Members of the Lucchese team, from left, Adolfo Cambiaso, John Muse, Jeff Blake and Julio Gracida celebrate with the Pacific Coast Open Championship trophy. (Photo courtesy of Lominska)
Lucchese would not be denied a championship trophy during the high-goal polo season in 2011.
After runner-up finishes in the Silver Cup and America Cup finals, Lucchese bagged the biggest prize of the season on Sunday, winning the Bombardier Pacific Coast Open with an 11-9 victory over Piaget at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club.
Lucchese won all three major titles and went undefeated last season.
Led by playmaker and 10-goal star Adolfo Cambiaso, Lucchese took the lead for good on Sunday in the fourth chukker, 9-8.
Lucchese held a one-goal lead (10-9) after the fifth chukker, setting up a dramatic ending.
The action was intense but neither team could score until just under two minutes remained. Cambiaso got back on Noriega, winner of multiple Best Polo Pony awards over the years, and won two key lineups — thanks to his mare’s incredible footwork and handle — to keep control of the ball for Lucchese.
Piaget had a chance until the ball was cleared out of a scrum on the grandstand side just after the warning horn, and Julio Gracida broke loose and made a very determined run to goal, making the only score of the chukker with a cut shot with just 13 seconds remaining.
The Best Playing Pony was Miguel Novillo Astrada’s Chaleco, the handy chestnut that played almost two full chukkers.
MVP of the game was Cambiaso, and the Robert Skene MVP for the season was Santa Barbara native son Jason Crowder.
