Audi vs. Lucchese at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in 2010. (Presidio Sports Photo)
The polo high-goal season is in full swing at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club.
The season features some of the best players in the world, including Adolfo Cambiaso, Gonzalito Pieres and Guillermo “Sapo” Caset of Argentina.
The first tournament, the Beluga Robert Skene Trophy, was won by Audi in a wild 12-10 decision over Piaget. The match featured husband and wife players, Marc and Melissa Ganzi going against each other. Marc Ganzi was on the winning side, but his team had to score twice in the final chukker to pull out the victory.
The MVP of the tournament was Audi’s Lucas Lalor. Melissa Ganzi’s second chukker horse, Carmel, was awarded the top horse of the competition.
In an exciting consolation final, Miguel Astrada scored in the final seconds to lift Mansour to a 10-9 win over Grants Farm.
The next tournament is the USPA Piaget Silver Cup. It will be contested over the next two Fridays and Sundays, with the final on Sunday, July 31 at 1 p.m.
Bracket play in the USPA Lucchese America Cup starts on July 31 and the final is set Aug. 14.
Capping the high-goal season is the Bombardier Pacific Coast Open, which begins Aug. 18 and runs through Sept. 5.
The teams competing this season include Audi, Grants Farm, Mansour, Piaget, ERG and Lucchese.
