David Paradice couldn’t help but plant a kiss on Curtis Pilot’s forehead after the USPA Gold Cup final. It was a spontaneous way the La Dolfina Scone patron wanted to congratulate his good friend and Pilot patron.
In one of the biggest comebacks of the high goal polo season, Pilot rallied in the second half to capture the coveted USPA Gold Cup at the National Polo Center.
Before a near-sellout crowd, the foursome of Curtis Pilot, Mackie Weisz, Lorenzo Chavanne, and Camilo Jeta Castagnola knocked off favorite La Dolfina Scone (David Paradice, Rufi Merlos, Jesse Bray, Poroto Cambiaso), 10-6, on U.S. Polo Assn Field One after a one-week rain delay.
It was Pilot’s third USPA Gold Cup title and second for patron Curtis Pilot and teammate and King’s Academy alum Mackie Weisz, who was playing with a broken left hand securely wrapped. The pair won in the 2022. Pilot is also the only team to win the entire Gauntlet of Polo and winner-take-all $1 million in 2019 (with Matias Gonzalez, Facundo Pieres and Gonzalo Pieres Jr.).
Pilot, trailing 5-2 at halftime, allowed La Dolfina Scone only one goal in the second half to finish the second leg of the Gauntlet of Polo undefeated with a 6-0 record. La Dolfina Scone, making its second consecutive Gauntlet final appearance, finished 5-1. It was the first meeting of the season between the two powerhouse organizations.
“This is our third Gold Cup, but it feels like the first one,” said Curtis Pilot, the tournament’s Sportsmanship Award winner for his continued positive attitude, fairness and support of his peers throughout the tournament. “We needed to have one of our best games…the best game. I’m excited to be a part of it and to have a front row seat behind my people.”
Chavanne, 18, swept Most Valuable Player and Best Playing Pony honors. The lanky Argentine scored a team-high seven goals including one penalty conversion to earn his first MVP honor in the Gauntlet of Polo. Last year he made his Gauntlet debut with Coca Cola.
“It was an amazing match,” Chavanne said. “We started a bit slow. We knew the game was going to be tough, but we had a lot of patience.
“The first half they were better than us. They were winning 5-1 and 5-2 and then we started to say ‘we are here, come on, let’s play, vamo vamo.’ We just played polo.”
Chavanne’s horse V8 Tyson, who he played three times in the first, fourth and fifth chukkers, was Best Playing Pony. His horse Open Texas was the Argentine Best Playing Pony.
La Dolfina Scone dominated the first half, leading 5-1 until Chavanne scored with 39 seconds left in the third chukker for Pilot’s second goal of the first half.
Both teams entered the final as the two highest field goal scoring teams, (averaging two more than any other team), averaged 21 shots per game and were the only teams that shot above 50 per cent in the tournament. Yet Pilot converted only one-of-10 shots (10 percent shooting) and La Dolfina Scone 1-of-5 shots (20 percent shooting). La Dolfina Scone converted 4-of-4 penalty shots and had nine knock-ins in the first half.
Pilot bounced back in the second half dictating the game with flawless long passing and great player rotation while disrupting La Dolfina Scone’s offensive attack and holding Cambiaso, who has won three of the last five Gold Cups, to only two goals from the field. La Dolfina Scone went scoreless in the fourth and fifth chukkers.
“The first three chukkers were really tough,” Pilot said. “I’m not sure exactly what went on and all that, but all the boys got together and started talking. We changed a few things in the fourth chukker and got everybody involved. When Jeta started getting free it stretched out the field and that made all the difference in the world.”
Pilot turned it around in the fourth chukker with Weisz scoring at the 7:16 mark with a little help from his horse kicking the ball. Back-to-back goals from Chavanne in the next three minutes tied the game at 5-5. Pilot took the lead for the first time in the fifth chukker on Weisz goal with an assist from Chavanne. The momentum was now theirs and Pilot never trailed after that, leading 8-5 going into the sixth chukker.
“The fourth chukker was our chukker,” Pilot said. “It gave us the momentum and we never looked back.”
Pilot finished shooting 43 per cent (9-of-21 shots) and La Dolfina Scone 25 per cent (2-of-8). Pilot led in throw-ins, 11-6 and Pilot led knock-ins, 14-6. Castagnola finished with a game-high 10 goals.
The team earned $75,000 for winning the second leg of the Gauntlet of Polo. The third leg of America’s Triple Crown, the U.S. Open, is already under way. Dutta Corp won the opening leg C.V. Whitney Cup.
“There are so many good teams that could win the Open,” said Pilot, who started playing polo at age 49. “I feel like we still have a chance. If we’re having a good day I think we can beat anyone and if they are having their good day they can beat us. There are a lot of really good teams in the Open this year.”
Pilot designated its $2,500 charity check from USPA Global to Philadelphia-based Work To Ride. La Dolfina Scone designated its $2,500 to Replay Polo.
The USPA Gold Cup, created in 1974, is steeped in history. It was played at various clubs in the U.S. including Oak Brook Polo Club, Milwaukee Polo Club and Greenwich Polo Club until settling in Florida in the late 1970s, first at the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club and currently at the National Polo Center.
Throughout its history, several teams left their mark on the trophy. White Birch holds the record for titles with 12, while Valiente, Audi, Crab Orchard, and Scone have each won several titles.
Facebook Comments