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La Herradura holds on for 2018 General Patton 8-goal Cup win

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Hall of Fame polo player Memo Gracida with his victorious La Herradura polo team at the Empire Polo Club in the 8-goal General George S. Patton Cup.

Former 10-goaler and Polo Hall of Fame legend Memo Gracida took center stage on Sunday afternoon at the Empire Polo Club and led his La Herradura team (Alvaro Fernandez, Rodrigo Fernandez, Isaac Sepulveda and Memo Gracida) to an 8-7 win over Granite Bay (Eric Hammon, Alvaro Tadeo, Marcos Llambias and Rhandy Heredia) in the second round of play in the 2018 General Patton 8-goal Cup.

In a well-orchestrated opening chukker La Herradura scored three straight goals while holding Granite Bay scoreless for the early lead. Isaac Sepulveda scored the first goal of the game followed by a 40-yard penalty conversion from Gracida, 2-0. Rodrigo Fernandez scored the closing goal of the period to move in front, 3-0.

The Las Herradura defense held solid again in the second. Sepulveda scored the only goal of the chukker, however, extending the La Herradura advantage to four goals, 4-0.

Gracida’s second goal of the match came on a 30-yard penalty shot in the third chukker, when the Granite Bay attack stirred. Alvaro Tadeo scored the first goal of the day for Granite Bay, followed by a goal from teammate Eric Hammon. The first half ended with Gracida and company in control of a 5-2 game.

Both defenses stiffened as the second half got underway. Rodrigo Fernandez scored to make it 6-2, with Marco Llambias responding with a goal for Granite Bay. After four periods of play, La Herradura continued to control the game behind a 6-3 advantage.

Goals continued to elude players on both sides in the fifth. Alvaro Fernandez scored for La Herradura with Tadeo countering with a goal from Granite Bay. After five periods of play, La Herradura continued to hold a three-goal advantage over Granite Bay, 7-4.

Gracida’s third goal of the day came from the field in sixth chukker action and put La Herradura up by four goals, 8-4, when the Granite Bay offense rallied. Two goals from Llambias and a goal from Tadeo brought Granite Bay to within a goal of the lead, but that would be as close as they would get as the La Herradura defenders held on to secure the 8-7 victory.

Gracida led the La Herradura attack with three goals (two on penalty conversions). Rodrigo Fernandez and Sepulveda each scored twice, and Alvaro Fernandez added a goal for the win. Tadeo and Llambias each scored three times for Granite Bay. Hammon was credited with a goal in the loss.

The win lifted the La Herradura tournament record to 1-1 while Granite Bay remained winless in two outings (0-2).

Spindrift 9, Cotterel 8

In morning 8-goal Patton Cup action, Spindrift (John Bickford, Luis Saracco, Juan Curbelo and Leslie Tims) won their second game of the tournament with a 9-8 nail-bitter over Cotterel (Jenny Luttrell, Ruben Coscia, Francisco Benardoni and Gaby Saccullo).

The 7-goal Cotterel team received one goal by handicap from Spindrift but watched as they were out-scored from the field in the opening minutes of the match. A goal from John Bickford and a pair of goals from Juan Curbelo gave the early lead to Spindrift, 3-1.

The two teams traded goals in the second with Cotterel getting single goals from Ruben Coscia and Jenny Luttrell. Spindrift matched them goal for goal with Curbelo scoring for the third time and Luis Saracco getting on the scoreboard for the first time on the day. Spindrift continued to lead, 5-3.

Saracco added two more goals in the third while a resolute Spindrift defense held Cotterel to a single penalty goal from Coscia. At the end of the first half, Spindrift had expanded its lead to three goals, 7-4.

Coscia struck first in the fourth, cutting the Spindrift lead back to two goals, 7-5, but the Spindrift attack was pressuring the Cotterel goal. Fouls proved to be costly for the Cotterel defenders as Bickford took advantage of the opportunity to convert two 30-ayrd penalty shots for goals. After four chukkers the Spindrift lead had grown to four goals, 9-5.

A determined Coscia took the field in the fifth and quickly scored two goals for Cotterel. A solid defensive effort shut down the Spindrift attack, cutting the lead to a manageable two goals, 9-7, with one chukker of play remaining in regulation time.

Cotterel continued to press the attack in the sixth, with Coscia converting a 60-yard penalty shot for a goal, when the Spindrift defense held firm. Time expired in the 9-8 Spindrift win with Cotterel pressuring the Spindrift goal.

Bickford, Curbelo and Saracco scored three goals apiece for the win. Coscia was high-scorer of the game with six goals. Luttrell added a goal and the team received one goal by handicap.

The win inflated the Spindrift record to 2-0 while Cotterel fell to 0-2.

STG 16, Lockton 10

In a noon 8-goal Patton Cup battle of the unbeatens, STG (Max Menini, John Ziegler, Tommy Costello and Francisco Guinazu) handed Lockton (Tim Kelly, Bryan Middleton, Jessica Bailey and Alejandro Gonzalez) their first loss of the tournament (1-1) while improving to 2-0 themselves.

Lockton received one goal by handicap from STG and went up, 2-0, with a goal from the field from Alejandro Gonzalez. John Ziegler responded with a 40-yard penalty conversion for STG followed by a 30-yard penalty goal from Max Menini and a goal from the field from Francisco Guinazu for the 3-2 lead. Gonzalez leveled the score at 3-3 with the final goal of the chukker.

A stubborn STG defense shut out Lockton in second chukker play. Single goals from Guinazu, Tommy Costello and Ziegler were supported by shutout defense, sending Lockton off the field at the end of the second period behind by three goals, 6-3.

Ziegler added a 40-goal penalty goal in the third followed by goals from teammates Menini and Costello, 9-3. Gonzalez and Bryan Middleton kept Lockton from getting blanked with goals to end the chukker trailing, 9-5.

Costello and Ziegler added goals in the fourth with Lockton responding with a 30-yard penalty goal from Middleton. The STG lead had grown to five goals, 11-6.

Gonzalez scored twice in the fifth for Lockton, scoring once from the field and once on a penalty shot. STG kept pace with goals from Menini and Guinazu (40-yard penalty goal). The STG lead held at five goals, 13-8.

Two penalty goals from Tim Kelly in the sixth was the extent of Lockton’s attempt to rally with STG adding three more goals to their total. Two goals from Guinazu and a goal from Ziegler had STG galloping off with the win, 16-10.

Guinazu and Ziegler led the STG attack with five goals apiece. Costello and Menini each scored three times for the win. Gonzalez set the offensive pace for Lockton with five goals. Middleton and Kelly each scored twice, and the team received one goal by handicap.

Play continues in 8-goal General Patton Cup tournament on Friday, February 23rd with STG (2-0) facing La Herradura (1-1); Spindrift (2-0) taking on Lockton (1-1) and Granite Bay (0-2) playing Cotterel (0-2). At the end of the day, the two teams with the top records will go to Sunday’s 2pm final.

The 2017-2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers fourteen weekends of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.

The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA. For further information go to the club website at http://empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.

Evergreen cruises to a 2-0 record in USPA Circuit Players Cup

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Crlitos Galido continues to lead the competition in scoring, adding eight goals to his growing total in Evergreen’s 12-6 win over C & R Farms in USPA Circuit Players Cup play at the Empire Polo Club Sunday afternoon.

Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Bayne Bossom, Juan Jo Gonzales and Carlitos Galindo) have had a successful 4-goal season at the Empire Polo Club, recording wins in both the Stagecoach Challenge and the USPS Sportsmanship Cup, and appear poised to add the 2018 USPA Circuit Players Cup to their trophy room.

Scoring their second win of the tournament, Evergreen remains the only undefeated team in this year’s competition.

After handily dispatching Empire (Rob Scapa, Eileen Duffy, Erik Wright and Jim Wright) on Saturday, Evergreen took the field at 9:30 Sunday morning and throttled a foul prone C & R Farms team (Cheryl Schindel, Luis Saracco, Ross Adam and Alonzo Andrade), 12-6.

Eight first chukker fouls put C & R Farms on the ropes in the opening chukker with Evergreen’s Carlitos Gracida converting on three penalty shots.  The Evergreen defense was just a s focused as they shut down the C & R attack for the 3-0 lead.

C & R got on the scoreboard in the second with a 60-yard penalty conversion from Luis Saracco to make it 3-1.  A goal from the field from Bayne Bossom was the only other score in the chukker as Evergreen rode off the field on top of a 4-1 lead.

C & R bounced back in the third with Ross Adam scoring twice from the field and teammate Alonzo Andrade adding a 40-yard penalty goal to tie the game at 4-4.  Galindo scored on a 60-yard penalty shot to end the first half with Evergreen in front by a single goal, 5-4.

Saracco’s second goal of the day leveled the score once again, 5-5, but Galindo and Evergreen were just getting started.  Galindo scored two of his three goals on penalty conversions with Bossom adding a goal from the field.  After four periods of play, Evergreen held a four-goal advantage, 9-5.

Defense was the key to fifth chuker play with Evergreen holding C & R scoreless.  Evergreen only managed a goal of their own, but increased their led to five goals, 10-5, with one period remaining in regulation play.

Saracco opened the sixth with a goal from the field, but the C & R rally was short-lived.  Goals from Bossom and Galindo ended the game with Evergreen riding away with the 12-6 win.

Galindo scored six of his game-high eight goals on penalty shots.  Bossom added four gals for the Evergreen victory.  Saracco’s three goals led the C & R attack.  Adam scored twice, and Andrade added a goal in a losing effort.

The win was Evergreen’s second of the tournament and left them atop the standings at 2-0.  The C & R loss was their first, falling to 1-1.

Hanalei Bay 16, Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine 5

In a noon USPA Players Cup match, Hanalei Bay (Krista Bonaguidi, Ian Schnoebelen, Taylor Freeman and Ashton Wolf) embarrassed Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine (Tanweer Khan, Victor Lopez, Cameron Smith and Warwick Prendiville) with a healthy dose of offense and defense that carried them to a resounding 16-5 victory.

The 3-goal Hanalei Bay team received one goal by handicap and quickly added to it with every member of the team getting on the scoreboard in the first chukker.  Taylor Freeman and Krista Bonaguidi scored the first two goals of the game, 3-0, with Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine answering with a single goal from Warwick Prendiville, 3-1.   Ian Schnoebelen and Ashton closed out the scoring in the opening chukker with single goals as Hanalei Bay raced out to an early 5-1 lead.

Wolf scored his second goal of the day in second chukker action followed by a pair of goals from Freeman.  Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine was unable to score and fell behind by seven goals, 8-1.

Wolf and Bonaguidi each added a goal in the third with Schnoebelen converting a 40-yard penalty shot for a goal. Prendiville and Victor Lopez scored the final two goals of the period, but it was Hanalei Bay who was in control of the game with an eight-goal advantage, 11-3 at the end of the first half.

The Hanalei Bay attack continued to roll unabated in second half play. Bonaguidi’s third goal of the day came on a 30-yard penalty shot with Wolf and Schnoebelen adding single goals. A stellar defensive effort by Hanalei Bay blanked the Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine offense for the second time, extending their commanding lead to eleven goals, 14-3.

Two more goals from Freeman in the fifth were answered by a single 40-yard penalty conversion from Prendiville. After five periods the Hanalei Bay lead stood at 16-4.

With Hanalei Bay resting their horses in the final chukker, Prendiville scored the only sixth chukker goal in a 16-5. Hanalei Bay beat-down.

Freeman’s five goals led the field with teammate Wolf accounting for four goals and Bonaguidi and Schnoebelen adding three goals apiece. Hanalei Bay received one goal by handicap. Prendiville scored four times for Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine with Lopez adding the only other goal in the loss.

The win was the first for Hanalei Bay (1-0) while Tanakhanda/Sandalford Wine suffered their second setback in as many games, 0-2.

USPA Players Cup competition will continue next weekend with the finals set t be played on Sunday, February 11th.

Pheasant Hollow runs past Granite Bay and Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch for Holiday Cup win

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Empire Polo Club’s 2017 Holiday Cup winner, Pheasant Hollow (L to R) Debra Vermoch, Cameron Smith, Tim Rudy and Suki Pier. The tournament win was the third of the month for Pheasant Hollow.

Building on their dominance of both Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch (Dave Carlson, Shannon Mendez, Ashton Wolf and Alonso Andrade) and Granite Bay lineup (Julie Fernandez, Caroline Anier, Eric Hammon and Goyo Mariscal) in Friday’s round-robin competition, Pheasant Hollow (Debra Vermoch, Cameron Smith, Tim Rudy and Suki Piper) finished the Holiday Cup with a 7-3 win over Granite Bay and a 9-6 victory over Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch.

Pheasant Hollow faced Granite Bay in the first two chukkers of the day and rode onto the field with a 4-2 edge from the previous day’s play (a cumulative total of goals scored determine the ultimate outcome).  Tim Rudy scored the first goal of the day followed by a 30-yard penalty goal from teammate Debra Vermoch.  Granite Bay was held scoreless for a 2-0 Pheasant Hollow advantage.

Granite Bay took control of the second period, picking up single goals from Goyo Mariscal and Eric Hammon and shutting down the Pheasant Hollow attack, but it wouldn’t be enough.  On the strength of the 5-1 lead Pheasant Hollow amassed on Friday, they would record the win, 7-3.

In the highest scoring showdown of the tournament, Pheasant Hollow and Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch matched one another goal for goal in the opening seven minutes of the third chukker of the day for a 2-2 tie.  A pair of goals from Rudy were offset by single goals from Shannon Mendez and Alonso Andrade.

Rudy pushed Pheasant Hollow ahead on a goal from the field and a 60-yard penalty conversion, 4-2.  Mendez and Cameron Smith exchanged goals, with Pheasant Hollow remaining on top, 5-3. Dave Carlson scored the final goal of the game for Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch, but the two-day total saw Pheasant Hollow celebrating the 9-6 win and the 2018 Holiday Cup title.

The final two periods of the tournament saw Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch and Granite Bay play to a 2-2 tie, giving the win to Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch on the strength of a two day total of 5-2 two day total.

Goals from Ashton Wolf and Alonso Andrade had Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch in front in the opening chukker, 2-0.  Caroline Anier got Granite Bay on the scoreboard, but trailed 2-1.

Anier’s second goal of the day went unanswered with Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch taking the win with a two-day total of 5-2.

The Holiday Cup win was the third of the month for Peasant Hollow and was powered by a total of 11 goals from Tim Rudy over the two-day event.

The Holiday Cup was the Empire Polo Club’s fourth and final tournament of the month, but plenty of action is in store with the Opening Day/Hat Day of the 2018 season and the beginning of the Stagecoach Challenge on Sunday, December 31st.

The 2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers there months of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.

The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA.  For further information go to the club website at http://www.empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.

Pheasant Hollow positioned to capture their third tournament of the season

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Three-goaler Tim Rudy led the Pheasant Hollow charge Friday afternoon at the Empire Polo Club, scoring six times as he led his team to wins over Granite Bay and Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch. Final six chukkers of the round-robin are on tap for Saturday morning at 11am.

Dave Carlson made an auspicious debut in Holiday Cup play at the Empire Polo Club as he scored the first goal of the tournament for Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch (Dave Carlson, Shannon Mendez, Ashton Wolf and Alonso Andrade) but it was Pheasant Hollow (Debra Vermoch, Cameron Smith, Tim Rudy and Suki Piper) that made the opening statement.

Two goals from Tim Rudy and a goal from Cameron Smith ended the first chukker with Pheasant Hollow on top of a 3-1 score.

Rudy’s third goal of the two-chukker mini-match had Pheasant Hollow in the lead by three goals, 4-1, before Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch was heard from again.  A single goal from Shannon Mendez closed out the period with Pheasant taking the first two chukkers of the day, 4-2.

A determined Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch team held the field for the ensuing two chukkers against a new look Granite Bay lineup (Julie Fernandez, Caroline Anier, Eric Hammon and Goyo Mariscal).

Mendez scored the first goal of the contest from the field and added a 40-yard penalty goal for the early lead.  A disciplined defense held Granite Bay scoreless.  After their first chukker of lay, Granite Bay trailed, 2-0.

Another 40-yard penalty conversion from Mendez accounted for all of the scoring in the second chukker.  Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch recorded their first win of the day, 3-0, and leveled their record at 1-1.

Pheasant Hollow returned to the field for the final two chukkers of the round-robin to face a struggling Granite Bay foursome.

Rudy scored the first goal of the chukker followed by back-to-back goals from Smith.  For the third straight chukker Granite Bay was unable to get on the scoreboard, falling behind, 3-0.

Rudy rang up two more goals in the final period, extending the lead to five goals, 5-0.  Goyo Mariscal kept Granite Bay from being shutout with the final goal of the day, but it was Pheasant Hollow with the 5-1 win.

Round-robin play will continue on Saturday, December 23 at 11AM on Field 7 for the final six chukkers of play.  Pheasant Hollow appears to be in the driver’s seat with a 4-3 advantage over Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch and a 5-1 lead against Granite Bay.

Pheasant Hollow had captured the Desert Challenge and the Coyote Classic before losing in Jackalope Cup play.  A strong finish would give them three of the month’s four tournament titles.

Pheasant Hollow, Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch and Granite Bay will play one another for an additional two chukkers apiece on Saturday with the totals of their head-on-head competition added together for the final standings.  The team with the best record will be declared the winner.

The Holiday Cup is the Empire Polo Club’s final tournament of the month with the Stagecoach Challenge being played on Opening Day/Hat Day on Sunday, December 31st.

The 2017-2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers fourteen weekends of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.

The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA.  For further information go to the club website at http://www.empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.

Three new lineups for Holiday Cup

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French polo veteran Caroline Anier will join Granite Bay for the Holiday Cup at the Empire Polo Club this weekend.

Three altered lineups will take the field for the opening round of the Holiday Cup in the final tournament of the year at the Empire Polo Club.

Pheasant Hollow team (Deb Vermoch, Cameron Smith, Tim Rudy and Suki Piper),  Granite Bay (Julie Fernandez, Caroline Anier, Eric Hammon and Goyo Mariscal) and Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch (Dave Carlson, Shannon Mendez, Ashton Wolf and Alonso Andrade) will battle one another on Feld 3 in a 2pm round-robin.

The 2015 winner, Alpha Omega (Dayelle Fargey, Hayward Pardue, Eileen Duffy and John Eicher) will not be on hand to defend their title in this year’s 2-goal Competition.

Julie Fernandez, Caroline Anier, Suki Piper, Dave Carlson and Shannon Mendez will be making their first tournament appearances of the season.

Round-robin play will begin at 2PM on field 3.

The 2017-2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers fourteen weekends of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.

The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA.  For further information go to the club website at http://www.empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.