8-Goal USPA Champions Cup & 4-Goal USPA Lions Cup Finals
Empire Polo Club | March 31st, 2019

Two awesome, grand-finale matches wowed a huge crowd at the Empire polo grounds as teams battled for a chunk of the whopping $92,000 in prize money!

The four-goal match kicked-off an incredible day of polo with Hanalei Bay (Krista Bonaguidi -1, Joe Coors 0, Ignacio Saracco 2, Luis Saracco 3) facing Empire (Rob Scapa 0, Riley Jordan 0, Kyle Fargey 3, Jessica Bailey 0). Joe Coors initiated the scoring with a penalty two conversion. Ignacio followed with a goal, putting Hanalei Bay in the lead at the end of the intense first time-period, 2 to 0. Kyle Fargey fought back in the second chukker with two goals. Joe Coors answered with two points and the first half ended with a 4 to 2 score. Empire came back with Fargey scoring a safety penalty shot. Joe Coors ran one in for a goal and Luis added a penalty two shot, ending the third chukker with Hanalei Bay in the lead 6 to 3. Empire continued to be a fierce competitor in the final chukker. Riley Jordan carried the ball through the Saracco brothers for a goal for Empire. Joe Coors made a penalty two shot for his fifth goal of the day.

Hanalei Bay won the bronzes and $12,750 with a final score of 7 to 4. The runner-up Empire team was rewarded for a valiant effort with a $4,250 check. The best playing pony was Maggie, owned and played by Joe Coors. The MVP award went to Luis Saracco.

Spindrift (Omar Mangalji 0, John Bickford 1, Leandro Floccari 2, Juan Curbelo 5), took on Ridgway Hemp (Beau Staley -1, Quinn Evans 0, Carlos Hernandez 4, Memo Gracida 5). Both teams were out to win the 8-goal prize-money, and met at the line-up with intense determination.

John Bickford put the first score on the board for Spindrift. Memo answered with his first of seven goals and Carlos followed with two goals, putting Ridgway Hemp in the lead at the end of the first chukker, 3 to 1. Hernandez scored one in the second time period, but Juan Curbelo was on fire and racked up four goals, which ended chukker two with Spindrift stealing the lead, 5 to 4. The third chukker was Ridgway hemp’s turn to retake the lead, and the teams went to half time with a close score of 7 to 6. Ridgway Hemp managed to put three more points on the board to Spindrift’s one in the fourth chukker, increasing Ridgway Hemps’ lead to 10 to 7.  The trend continued in the fifth chukker which wound up 12 to 8. The final chukker was full of wide-open runs, furious plays, and spectacular polo.

After scoring three un-answered goals, Ridgway Hemp was the team of Champions, winning the $56,250 and the bronzes with a 15 to 8 final score. Best playing pony went to Stripes, owned and played by Memo Gracida. The MVP was Carlos Hernandez.

This coming weekend is the final weekend of polo for the 2019 Season at Empire Polo Club.  We are excited to see which teams take home the big checks in our two “money games.”  The finals will be played on Sunday and the start times are a bit later than normal, so please note the game times below.

We would also like to take this time to thank our Members, Sponsors and Spectators for joining us this season and for supporting polo at Empire Polo Club.

Friday Night, March 19th …

This Friday we are hosting “Polo Under the Lights” on March 29th at 6:30 PM. Admission and parking are free.  Enter gates on Ave. 50 for Friday night games.

Sunday, March 31st …

The finals of the 4-Goal USPA Lions Cup and 8-Goal USPA Champions Cup will be played at Empire Polo Club on Sunday, March 31st. The 4-Goal Final starts at 12:45 PM. The USPA will be live streaming the 8-Goal Final which will start at 2:30 PM.

If you want to watch the live stream visit the USPA Polo Network channel on YouTube. The USPA will also live stream the game on their Facebook page, Twitter and on their website on the Video page (uspolo.org).  The live stream should start at 2:30 PM Pacific Time.

8-Goal USPA Champions Cup & 4-Goal USPA Lions Cup
Results from March 24th, 2019

The desert is heating up, and so is the polo at Empire Polo Club! The two-week, $$ money$$ tournament has six teams competing in the 8-goal, and six teams in the 4-goal.

8-goal teams:
Cotterel Farms (Jenny Benardoni 0, Francisco Benardoni 1, Max menini 4, Francisco Guinazu 3)
Evergreen (Tom Sprung -1, Carlitos Galindo 3, Taylor Freeman 2, Nicolai Galindo 4)
Lockton (Tim Kelly 0/Athena Malen 0, Tommy Costello 1, Andres Gonzalez 2, Shane Rice 4)
STG/Chapel Hill (John Ziegler 0, Torrey Ripinsky 0, Juan Jo Gonzalez 3, Martin Juarequi 5T) Spindrift (Omar Mangalji 0, John Bickford 1, Leandro Floccari 2, Juan Curbello 5) Ridgway Hemp (Beau Staley -1, Quinn Evans 0, Carlos Hernandez 4, Memo Gracida 5)

Sunday morning, Cotterel Farms met STG/Chapel Hill on the field for a nose-to-nose battle. The match began with both teams successfully making two penalty shots, ending the first chukker tied at 2 to 2. In the next two chukkers, scored goals went back and forth, making the half-time score Cotterel Farms 4, to STG/Chapel Hill 5. The trend continued, with Cotterel Farm’s two points in the fourth chukker being answered by STG/Chapel Hill’s one point. The teams came out swinging in the fifth. Cotterel Farms made three goals and STG/Chapel Hill two. Chukker six began with a Cotterel Farm’s advantage, 9 to 8. Both teams were bound and determined in the final chukker, and each scored twice. Cotterel Farms persevered, and won the match, 11 to 10.

Spindrift challenged the Ridgway Hemp team. Bickford initiated the scoring in the noon-time match, putting two shots through the posts. Hernandez scored once, (the first of his five goals), ending the first chukker 2 to 1. Both teams made two goals in chukker two. Ridgway Hemp was able to score two un-answered goals in the third time period, sending teams to half-time with a score of 4 to 5. Ridgway Hemp had the advantage in the fourth and fifth chukkers, putting five points on the board, to Spindrift’s one. The Spindrift team dominated the final chukker, scoring twice and keeping their opponents scoreless. At the final horn, Ridgway Hemp was the winner with the final score of 7 to 10.

Evergreen and Lockton had a by.
Games resume on Wednesday!

4-goal teams:

Empire (Rob Scapa 0), Riley Jordan 0, Kyle Fargey 3, Jessica Bailey 1)
Archangel (Greg Hanson -1, German Coppel 0, Jake Stimmel 2, Ashton Wolf 3)
Columbia West (Tom Schuerman 0, David Barnett -.5, Leandro Flocarri 2, Toto Socas 2)
Hanalei Bay (Krista Bonaguidi -1, Joe Coors 0, Ignacio Saracco 2, Luis Saracco 3)
S4K (Jay Garnett -.5, Felipe Sordelli 2, Nicolas Maciel 3, Dean Medwid -.5)
Luna Polo (Jenny Alexi 0, Meghan Gracida 0, Pepe Rodriquez 1, Diego Llaregli 3)

This year’s Lion Cup pitted Empire against Archangel. Fargey’s one goal in the first chukker put Empire up by one. He added 2 successful penalty shots, which the Archangel team answered with four goals, ending the second chukker, 3 to 4. Empire out-scored Archangel in the second half, and Empire took the match 7 to 6.
Hanalei Bay started the scoring against Columbia West, making two goals. Columbia West put one on the board, ending the first time-period 2 to 1.5. In chukker two, Hanalei scored the only goal. The trend continued in the third, which ended 4 to 1.5. After out-scoring their opponents again in the last chukker, Hanalei Bay was able to defeat Columbia West, 7 to 3.5.

S4K and Luna Polo Competed in a tight match! At half time the score was close at 3 to 2, favor S4K. Luna Polo rallied in the third chukker, scoring four points to Luna’s two. In the final chukker, both teams put two through the posts. Luna Polo was ahead at the final bell, and won with a score of 8 to 7.

8-Goal Champions Cup
March 22-31, 2019

4-Goal Lions Cup
March 23-31, 2019

March 17, 2019 – Empire Polo Club
Finals of the 8-goal USPA Constitution Cup and 4-goal USPA Congressional Cup

Cotterel Farms (Jenny Benardoni 0, Francisco Benardoni 1, Max Menini 4T, Francisco Guinazu 3), competed against Spindrift (John Bickford 1, Leandro Flocarri 2, Juan Curbelo 5, Tom Schuerman 0) in the finals of the 8-goal match. Flocarri put Spindrift on the board to start the game, followed by Guinazu’s two successful penalty shots which ended the first chukker 2-1. Curbelo put a penalty three in for Spindrift in the second chukker. Cotterel’s Menini and Guinazu each scored a goal in the second time period, increasing Cotterel’s lead, 4 to 2. Each team added two points in the third, and Jenny Benardoni got loose for a run, executing a gorgeous cut-shot through the posts. That ended the first half with a score of 7 to 4. Cotterel dominated the fourth chukker, which ended with an increased lead of 11 to 5. The two points Cotterel added in the fifth chukker went unanswered. Each team added two points in the sixth chukker, ending the match with Cotterel victorious, 15 to 7.

In the 4-goal Congressional Cup, Empire (Rob Scapa 0, Kyle Fargey 3, Riley Jordan 0, Jessica Bailey 1), went to the line-up against Hanalei Bay (Krista Bonaguidi -1, Joe Coors 0, Ignacio Saracco 2, Luis Saracco 3). Both teams came out on fire, each scoring twice. In Chukker two, Jordan’s goal was answered by Ignacio Saracco, keeping the score tied at 3 to 3. The Saracco brothers added three goals in the third chukker for Hanalei Bay, while Fargey made two for Empire putting Hanalei Bay in the lead, 6 to 5. The final chukker continued to be a close match. Rob Scapa and Jordan each scored a goal for Empire. Joe Coors scored twice and Luis once for Hanalei Bay, who won with the score 9 to 7.