2024 U.S. Open Polo Championship
Check out the full recap of the sold out 2024 Open Polo Championships at the National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida with Dr. Gregory Beroza, aka HorseDoc ‘Talking Horses,’ produced by WuzUpDoc Media.
On Sunday, April 21st the 2024 U.S. Open Polo Championship was played at the United States Polo Association’s National Polo Center before a sold out crowd. This is the most important polo tournament of the Triple Crown series of high-goal tournaments called the Gauntlet of Polo.
The most exciting part of the match was watching the two best rated 10-Goal father and son compete against one another for winning honors. Adolfo Cambiaso, ranked the #1 polo player in the world, initially led Team Valiente to a win in the series’ first C.V. Whitney Cup, played against Team Dolfina, with a final score of 12-10.
Team Valiente’s 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso. ©David Lominska
Team Valiente members & game Stats. ©USPA
Poroto Cambiaso, the protégé and son, led Team La Dolfina to a subsequent win the in the USPA Gold Cup, played against Team Valiente, with a final score of 12-9. These battles were intense and the third rival matchup in the U.S. Open Polo Championship was a fiercely competitive battle down to the final minutes of play.
La Dolfina’s 10-goaler Poroto Cambiaso. ©David Lominska
La Dolfina began the final sixth chukker (seven minutes) of play with its first lead of the game (8-7). La Dolfina’s Rufino Merlos, the youngest player on the field with his recent 17th birthday, led his team to its ninth goal (9-7) after taking a perfect backhand mid-field pass from teammate Tomas Panello, which was set-up by teammate Poroto Cambiaso.
La Dolfina’s 3-goaler Rufino Merlos ©David Lominska
Ruffino ran down the center of the field to score undefended. Panello scored the final goal of the game in the last minutes of play, making Team La Dolfina the winner at 10-7 goals, with Panello leading his team scoring by six of their 10 goals.
U.S. Open Polo Champs La Dolfina on podium. ©David Lominska
The 2024 U.S. Open Polo Championship Finale can be viewed in its entirety here:
HorseDoc produced a 21-minute YouTube video and podcasat featuring highlights and interviews from the U.S. Open Polo Championship Finale, with credits and appreciation to the United States Polo Association and photographer David Lominska for sharing content:
Wellington, Florida is home to the United States Polo Association and its Museum of Polo & Hall of Fame. It is the epicenter of high-goal polo in the United States and hosts most of its major polo activities. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, were on site to create a Neflix documentary about the polo action and more (you can read more about it in last week’s Horse Nation piece, “Celebrity Equestrians: Prince Harry’s ‘Secret’ Netflix Project”). Prince Harry competed in a fundraising benefit polo match at the Grand Champions Polo Club. The 2024 Sentebale Royal Salute Challenge took place on April 16th. The 3-way round robin was won by Prince Harry’s team, which included his 10-goal world champion teammate Adolfo Cambiaso. The winning trophy was presented by the Duchess of Sussex.
The Duke and Duchess of York, Prince Harry & Meghan Markle at the benefit polo awards ceremony at GCPC. (c)GBeroza
Dr. Gregory A. Beroza, DVM, DACVS, DABVP has been a practicing veterinarian and consultant for 42 years; and HorseDoc® ‘Talking Horses’® media host, author, and consultant since 2007. Dr. Beroza is a multimedia host and broadcasts his productions, including a new Podcast, via his WuzUpDoc Media website: www.WuzUpDoc.com. He can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and other social media sources.
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