And the season in Palm Beach is coming to an end. The semifinals of the US Open Polo Championship, the most significant competition in the United States and the ice of the cake of the prestigious The Gauntlet Of Polo, had taken place on Wednesday April 16, at the National Polo Center, in Wellington, United States. La Dolfina Tamera, the winners of the opening tournament of the series, the CV Whitney Cup, and La Dolfina Catamount, are the two lineups who will go head-to-head for the coveted silver trophy on Sunday April 20.
Therefore, and for the second consecutive year, the championship match of the US Open will see a family affair – on one side there’s La Dolfina Tamera, with the magnificient Adolfo Cambiaso, who turned 50 on April 15 and he remains still at the top of his game; on the other side, La Dolfina Catamount, with his son Poroto, and patron Scott Devon enjoying the comeback of his life to the big leagues. By the way, there are a couple of interesting facts on this issue – the latter sees two defending champions within the lineup, Poroto Cambiaso and Rufino Merlos, who won the US Open in 2024, with La Dolfina. In addition, father and son (Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso) will clash in the most important decisive polo match in the US for the second consecutive year. The final of the US Open in 2024 was La Dolfina (Poroto) vs. La Dolfina Valiente (Adolfo). So, once again, the trophy will fly directly to the Cambiasos hometown, Cañuelas, in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina…
With regards to the games, La Dolfina Tamera and Cola Cola – runner up of the CV Whitney Cup and USPA Gold Cup and with Lucas Criado Jr. subbing in for Julián de Lusarreta – opened fire. After a 1-all in the first chukka, Alejandro Poma’s foursome seized the reins from the second chukka onwards, when they claimed a 3-1 lead. They would maintain the leadership thoroghout the remaining chukkas, and by the time to play the last chukka, La Dolfina Tamera had the deal said and done – the fifth chukka ended with La Dolfina Tamera leading by an impressive 9-3 advantage. Coca Cola produced a goal in the last chukka, but the damage has already been done; La Dolfina Tamera were victorious 9-4 and earned the first ticket to the final.
Up next, La Dolfina Catamount delivered their best polo against Park Place (winners of the USPA Gold Cup and victorious in the 2023 US Open). They got off to a strong start, claiming a 4-0 lead in the first chukka, while Park Place tried to bounce back, which eventually succeeded, leaving Scott Devon’s lineup scoreless in two chukkas (second and fourth). The story would change in the fifth chukka, when La Dolfina Catamount scored two crucial goals, which would eventually be the final result (11-9) after a scoreless sixth chukka. Enough to secure Scott Devon and his boys the second spot in the decisive match.
La Dolfina Tamera and La Dolfina Catamount will go head-to-head in the much anticipated championship match of the US Open Polo Championship on Sunday April 20, at 5pm (Palm Beach time).
US Open Polo Championship – Teams & Fixture
The US Open Polo Championship, the crown jewel of polo in the United States, was played for the first time in 1904, with only two teams in competition The Wanderers and The Freeboters. They played at Van Conrtlandt Park, in the Bronx borough of New York City. Four 15-minute chukkers were played, with a seven-minute break between each chukker. There was a pause, and the tournament was resumed in 1910, when six teams played at Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island; it remained there for several years until it was relocated it what would be the tournament’s longtime home, Meadowbrook Polo Club in Old Westbury, New York. In 1954, the U.S. Open moved to Oak Brook, where it remained for 22 years, followed by an eight year-stint at the Retama Polo Center in San Antonio, Texas. In the 1980s and the 1990s, it was held in several clubs throughout the United States, until 2004. It was in the centenary year when the US Open relocated to Wellington, Florida, where it has been held ever since. The U.S. Open Polo Championship perpetual trophy was first presented in 1910. Stolen in 2002, it was recovered a few weeks later and is currently kept in the care and custody of the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in Lake Worth, Florida.
2025 THE GAUNTLET OF POLO 2025 – 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.
*Only play the CV Whitney Cup //**Only play the USPA Gold Cup and theUS Open
Coca Cola: Gillian Johnston 0, Julián de Lusarreta 7, Lorenzo Chavanne 6, Polito Pieres 9. Total: 22.
Global Port: Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. 10, Santos Merlos 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 Setai*: Melissa Ganzi 0, Nic Roldán 7, Gonzalo Pieres Jr. 8, Santiago Toccalino 7. Total: 22.
*Only play the US Open.
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 – Winners: Park Place
February 27-March 23
US OPEN
March 26-April 20
Cover photo by Agustina Fonda.