolina the USPA Gold Cup finally came to the
International Polo Club in 2007, bringing all three legs of America’s Triple
Crown of Polo under one roof for the first time in history.
“I believe it was Skeeter’s
idea,” recalled International Polo Club polo manager Jimmy Newman, referring to
the late S. K. Johnston, III. “As I
recall he pushed to get all three of the major tournaments staged at one
location,” he said. “John Goodman made
it happen, and all three tournaments of the Triple Crown of Polo have been here
ever since (2007). I think that the
extension of the contract between IPC and the United States Polo Association is
important in solidifying the future of the game in America at its highest
level,” he added.
“We’re honored to remain the
home of these revered competitions,” offered IPC President of Club Operations,
John Wash, “and to continue with the warm relationship we have developed over
the years with our tournament sponsors, as Nespresso, Piaget and Royal Salute assist
us in supporting and promoting this exciting equestrian sport.”
Terms of the contract insure
the fact that all three 26-goal tournaments will continue to call the
International Polo Club home.