USPA GOLD CUP®
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The USPA Gold Cup is the second 22-goal tournament of the Florida high-goal season and the second leg in the Gauntlet of Polo presented by TruBar. Established in 1974, the USPA Gold Cup has been hosted at seven venues in five different states and has included many of the world's elite players and teams. First played at Oak Brook Polo Club in Oak Brook, Illinois, four teams battled for the trophy with inaugural winners Milwaukee (Tom Hughes, Tommy Wayman, Joe Barry, Robert Uihlein III) besting Houston 9-8, in a thrilling overtime victory, with Wayman scoring the golden goal three minutes into the sudden death chukker.
The following year, the USPA Gold Cup was moved to Milwaukee Polo Club in Wisconsin, where it was played from 1975 to 1978. In 1979, the USPA Gold Cup relocated to South Florida and quickly became the crown jewel of the winter season. In its height at the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club during the 80s and early 90s, the USPA Gold Cup was the tournament to win, attracting anywhere from 11 to 20 teams. A 16-year-old Adolfo Cambiaso made his USPA Gold Cup debut in 1991 with Cellular One (Matthew Gonzalez, Ernesto Trotz, Adam Lindemann) and would claim his first of 15 titles, an impressive record he still holds.
After a successful 17-year stretch at the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club, the tournament was hosted by several clubs over the years including Royal Palm Polo Club (now defunct), Greenwich Polo Club (Greenwich, Connecticut) and New Bridge Polo & Country Club (Aiken, South Carolina), before landing a permanent home in Wellington, Florida.
Notable contemporary winners to take home the title more than once include Valiente (2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018), Audi (2011, 2015), Crab Orchard (2007, 2010) and Scone (2021, 2023). White Birch holds the all-time record wins with 12 titles spanning three decades. Back-to-back victories in the Gold Cup were last achieved in 2017 and 2018 by Valiente.
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.
Hosted by the National Polo Center - Wellington (NPC) in Wellington, Florida, the USPA Gold Cup is preceded by the C.V. Whitney Cup and will be followed by the U.S. Open Polo Championship.
Celebrating fifty years of USPA Gold Cup competition in 2024, a rematch between Valiente (Bob Jornayvaz, Mariano “Peke” Gonzalez Jr., Paco de Narvaez Jr., Adolfo Cambiaso) and La Dolfina (Jeff Hildebrand, Rufino Merlos, Poroto Cambiaso, Tomas Panelo) featured the two heavyweights meeting for a second consecutive bout at the National Polo Center - Wellington on U.S. Polo Assn. Field One. Confident and assertive from the first throw-in, La Dolfina established a lead and did not relinquish it. Its impressive display of determination clinched the renowned organization’s first title on American soil and $50,000 in prize money. Read article here.
All 11 teams competing in the 2025 C.V. Whitney Cup (BTA, Brookshire, Clearwater, Coca-Cola, Globalport, La Dolfina/Catamount, La Dolfina/Tamera, La Fe Eastern Hay, Park Place, Pilot, The Dutta Corp) will be returning for the USPA Gold Cup.
Back-to-back champions (2023, 2024) Poroto Cambiaso and Tomas Panelo will face-off as competitors, with Cambiaso leading the attack for La Dolfina/Catamount and Panelo suiting-up for BTA. Striving for a spectacular sixteenth championship, 2024 runner-up Adolfo Cambiaso sets his sights on delivering the title for the combined La Dolfina/Tamera organizations. Last reaching the Gold Cup podium in 2022, Pilot will attempt to land its third USPA Gold Cup win (2019, 2022).
Gillian Johnston (Coca-Cola), a 2017 finalist, stands as the sole female competitor in the series. Coca-Cola joins Brookshire, Clearwater, Globalport, La Fe Eastern Hay, Park Place and The Dutta Corp, all battling for their first USPA Gold Cup title.
The Gauntlet of Polo presented by TruBar will feature all six USPA 10-goalers, ensuring unparalleled skill and competition. The decorated list includes 15-time USPA Gold Cup champion (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021) Adolfo Cambiaso (La Dolfina/Tamera), three-time (2021, 2023, 2024) victor Poroto Cambiaso (La Dolfina/Catamount), two-time champion (2023, 2024) Tomas Panelo (BTA) and 2010 winner Hilario Ulloa (Park Place). Reigning Argentine Open champions Bartolome Castagnola (Globalport) and Camilo "Jeta" Castagnola (Brookshire) round out the top-ranked talent, each vying to add the USPA Gold Cup to their impressive collection of high-goal hardware.
The winner of the USPA Gold Cup will receive $75,000. 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) and Nicolas Diaz Alberdi (The Dutta Corp) alongside alumni Steve Krueger (BTA), Jesse Bray (La Dolfina/Catamount), Cody Ellis (Pilot), Matt Coppola (Tamera) and Timmy Dutta (The Dutta Corp).
The Bennie Gutierrez Memorial Cup will serve as a companion tournament to the USPA Gold Cup. The Bennie Gutierrez Memorial Cup is an NPC tournament celebrating exceptional horseman and accomplished professional polo player Benito T. “Bennie” Gutierrez. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Gutierrez earned an 8-goal handicap in 1968, a rare achievement for an American at the time. A year later, he represented the United States in the 1969 Cup of Americas and went on to win the Sixteen Goal (now called the American Cup) in 1969 and in 1971, as well as the 1972 U.S. Open Polo Championship.
After a career-altering injury, Gutierrez remained a fixture in the sport, training top polo ponies and managing high-goal teams. He also played a key role in developing the USPA's professional umpire program. A recipient of many distinguished awards, he was inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in 2003. Gutierrez passed away on July 25, 2024, at the age of 88.
Additionally, the Tommy Hitchcock Memorial Trophy will be presented on Sunday, March 16, after the USPA Gold Cup quarterfinal game on U.S. Polo Assn. Field One. Making its debut as an NPC featured match, the trophy honors Thomas "Tommy" Hitchcock Jr., an American war hero and polo player.
Born in Aiken, South Carolina, in 1900, Hitchcock Jr. excelled in polo from a young age, holding a 10-goal handicap from 1922 to 1940 and winning four U.S. Open Polo championship titles (1923, 1927, 1935, 1936). A decorated military officer, he served in the Lafayette Flying Corps in France during World War I, in the United States Army Air Force in World War II, and was instrumental in the development of the P-51 Mustang fighter plane. He was killed while conducting a test flight.
Honoring his legacy, he was posthumously inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in 1990.
Photo: 2024 Gold Cup Champions: La Dolfina - Tomas Panelo, Poroto Cambiaso, Rufino Merlos, Jeff Hildebrand. Presented by USPA Chairman Stewart Armstrong. ©David Lominska
