It is not every day that a final pits a father against his son, but that was the story of the 2012 USPA Piaget Gold Cup at the International Polo Club in Wellington, Florida. Robert Jornayvaz’s Valiente II beat his father Bob’s Valiente I by 11 goals to 9, taking one of the biggest titles of the American high-goal season.
The two Valiente teams
Both teams carried the family name, and both carried serious firepower.
- Valiente II: Adolfo Cambiaso, Pelon Stirling, Alejo Taranco and Robert Jornayvaz.
- Valiente I: Polito Pieres, Nacho Astrada and Miguel Astrada, joined by a fourth player.
Valiente II had Cambiaso, widely regarded as the greatest player in the world, and he did what Cambiaso does: he scored six of his side’s goals, four of them from penalties. Stirling added three and Taranco two. For the losing side, Nacho Astrada scored four (three from penalties), Pieres three and Miguel Astrada two.
Cambiaso takes a knock
The talking point came in the fifth chukka, when Cambiaso was struck on his mallet hand by the ball. He had to leave the field, and Juan Martin Nero replaced him for the final chukka. Early reports said no bones were broken and that he was expected back for the next game. He was at the trophy presentation with a welt on his right hand, which will reassure everyone hoping to see him in the US Open that follows.
Stirling stars
With Cambiaso off, the load fell on his teammates, and it was Pelon Stirling who was named Most Valuable Player. His 11-year-old grey Chilean Thoroughbred, Capilla, took the Best Playing Pony award. A pony of that age and quality, doing hard work over a physical match, is exactly what the prize is meant to recognise.
Where it fits in the Florida season
The Gold Cup is one of the big tournaments that follow the C.V. Whitney Cup and lead into the US Open at the International Polo Club, the heart of the Wellington high-goal programme. An intra-family final gave neutrals an unusual angle, and the scoreline shows how evenly matched the two sides were, with a margin of just two goals.
It also leaves plenty to look forward to. The US Open is the next big test, and the question is whether Valiente II, on the strength of this win, can add the biggest prize of all. Keep an eye on the Wellington reports, because the form lines from this tournament will matter.
Sources: POLO Magazine
