C.V. WHITNEY CUP®

C.V. WHITNEY CUP®

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Originally known as the U.S. Handicap, the C.V. Whitney Cup was established in 1979 and first competed for on handicap and played in conjunction with the U.S. Open Polo Championship. Debuting at Retama Polo Center in San Antonio, Texas, it was won the first two years by Tulsa.

Nine years later, in 1988, the tournament was renamed for C.V. (Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny”) Whitney, an avid polo player and three-time winner of the U.S. Open (1928, 1937, 1938) and son of 10-goal Hall of Famer Harry Payne Whitney. Inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in 2022, Whitney left a lasting mark on polo. Rising to a 6-goal handicap during his playing career that spanned the "golden era" of polo, Whitney was a formidable factor in all major USPA tournaments. After his playing days, Whitney raised outstanding racehorses, with 15 that competed in the Kentucky Derby. In its inaugural years in 1988 and 1989, Mr. Whitney was on hand in Lexington, Kentucky, to make the first presentations of the C.V. Whitney Cup. The winner those first two years was the Ft. Lauderdale team of Jack Oxley, Joey Casey, Ernesto Trotz and Bart Evans.

Now played as a stand-alone tournament, the C.V. Whitney Cup is the first in a series of three prestigious 22-goal tournaments hosted by the National Polo Center - Wellington (NPC) in Wellington, Florida, followed by the USPA Gold Cup and the U.S. Open Polo Championship. Notable contemporary C.V. Whitney Cup winners include Valiente (2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024), Lechuza Caracas (1999, 2002, 2011), White Birch (1995, 1996, 2000, 2001 and 2005) and Park Place (2021, 2022)

History was made during the inaugural Gauntlet of Polo in 2019, when Pilot won the C.V. Whitney Cup—starting a run to capture all three events, winning $500,000 prize money, then earning $1 million over the course of the series and becoming the only team to do so.

In 2024, defending C.V. Whitney Cup champions Valiente (Bob Jornayvaz, Jesse Bray, Paco de Narvaez Jr., Adolfo Cambiaso) met La Dolfina (Dillon Bacon, Quinn Evans, Poroto Cambiaso, Tomas Panelo) in the first leg of South Florida’s premier spectacle. Pitting two world-class organizations against each other in a familial battle, the physicality and mental resolve of Adolfo Cambiaso was on full display, as the veteran found the posts twice in the final moments to deliver Valiente the 12-10 victory and $50,000 in prize money. Read article here.

This year's elite competition will field 11 exceptional teams including Brookshire, BTA, Catamount, Clearwater, Coca-Cola, Globalport, La Fe Eastern Hay, Park Place, Pilot, Tamera and The Dutta Corp. Back to defend his title, legendary Adolfo Cambiaso will seek to secure a historic tenth C.V. Whitney Cup victory with La Dolfina/Tamera.

2023 finalists Pilot will attempt to secure their first C.V. Whitney Cup win since 2019, led by six-time C.V. Whitney Cup winner (2008, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019) Facundo Pieres, as 2022 champions Park Place set their sights on the podium once more. Past winners BTA (1993) and Catamount (2004, 2007) add to the rich history of the tournament. Coca-Cola's Gillian Johnston, the only woman set to compete in the series joins Brookshire, Clearwater, Globalport, La Fe Eastern Hay, La Dolfina/Tamera and The Dutta Corp, all battling for their first C.V. Whitney Cup title.

The Gauntlet of Polo presented by TruBar features all six USPA 10-goalers, ensuring unparalleled skill and competition. The decorated list includes 2024 USPA Gold Cup and U.S. Open Polo Championship victors Poroto Cambiaso (La Dolfina/Catamount) and Tomas Panelo (BTA), four-time C.V. Whitney Cup victor (2010, 2013, 2021, 2022) Hilario Ulloa and nine-time C.V. Whitney Cup winner (1991, 1995, 1996, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024) Adolfo Cambiaso, alongside reigning Argentine Open champions Bartolome Castagnola (Globalport) and Camilo "Jeta" Castagnola (Brookshire).

The winner of the C.V. Whitney Cup will receive $25,000. Learn more about the Gauntlet of Polo. In partnership with USPA Global, each of the teams will select a charity of their choice from 10 non-profits and both charities of the winner and runners-up will receive a $2,500 donation.

Representing Team USPA are Active Members Kristos "Keko" Magrini (La Fe Eastern Hay), Nicolas Diaz Alberdi (The Dutta Corp) alongside alumni Steve Krueger (BTA), Jesse Bray (La Dolfina/Catamount), Geronimo Obregon (Clearwater), Cody Ellis (Pilot), Matt Coppola (Tamera) and Timmy Dutta (The Dutta Corp).

Debuting in 2024 as a parallel tournament to the USPA Gold Cup, this year's edition of the Retama Cup will serve as a companion tournament to the C.V. Whitney Cup. The Retama Cup is an NPC tournament that pays homage to the former Retama Polo Center. Founded in the late 1970s by Steve Gose, the club boasted 16 regulation grass fields and hosted some of the most competitive polo in the country such as the Cup of the Americas and the U.S. Open Polo Championship.

Attracting some of the biggest names in the sport, legendary players such as Juan Carlos Harriott, Cecil Smith, Rube Williams, Memo and Carlos Gracida, Harold and Joe Barry and Ray Harrington frequented the Texas fields until its closure in the late 1980s.

In 2024, Tamera (Alejandro Poma, Segundo Saravi, Matias Torres Zavaleta, Diego Cavanagh) captured the inaugural Retama Cup title with a commanding 14-8 victory over La Fe.

Photo: 2024 C.V. Whitney Cup Champions: Valiente - Adolfo Cambiaso, Mariano "Peke" Gonzalez Jr., Paco de Narvaez Jr., Jesse Bray, Bob Jornayvaz. Presented by Whitney Miller Douglass and Royal Douglass III. ©David Lominska