August begins with finals across Europe. Here is the round-up.
Challenge Cup at Cowdray Park
On Sunday 2 August, Standing Rock beat Tamodi 12-7 in the 18-goal Challenge Cup final at Cowdray Park Polo Club. The win also secured the 2026 18 Goal Victor Ludorum Championship for Standing Rock.
Pierandrea Müller, a 25-year-old Swiss player, was named most valuable player of the final. He had already won the 8 Goal Victor Ludorum earlier in the season, and his handicap rises from 3 to 4, making him the first Swiss player to reach 4 goals. Standing Rock were Müller, Jack Hyde, José Araya and Simon Prado, and Tamodi were Hazel Jackson, Harry Muddle, Chris Mackenzie and Tomás Beresford. Toti, played and owned by Simon Prado, won the Polo Times best playing pony rug.
José Araya was injured earlier in the season, and the team found its best form after reuniting. It is a reminder of how much a single player’s absence can change a team.
Sotogrande: the Bronze Cup
The International Polo Tournament at the Ayala Polo Club began with the Bronze Cup finals, played across three handicap levels.
- High goal: Ayala beat Dos Lunas IQ 13-8. Camilo “Jeta” Castagnola scored four goals in the fourth chukka and was named MVP, and it was Ayala’s first Sotogrande high-goal title since the 2021 Silver Cup.
- Medium goal: John Smith beat P1 Cars El Bambú 11-8 after trailing 7-4 with two chukkas to go. Alejandro Muzzio scored eight goals.
- Low goal: Vamos Korea beat Polothanda 12-5.5, with Nicolás Pieres leading the side.
Ayala trailed 6-5 at half-time before a dominant second half, and the Spanish triple crown, as Polo Times calls it, is now under way. The Silver Cup runs from 3 to 15 August, and the Gold Cup from 17 to 29 August.
German Polo Masters on Sylt
On the island of Sylt, the Berenberg German Polo Masters ran for five days from 29 July to 2 August. Clé de Peauté won the title, with Ann-Kathrin Braendle, Nicolás Rogerson, Manuel Carranza and Lukas Sdrenka. Berenberg finished second and König Sylt third. Matías Maíquez was MVP, and Lala Laplacette’s Canaria was the best playing pony.
This week
- The Prince of Wales’s Championship Cup final at Guards
- Sotogrande’s Silver Cup continues
- Deauville’s August season begins on 10 August
We will report on the Guards final and the Deauville opening on Monday.
Sources: Polo Times (Challenge Cup), Polo Times (Bronze Cup), Polo Press (German Polo Masters)
