Mar 17, 2017 2:09 PM
Gladiator Polo™ presented by U.S. Polo Assn. returned to the Equestrian Village of Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), also known as “The Coliseum,” for a thrilling Thursday night contest. Fans of all ages attended the high-goal arena event that featured a prize of $24,000 for the winning team and $9,000 for the losing team. Crixus (*Santi Torres, Matias Magrini, Mike Azzaro) who suffered a narrow 13-12 defeat last week was once again overcome, this time by Spiculus (Mariano Obregon, Pelon Escapite, Sebastian Merlos) in six high-speed five-minute chukkers of continuous play.
The teams traded goals throughout the first two chukkers, entering the third with a tied score 5-all – Matias Magrini singlehandedly scoring all of Crixus’ goals. Crixus would face a difficult third, surrendering six unanswered goals to the Spiculus powerhouse.
The second half was marked by a rare and scoreless fourth chukker. Pelon Escapite finally broke the stalemate scoring yet another goal for Spiculus to widen their lead 12-5. Mike Azzaro managed to put a goal up for Crixus, however it was quickly answered by a two-pointer from Spiculus’ Sebastian Merlos to end the chukker 14-6. Crixus rose to the challenge in the sixth with Herculean effort scoring five goals to Spiculus’ one, each member contributing to the final tally. It was not enough to overcome their previous deficit however, and Spiculus won the game with a final score 15-11.
Tickets are now available for Gladiator Polo™ at www.gladiatorpolo.com. The next game of the Gladiator Polo™ League is scheduled for March 31, with the $50,000 Gladiator Polo™ Final on Saturday, April 8.
* Santi Torres is a Team USPA member. Team USPA is a USPA program designed to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the United States by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and pro players and the resultant giveback to the sport of polo.
All photos © David Lominska/International Polo Club
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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