Action for the USPA Gold Cup, the second leg of The Gauntlet of Polo, the most significant series of tournaments in the United States, that’s underway at the National Polo Center, in Wellington, Florida, continued on Tuesday March 12, with a single match. Pilot were victorious over La Fe by a narrow 13-12, following a very hard fought contest that was decided in extra chukka, through a 60-yards penalty conversion by Facundo Pieres. The tournament sees nine teams up to 22 goals, in participation.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
All teams will play four preliminary matches each. Following the conclusion of preliminary play, all teams will be ranked 1-9. The top four ranked teams will draw for semifinal pairings with the winners of the semifinals advancing to the USPA Gold Cup final. Any ties between teams that played each other will be broken by who-beat-who. All other ties will be broken by a one-player shootout. The Retama Cup will serve as the subsidiary to the USPA Gold Cup. Teams who do not qualify for the semifinals of the USPA Gold Cup will automatically be entered in the Retama Cup.
The final of the USPA Gold Cup is due on Sunday March 24, at the National Polo Center.
USPA GOLD CUP – TUESDAY MARCH 12
PILOT 13-12 LA FE
PILOT: Curtis Pilot 0, Antonio Heguy 6 (2 goals), Santiago Torres 6 (3), Facundo Pieres 10 (8). Total: 22.
LA FE: Lucas Diaz Alberdi 6 (1 goal), Robi Bilbao 6 (1), Francisco Elizalde 9 (7), Louis Devaleix 1 (3). Total: 22.
Score Pilot: 4-1, 5-3, 8-4, 10-7, 12-8, 12-12, 13-12.
Umpires: Héctor Galindo & Jamie Mirkitani.
The USPA Gold Cup will continue with the last league games, that will take place through Wednesday March 13 to Sunday March 17, prior to the semifinals due on Wednesday March 20:
Wednesday March 13:
11am: Valiente vs. Clearwater
3pm: Park Place vs. Tamera
Friday March 15:
11am: Coca Cola vs. Dutta Corp
Saturday March 16:
11am: Valiente vs. Park Place
Sunday March 17:
3pm: Pilot vs. La Dolfina/Tonkawa
IMAGES:
USPA Gold Cup – Teams & Fixture
2024 THE GAUNTLET OF POLO CALENDAR
CV Whitney Cup: February 9 – 25.
USPA Gold Cup: February 28 – March 24.
U.S. Open Polo Championship: March 22 – April 21.
Utilizing the same prize money distribution for the 2023 Gauntlet of Polo, the format guarantees a total of $200,000 in prize money. $50,000 will be awarded to each of the winning teams of the C.V. Whitney Cup and USPA Gold Cup. Similarly, $100,000 in prize money will bepresented to the winner of the U.S. Open Polo Championship and any team that wins all three tournaments will be crowned the Gauntlet Champion. In keeping with the spirit of philanthropy, U.S. Polo Assn. will provide a $2,500 donation to the winner and runner-up teams of all three finals to be donated to a polo charity of their choice.
All Sunday games are due on the National Polo Center Field One.
Cover photo, by Agustina Fonda.