Action continued at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington last weekend with two matches in the prestigious USPA U.S. Open Polo Championship.
The weekend marked the debut of Flexjet and Valiente, finalists for the USPA Gold Cup, the second most important tournament of the season.
Melissa Ganzi’s Flexjet played on Saturday, taking a comfortable 9-4 victory over Colorado.
Flexjet was represented by Melissa Ganzi, Nico Pieres, Gonzalito Pieres and Rodrigo Andrade. Toward the end of the match, Alejandro Novillo Astrada stepped in for an injured Andrade.
Colorado included Rob Jornayvaz, Magoo Laprida, Juan Britos and Diego Cavanagh.
Valiente and U.S. Polo Assn. headlined the first Sunday match of the tournament. Grant Ganzi’s team put up a good fight in the first half. The match was tied 4-4 at halftime, but Valiente pulled ahead in the fourth and fifth chukkers and was able to claim another win 9-6. The Valiente team remains undefeated so far this season.
Valiente was represented by Bob Jornayvaz, Tommy Beresford, Facundo Pieres and Adolfo Cambiaso, while U.S. Polo Assn. included Grant Ganzi, Juancito Bollini, Alejandro Novillo Astrada and Juan Martín Nero.
Best Playing Pony went to Pecorina, played by Pieres and owned by Curtis Pilot. Beresford was named Most Valuable Player.
The tournament continues this weekend at IPC. Considered to be the most prestigious polo tournament in the United States, the U.S. Open is the apex of the 26-goal tournaments held during the Florida high-goal winter polo season.
After the inaugural U.S. Open in 1904, the tournament was not played again until 1910. In 2004, marking 100 years since the tournament’s inception, the U.S. Open relocated to the International Polo Club Palm Beach, where it has been held ever since.
IPC is a premier polo destination, hosting the largest field of high-goal teams and the most prestigious polo tournaments in the United States. Polo matches are open to the public, with a wide range of hospitality and guest seating that includes elegant grandstand viewing, field tailgating, stadium seating, field-side champagne brunch and exclusive sponsor boxes. Learn more at www.internationalpoloclub.com.
