© DAVID LOMINSKA
GAUNTLET OF POLO TEAMS ANNOUNCED The Three-Part Series Opens Feb. 9 With The C.V. Whitney Cup The United States Polo Association and the National Polo Center recently announced that nine teams will compete in the 2024 Gauntlet of Polo series in Wellington. The prestigious Gauntlet of Polo returns for its sixth year, drawing the world’s greatest polo talent to vie for the three most sought-after American titles: the C.V. Whitney Cup, the USPA Gold Cup and the U.S. Open Polo Championship. Similar to last year, teams can also enter any of the three tournaments individually. One team will take advantage of this opportunity, competing exclusively in the USPA Gold Cup and the U.S. Open Polo Championship. While teams can enter individual tournaments within the series, they cannot win the entire Gauntlet of Polo if they choose to do so. This year’s competition features many returning players and teams, including defending U.S. Open champions, Park Place. Five-time C.V. Whitney Cup winners Valiente will also be returning. 2023 USPA Gold Cup winners Scone
GAUNTLET OF POLO 2024 TEAMS ANNOUNCED
Coca-Cola
Gillian Johnston, Kristos “Keko” Magrini, Pablo “Polito” Pieres and Julian de Lusarreta.
Pilot
Curtis Pilot, Santos Merlos, Facundo Pieres and Santiago Torres.
Dutta Corp
Timmy Dutta, Joaquin Avendaño, Mariano “Nino” Obregon Jr. and Tomas Garcia del Rio.
will return to compete under a new team name, La Dolfina. Pilot, the only team to ever capture the entire Gauntlet series, will attempt to soar back to the top of the podium for the first time since 2022. Former USPA Chair Chip Campbell returns to the competition under a new team name, Clearwater. Campbell has not competed in the Gauntlet since 2021, when he played for Cessna. Coca-Cola’s Gillian Johnston, the only woman set to compete in the series, is hoping to achieve Gauntlet success having previously won the U.S. Open Polo Championship in 2002. La Fe and Dutta Corp boast a unique advantage, with both teams competing with identical 2023 rosters. Additionally, four 10-goalers — Hilario Ulloa, Facundo Pieres, Poroto Cambiaso and Adolfo Cambiaso — will compete, representing the highest level of the sport. Pieres is fresh off his win in the 2023 Argentine Open with La Natividad, where he competed against the father/son Cambiaso duo, who represented La Dolfina Saudi.
Park Place
Andrey Borodin and Hilario Ulloa.
La Fe
Louis Devaleix, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, Francisco Elizalde and Roberto Bilbao.
La Dolfina
David Paradice, Rufino Merlos, Poroto Cambiaso and Tomas Panelo.
Tamera
Alejandro Poma, Segundo Saravi, Matias Torres Zavaleta and Diego Cavanagh.
Valiente
Bob Jornayvaz, Mariano “Peke” Gonzalez Jr., Paco de Narvaez Jr. and Adolfo Cambiaso.
Clearwater
Chip Campbell, James “Jared” Zenni, Lucas Criado Jr. and Raul “Gringo” Colombres will compete in the USPA Gold Cup and U.S. Open Polo Championship.
wellington the magazine | february 2024 45