Polo has plenty of stories about interrupted seasons, but few as unusual as this one. The 2020 USPA Gold Cup was suspended on 17 March 2020, as the pandemic took hold, and the final was only played on 14 February 2021 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida. La Indiana took the trophy, beating Daily Racing Form 14-9.
A fast start decided it
La Indiana raced into a 9-2 lead by half-time and, although Daily Racing Form came back well after the break, trimming a seven-goal gap to three, the favourites steadied and pulled clear again. The winning side was Jeff Hall, Nico Escobar, Polito Pieres and Juan Cruz Marcos. Pieres scored five goals, while Escobar and Marcos shared six between them, and Hall added two in the third chukker.
Hall was named Most Valuable Player, and Machitos Pangea, ridden by Pieres, took Best Playing Pony. The team collected the $100,000 first prize.
The beaten finalists
Daily Racing Form lined up with Costi Caset, Jared Zenni, Agustin Obregon and Tommy Collingwood. Caset scored twice, Zenni found a field goal and a penalty conversion, and Collingwood’s passing set up a pair of goals. On the way to the final, La Indiana had beaten Pilot, the 2019 Gauntlet of Polo champions, in the semi-final.
What comes next in Florida
With the old business finished, the 2021 Gauntlet of Polo moves on. The C.V. Whitney Cup is due to begin on 17 February, with Coca Cola facing Pilot in the opening game. It is a reminder of how adaptable the Wellington season has been: with a delayed finish to the old season and a new one starting almost straight away, the players, grooms and officials have had very little rest.
For us, the lasting image is a trophy being presented eleven months after the last ball was thrown. In a sport where so much depends on timing, patience clearly counts too. We will follow the new season closely in the weeks ahead.
Sources: Polo+10
