Late summer on the Costa del Sol means one thing for polo followers: the Sotogrande International Polo Tournament, which runs for a month and ends with the Copa de Oro. This year’s 52nd edition, organised by Ayala Polo Club, finished with a one-goal victory for Dubai.
The high handicap final
Dubai beat MB Polo 9-8 to take the Copa de Oro, sponsored by Electrolit, at the Los Pinos grounds. The team was Camilo Castagnola, Rashid Albwardy, Bartolomé Castagnola and Rufino Laulhé. MB Polo started well and took an early lead, but Dubai worked their way back, equalised in the fifth chukker and edged ahead. In the last chukker the margin was a single goal, and Dubai held on. Camilo Castagnola and Pablo Mac Donough are named in reports as scorers in that closing stage.
Antonio Sanz, from the Andalusian government, presented the trophy to the winners.
The other Copa de Oro finals
There were separate finals for different handicap levels, which is one of the reasons the tournament works so well for clubs and patrons of all levels.
- Medium handicap: Brunei beat Ayala 13-9. The winners were Bahar Bolkiah, Santiago Tahier, Martín Podestá and Matías Mac Donough.
- Low handicap: Jeju beat Essso 8-7, with David Ko, Santiago Irastorza, Alejo Badano and Elouan Baradello in the winning side.
- Copa de Plata: Park Place won the high handicap section of the Silver Cup, while Almasanta and Águilas took the medium and low sections.
A record for women’s polo
One detail we particularly liked is that this year’s tournament had eight women players, the most in the history of Sotogrande. Organisers also reported record attendance and the widest range of nationalities yet, with teams from the UAE, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, England, Germany, France, Argentina, the United States, Korea and Spain.
A month of polo
The tournament began on 24 July and takes in a long run of fixtures, so it has become a popular base for professionals between the English season and the Argentine one. For British players, it is also a convenient chance to stay sharp over the end of the summer.
The Argentine season gets under way next month, and we will be turning our attention to the Triple Crown.
Sources: Forbes España, Andalucia.com
