Park Place and La Dolfina/Tonkawa earned the two remaining spots for the semifinals of the USPA Gold Cup, following their respective wins in the two last league games of the USPA Gold Cup, that took place through Saturday March 16 and Sunday March 17. The USPA Gold Cup is the second leg of The Gauntlet of Polo, the most significant tournament series of the United States, that is currently underway at the National Polo Center, in Wellington, Florida. It’s worth to remember that Coca Cola and Valiente also qualified for the tournament’s next stage.
On Saturday, Park Place beat Valiente in extra chukka, and on Sunday, La Dolfina/Tonkawa secured the last ticket to the semifinals, after defeating Pilot. 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
SATURDAY MARCH 16
PARK PLACE 13-12 VALIENTE (extra chukka)
Park Place: Andrey Borodin 0, Juan Britos 9 (3 goals), Hilario Ulloa 10 (7), Marcos Bignoli 3 (2). Total: 22.
*1 goal on Penalty 1.
Valiente: Bob Jornayvaz 0, Peke Gonzalez 7 (1 goal), Paco de Narvaez Jr 5* (6), Adolfo Cambiaso 10 (4). Total: 22.
*1 goal on Penalty 1.
*Subs in for Federico Panzillo.
Score Park Place: 1-4, 3-6, 6-9, 8-9, 10-10, 12-12, 13-12.
Umpires: Martín Pascual & Gastón Lucero. Third man: Jamie Mirikitani.
SUNDAY MARCH 17
LA DOLFINA/TONKAWA 12-8 PILOT
La Dolfina/Tonkawa: Jeff Hildebrand 0, Rufino Merlos 3, Poroto Cambiaso 10 (7 goles), Tomás Panelo 9 (5). Total: 22.
Pilot: Curtis Pilot 0 (1 gol), Antonio Heguy 6 (2), Santiago Torres 6 (2), Facundo Pieres 10 (2). Total: 22.
*1 goal on Penalty 1.
Score La Dolfina/Tonkawa: 1-1, 2-2, 4-4, 6-5, 9-6, 12-8.
Umpires: Steve Dalton & Jamie Mirikitani. Third man: Martín Pascual.
The semifinals of the USPA Gold Cup will take place on Wednesday March 20, with the following order of play:
11am: Coca Cola vs. Valiente
3pm: La Dolfina/Tonkawa vs. Park Place
USPA Gold Cup – Teams & Fixture
Cover photo, by Agustina Fonda.
2024 THE GAUNTLET OF POLO CALENDAR
CV Whitney Cup: February 9 – 25 (Winner: Valiente)
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 be presented 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 main ground.