For the next three months, the world’s top polo teams and players will compete for the prestigious C.V. Whitney Cup, USPA Gold Cup, and U.S. Open Polo Championship.
The prize money awarded is the richest in the sport in the U.S. ($25,000, $50,000, and $100,000, for tournament winners). The team to sweep all three tournaments will be crowned Gauntlet Champion. The only team to accomplish the feat was Pilot in 2019 with Facundo Pieres, Curtis Pilot, Matias Gonzalez, Gonzalito Pieres, and substitute Mia Bray, winning $1 million.
In partnership with USPA Global, each team will select a charity from a group of 12 non-profit organizations. At the end of the competition, the charities selected by both the winning team and runner-up each receive a $2,500 donation.
Eleven teams are entered in the three-game, 18-22 goal tournament series with nine competing in all three tournaments. All six 10-goal players are competing including all-time great Adolfo Cambiaso. Back to defend his title for a fourth consecutive year, Cambiaso is going after his eleventh C.V. Whitney Cup victory with defending champion La Dolfina/Tamera.
Originally known as the U.S. Handicap, the C.V. Whitney Cup was established in 1979 and first competed for on handicap and played in conjunction with the U.S. Open Polo Championship. Debuting at Retama Polo Center in San Antonio, it was won by Tulsa the first two years. Nine years later, in 1988, the tournament was renamed for C.V. (Cornelius Vanderbilt) “Sonny” Whitney, an avid polo player and three-time winner of the U.S. Open (1928, 1937, 1938) and son of 10-goal Hall of Famer Harry Payne Whitney. The Retama Cup pays homage to the Retama Polo Center and is a companion tournament to the C.V. Whitney cup.
Three games are scheduled for the C.V. Whitney Cup Opening Day at the National Polo Center in Wellington: Park Place vs. La Dolfina/Tamera at 10 a.m.; The Dutta Corp vs. Clearwater at 12:30 p.m., and Pilot vs. Coca-Cola at 3 p.m.
C.V. Whitney Team Rosters:
- BTA: Nachi Viana, 7, KC Krueger, 1, Steve Krueger, 5, Tomas Panelo, 10.
- Clearwater: Camp Campbell, 2/Chip Campbell, 1, Santino Magrini, 4, Nico Escobar, 6, Francisco Elizalde, 9, Gringo Colombres, 7.
- Coca-Cola: Gillian Johnston, 1, Julian de Lusarreta, 7, Alfonso Pieres, 5, Polito Pieres, 9.
- DUS: Marc Ganzi, 1, Matias Gonzalez, 4, Antonio Heguy, 8, Barto Castagnola, 10.
- La Dolfina/Scone: Jesse Bray, 7, Poroto Cambiaso, 10, Rufino Merlos, 6, David Paradice, 0.
- La Dolfina/Tamera: Adolfo Cambiaso, 10, Ale Poma, 2, Diego Cavanagh, 8, TBA.
- Park Place: Andrey Borodin, 0, Hilario Ulloa, 10, Mariano “Nino” Obregon, 5, Peke Gonzalez, 8.
- Pilot: Jeta Castagnola, 10, Curtis Pilot, 0, Lorenzo Chavannne, 7, Mackie Weisz, 6.
- The Dutta Corp: Facundo Llosa, 7, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, 6, Timmy Dutta, 4, Felipe “Pipe” Miguens, 5.
C.V. Whitney Schedule:
- February 13: Park Place vs. La Dolfina/Tamera at 10 a.m.; Dutta Corp vs. Clearwater at 12:30 p.m.; and Pilot vs. Coca-Cola at 3 p.m.
- February 17: Dutta Corp vs. Clearwater loser vs. DUS at 10 a.m.; Pilot vs. Coca-Cola loser vs. BTA at 12:30 p.m.; Park Place-La Dolfina/Tamera loser vs. La Dolfina Scone at 3 p.m.
- February 20: Pilot vs. Coca-Cola winner vs. BTA at 10 a.m; Park Place-La Dolfina/Tamera winner vs. La Dolfina Scone at 12:30 p.m.; Dutta Corp-Clearwater winner vs. DUS at 3 p.m.
- February 25: Semifinal games at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- February 26: Retama Cup semifinal games at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- March 1: Retama Cup Final at 10 a.m. C.V. Whitney Cup Final at 3 p.m.
All matches will be live streamed at watch.uspolo.org and across major streaming apps. Quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are included with a free core subscription for active 2026 USPA Lifetime, Registered Player and Affiliate Player members, with a $50 Premium Subscription upgrade for access to every match. Non-competing members and non-members may purchase a Premium Subscription for $150.
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