NEWS

After getting knocked off last year, Cartier returned to the winners' circle with a hard-fought 7-4 victory over Badrutt's Palace Hotel in the St. Moritz Snow Polo World Cup Final in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in front of 7,000 fans. With a breathtaking backdrop of the snow-capped Engadin Valley, the 16-goal team of 1-goaler Rommy Gianni of Italy, 2-goaler Charlie Wooldridge of England, 6-goaler Chris Hyde of England and 7-goaler Dario Musso of Argentina reclaimed the coveted Cartier Trophy.

It was the first time Badrutt's foursome of Melissa Ganzi, 8-goaler Alejandro Novillo Astrada of Argentina, 5-goaler Jesse Bray and 2-goaler Tito Gaudenzi played together as a team.

"I am very proud of how our team played to get here," Ganzi said. "Obviously, it is disappointing not to win. But to lose to such a strong team that is so well-organized and has won here for many years and trained in Europe in preparation for coming here is okay. They are a very strong team and I was honored to play in the final."

"We are a new team," Ganzi continued. "It was the first time that our team played together. This is Tito's hometown, and I played in snow polo in Aspen. Jesse had only seen snow for the first time in Aspen this past year. Alejandro has played in Aspen once and here many, many years ago. I was just hopeful to have a good time which we did."

Trailing 3-1 at the half, Badrutt's Palace Hotel rallied for back-to-back goals to tie the game, but was unable to take advantage of scoring opportunities or stop Cartier's three-goal scoring barrage in the fourth and final chukker.

"We had a tough half chukker and that's what's so dangerous about the Cartier team," Ganzi said. "If you let your guard down, they can score instantly and that's what happened. Otherwise we were very even and well-matched. We look forward to coming back next year. Each year we are improving. We were third last year, second this year and hopefully we can win next year."

Cartier was the pre-tournament favorite. "We wanted to win, we always believed we could win," said Gianni, after winning his second St. Moritz title. "They were a good team. They all played very well and had experience. It came down to the fourth chukker. Chris and Dario are two excellent players and two leaders and were the difference. We played very hard in the final."

It was the first appearance in the championship final by Badrutt's 15-goal team. Badrutt's Palace Hotel scored 17 total goals in three games.

Hyde was named Most Valuable Player after winning his sixth St. Moritz title. His gray mare, Promise, was selected as Best Playing Pony. "This is the best the surface has been and played really fast," Hyde said. "That was a very tough team."

In the consolation game, Champagne Perrier-Jouet (Fabian Bolanterio, 5; Luca Meier, 1, Lucas Labat, 7, Fabio Meier, 1) won the La Martina Cup with a 5-4 victory over Maserati (James Beh, 1, Joevy Beh, 5, Chevy Beh, 5, Garvy Beh, 5) in the consolation final.

In early tournament action, Badrutt's Palace Hotel opened with an impressive 7-1 victory over Maserati and Cartier defeated Perrier-Jouet 7-4 on Friday. In the semifinals, Badrutt's Palace Hotel again led from start to finish to defeat Perrier-Jouet 6-2, and Cartier advanced into the final with a win over Maserati.

Ganzi, the Florida Circuit Governor and Grand Champions Polo Club President, returned to the 33rd event after making history in last year's tournament. Ganzi was the first woman to compete in the snow polo tournament since its inception in 1985 and now is the first woman to appear in a final. Ganzi was hoping to make it two in a row after winning the World Snow Polo Championship held in December in Aspen, Colorado, where she and her husband Marc own Aspen Valley Polo Club and host the snow polo tournament.

Ganzi, Bray and Jason Crowder of Flexjet knocked off defending champion U.S. Polo Assn. 7-4, to win their first snow polo title. Bray, making his snow polo debut, was awarded Most Valuable Player.

In last year's St. Moritz event, Badrutt's Palace Hotel captured the La Martina Cup. Ganzi, Mariano Gracida, Agustin (Tincho) Merlos and Gaudenzi won a thrilling 5-3 victory over Perrier-Jouet (Cedric Schweri, Luca Zindel, Aluisio Rosa, Olavo Novaes) in front of a sellout crowd.

In the championship final, Team Maserati (Rommy Gianni, Luciano Vazquez, Dario Musso, Frankie Menendes) knocked off defending champion Cartier (Spencer McCarthy, Charlie Wooldridge, Chris Hyde, Nacho Gonzalez), 5-4. Musso was named Most Valuable Player.

This year's St. Moritz event attracted a record crowd of 15,000 over three days. Since the tournament's inception, admission to the event has always been free including access to the stands. The VIP tickets were sold out. Badrutt's Palace is the birthplace of Alpine winter sports and favorite European destination. The five-star hotel recently celebrated 120 years since opening its doors. It won the award for Most Renowned Luxury Hotel 2016 at the Hotel Spa Awards.