Two big finishes in a week brought the Wellington season to a close. First, on Sunday 21 April, Pilot beat Las Monjitas 12-7 in the U.S. Open Polo Championship final. Then, on Sunday 28 April, the United States beat England 9-8 in the Westchester Cup, at the same International Polo Club Palm Beach.
The Westchester Cup
This is polo’s oldest international rivalry, dating back to 1886. England had won the 2018 match at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, but this year the fixture came to Florida, and the Americans had not lifted the cup since 1992. The USA named Mike Azzaro, Jared Zenni, Mariano Peke Gonzalez and Geronimo Obregon, with Julio Arellano as coach. They won it 9-8 after extra time, ending a long wait and a run of English wins.
A week earlier the American juniors had also beaten England’s junior side 6-4 in the Junior Westchester Cup, their second successive win in that series. It was a very good fortnight for polo in the United States.
Pilot’s perfect winter
The U.S. Open final was just as one-sided as the Whitney Cup had been. Pilot led 4-1 after the first chukka and 12-7 at the end, and their score progression never once looked in doubt. Matias Gonzalez was named Most Valuable Player of the final, while Facundo Pieres’s pony Mega Chistosa took Best Playing Pony. Francisco Elizalde of Las Monjitas was named Most Valuable Player of the Gauntlet as a whole.
- Pilot: Curtis Pilot, Matias Gonzalez, Gonzalo Pieres and Facundo Pieres.
- Season record: 16 wins from 16 matches.
- Prize: $1,000,000 for sweeping all three legs of the Gauntlet.
An undefeated winter across three major tournaments is a remarkable thing in a sport where one injured pony or one missed penalty can change a final. Pilot did it, and they are the first Gauntlet of Polo champions.
For polo followers in Britain, the Westchester result is also a marker. It tells us the Americans will be a real threat when the two nations meet next, and the English summer season, which starts in a few weeks, now has a bit of added edge.
Sources: Wikipedia, Westchester Cup, U.S. Polo Assn., CBS12
