Pilot have won the U.S. Open Polo Championship. On Sunday 26 April, they beat BTA 15-10 in the final at the National Polo Center in Wellington, adding it to the USPA Gold Cup they won three weeks earlier.
The final
Lorenzo Chavanne scored seven goals in the final and was named the Seymour H. Knox Most Valuable Player. Pilot’s team was Curtis Pilot, Camilo Castagnola, Chavanne and Mackenzie Weisz. BTA, who were also rated at 23 goals, were Ignacio Viana, Tomás Panelo, KC Krueger and Steve Krueger.
For Curtis Pilot, it was a personal landmark. Reports credit this as his third U.S. Open title, after wins in 2019 and 2022. The team won both the Gold Cup and the U.S. Open, which is the strongest case you can make for Pilot as the team of the Wellington season.
Two upsets in the semi-finals
The final was set up by two results that few would have predicted on Wednesday 22 April at the National Polo Center. BTA beat La Dolfina/Tamera 16-10, and Pilot beat Coca-Cola 15-5. Both Pilot and BTA were rated at 23 goals. A 16-10 win over a team that includes Adolfo Cambiaso and Alejandro Poma is a big result for a side that had been seen as an outsider.
The 2026 Gauntlet in review
- C.V. Whitney Cup: The Dutta Corp beat La Dolfina Scone 14-9
- USPA Gold Cup: Pilot beat La Dolfina Scone 10-6
- U.S. Open Polo Championship: Pilot beat BTA 15-10
Nobody won all three, so the Gauntlet title, which requires a clean sweep, goes unclaimed again this year. That is a reminder of just how hard it is, because the competition between the 22-goal teams is intense and the schedule is relentless. What the season did show is a young generation of players, including Chavanne, who is just 18, taking over from the old guard at the very top.
What next?
Wellington’s high-goal season is over, and the teams will scatter. Several will head to England, where the Prince of Wales Trophy and the Queen’s Cup come first, and then the Gold Cup at Cowdray. Others will turn their attention to Argentina’s Triple Crown later in the year.
The USPA usually publishes updated handicaps once the season has closed, and we will report on the changes when they appear.
Sources: Polo Times (U.S. Open final), Polo Press, Polo Times (semi-finals)
