A week of finals and semi-final pairings in Florida, and a big record in Argentina. Let us run through them.
Iglehart Cup: Kaia
On Tuesday 17 March, Kaia beat Flying H in the final of the Iglehart Cup at the National Polo Center. It was the third of the four qualifiers for the NPC 16-Goal Championship. Kaia were Larry Austin, Lucas Criado Jr, Torito Ruiz and João Souza Aranha, and Ruiz was named MVP, with his mare Tres Montes Tarma taking best playing pony. The best Argentine-bred pony was Magica, ridden by Miguel Novillo Astrada of Flying H.
They had also won their semi-final the Saturday before, 13-12 in overtime, so they know how to cope with pressure.
Gold Cup: semi-finals set
The USPA Gold Cup bracket stage has finished, and the semi-finals are on Wednesday 25 March:
- Pilot v The Dutta Corp
- La Dolfina Scone v La Dolfina Tamera
Pilot and La Dolfina Scone both went unbeaten through the qualifiers. On Sunday 22 March, La Dolfina Tamera beat BTA, and The Dutta Corp won a golden goal in an extra chukka against Park Place to claim their place. The Dutta Corp and Pilot is a rematch of the Whitney Cup semi-final, which the Dutta Corp won 16-9, so Pilot will certainly want revenge.
Argentina: Copa Republica and Berta Polo
In Pilar, the Copa Republica Argentina has 16 teams of up to 25 goals playing at the Asociación Argentina de Polo headquarters. On Sunday 22 March, Coronel Suárez beat La Arisca Conte Real Estate 21-18, La Dolfina Oriental beat Tucumán Polo Club 19-9 and Cuatro Vientos Amanara beat Hípico Gualeguaychú Los Bayos 23-19. Those are big scoring games, and the semi-finalists are due to be decided on Thursday.
In Río Cuarto, the 8th Berta Polo International Open ran from 18 to 22 March with a record 34 teams, up from 33 last year. Los Sauces won the Berta Open’s top prize, with a family line-up of Ezequiel, Rodrigo, Milagros and Juan Carlos Sanchez. It is a proper grassroots festival, with school, foal and women’s categories as well.
Next week the Gold Cup semi-finals will be decided, and we are looking forward to it.
Sources: Polo Press (Iglehart Cup), Polo Times (Gold Cup semi-finals), Polo Press (Berta Polo)
