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You are here: Home / Archives for Tim Rudy

La Herradura takes home $45,000 with a Champions Cup final victory

April 1, 2018 by Empire Polo

The Empire Polo Club cashes out the season with a $60,000 money game for the Champions Cup.

Former 10-goaler Memo Gracida had guided his La Herradura (Meghan Gracida, Carlos Hernandez, Memo Gracida and Catlin Dix) through their first three Championship Cup wins but was forced into a coaching position in the tournament final against the imposing Evergreen lineup (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Juan Jo Gonzalez and Shane Rice).

La Herradura (L to R) Santi Torres, Carlos Hernandez, Catlin Dix, Meghan Gracida and Memo Gracida celebrate a $45,000 win in teh final of the Champions Cup.

Evergreen had ruled the fields at the Empire Polo Club since the beginning of the year, taking top honors in 4-goal competition in the Stagecoach Challenge, the USPA Circuit Players Cup and the USPA General Patton Cup.  The Evergreen lineup changed for the 8-goal USPA Constitution Cup in March as they went undefeated once again, but for the season-ending $60,000 Champions Cup they ran into Memo Gracida’s La Herradura entry.

Both La Herradura and Evergreen bowled over their first three opponents before facing one another in the tournament final.  A fall suffered by Memo Gracida on Friday, March 30th, however, sidelined the Hall of Fame legend, forcing La Herradura to bring in 6-goaler Santi Torres in an effort to fill out the lineup.

A tenuous start saw Evergreen take advantage of a foul by La Herradura, with Shane Rice converting a 30-yard penalty shot for the early lead.  Carlos Hernandez, who had been a scoring powerhouse for La Herradura, tied the game with his first goal of the day.  Back-to-back goals from Santi Torres ended the first period with La Herradura on top of a 3-1 lead.

Fouls continued to plague the La Herradura lineup with, Rice converting two 40-yard penalty shots.   Hernandez scored his second goal of the game, keeping La Herradura in the lead,4-3 as the second chukker ended.

Torres scored the first goal of the third, extending the La Herradura lead to two goals, 5-3.  Two goals from Rice (one on a 30-yard penalty shot) leveled the score at 5-5, and Juan Jo

Shane Baum of Leisure Society presents the MVP trophy to La Herradura’s Carlos Hernandez.

Gonzalez scored the go-ahead goal for Evergreen to end the first half with a 6-5 advantage.

Memo Gracida might not have been on the field but he was in the team tent at the end of the field.

“It was more about Santi (Torres) and Carlos (Hernandez) talking to one another and coordinating their play on the field,” he said.  “I told the girls (Catlin Dix and his wife, Meghan Gracida) to continue pushing forward and to utilize the horses.”

The direction appeared to take hold.  Hernandez tied the game with a goal from the field followed by a penalty goal for a 7-6 lead.  Torres scored the final goal of the chukker as a solid defensive effort shut down the talented Evergreen attack and edged La Herradura ahead, 8-6.

Hernandez and Torres traded goals with Galindo and Rice in the fifth, with La Herradura maintaining their two goals lead, 10-8, with one chukker left in regulation play.

Playing as if the score was tied, La Herradura exploded in the sixth.  Meghan Gracida took the opening throw-in and raced 150-yards down the field for her first goal of the game and a three-goal, 11-8 lead.  Rice responded with a goal for Evergreen that cut the lead back to a manageable two goals, 11-9.  The teamwork between Torres and Hernandez continued to pay off. Torres scored twice from the field with the two La Herradura players taking turns passing the ball to one another and blocking out opponents for a 13-9 edge.  With time running out, Rice scored on a 60-yard penalty shot but it was too little, too late.  Torres scored the last goal of the game on a 40-yard penalty conversion as La Herradura celebrated the 14-10 win and a check for $45,000, the winner’s share of the purse.  Evergreen suffered their first loss of the winter season but were comforted with a check for $15,000 for their second-place finish.

Shane Rice with Midget, winner of the Best Playing Pony award.

“It was a tough match“, said Meghan Gracida after the game, “but our team played as a team and pushed hard.  Our horses were amazing and so was our coach (Memo Gracida)“, she added, “So happy”.

Torres led all soring with eight goals.  Hernandez scored five times and earned MVP honors while Meghan Gracida added a goal for the win.  Rice’s six goals (three on penalty conversions) led the Evergreen attack.  Galindo added three goals and Gonzalez scored once in the loss.

Rice’s horse, Midget, was named Best Playing Pony.

Buffalo 6, Vancouver/Mother Chukkers 3

La Herradura and Evergreen weren’t the only teams going home with money in their pockets as the Buffalos (Ross Adam, Tim Rudy, Felipe Sordelli and Riley Jordan) took the winners share of an $8,000 purse while the Vancouver/Mother Chukkers (Jay Garnett, Nicolas Maciel, Robert Payne III and Sukey Forbes) settled for $2,000 for a second-place finish in the 4-goal Lions Cup.

The Buffalos won the Lions Cup Final and $6,000. Ross Adam, Riley Jordan, Felipe Sordelli and Tim Rudy.

Robert Payne opened the scoring in the 4-goal Lions Cup final with a goal from the field for the Vancouver/Mother Chukkers.  Tim Rudy converted a penalty shot to tie it at 1-1 and teammate Felipe Sordelli added a goal from the field for a 2-1 Buffalo lead.

MVP was Felipe Sordelli.

Shutout defense by the Buffalos in the second period of the four chukker final was nearly all defensive in nature.  Riley Jordon scored the only goal of the period, giving the Buffalos a 3-1 halftime lead.

The two teams exchanged goals in the third, matching one another goal-for-goal.  A pair of goals from Payne were countered by single goals from Sordelli and Rudy (penalty goal).  The lead remained with the Buffalos, 5-3.

For the second time in the match, Vancouver/Mother Chukkers were unable to mount a successful attack.  Rudy’s third goal on the day accounted for all of the fourth chukker scoring as the Buffalos left the field celebrating the 6-3 win.

Rudy scored a team high three goals for Buffalo.  Sordelli added two goals and Jordan accounted for a single goal in the win.  All three Vancouver/Mother Chukkers goals came from Payne (two on penalty shots).

The Lions Cup and the Champions Cup were the final polo tournaments of the season at the Empire Polo Club and signaled the end of a 14-week season that included women’s competitions and Friday night polo under the lights as well as regular Sunday afternoon tournament action.

BPP was Renatta, owned and played by Robert Payne III.

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. Entrance for Friday night games is on Ave. 50 between Madison Street and Monroe Street.

Filed Under: Club News Tagged With: Alex Webbe, Carlitos Galindo, Carlos Hernandez, Catlin Dix, empire polo club, Felipe Sordelli, Jay Garnett, Juan Jo Gonzalez, Meghan Gracida, Memo Gracida, Nicolas Maciel, polo, polo games, Riley Jordan, Robert Payne III, Ross Adam, Santi Torres, Shane Rice, Sukey Forbes, Tim Rudy, Tom Sprung, tournament, tournaments

Tournament play slated for Friday in the USPA Constitution Cup and the USPA Congressional Cup

March 7, 2018 by Empire Polo

US team member Shane Rice will be joining Evergreen for the Constitution Cup tournament after competing in England in international cup play last week.

Action resumes at the Empire Polo Club this weekend with a total of nine teams competing at the 4-goal and 8-goal level.

Five teams will be competing at the 8-goal USPA Constitution Cup as a strong Spindrift team (John Bickford, Luis Saracco, Tan Khan and Iggy Deltour) attempting to win back-to-back trophies, following their USPA 8-goal General Patton Cup win two weeks ago.  Spindrift will open with a Friday match against Lockton (Tim Kelly, Bryan Middleton, Andres Gonzalez and Alejandro Gonzalez).  The second match of the day will pit ReMax (Dayelle Fargey, Jared Sheldon, Gordon Ross and Matthew Fonseca) against Granite Bay (Eric Hammon, Alvaro Tadeo, Marcos Llambias and Catlin Dix).  Evergreen (Tom Sprung, Carlitos Galindo, Juan Jo Gonzalez and Shane Rice) received a first round bye.

Sunday will see Evergreen face Spindrift while Granite Bay and Lockton lock horns in he second round of Constitution Cup play.

Two of the four 4-goal teams will take the field on Friday in the USPA Congressional Cup with La Herradura (Caroline Anier, Gina Padilla, Meghan Gracida and Carlos Hernandez) playing the Buffalos (Ross Adam, Tim Rudy, Felipe Sordelli and Riley Jordan) to get the tournament underway.

Empire (Rob Scapa, Erik Wright, Jim Wright and Kiki Hiller) is scheduled to battle Prima Polo (Robert Payne III, Jenny Alter, Toto Socas and Todd Randall) in Saturday’s only 4-goal game.

A full compliment of four games at both the 4-goal and 8-goal level will be featured in Sunday competition.

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.

Filed Under: Club News Tagged With: 2018 USPA Congressional Cup, 2018 USPA Constitution Cup, 4-goal polo, 8-goal polo, Alejandro Gonzalez, Alvaro Tadeo, Andres Gonzalez, Bryan Middleton, Carlitos Galindo, Carlos Hernandez, Caroline Anier, Catlin Dix, Dayelle Fargey, empire polo club, Eric Hammon, erik wright, Felipe Sordelli, Gina Padilla, Gordon Ross, Iggy Deltour, Jared Sheldon, Jenny Alter, Jim Wright, John Bickford, Juan Jo Gonzalez, Kiki Hiller, Luis Saracco, Marcos Llambias, Matthew Fonseca, Meghan Gracida, polo tournament, Riley Jordan, Rob Scapa, Robert Payne III, Ross Adam, Shane Rice, Tan Khan, Tim Kelly, Tim Rudy, Todd Randall, Tom Sprung, Toto Socas, tournaments

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

December 23, 2017 by Empire Polo

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.

Filed Under: Club News Tagged With: Alex Webbe, Alonso Andrade, Ashton Wolf, Cameron Smith, Caroline Anier, Dave Carlson, Deb Vermoch, empire polo club, Eric Hammon, Goyo Mariscal, Julie Fernandez, Shannon Mendez, Suki Piper, Tim Rudy

Pheasant Hollow positioned to capture their third tournament of the season

December 22, 2017 by Empire Polo

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.

Filed Under: Club News Tagged With: Alex Webbe, Alonso Andrade, Ashton Wolf, Cameron Smith, Caroline Anier, Dave Carlson, Deb Vermoch, empire polo club, Eric Hammon, Goyo Mariscal, Julie Fernandez, Shannon Mendez, Suki Piper, Tim Rudy, tournaments

Three new lineups for Holiday Cup

December 22, 2017 by Empire Polo

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.

Filed Under: Club News Tagged With: Alex Webbe, Alonso Andrade, Ashton Wolf, Cameron Smith, Caroline Anier, Dave Carlson, Deb Vermoch, empire polo club, Eric Hammon, Goyo Mariscal, Julie Fernandez, polo, Shannon Mendez, Suki Piper, Tim Rudy, tournaments

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