Gaston are the 2026 British Open champions. On Sunday 19 July at Cowdray Park Polo Club, Gaston Polo Team beat Dubai Polo Team 9-8 in the final of the British Open Polo Championship for the Cowdray Gold Cup, the most important tournament in the English season.
The final
It was Gaston’s first Gold Cup, and their first appearance in the final. Gaston, owned by Jean Paul Luksic, led 5-4 at half-time and the match was decided by a late goal. The winning team was Jean Paul Luksic, Cruz Heguy, Gonzalo Ferrari (who replaced David “Pelon” Stirling) and Beltran Laulhé. Dubai were Tariq Albwardy, Bartolome Castagnola, Santos Merlos and Antonio Heguy.
Cruz Heguy was named the final’s MVP. Alberta Yaguara, ridden by Bartolome Castagnola, was best in show, and the patron’s award went to Vasca Se Buena, ridden by Jean Paul Luksic. The Gold Cup was established in 1956 by Weetman John Churchill Pearson, and this was the 70th anniversary of the tournament, with 19 teams entered.
How they got there
In the semi-finals on Wednesday, Dubai beat Ferne Park 15-12, with Barto Castagnola and Antonio Heguy scoring six goals each and Santos Merlos adding three. Gaston faced La Hechicera, the team formerly known as Balanz Capital, and trailed 11-10 after five chukkas before equalising and winning with a goal from Cruz Heguy in the final 30 seconds. They had earlier beaten Black Bears 12-7 in the quarter-finals.
The route to the final was therefore full of dramatic finishes, and the final fitted the pattern.
British Ladies Open
Earlier that day, on the same ground, Yaguara beat Salty Polo 7-6.5 in the final of the British Ladies Open Championship. It was a historic occasion, with the women’s final played on the same day and on the same ground as the men’s Gold Cup final. Yaguara were Martina Lowe, Myla Cambiaso, Mia Cambiaso and Milly Hine, and Salty Polo were Madison Rochlin, Bella Lavinia, Catalina Lavinia and Nina Clarkin. Eight teams contested the 22-goal women’s event.
Congratulations to all involved, and especially to Martina Lowe, who is also the first female president in the history of Richmond Polo Club.
What it means
- Gaston: after a heavy Trippetts defeat in May and a narrow Queen’s Cup exit, they have timed their run perfectly.
- Dubai: beaten finalists, having lost a close game in a final that could have gone either way.
- Women’s polo: the same-day final shows how the profile of the women’s game has risen.
That brings the high-goal season to a thrilling conclusion, and the Coronation Cup at Guards on Saturday 25 July is next.
Sources: Polo Press (Gold Cup), Polo Times (Gold Cup final), Polo Times (British Ladies Open)
