MONTY WATERBURY®
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Monty Waterbury is the third oldest official USPA trophy in active competition, named in honor of 10-goal polo immortal James "Monty" Waterbury. Waterbury was a member of The Wanderers polo team, which won polo's first U.S. Open Polo Championship in 1904. He is also remembered as a member of the USA team called the “Big Four,” that won five international Westchester Cups against Great Britain.
In 1922, two years after his passing, his friends and teammates played for the first Monty Waterbury, at the Meadow Brook Club, in Westbury, Long Island. The Monty Waterbury trophy became a perpetual challenge trophy for an impressive 28-year stretch. Originally played for on handicap by teams entered in the U.S. Open, the final game for the U.S. Open Polo Championship was also the semifinal game for the Monty Waterbury. The inaugural games in 1922 boasted crowds of up to 20,000 people, who witnessed monumental eight chukker long battles. In 1954, the U.S. Open Polo Championship changed venues to Illinois, and the tournament was integrated into the Northeastern Circuit schedule, where it slowly receded into the background until its resurgence in 1975.
Temporarily relocating to the Greenwich Polo Club (Greenwich, Connecticut) in 2019, the Monty Waterbury was won by White Birch with a final score of 18-13 over Tupungato. This victory was in addition to three straight titles for White Birch (2014, 2015, 2016), including back-to-back victories in 2015 and 2016 with the same lineup consisting of Santino Magrini, Hilario Ulloa, Mariano Aguerre and Peter M. Brant. Not played for in 2020, the tournament found a new home in 2021 at Port Mayaca Polo Club in Okeechobee, Florida, where Old Hickory Bourbon captured the title 8-7 over Postage Stamp Farm, followed by Beverly Polo in 2022 besting the reigning champions 14-10.
In 2023, Old Hickory Bourbon (Jose Carlos "Ziza" Meirelles, Martin "Facha" Valent, Henry Porter, Matias Magrini) reached their third consecutive Monty Waterbury final, facing-off against newcomer Loudmouth (Andrew Seibert, Costi Caset, Lerin Zubiaurre, Kris Kampsen). Deadlocked 3-all at halftime, four second half goals from Siebert including three crucial conversions lifted Loudmouth to the 9-8 victory.
Hosted by Port Mayaca Polo Club for a fourth consecutive year with the final to be played at the National Polo Center - Wellington (Wellington, Florida), six talented teams will battle to inscribe their names on the prestigious trophy including Bull Market, Las Brisas, Palm Beach Equine, SD Farms/Old Hickory Bourbon, The Dutta Corp and Tonkawa.
Crowning a new champion this year, Palm Beach Equine's Santino Magrini currently leads this year's rosters with four (2015, 2016, 2019, 2021) Monty Waterbury titles to his name. Joining the competition will Bull Market, Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame inductee Memo Gracida will vie for his first Monty Waterbury title since 1998.
Representing Team USPA are Active Members Kristos "Keko" Magrini and Mackenzie Weisz (Bull Market), Nicolas Diaz Alberdi (The Dutta Corp) and alumni Santino Magrini (Palm Beach Equine) and Timmy Dutta (The Dutta Corp).
Photo: 2023 Monty Waterbury Champions: Loudmouth - Kris Kampsen, Andrew Seibert, Lerin Zubiaurre, Costi Caset. ©David Lominska
