Polo Wraps in Wellington ,
Opens in Miami Beach
By Skip Sheffield
Once upon a time, high-goal polo was played in Boca Raton at Royal Palm
Polo Grounds.
Polo is still played at Royal Palm under the direction of
Joey Casey, but it is no longer high-goal, high stakes international
competition.
For that you have to go to the International Polo Club of
Palm Beach in Wellington
way out west on Lake Worth
Boulevard .
Boca Raton Tribune columnist and photographer Mike Gora and
I took the trip Sunday, April 21 to see the 109th Maserati U.S. Open
Final. This is where the best of the finest polo players and horses face off
for ultimate bragging rights and is the culmination of the 10th
anniversary season.
The final two teams were Valiente, which beat Zacara 13-9 in
the USPA Piaget Gold Cup finals a few weeks ago.
Players are rated by goals, 10 being the highest rating.
Valiente has two 10-goal players, Pelon Stirling and Adolfo Cambiaso. Zacara
has one 10-goal player, Facundo Pieres; an 8-goal player Magoo LaPrida and
7-goal player Mike Azzaro.
Almost all the players are from South America with the
exception of Mike Azzaro, who is from the USA .
The USA spirit was set by singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood
who sang his signature tune “God Bless the USA” for the first time ever at a
polo match.
The competition was fast and furious with both teams rated
at 26 goals. Polo is very combative both for humans and horses, and penalties
were plentiful. The score was tied eight times in the hard-fought action.
Ultimately Zacara triumphed over Valiente 16-13. Facundo Pieres lead all
players with an incredible 12 goals, 9 by penalty, earning him Most Valuable
Player. This was Zacara’s second U.S. Open Championship.
A player is only as good as his or her horse. Valiente team
patron Bob Jornayvaz’s horse Medallion was voted Best Playing Pony. Concha, a
7-year old American Thoroughbred, was named Horse of the Year.
High-goal polo is over for now at International Polo Club of
Palm Beach, but this weekend there will be polo of a different sort in Miami Beach .
Miami Beach Polo World Cup 2013 runs April 25-28 on the
beach between 21st and 22nd Streets in Miami Beach . The action starts Thursday with
a South Beach Women’s Polo Cup V Kick-Off Party and continues Friday with Miami
Beach Polo Cup IX, Saturday with more World Cup IX plus La Martina Fashion Show
and Sunday with Miami Beach Polo World Cup Final Play-Offs and Farewell Party.
See www.miamipolo.com
for more information. Palm Beach Polo’s web site is www.InternationalPoloClub.com
at 561-282-5334.
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