NEWS

On Sunday, April 20, the National President’s Cup final took place on Field 2 at the National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida, just ahead of the U.S. Open Polo Championship final. Showcasing 8-goal polo at its best, Organic Matters Inc. (Iñaki Wulff, Vaughn Miller Jr., Alan Martinez, Max Stevens) won 7-6 in regulation time against Fross & Fross (Cruz Bilbao, Paige Boone, Lucas Bosch, sub. Nick Johnson) in a match that went down to the wire.

Steeped in history dating back to 1969, the contest brought together Regional President's Cup champions nationwide. The Northeastern Circuit's Amaro/Jefferies (Santos Valent, Scott Sorbaro, Marcos Bignoli, Kris Kampsen) and the Eastern Circuit's TNT Global/Jet Set Polo Visas (Julia Kline, Brock Bromley, Nicolas Diaz Alberdi*, Lucio Fernandez Ocampo) joined the four Florida Circuit winners: Organic Matters Inc., Santa Clara (formerly Santa Clara/Forbes Plunkett: Aspen Tinto, Pedro Gutierrez, Luis Escobar, Federico Escobar) and Fross & Fross. Based on team availability, State Farm (Harrison Wise, Josh Escapite, Francisco Ayala, Horacio “Flaco” Lizaso), Regional President's Cup finalists in the fourth qualifying event hosted by The Villages Polo Club (The Villages, Florida), rounded out the competition as the sixth team in contention.

Of the qualified six teams for the National President’s Cup, virtual “quarterfinals” produced the final four. Organic Matters Inc., having squeaked through on net goals, led 4-3 at halftime and won 10-9 in the semifinals against TNT Global/Jet Set Polo Visas. On the opposing side of the draw, three unanswered goals in the sixth chukker gave Fross & Fross an 11-10 win over State Farm. Fross & Fross was trailing by one at the end of the fourth chukker, with Bilbao sidelined by injury. Nick Johnson proved a valuable substitute contributing two field goals to the final tally.

The two teams had met earlier in the tournament with Fross & Fross winning in overtime. “We played well against the team that we played in the finals, and sort of fell apart in the last chukker,” Martinez said, recalling their first encounter in preliminary play. “So today we definitely came focused to make sure that we held it together, and I mean they did close the gap during the sixth chukker, but fortunately we were prepared, and we had enough goals that we were able to weather the storm.”

Organic Matters Inc.’s Martinez set up teammate Miller Jr. for the first goal of the game, in a demonstration of trusted teamplay that carried through the entire six chukkers. Bilbao put Fross & Fross on the board from the field, before a breakaway goal from Martinez closed the first chukker 2-1 in favor of Organic Matters Inc. Fross & Fross, who had made the journey from The Villages Polo Club, near Ocala, Florida, briefly secured the lead in the second chukker thanks to goals from Johnson and Boone—one of three female players represented in the national contest.

Tied 3-all at halftime, another well-engineered play from Martinez and Miller Jr. nudged Organic Matters Inc. back into the lead. Stevens followed up to extend the lead to 5-3 by the end of the fourth chukker, and despite a penalty goal from Bosch in the fifth, the team in green maintained control, moving into the final period ahead 7-4. Fross & Fross, sought vengeance in the sixth and secured a Penalty 3 from Bosch and a critical field goal that put the score at 7-6. As the final thirty seconds ticked down, Organic Matters Inc.’s captain Martinez marshaled his teammates before the throw-in, reminding them not to foul—orders they followed to close out the game in regulation time.

One of the revelations of the tournament did not show up on the National President’s Cup finals scoresheet. Wulff did not score a single goal in the game but that did not prevent him getting noticed. At just 13 years old, and with a -1 handicap, Wulff played with a mindset beyond his years. Originally substituting on the team during the qualifying tournament, it did not take long for Organic Matters Inc.’s team captain Martinez to see the potential in Wulff. “He actually filled in and he played so well that we decided to take him onto our team,” Martinez said.

Wulff’s father Santiago was instrumental in getting the young player horses to play in the tournament. “I know it's been difficult trying to keep him mounted because Santi's already sent horses to California.” said Martinez. “He's got a busy schedule trying to get horses for Iñaki to play. It's not an easy challenge, but he was able to do it. He helped us out a ton and I am so thankful that we had Iñaki on the team.”

Wulff, a rookie in the pack, was selected as Most Valuable Player but it was left to a polo veteran to claim the equivalent equine accolade. Twenty-year-old Brujito, played and owned by Martinez, moved up from largely standing as a spare horse, to playing a full role in the finals. “He's always been my rock star,” Martinez said of the gelding, who was the first homebred he ever had. “He played super well and this season, I mean, he's never played more than half a chukker until we got into this game. I think he came onto the field three times. You know he's not as good as he once was but he's still an amazing horse and I'm glad that I got the chance to play him today.”

Brujito, affectionately known as Burrito, has a somewhat obscure pedigree. “I don’t even know his breeding,” Martinez said. “His mother was a horse named Bruja that actually played under Nic Roldan when he won the U.S. Open. He [Burrito] didn’t really play polo until he was 7 years old. And obviously he played quite well. He had a late start, but he was a supernatural horse.” On the back of this win and award, Brujito will sit back and enjoy the pasture. “This was his retirement party,” Martinez said.

The National President's Cup final is now available On-Demand.

*Nicolas Diaz Alberdi is an Active Team USPA Member. 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.