Sunday was an action packed day in Wellington, USA, with three matches played at International Polo Club. The main event was the CV Whitney Cup final, the first 26-goal tournament of the season at IPC, where Valiente took on Colorado. The match saw Adolfo Cambiaso and Facundo Pieres play their first international high goal final together. The match was also interesting in that it pitted Bob and Rob Jornayvaz against each other, in what was an entertaining father-son duel.
The odds were always in Valiente’s favour, and that prediction became a reality pretty quickly. Not only did they dominate the attack in the initial chukkas, but Valiente also kept their defence solid throughout. Three goals by Facundo Pieres, one by Adolfo Cambiaso, and another from Rob Jornayvaz gave the boys in blue a comfortable 5-0 lead by half time.
Colorado managed to score once at the beginning of the fourth chukka, thanks to a goal by Diego Cavanagh, but Valiente quickly regained control with another goal by Facundo Pieres. A conversion by Magoo Laprida didn’t do much to lessen Valiente’s advantage as they showed even more dominance in the fifth. In the end, Facundo and Adolfo claimed the win and their first ever title together.
FACUNDO PIERES (MVP of the final): “We are happy to win. I think we played a little bit better together today as a team. We are hoping to improve every game. Today we were looking at each other a bit more, passing the ball more, and we made a couple of plays together [with Adolfo Cambiaso]. So hopefully with more games and practices we will improve our rhythm and get better and better. The aim is to win everything we can and to have fun.”
Valiente: Rob Jornayvaz 1 (1 goal), Tommy Beresford 4 (1), Adolfo Cambiaso 10 (2), Facundo Pieres 10 (5). Total: 25.
Colorado: Santi Torres 6, Magoo Laprida 8 (2 goals), Diego Cavanagh 9 (2), Bob Jornayvaz 2. Total: 25.
Score Valiente: 2-0, 3-0, 5-0, 6-2, 9-3, 9-4.
MVP: Facundo Pieres.
BPP: Mentolada. Played by Adolfo Cambiaso.
CV WHITNEY CUP SUBSIDIARY: DAILY RACING FORM 11-9 GRAND CHAMPIONS
Prior to the CV Whitney Cup final, the subsidiary was played between Daily Racing Form and Grand Champions.
Daily Racing Form: Nino Obregon 6, Agustin Obregon 5 (1 goal), Hilario Ulloa 10 (8), Jared Zenni 5 (2). Total: 26.
GCPC: Marc Ganzi 2 (1 goal), Nic Roldan 8 (4), Nico Pieres 8, Negro Novillo Astrada 8 (3). Total: 26.
Score Daily Racing Form: 4-1, 4-5, 5-7, 6-8, 9-9, 11-9.
MVP: Hilario Ulloa.
BPP: Caprichosa. Played by Hilario Ulloa.
IGLEHART CUP: LA INDIANA 13-8 POSTAGE STAMP FARM
Sunday also hosted the Iglehart Cup, fourth tournament of the 20 goal season.
La Indiana: Michael Bickford 2 (3 goals), Toro Ruiz 5 (3), Jeff Hall 7 (3), Facundo Obregon 6 (4). Total: 20.
Postage Stamp Farm: Annabelle Gundlach A, Brandon Phillips 5 (2 goals), Mariano Aguerre 9 (1), Kris Kampsen 6 (3). Total: 20.
Score La Indiana: 1-1, 3-2, 6-3, 10-4, 12-5, 13-8.
•Action at International Polo Club continues on Wednesday:
BUTLER HANDICAP (26 GOALS):
10am: Valiente vs Grand Champions Polo Club
2pm: Colorado vs Daily Racing Form
IGLEHART CUP (20 GOALS):
3pm: Goose Creek vs Prestige Worldwide