NEWS

The C.V. Whitney Cup, the opening tournament in the Gauntlet of Polo presented by TruBar, took place on Sunday, February 23, on U.S. Polo Assn. Field One at the National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida. The final pitted Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Lorenzo Chavanne, Pablo “Polito” Pieres, Julian de Lusarreta) against La Dolfina/Tamera (Alejandro Poma, Matt Coppola*, Diego Cavanagh, Adolfo Cambiaso). La Dolfina/Tamera secured an 11-10 victory in a nail-biting finish, earning Cambiaso his tenth C.V. Whitney Cup title, as well as awards for Most Valuable Player and Best Playing Pony.

Despite de Lusarreta’s opening goal—back in high goal competition after being sidelined by injury in the 2024 season—and an additional first chukker field goal from Johnston, Coca-Cola had a shaky start. Meanwhile, La Dolfina/Tamera capitalized on penalty opportunities, building a 6-2 lead by the close of the second chukker with three conversions. “We didn't start playing good, we didn't play our game,” said Pieres. “We made some fouls—mistakes like that against Cambiaso are going to cost you a lot.”

By halftime, Coca-Cola closed the gap 6-5, and by the start of the fifth chukker, the teams were tied 7-all. La Dolfina/Tamera went on the offensive as Cambiaso rode out on Dolfina Carola, last year’s C.V. Whitney Cup Best Playing Pony—who would go on to earn the honor for a second consecutive year. Coca-Cola was held scoreless, as La Dolfina/Tamera pulled ahead 10-7 moving into the final chukker. A surge of three consecutive goals brought Coca-Cola back into contention, but a penalty gave La Dolfina/Tamera an 11-10 advantage. “We came back down by two, by one, then tied, and then we had confidence that we could win it,” said Pieres.

In the closing 10 seconds, offsetting fouls led to a bowl-in near the La Dolfina/Tamera goal. As time expired, a spot hit awarded to Coca-Cola went high and far wide to the right corner, ending the match. “We gave them a chance to shoot on goal with four seconds to go,” said Cambiaso, of the missed penalty, denying Coca-Cola a shot at overtime.

The C.V. Whitney final was a rematch after Coca-Cola defeated La Dolfina/Tamera 17-13 in its opening game on the first day of bracket play. Lusarreta did not take the win as a prediction of what was to come in the final. “It’s not going to be the same game as the first one,” the 7-goaler said. “They’ve been playing much better, and always, a final against Cambiaso is going to be different and tough.”

Coppola claimed his third C.V. Whitney Cup title, having won it for the first time at the age of 16 in 2011, with Lechuza Caracas. A Team USPA alumnus, Coppola with a 4-goal handicap, did not score in the final, but his impact on the team was undeniable. “I think Matt Coppola had a great game today,” Cambiaso said. “He did really well, pretty much the whole tournament. He did amazing playing against higher goal players.” The youngest player on the field was 17-year-old Argentine Chavanne, who is playing his first winter high-goal season in the United States. While it is his first time competing at the National Polo Center, he is no stranger to the venue, having previously watched from the sidelines in support of his father. “It makes me very proud to be playing here,” he said.

Neither finalist arrived to the final unbeaten, an indication of how competitive the contest had been for the 11 teams entered. “Every team in the Gauntlet is really good,” said Poma, who is playing his fourth Gauntlet season. “We take everyone very seriously. I have the utmost respect for every organization. We didn’t come in doubting anybody.”

La Dolfina/Tamera faced an old adversary in the semifinals, lining up against Pilot (Curtis Pilot, Cody Ellis*, Matias Torres Zavaleta, Facundo Pieres). Led by the 10-goal might of Pieres, Pilot entered the season as the only team to have won the Gauntlet of Polo with victories in the C.V. Whitney Cup, USPA Gold Cup and U.S. Open Polo Championship in 2019.La Dolfina/Tamera led throughout the semifinal encounter, winning 11-6. Coca-Cola took on Globalport (Michael Romero, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, Santos Merlos, Bartolome Castagnola), featuring 10-goaler Castagnola in the semifinals. Five goals in the second half from Pieres, built on a tight halftime lead of 7-6 to give Coca-Cola a definitive 15-9 win.

For Cambiaso the victory in this year’s C.V. Whitney Cup was bittersweet. “In a way, for me, it’s a very happy and a very sad moment,” he said. “Last year I won with Bob Jornayvaz [and Valiente] and he’s not here right now. He’s fighting for his life and he’s like my friend, my father, and is a guy who is really important to me. I miss him and give thanks to Tamera for giving me the opportunity to play with them. But for me, it’s a year that is not that easy.”

A 7-year-old bay mare Dolfina Carola (Dolfina Guitarrero x Carla), played in the fifth chukker, trotted away with Best Playing Pony honors presented by Palm Beach Equine. “She’s been one of my best mares this year. Last year she was a bit green and this year she made a step up to be a really good horse,” said Cambiaso. “She’s really well bred. She’s out of Carla, which is one of my best mares that I bought from Roberto Gonzalez and Dolfina Guitarrero, which is one of my best stallions right now.”

La Dolfina/Tamera claimed the winner’s prize money check for $25,000. In partnership with USPA Global, both finalists also received a $2,500 donation to contribute to a charity of their choice from a selection of 10 nonprofits. Coca-Cola chose to donate to Work to Ride, while La Dolfina/Tamera selected the Polo Players Support Group.

Earlier in the day, The Dutta Corp (Ignacio “Iñaki” Laprida, Nicolas Diaz Alberdi*, Timmy Dutta*, Tomas Garcia del Rio) faced off against Park Place (Hilario Ulloa, Mariano “Peke” Gonzalez Jr., sub. Gabriel Crespo, sub. Louis Hine) for the Retama Cup, the C.V. Whitney Cup companion tournament. Dutta scored a third-chukker hat trick to give The Dutta Corp an 8-5 halftime lead. Park Place fought back, sending the match into overtime, where an impressive backshot to goal from Nicolas Diaz Alberdi landed a 13-12 win for The Dutta Corp.

Most Valuable Player was awarded to Timmy Dutta, contributing five field goals to his team’s winning tally. Best Playing Pony honors were presented to 12-year-old bay mare Lavinia Irupe (Lavinia Ironica x Loyal Force), played and owned by Hilario Ulloa.

La Dolfina/Tamera will now set its sights on becoming the second team in history to capture the prestigious Gauntlet of Polo, continuing with the USPA Gold Cup slated to begin on Thursday, February 27. All games of the USPA Gold Cup will be livestreamed on the USPA Polo Network.

The C.V. Whitney Cup final is now available On-Demand. Renowned 10-goaler Hilario Ulloa, who captained Park Place to victory in the Retama Cup, joined the broadcast alongside USPA Polo Network’s Toby Wayman and Tommy Biddle Jr., providing an insider’s view of competing in the Gauntlet of Polo.

*Nicolas Diaz Alberdi is a Team USPA Active Member. Matt Coppola, Cody Ellis and Timmy Dutta are Team USPA alumni. Team USPA is a USPA program designed to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the United States by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and pro players and the resultant giveback to the sport of polo.

All photos courtesy of ©David Lominska.