Polo Gear Challenge Cup Begins Friday At Grand Champions Polo Club

WELLINGTON, Fl.-May 16, 2019 ----The Polo Gear Challenge Cup, one of the oldest
tournaments in club history, begins Friday at Grand Champions Polo Club.

Alejandro Novillo Astrada


Sebucan will make its spring debut when the two-day tournament begins Friday with games at  3 p.m and 
5 p.m. Sebucan, headed by patron Pablo Pulido, is a quiet neighborhood in Caracas, Venezuela.

The first game on Friday at 3 p.m. features Palm Beach Equine playing Sebucan. At 5 p.m., Audi plays Dutta Corp. With no clear-cut favorite, the tournament title is up for grabs.

Winners advance into the final on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and runner-up teams play for the Just For The Thrill Of It at 10 a.m.

The rosters are:

Audi: Grant Ganzi, 2/Justin Daniels, 2, Marc Ganzi, 2, Sugar Erskine, 6, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 8.

Dutta Corp: Timmy Dutta, 2, Carlitos Gracida, 4, Tommy Collingwood, 5, Kris Kampsen, 6.

Palm Beach Equine: Brandon Phillips, 4, Juan Bollini, 5, Nic Roldan, 8, Scott Swerdlin, 0.

Sebucan: Pablo Pulido, 2, Juancito Bollini, 4, Pablo Spinacci, 6, Jared Zenni, 6.

Pablo Pulido
Last year's Polo Gear Challenge Cup was rained out. It  was scheduled as part of a doubleheader at Santa Rita Polo Farm but was cancelled because of heavy rain throughout the week.

In the 2017 spring Polo Gear Challenge Cup, 11-goal Dutta Corp (Carlitos Gracida, Timmy Dutta, Piki Diaz Alberdi, Tim Dutta) won its third title of the season with an 11-7 victory over 16-goal Newport (Gene Goldstein, Marc Ganzi, Lucas Lalor, Julio Arellano). Alberdi, a former 10-goaler in Great Britain, was MVP.

Winners of this season's first two spring tournaments were Dutta Corp (Timmy Dutta, 2, Carlitos Gracida, 4, Kris Kampsen, 6, Jared Zenni, 6) in the Sun Cup for a club record fourth time and Aspen Valley (Pablo Pulido, 2, Juancito Bollini, 4, Grant Ganzi, 3, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 8) in the Spring Challenge Cup. Both finals went into overtime.

Polo Gear co-founder Gary Fellers played polo for nearly 40 years from zero to 26-goal and has been a longtime supporter of the tournament and Grand Champions and Aspen Valley Polo Clubs.

Polo Gear, one of the sport's top sponsors, was established in 1993 and incorporated in Florida. It manufactures, distributes and sells polo products to players, teams and polo events worldwide. It is the premier retailer for all necessary clothing, accessories, safety equipment and polo saddles for the polo enthusiasts of all ages. For more information on Polo Gear and to order products, visit  www.pologearusa.net  or at 3500 Fairlane Farms Road, Suite 15, Wellington.

Sugar Erskine
File Photo
For players, family and fans, refreshments and food will be served during Sunday's finals.  Admission is free.

The final tournament of the spring season is the May 24-26 The Memorial.
Several top and up-and-coming players and patrons compete during the fun and competitive GCPC Spring Invitational League that features 12-20-goal tournaments in May.

During the Grand Champions' spring season, amateur polo players get the chance to play with and against some of the world's top professional polo players. It is geared towards improving polo skills and having fun.



The spring league is also a great opportunity for younger players to develop and hone their skills against their peers and more experienced players.

Jared Zenni

The GCPC spring league features:

*Medium Goal practice games at least once a week.

*Stick-and-ball sessions available during the week.

*Teams get two medium goal tournament games every weekend.

*Ambulance and umpires for all tournament games.

*Complete turn-key tournament polo with some of the top professionals in the world.

*Playing polo on some of Wellington's most prestigious and well-manicured fields that hosted the best players in the world during the inaugural 26-goal World Polo League.

*Club-sponsored social events every weekend for all players.

*Excellent trophies for all teams every weekend.

The spring season will be live-streamed on Wellington-based ChukkerTV.

Brandon Phillips
Photos by Candace Ferreira

Grand Champions fall, winter and spring
tournaments attract a large international field of players from all corners of the world  including India, Mexico, New Zealand, Chile, Costa Rica, Argentina, Canada, Ecuador, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Germany, Uruguay, Azerbaijan, Australia, South Africa, Nigeria, Venezuela and England.

Grand Champions and Santa Rita Polo Farm is the largest and most unique polo facility in Wellington with 120 stalls in five self-contained barns, exercise track, five climate-controlled tack rooms, vet room, staff quarters, guest house and three polo fields with state-of-the-art underground irrigation including one field for stick-and-ball with plans to build more polo fields in the future.

Grand Champions Polo Club and Santa Rita Polo Farm caters to men, women and youth polo players at all levels and ages. Its' expert staff can customize a complete playing experience including horses, pros and certified umpires in addition to lessons and practice sessions as part of its' Polo On Demand program, created by Grand Champions President Melissa Ganzi when the club first opened in 2007.

The Polo School, a stand-alone USPA-sanctioned polo club, is dedicated to teaching polo to all ages, particularly grass roots youth. Its mission is to provide individuals opportunities in polo at every economic and ability level. Scholarships are available. The Polo School operates in Wellington January through May and September through November. Headed by Director of Operations Juan Bollini, The Polo School has nurtured several men and women polo players now playing in the pro and amateur ranks since its inception.



2019 SPRING SCHEDULE


MAY
17-19: Polo Gear Challenge Cup
24-26: The Memorial

Polo Gear Challenge Cup
Friday, 5/17
3 p.m., Palm Beach Equine vs. Sebucan
5 p.m., Audi vs. Dutta Corp


Sunday, 5/19
10 a.m., Just For The Thrill Of It
11:30 a.m., Polo Gear Challenge Cup Final





Games played at Grand Champions and Santa Rita Polo Farm.

THE POLO SCHOOL 

The Polo School at Grand Champions and Director of Operations Juan Bollini are dedicated to teaching polo to all ages, particularly grass roots youth. The school's mission is to provide individuals opportunities in polo. The Polo School operates in Wellington January through June and September through November. For lessons contact Juan Bollini at 561-346-1099. 


Chukker TV is live streaming the entire spring polo schedule.  ChukkerTV, featuring cutting-edge technology, was the first to introduce state-of-the-art live streaming technology and instant replay in January, 2014 at Grand Champions Polo Club. For advertising opportunities on ChukkerTV please contact Mike Ferreira at mike@chukkertv.com. 


GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB

WHERE: 13444 Southfields Road, on the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, Wellington, 33414.

DIRECTOR OF POLO: Juan Olivera,  561-644-5050, juan.olivera@ gcpolo.com; hotline   561-644-5050.

INFORMATION: For spectators, there are great field side views for tournament action and also the Grand Champions Polo Club Boutique. The club is home base for pro teams Audi and Flexjet. Everyone is welcome to watch every level of polo in a relaxed atmosphere with food and refreshments during the featured games of the winter, spring and fall tournament seasons and other special events. Admission is free except for some special events.

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