As the summer circuit winds down, southern Spain takes over. The Gold Cup at the International Polo Tournament in Sotogrande has been decided, with Marqués de Riscal beating Ayala Polo Team 14-10 in the final.
The winners
The winning team was Alejandro Aznar, Santiago Cernadas, Guillermo Caset and Cruz Heguy. The final was played at La Reserva Club in Sotogrande, and the win was reported on 10 September. The tournament is a high-handicap Gold Cup, played at the top level of Spanish polo, and this was the 50th edition of the International Polo Tournament, a landmark for one of Europe’s best-known summer events.
Which level
Sotogrande runs its Gold Cup at three handicap levels, high, medium and low, and the Marqués de Riscal win came in the high-handicap section, the top tier of the tournament. That is the match that draws the best professionals and the biggest crowds.
A long tradition on the Costa del Sol
Sotogrande has been associated with polo for decades, and its late-summer tournament has a loyal following. For those of us used to the English season, with its Guards and Cowdray finals, it offers a different atmosphere, with strong international line-ups.
What it means
For Marqués de Riscal, whose name is better known in Spanish wine than in polo, the Gold Cup is a significant result and a good advertisement for the sponsorship that keeps this sport going.
The 50th anniversary gave this year’s tournament extra meaning.
The news came from Marqués de Riscal itself, the Rioja winery that backs the team, which is a good example of how much of polo’s calendar depends on sponsors who love the game. Sotogrande’s anniversary edition also closes a long European summer that began with the Queen’s Cup at Guards and passed through Cowdray Park in July.
With the Argentine Triple Crown only weeks away, the sport’s attention will soon cross the Atlantic.
Sources: Marqués de Riscal, Andalucia.com
