Nov 07, 2017 11:31 PM
Foxdale Equine once again proved indomitable for Skaneateles, maintaining the lead and claiming the Bronze Trophy® 10-9 on Sunday, November 5, at New Bridge Polo & Country Club in Aiken, South Carolina. Winning their previous matchup against Skaneateles in the qualifier game, Foxdale Equine won the tournament in overtime.
Starting off play on the flat, Foxdale Equine worked together to score three consecutive goals in the first chukker. Already down by three, Mariano Obregon managed to put one on the board before the first horn sounded. It would be another two goals and a Penalty 2 conversion by Alan Martinez before Skaneateles would respond to the aggressive plays in the third. Costi Caset* sprung into action, adding a second goal and a Penalty 2 conversion which made the score 6-3 at halftime.
“We came out and started very strong and our team played very well together. Alan and I have played with Hugh a lot but this was the first time we played with Denys Santana. We played well together and were able to hold off Skaneateles in overtime. It was a great hard fought game against a very well balanced team that had already won the first two tournaments.” – Eddy Martinez
Continuing with strong offensive strategy in the fourth, the Foxdale Equine trio of Eddy and Alan Martinez plus Dennys Santana acquired still three more goals. Caset took advantage of Penalty 2 conversions, adding the next two to the tally as Skaneateles crept slowly up the scoreboard. Feeling confident of victory, Foxdale Equine took their foot off the pedal in the last two chukkers. In a final effort, Skaneateles brought everything they had in the sixth, catching their opponents off guard. “In the second half we started controlling the ball more, but the other team had a really good game,” Costi Caset said. “Although we had a great comeback in the last chukker and could have won it in overtime, they deserved it.” Within minutes four goals had been scored and the game was suddenly 9-all, pushing the final leg of the 12-Goal Trifecta into overtime. Determined not to lose the game in the last few minutes, Alan Martinez secured the win for Foxdale Equine on a 60-yard Penalty 4 conversion, ending in a close 10-9.
“It was a tough loss! I think we had a really bad first half and they got a good advantage. In the second half we started controlling the ball more but the other team had a really good game and although we had a great comeback in the last chukker and could have won it in overtime, they deserved it” – Costi Caset
Foxdale Equine’s Dennys Santana was named Most Valuable Player. Best Playing Pony went to Chicharron, a nine-year-old gelding played in the sixth chukker by Costi Caset. “I bought him when he was four from a breeder in Argentina named Ricardo Dutroc,” Caset revealed. “I brought him to the U.S. when he was six and he has been one of my top horses since.”
“We really wanted to win because we were excited about winning the Trifecta, but we had a long and successful season and that made us get to this last game with some injured horses. I think the season was great, better than what we expected— winning the Knox Cup and the Copper Cup. We will go for the trifecta again next year!” – Costi Caset
*Costi Caset is a member of Team USPA. 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 courtesy of ©Katie Roth.
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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