Grand Champions Polo Club: Audi, Piaget Begin 26-Goal Tournament Season Friday In CV Whitney Cup

Source: News Release/Sharon Robb for PMG Inc.

Audi, Piaget Begin 26-Goal Tournament Season Friday In CV Whitney Cup

WELLINGTON, FL - - Grand Champions Polo Club-based pro teams Audi and Piaget will be among favorites when the 26-high goal season gets under way this week with the CV Whitney Cup, the first jewel of America's Triple Crown of polo.

The first of three 26-goal tournaments at International Polo Club Palm Beach begins Tuesday with Zacara playing Valiente at 3 p.m.

The nine-team tournament continues on Friday with four games including Piaget opening up against Alegria at 10 a.m. and Audi against Coca-Cola at 2 p.m.

Miguel Astrada of Piaget. Photo credit Alex Pacheco

Piaget is one of only two teams that will feature two 10-goalers with Miguel Astrada and Sapo Caset. Juan Bollini and player-padrone Melissa Ganzi round out the team roster for the CV Whitney Cup. Nacho Badiola will replace Bollini for the other two 26-goal tournaments.

"We have to get some things together but I say we are one of the favorites," Astrada said. "If we click well as a team we have a good chance."

Piaget coach Joey Casey is excited about the team's chances.

"I think we have one of the strongest teams for sure," Casey said. "You have to factor in the horses. Sapo has great horses and Melissa has great horses. Horses play a big part of the game. I think we've got a good shot.

"Miguel and Sapo are getting their chemistry, they have been practicing together," Casey said. "The teams are competitive as it's ever been. Every year it gets more competitive. Sponsors are putting more money into their teams and horses and it gets more and more competitive. In the old days you had one or two guys that were the most competitive, now you have five or six guys."

Audi is another favorite with 10-goalers Gonzalito Pieres and younger brother, 8-goaler Nico Pieres, two-fourths of the winning 2012 Argentine Open Ellerstina team and sons of polo legend Gonzalo Pieres Sr. American 7-goaler Jeff Hall and Marc Ganzi round out the high goal team.

"I don't think we change gears that much," said Audi player-padrone Marc Ganzi, who is competing with Nico Pieres currently in the 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup tournament.

"We talked about playing the 20-goal together last season because we started so slow in the 26. Gonzalito and I talked about it in the off-season that we didn't want to start slow. We wanted to start fast so Nico and I decided to play 20-goal and we put this team together late in December. The Pieres boys are a lot of fun.

"I think what it does is it gives us speed and timing and we should be ready and definitely will play a lot better than we did in our first game last year. We've got Coca-Cola again so we are hoping to make a better impression."

Audi's Nico Pieres, photo credit Alex Pacheco

Audi will be busy this week juggling both the Ylvisaker Cup semifinals with Mariano Gracida, Nic Roldan, Nico Pieres and Ganzi and CV Whitney.

"We have enough horses to do it," Ganzi said. "Nico brought some horses in, I have a few new horses so we are deep in terms of the horses."

Audi and Piaget are in opposite brackets and could pit husband and wife against each other in the Wednesday, February 27th semifinals.

"We have both become numb to playing each other," Ganzi said. "She is a very good competitor and puts great teams on the fields. She will probably tell you that I am more competitive but Melissa is very quietly competitive. She likes to win."

Piaget has a 2-0 advantage over Audi in head-to-head 20-goal tournament matchups in the 2012 Ylvisaker Cup final and Pacific Coast Open semifinals.

Valiente I is defending champion of the CV Whitney Cup after defeating Valiente II, 10-8, in the final that featured father vs. son player-padrones with father Bob Jornayvaz prevailing for the win. Polito Pieres of Valiente I was named Most Valuable Player.

Valiente returns with only one team this season featuring 10-goalers Pelon Stirling and Adolfo Cambiaso.
For the second consecutive season, the 20-goal season, which is winding down, has not only served as a warm-up for 26 goals but also competitive in its own right.

"It is very, very competitive," Ganzi said. "I think the team owners in the 26 enjoy it because it gets you ready. It's a real warm-up for the 26. The fields are so fast that the level is pretty much the same speed. The only difference is the shot-making may be a little more precise and passes a little longer, but by in large we are playing at 26-goal speed now.

"And the margin of victory or loss is so, so slight that it's fun, good for the club, fans and polo."

The CV Whitney Cup was created in 1979 and first played at the Retama Polo Center in San Antonio, Texas where it was the handicap counterpart to the U.S. Open Championship. It was moved to IPC in 2003 and has been held every day. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney was an American businessman, film producer, writer, government official and owner of a leading stable of thoroughbred horses. He followed in his father's footsteps as an avid polo player and won the U.S. Open three times.

The other two 26-goal tournaments are the prestigious USPA Piaget Gold Cup and 109th Maserati U.S. Open Polo Championship.

CV WHITNEY CUP AUDI/PIAGET SCHEDULE

Friday, February 22: Alegria vs. Piaget, 10 a.m.; Audi vs. Coca-Cola, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, February 27: Semifinals, 1 and 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 3: Les Armour Cup CV Whitney Subsidiary, 10 a.m.; CV Whitney Cup Final, 3 p.m.

YLVISAKER CUP AUDI SCHEDULE

Wednesday, February 20: Ylvisaker Semifinals, Coca-Cola vs. Lechuza Caracas, 1 p.m. and Audi vs. Lucchese, 3 p.m.
Sunday, February 24: Haas Cup final, noon; Ylvisaker Cup Final, 3 p.m.

AUDI/PIAGET TOURNAMENT LINEUP

Jan. 31-Feb. 24, Ylvisaker Cup
Feb. 19-March 3, CV Whitney Cup
March 5-March 24, USPA Piaget Gold Cup
March 26-April 21, 109th Maserati U.S. Open Polo Championship

GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB

WHERE: On the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, Wellington.

INFORMATION: There are great field side views for tournament action at the home base of pro teams Audi and Piaget. Everyone is welcome to watch polo in a relaxed atmosphere during the spring and fall tournament season and other special events including the International Cup, Buzz Welker Memorial Junior Tournament, Women's Championship Tournament and Gay Polo League Tournament.