La Dolfina Tamera claimed a narrow 11-10 win and captured the CV Whitney Cup, the first leg of the prestigious The Gauntlet of Polo, after a very hard fought championship match that was played on Sunday February 23, at the National Polo Center, in Wellington, Florida, United States.
The decisive match started with a 2-all in the first chukka; but in the second, La Dolfina Tamera produced four unanswered goals to take an impressive 6-2 lead. However, Coca Cola replied quickly, and outscored their contenders 3-0 in the third chukka, to remain one goal behind (5-6) by half time. A new tie (7-7) came up in the fourth chukka, but a determined La Dolfina Tamera foursome, commanded by the lethal duo, Adolfo Cambiaso and Diego Cavanagh, delivered their best performance, to claim the fifth chukka 3-0; the scoreboard read a 10-7 in favour of La Dolfina Tamera, with one chukka remaining. Far from giving up, Coca Cola presented battle in the last chukka, which they won 3-1. But the efforts didn’t pay off; at the end of the day, it was La Dolfina Tamera who secured the win and the title.
CV WHITNEY CUP – FINAL – SUNDAY FEBRUARY 23
LA DOLFINA TAMERA 11-10 COCA COLA
La Dolfina Tamera: Adolfo Cambiaso 10 (4 goals), Alejandro Poma 1, Diego Cavanagh 7 (7), Matt Coppola 4. Total: 22.
Coca Cola*: Gillian Johnston 0 (1 goal), Julián de Lusarreta 7 (5), Lorenzo Chavanne 6, Polito Pieres 9 (5). Total: 22.
*1 goal on Penalty 1.
Score La Dolfina Tamera: 2-2, 6-2, 6-5, 7-7, 10-7, 11-10.
Umpires: Kimo Huddleston & Martín Pascual.
Third man: Jamie Mirikitani.
MVP: Adolfo Cambiaso.
BPP: Dolfina Carola, ridden and owned by Adolfo Cambiaso.
Best Polo Argentino Bred presented by the Argentine Polo Pony Breeders Assn.: Dolfina Carola, ridden and owned by Adolfo Cambiaso.
Originally known as the U.S. Handicap, the C.V. Whitney Cup was established in 1979, and first competed for on handicap in conjunction with the U.S. Open Polo Championship. In 1988, the tournament was renamed for C.V. (Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny”) Whitney, an avid polo player and three-time winner of the U.S. Open (1928, 1937, 1938) and son of 10-goal Hall of Famer Harry Payne Whitney. Inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in 2022, Whitney left a lasting mark in polo. Rising to a 6-goal handicap during his playing career that spanned the “golden era” of polo, Whitney was a formidable factor in all major USPA tournaments.
The next leg of The Gauntlet of Polo is the USPA Gold Cup, that is due to start on Thursday February 27. The series will come to an end on April 20, with the much anticipated championship match of the US Open.
CV Whitney Cup – Teams & Fixture
Cover photo by Agustina Fonda
2025 THE GAUNTLET OF POLO – TEAMS
BTA: Ignacio Viana 7, Kelly Beal 0, Steve Kruger 5, Tomás Panelo 10. Total: 22.
Brookshire: Camilo Castagnola 10, Toly Ulloa 7, Scott Wood 0, Carlos Saravi 5. Total: 22.
Catamount: Jesse Bray 7, Poroto Cambiaso 10, Rufino Merlos 5, Scott Devon 0. Total: 22.
Clearwater: Chip Campbell 1 **, Camp Campbell 2*, Gerónimo Obregón* 5, Joaquín Panelo 6 **, Paquito de Narvaez 7, Raúl Colombres 7. Total: 22.
*Will play the CV Whitney Cup //**Will play the USPA Gold Cup and the US Open
Coca Cola: Gillian Johnston 0, Julián de Lusarreta 7, Lorenzo Chavanne 6, Polito Pieres 9. Total: 22.
Global Port: Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. 10, Beltrán Laulhé 6, Lucas Díaz Alberdi 6, Michael Romero 0. Total: 22.
La Fe: Francisco Elizalde 9, Kristos Magrini 6, Louis Devaleix 1, Robi Bilbao 5. Total: 21.
Park Place: Andrey Borodin 0, Hilario Ulloa 10, Peke Gonzalez 7, TBA 5. Total: 22.
Pilot: Cody Ellis 5, Curtis Pilot 0, Facundo Pieres 9, Matías Torres Zavaleta 8. Total: 22.
Tamera: Adolfo Cambiaso 10, Alejandro Poma 1, Diego Cavanagh 7, TBA 4. Total: 22.
The Dutta Corp: Iñaki Laprida 7, Nicolás Díaz Alberdi 4, Timmy Dutta 4, Tomás García del Río 7. Total: 22.
2025 THE GAUNTLET OF POLO – CALENDAR
CV WHITNEY CUP – Winners: La Dolfina Tamera
February 8-23
USPA GOLD CUP
February 27-March 23
US OPEN
March 24-April 20
Cover photo by Agustina Fonda.