NEWS

Celebrating fifty years of competition in the USPA Gold Cup, 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 Gauntlet heavyweights meeting for a second consecutive bout at the National Polo Center - Wellington on U.S. Polo Assn. Field One. Defending USPA Gold Cup champions Poroto Cambiaso and Panelo led La Dolfina alongside team sponsor Hildebrand and 16-year-old Merlos. Confident and assertive from the first throw-in, La Dolfina established a lead and did not relinquish it. Their impressive display of determination clinched the renowned organization’s first title on American soil and $50,000 in prize money.

Each entering the semifinals carrying a 3-1 record, Valiente and La Dolfina swapped C.V. Whitney Cup semifinal opponents, with Valiente defeating Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Kristos “Keko” Magrini*, Pablo “Polito” Pieres, Victorino “Torito” Ruiz Jorba) and La Dolfina earning the victory over Park Place (Andrey Borodin, Juan Britos, Hilario Ulloa, Marcos Bignoli).

Reflecting on the play of La Dolfina in the early stages of the tournament, Panelo shared, “We lost the first game of the Gold Cup against Tamera, and that made us wake up and put pressure on ourselves.” Poroto added, “I think we wanted to play our system, which is what we showed against Pilot and Park Place, both very hard games that led to the final.”

Aware of the deep rosters vying for a spot in the finale, Panelo noted, “The truth is, we had five finals before this one because we needed to win every game. I think that was a good thing for us, we knew we didn’t have another chance of winning.” Confident in his team’s ability to perform under pressure, Panelo shared the difference for La Dolfina against Valiente the second time around – “Attitude.” Following a stinging loss to Valiente in the C.V. Whitney Cup final, Panelo and his teammates were hungry for redemption, “Today we had much more pressure than the final before because they already beat us once. We couldn’t lose twice in a row—it would’ve been terrible.”

Setting the tone for a close match with plenty of end-to-end plays, both teams had ample opportunities in the early stages of the contest. Establishing Valiente on the scoreboard first, a Penalty 2 from de Narvaez was answered by Panelo from the field, followed by a Penalty 4 off the mallet of Poroto Cambiaso to give La Dolfina the 2-1 edge. Panelo drained the lone goal from either side in the second chukker.

Following Poroto Cambiaso’s first field goal of the day, Valiente responded and settled into an offensive rhythm. Finding the posts and working through traffic, Adolfo Cambiaso struck twice, with Valiente tying the match 4-all. Breaking the brief stalemate, Merlos took advantage of a broken play in the final moments of the half to lift La Dolfina back on top 5-4 at the horn.

Entering the second half under darkening overcast skies, rain began to shower the competitors as play resumed. Undeterred by the sudden change in weather, La Dolfina utilized the fourth chukker to separate from their opponents. Leading the charge, Panelo contributed three goals, including two conversions, as Poroto found success from the field. Holding Valiente to just two goals, La Dolfina catapulted to a 10-6 lead.

The rain subsiding, Valiente faced another collective challenge—a series of yellow cards sending Adolfo Cambiaso to the penalty box. Short-handed without their 10-goal leader for a crucial 4:00 minutes, Valiente dug their heels in defensively to successfully keep La Dolfina off the scoreboard. Cambiaso re-entered the match with a charge, as back-to-back goals from Valiente kept them in contention, trailing by just two.

When asked how they were able to utilize their time without Adolfo on the field, Panelo chuckled, “We didn’t! We didn’t score one goal. We missed two, three goals and we couldn’t use that moment.” Utilizing the combination of skill and grit displayed by La Dolfina throughout the match, Panelo and Poroto dug in to combine for an imperative two-goal run. Trailing by four in the final moments of the game, Adolfo attempted to ignite a final Valiente comeback, but La Dolfina ultimately went the distance to earn the 12-9 triumph.

Leading La Dolfina with six goals in the final, Tomas Panelo was named Most Valuable Player, presented by BTG Pactual. “I think today we played better, we defended really well,” said Panelo. “It was of course always a difficult game against Valiente.” Crediting the bond between the two powerhouse organizations, Panelo continued, “We play all the practices together at the same time … [we] worked every day to achieve the finals and try to win both. They won the C.V. Whitney and luckily, [La Dolfina] this one.” Elated and appreciative, Panelo added, “Let me thank all the grooms from the organizations, from their team, ours, we all work together at Valiente—it’s an amazing place. The horses, the veterinarian, the farrier, the managers, the trainers, they do an amazing job.”

Best Playing Pony presented by Palm Beach Equine was awarded to Antu Walung Rumba (Antu Walung Tronador x Galleta), a 10-year-old mare played by Paco de Narvaez Jr. in the fifth chukker.

In partnership with U.S. Polo Assn. Global Licensing, both finalists selected a charity of their choice to receive a $2,500 donation—La Dolfina contributing to Polo for Life and Valiente selecting the Work to Ride program.

Expressing his thoughts on besting his father, Poroto Cambiaso stated, “I think he’ll be happy that I won. He won the first one, so we’re happy that we both competed in the final, that’s the best part.” Cambiaso continued, “The truth is that we had a very good match and that’s why we are happy to have won the tournament.” When asked how La Dolfina will celebrate now that the two organizations are no longer clashing on the field, Cambiaso added, “We have an asado tonight—all of us together with Valiente.”

Prior to the main event, tournament newcomers Clearwater (Lucas Criado Jr., Raul “Gringo” Colombres, Jared Zenni*, Chip Campbell) went head-to-head against Tamera (Alejandro Poma, Segundo Saravi, Matias Torres Zavaleta, Diego Cavanagh) on Field 6 to determine the victor of the inaugural USPA Gold Cup subsidiary, the Retama Cup. A back-and-forth affair with Criado Jr. and Colombres leading the offense for Clearwater, as Cavanagh countered for Tamera. Following a buzzer beater at the end of the fifth from Saravi, the two teams entered the final chukker deadlocked 9-all. Working off the momentum Saravi provided, Tamara added five goals to the scoreboard to claim a decisive 14-10 victory.

For his contributions on both sides of the ball, Matias Torres Zavaleta earned Most Valuable Player. Best Playing Pony was awarded to Diego Cavanagh’s Delmay Masia (Delmay Camorrera x Dolfina Messi) a 7-year-old mare, played by Matias Torres Zavaleta in the second and fifth chukkers. This win marks $50,000 in season earnings for Tamera, after previously taking home the C.V. Whitney Cup subsidiary, George Miller Memorial. The final of the Retama Cup is now available On-Demand.

All nine teams competing in the USPA Gold Cup will now shift their focus on capturing the most coveted title in American polo, the U.S. Open Polo Championship. With $100,000 on the line, South Florida’s apex tournament is slated to begin on Wednesday, March 27. All games of the U.S. Open at the National Polo Center - Wellington will be livestreamed on the USPA Polo Network.

The USPA Gold Cup final is now available On-Demand.

*Kristos “Keko” Magrini is an Active Team USPA Member and Jared Zenni is a Team USPA alumnus. 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.