AMERICA CUP™
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
First played for in 1974, the America Cup, formerly known as the 16-Goal Championship, is a national tournament currently held at Santa Barbara Polo Club (SBPRC) in Carpinteria, California. Boca Raton holds the record for most tournament victories, claiming the cup in seven of the first eight years of competition, with John T. Oxley a member of each team.
Recent champions include Restoration Hardware (2013, 2018), ERG (2014), Farmers & Merchants Bank (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019), Santa Clara (2020), BenSoleimani.com (2021), Klentner Ranch (2022) and Brookshire (2023).
In 2023, Brookshire (Scott Wood, Mariano "Peke" Gonzalez Jr., Ignacio "Nachi" Viana, Tomas Panelo) faced Farmers & Merchants Bank (Will Busch, Lucas Criado Sr., David "Pelon" Stirling, sub. Lucas "Luckitas" Criado Jr., sub. Alonso Andrade Gamez, sub. Juan Curbelo). Establishing the lead from the first chukker, Brookshire's potent offensive was led by a seven-goal performance from Panelo to earn the 11-10 victory.
This year's edition of the America Cup will be played as a subsidiary tournament to the Whittier Trust Silver Cup. Seeking to continue their winning momentum, recent Robert Skene Trophy champions Antelope will square off against La Karina, who are hoping to capture their first America Cup title.
Representing Team USPA is Active Member Lucas Escobar (Antelope) and alumnus Santiago Torres (La Karina).
Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club will be taking advantage of the USPA's Bridge to High Goal Initiative (B2HG) for the America Cup, which provides eligible USPA Member Clubs three USPA Professional Umpires (two mounted officials and one third man) at 50% of the regular cost to the club.
The Bridge to High Goal Initiative (B2HG) has been created to support polo between 12 and 16 goals. The goal of the program is to build a bridge from low-goal polo to high-goal polo that provides a safe environment for competition which will allow for the cultivation of team owners and the advancement of aspiring professionals.
Photo: 2023 America Cup Champions: Brookshire - Ignacio "Nachi" Viana, Tomas Panelo, Mariano "Peke" Gonzalez, Scott Wood. ©David Lominska
