The Wellington season ended with a one-goal final. On Sunday 18 April, Scone beat Park Place 14-13 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach to win the CaptiveOne U.S. Open Polo Championship and the $200,000 first prize.
A family first
The winning team was Adolfo Cambiaso, his son Poroto Cambiaso, Peke Gonzalez and David Paradice. It was Adolfo’s ninth title in the tournament and his first alongside Poroto, who at 15 ties Nic Roldan as the youngest winner of the U.S. Open. Adolfo was named Most Valuable Player, with four goals and four assists in the final. Lovelocks Camusericht was named Best Playing Pony of the U.S. Open and Best Playing Pony of the Gauntlet of Polo, as well as the club’s Horse of the Year.
How both finalists got there
Scone reached the final by beating Pilot 14-10 in the semi-final. Park Place, whose side included Hilario Ulloa, Matt Coppola and Andrey Borodin, got through against La Indiana 14-13 after scoring five unanswered goals in the last chukker, with Coppola’s goal coming in the final minute.
It was a fitting end to a Gauntlet of Polo that had its own twists. Park Place won the C.V. Whitney Cup in overtime against Scone in March, and the two teams were never far apart all spring. The final went to the very last chukker, which is exactly what you want from the sport’s most prestigious American title.
Other prizes
Michael Bickford took the Amateur MVP award for the Gauntlet, having scored 15 goals across the Gauntlet of Polo.
Looking ahead
For us in London, the focus now shifts across the Atlantic. The English season is only just stirring, and the same Argentine names will soon be on the grass at Guards Polo Club and Cowdray Park. After a winter that began under real uncertainty, Wellington delivered a full programme of high-goal polo, and that is worth celebrating.
Sources: Polo+10 (final report), Polo+10 (semi-finals report)
