USPA GOLD CUP®
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The USPA Gold Cup is the second 22-goal tournament of the Florida high-goal season and the second leg in the Gauntlet of Polo. Established in 1974, the USPA Gold Cup has been hosted at seven venues in five different states and has included many of theworld's elite players and teams vying for the prestigious title. First played for at Oak Brook Polo Club in Oak Brook, Illinois, four teams battled for the trophy with inaugural winners Milwaukee (Tom Hughes, Tommy Wayman, Joe Barry, Robert Uihlein III) besting Houston 9-8, in a thrilling overtime victory, with Wayman scoring the golden goal three minutes into the sudden death chukker.
The following year, the USPA Gold Cup was moved to Milwaukee Polo Club (Hartland, Wisconsin) where it was played from 1975 to 1978. In 1979, the USPA Gold Cup relocated to South Florida and quickly became the crown jewel of the winter season. In its height at the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club during the 80s and early 90s, the USPA Gold Cup was the tournament to win, attracting anywhere from 11 to 20 teams. A 16-year old Adolfo Cambiaso made his USPA Gold Cup debut in 1991 with Cellular One (Matthew Gonzalez, Ernesto Trotz, Adam Lindemann) and would claim his first of 15 titles, an impressive record he still holds.
After a successful 17-year stretch at the Palm Beach Polo and Country Club, the tournament was hosted by several clubs over the years including Royal Palm Polo Club (now defunct), Greenwich Polo Club (Greenwich, Connecticut) and New Bridge Polo & Country Club (Aiken, South Carolina), before landing a permanent home in Wellington, Florida.
Notable contemporary winners to take home the title more than once include Valiente (2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018), Audi (2011, 2015), Crab Orchard (2007, 2010) and Scone (2021, 2023). White Birch holds the all-time record wins with 12 titles spanning three decades. Back-to-back victories in the Gold Cup were last achieved in 2017 and 2018 by Valiente.
History was made during the inaugural Gauntlet of Polo in 2019, when Pilot won the C.V. Whitney Cup—starting a run to capture all three events, winning $500,000 prize money, then earning $1 million over the course of the series and becoming the only team to do so.
Proudly celebrating its golden anniversary, 2024 marks the 50th year of competition for the USPA Gold Cup. Hosted by the National Polo Center - Wellington (NPC) in Wellington, Florida, the USPA Gold Cup is preceded by the C.V. Whitney Cup and will be followed by the U.S. Open Polo Championship.
Additionally, the Retama Cup will be introduced as the subsidiary of the USPA Gold Cup paying homage to the former Retama Polo Center in Selma, Texas. Founded in the late 1970s by Steve Gose, the club boasted 16 regulation grass fields and hosted some of the most competitive polo in the country such as the Cup of the Americas and the U.S. Open Polo Championship. Attracting some of the biggest names in the sport, legendary players such as Juan Carlos Harriott, Cecil Smith, Rube Williams, Memo and Carlos Gracida, Harold and Joe Barry and Ray Harrington frequented the fields at the Retama Polo Center until its closure in the late 1980s. The winner of the Retama Cup will receive $25,000 in prize money.
In 2023, defending USPA Gold Cup champions Pilot (Curtis Pilot, Matias Gonzalez, Matias Torres Zavaleta, Facundo Pieres) faced-off against Scone (David Paradice, Cody Ellis, Poroto Cambiaso, Pelon Stirling, sub. Tomas Panelo). A low-scoring final, Scone’s fourth chukker momentum ultimately created enough space to ward off threats of a Pilot comeback. As the final horn sounded, Scone reclaimed the title 8-6 for the first time since 2021. Read article here.
All eight teams competing in the 2024 C.V. Whitney Cup (Coca-Cola, La Dolfina, La Fe, Pilot, Park Place, Tamera, The Dutta Corp, Valiente) will be returning for the USPA Gold Cup. Granting individual entries in the Gauntlet of Polo for a third consecutive year, the elite competition will also include the addition of Clearwater as the ninth team vying for the coveted title.
Reigning champions Poroto Cambiaso and Tomas Panelo will re-unite to defend their title alongside Rufino Merlos and Jeff Hildebrand for newcomers La Dolfina. Striving for a spectacular sixteenth championship, Adolfo Cambiaso will attempt to lead Valiente to the organization's sixth victory. Last reaching the Gold Cup podium in 2022, Pilot will vie for their third (2019, 2022) win, with 2022 runner-up Park Place hoping to earn their first title.
Gillian Johnston (Coca-Cola), a 2017 finalist, stands as the sole female competitor in the series. Coca-Cola joins Clearwater, La Dolfina/Tonkawa, La Fe, Tamera and The Dutta Corp all battling for their first USPA Gold Cup title, with La Fe and The Dutta Corp boasting a unique advantage fielding identical rosters to last year's competition.
The 10-goalers competing this year include Poroto Cambiaso (La Dolfina), a two-time USPA Gold Cup victor (2021, 2023) who is competing in his first Gauntlet of Polo since reaching the 10-goal milestone. Also in the lineup is Hilario Ulloa (Park Place), the 2010 winner, as well as Facundo Pieres (Pilot), a three-time titleholder (2018, 2019, 2022), and Adolfo Cambiaso (Valiente), a fifteen-time USPA Gold Cup champion (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021).
The winner of the USPA Gold Cup will receive $50,000 in prize money. In partnership with USPA Global Licensing, each of the teams will select a charity of their choice from 10 non-profits and both charities of the winner and runners-up will receive a $2,500 donation.
Representing Team USPA is Active Member Kristos "Keko" Magrini (Coca-Cola) and alumni Jared Zenni (Clearwater), Santiago Torres (Pilot) and Timmy Dutta (The Dutta Corp).
Learn more about the Gauntlet of Polo.
Photo: 2023 USPA Gold Cup Champions: Scone - Tomas Panelo, Poroto Cambiaso, Cody Ellis, David Paradice, David "Pelon" Stirling. Presented by USPA Chairman Stewart Armstrong. ©David Lominska. ©David Lominska
