NEWS

Park Place (Andrey Borodin, Louis Hine, Hilario Ulloa, Mariano “Peke” Gonzalez Jr.) claimed its first USPA Gold Cup title on Sunday, March 23, at the National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida, on U.S. Polo Assn. Field One, with a 10-9 overtime win against Coca-Cola (Gillian Johnston, Lorenzo Chavanne, Pablo “Polito” Pieres, Julian de Lusarreta). Each team arrived at the final with an undefeated record, setting the stage for the first Gauntlet of Polo final without either Poroto or Adolfo Cambiaso since the 2022 U.S. Open Polo Championship.

It may not have been a straight win of the Gauntlet of Polo presented by TruBar, but it did give Park Place the trio of titles that make up the series. “It’s our first ever Gold Cup win,” said Park Place Manager, Ash Price. “We’ve won the C.V. Whitney twice (2021, 2022) and the U.S. Open (2023), so to win the Gold Cup is incredible!”

The game delivered from the opening throw-in. Coca-Cola’s Pieres struck first with two field goals in the opening two minutes, but Gonzalez Jr., on Best Playing Pony, 5, answered for Park Place. “In the first chukker he made two amazing plays,” Gonzalez Jr. reflected afterwards on the grey gelding, bought in Argentina from Javier Canton and a longtime favorite in his string. “Showing his attitude and his personality, he helped me score.” Gonzalez Jr. went on to set up Hine for a goal to level the playing field 2-all to end the first chukker.

Coca-Cola’s coach Mariano Aguerre recognized the challenge his team was facing going up against Park Place. “To win one of these major tournaments you need to beat the best teams and without a doubt [Park Place] it's one of the top teams,” he said. “The biggest thing is the organization they have, the level of horses. It is probably one of the best mounted teams around.”

Park Place then surged ahead with a string of goals to build a 6-3 lead, including two more from 19-year-old Gauntlet rookie Hine. In the fourth, Chavanne set up de Lusarreta to bring Coca-Cola back within one, while the team held Park Place scoreless for the first time in the match. Fittingly, Gonzalez Jr. brought out 5 again in the fifth, the BPP’s second appearance of the game. The decision paid off and the pair struck on offense for an 8-6 Park Place cushion. A true back-and-forth match, Coca-Cola only trailed by one moving into the final chukker.

In the sixth chukker, Park Place quickly restored the two-goal advantage with an impressive signature neckshot goal from Gonzalez Jr.—as a noticeable degree of silence fell over Coca-Cola fans, clustered by the end zone. “I think a key play that gave us a lot of energy to keep pushing—because it was so intense, so even—was Peke’s goal to go up by two,” said Ulloa. “That gave us an extra push. In such a tight game—yea, they scored right after–but a moment like that lifts the whole team.” Aware of Coca-Cola’s ability to strike quickly, Hine added, “A great team like Coca-Cola—you know, four great players—they can score a few goals in the space of a minute, so you can never be too comfortable.”

Refusing to go quietly, and ultimately forcing overtime, Coca-Cola fought back as Pieres masterminded two goals to equalize the score 9-all with 44 seconds left on the clock. Ultimately, Ulloa delivered the golden goal in the extra chukker, converting a Penalty 2 to secure the title. The win marked his second USPA Gold Cup, 15 years after his first.

Reflecting on the significance of the win, Ulloa emphasized the years of effort behind the moment. “It’s huge—because it’s not just about a win,” he shared. “It’s everything Park Place has been working toward for years. At the beginning, it took us a while to get some proper trophies. We’ve been fighting for a long time, and sometimes winning the cup is the only thing that reflects all that hard work. If you lose the final, it feels like the job wasn’t done. But when you have the horses, the right people, and you build a good group around you—grooms, farriers, vets, trainers—and it all comes together, it means everything. This year, the team clicked, the horses performed at their best, and I’m just so proud of everyone who’s worked so hard to make it happen.”

When asked who stepped up and made the biggest impact, Ulloa pointed to the team’s unified effort. “If I have to say one, it’s probably the team,” he said, emphasizing Park Place’s collective performance over any individual contribution. “Because I think Louis played amazing. Peke stepped up big time in key moments and scored some amazing goals. Andrey did a great job on defense, because we know one of their best offensive plays is hitting the long balls to Gillian. So, he made a big effort being back and being disciplined.”

Hine rose to the occasion when he got the opportunity to try out for Park Place. “When I managed to get the spot on the team, I knew I just had to go throw everything at it and do my best,” he said. “I was lucky that we clicked well early on and we got better and better every game getting to know each other.” Hine’s performance did not go unnoticed and he was named Most Valuable Player. The win held special meaning for the English teenager, in his first season competing at the high-goal level. “This title means a lot,” Hine said. “This is my second season here in Florida. I played a 16-goal last year with 90210. And this is my first year playing the high goal, so to get to a final and manage to win it is amazing—it’s a dream come true. I always watched polo here in the States. When I was younger and had to go to school, on a Sunday night I’d stay home and try to watch the games. But now to be here playing and win a tournament… it’s a dream come true!”

Best Playing Pony presented by Palm Beach Equine was awarded to Gonzalez’s 5, played in the first and fifth chukkers. The gelding also won Best Playing Pony in the 2023 Silver Cup at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in Carpinteria, California. Park Place took home the $75,000 in prize money. In partnership with USPA Global, both finalists selected a charity of their choice to receive a $2,500 donation for a selection of 10 nonprofits. Coca-Cola selected Polo for Life and Park Place chose to donate to the Polo Training Foundation.

Park Place’s win also carried emotional weight following the death of Rufino Lauhlé in January. The promising 15-year-old Argentine player was due to join the Park Place lineup for the Gauntlet this year but lost his life in a tragic car accident shortly before traveling to Florida. “I want to honor Rufo Lauhlé today,” Ulloa said. “We had a tough start of the season. I wish he would have been here. Louis did an amazing job, but this final has been very emotional due to what happened. Today we were with five guys on the field, probably he was around and he helped us.”

Prior to the main event, BTA (Ignacio “Nachi” Viana, Tomas Panelo, Steve Krueger*, Kelly Beal) took on Globalport (Stefanie Lueders, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, Bertran Laulhé, Bartolome Castagnola) to win the USPA Gold Cup companion tournament, the Bennie Gutierrez Memorial Cup, 11-8. Viana cleaned up the awards—judged Most Valuable Player and awarded Best Playing Pony for his 10-year-old mare Yatay Bengala (Yatay Anhelo x Open Tigresa)—the second time this season that he and his horse have received both accolades, the first being in the final of the 16-goal Joe Barry Memorial in January.

The highlight of the South Florida season and the final leg in The Gauntlet of Polo, the U.S. Open Polo Championship starts on Wednesday, March 26, featuring 12 teams and $100,000 on the line. All 11 teams from the first two tournaments will return to the competition and are joined by Melissa Ganzi making her return to the U.S. Open with The Setai, lining up two-time (2009, 2019) champion Gonzalo Pieres Jr., Nic Roldan and Santiago Toccalino. All games of the U.S. Open will be livestreamed on the USPA Polo Network.

The USPA Gold Cup final is now available On-Demand. Three-time (2018, 2019, 2022) USPA Gold Cup champion Facundo Pieres 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.

*Steve Krueger is 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.