Dec 17, 2024
On Sunday, December 15, the United States Arena Handicap concluded at Brookshire Polo Club in Brookshire, Texas. Played as a subsidiary to the U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship, reigning champions Prestonwood/Broken Taco (Vance Miller III, Andrew Scott, Vaughn Miller Jr.) saddled up against challengers Equus Hotel Waikiki/McFaddin Ranch (Tiamo Hudspeth*, Devon Dailey*, Steve Krueger*). Relying on a strong connection forged through years of competition, Prestonwood/Broken Taco’s familiarity and determination propelled it to a second consecutive United States Arena Handicap title and $10,000 in prize money.
“This win is fantastic! It’s a great tournament run by the USPA. It’s the second highest USPA arena tournament in the country and to get to put your name on that trophy and win it. We’re really happy to have a great subsidiary. Even though we didn’t get to be where we wanted to be, we still got to come here, have a good time and do something meaningful.” – Vaughn Miller Jr., Prestonwood/Broken Taco
Finding success in multiple facets of the sport, the Miller brothers and Scott have earned multiple titles together, including the 2023 Division I Men’s National Intercollegiate Championship for the University of North Texas (UNT). After falling just short of reaching the semifinals of the 2023 U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship then winning the United States Arena Handicap, Miller III expressed Prestonwood/Broken Taco’s desire to return to the competition. “We knew last year after losing the Open and winning the Handicap we wanted to run it back with the same team. We’ve been preparing all year.” Sharing their strategy entering Sunday’s showdown, Miller III relayed, “We knew going into today’s game that Steve Krueger is one of the best arena players to play the game and one of the best, most experienced I/I [Intercollegiate/Interscholastic] players.”
Igniting the action, Equus Hotel Waikiki/McFaddin Ranch’s Krueger struck first, but two quick goals off the mallet of Scott established an early rhythm for Prestonwood/Broken Taco. Doubling their opponents in the first chukker, the team in green established a 4-2 edge. Three combined goals from Krueger and Dailey in the second period applied pressure, but the Miller brothers answered back, matching Equus Hotel Waikiki/McFaddin Ranch to maintain the lead 7-5 at the half.
Kicking off the third period with momentum, Equus Hotel Waikiki/McFaddin Ranch pulled ahead 8-7 with a goal from Hudspeth and a two-pointer from Krueger. After Miller Jr. and Krueger traded penalty goals, one final push from Scott ended the chukker tied 9-all. Driving the attack for Equus Hotel Waikiki/McFaddin Ranch, Krueger delivered a standout performance with five goals in the fourth chukker. “That was the whole challenge,” Scott shared. “Steve is an incredible player. Vance and I were trying to double team him and he was still getting away from us! We were working the whole time to get to him and make positive plays.” “We played our best horses in the end,” said Miller Jr. “In the arena you want a fast horse that can dive into the tight plays. With that being said, they weren’t quite calm on the penalty line, so we missed two easy penalties with horses that were squirrelly at the line.” Tied 14-all in the final moments of the match, Miller Jr. made the most of a missed Penalty 2, scrambling to regain possession and score the winning goal, 15-14 in favor of Prestonwood/Broken Taco.
Leading Prestonwood/Broken Taco with six goals in the final, Andrew Scott was named Most Valuable Player. “I love being back in Texas because I played intercollegiate here!,” said the MVP. The Sportsmanship Award was presented to Texas Arena League’s Luis “Ariel” Mancebo for his continued positive attitude, fairness and support for his peers.
Best Playing Pony was awarded to Mariposa (Marisol x Lucero), played by Steve Krueger and owned by McFaddin Ranch. “I played her in the second half of the first chukker and the first half of the fourth,” said Krueger. “She’s a very complete mare, my style. Good size to her, has a really good mouth. Good power, there’s not much I can fault on that mare.” The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program Best Playing Pony was awarded to Party with Marty, played and owned by Equus Hotel Waikiki/McFaddin Ranch's Devon Dailey.
Looking forward to the future of Prestonwood/Broken Taco’s growing arena legacy, Miller III noted the ultimate goal for the two-time Arena Handicap champions, simply stating, “running it back next year and winning the Arena Open.”
The United States Arena Handicap is now available On-Demand. Guest commentator and arena legend Tom Goodspeed joins the broadcast alongside USPA Polo Network’s Toby Wayman, providing in-depth knowledge and insights into the sport.
*Tiamo Hudspeth, Devon Dailey and Steve Krueger 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 Murrell.
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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