Jimmy Choo is Rockin’. The 13th is usually a luck number for me or the 13th day in a month, but not August the 13th. THE ONLY THING I WON WAS A $100.00 US dollars from Mariano Gonzalez in a bet for Jimmy Choo. He said they could not beat Duende. The money will take some time to collect. The rest of the day was long. I flew home Sunday from Cerro Pampa Polo Club (located in Petaluma, CA just North of San Francisco) and we had an 11 am game in Santa Barbara. It took a while, but Windsor was in the drivers seat most of the first 1/2 of the game. Our leader on the field decided to change things and we let them back in. Windsor was playing Audi. At the end of the first chukker it was 3 and 0 in favor of Windsor Capital. At the end of chukker 2, the score was 4 to 2. Then we changed our strategy and went to 5 to 4. The Governor (Pat Nesbitt) is out with a bone bruise and a replacement is hard to find. We took on young Matt Schwartz and he tried hard, but we failed to follow plans. Windsor was then down by 2 and Audi up with a score of 6 to 5 in the 4th. We reorganized in the 5th and tied it up. Audi went up by 2 again. We tied again at the end of the 5th chukker and we were tied in the 6th and then overtime. A foul was called against us. Right or wrong it was a weird call and boom penalty 2 in favor of Audi. Audi won the game. Windsor is now 1 & 3, but we had our chances. We made a penalty 5, but missed a penalty 2 & a 3 and a 4. So that’s polo. Audi is 3 & 1.
Game 2 started late, but not bad. It was Grant’s Farm/Klentner Ranch vs. Antelope/Long Beach. It was a game you would hate if you were the team playing another team that was 0 & 4. Imagine, Antelope (0 and 4) with no pressure and no future. Grant’s Farm/Klentner was 2 & 1 with everything going very well. You already know the other team is already out, but you also think they are relaxed and very dangerous. Getting prepared for a game like this is not easy. Grant’s Farm/Klentner scored the first 2 goals, bam, bam. Antelope got one back at the end of the 1st chukker. Grant’s Farm/Klentner made 2 more goals early in the 2nd chukker, but here comes Dan Walker and Pancho Bensadon and a big goal by Geoff Palmer with a score of 5 to 4 in favor of Antelope. It is tied up in the 3rd and then in the 4th Grant’s Farm/Klentner is down by 2. Mariano Gonzalez has a couple of good goals in the 5th to tie it up again. The Iron man is having a bad day and cannot get it in, but they are tied in the 6th and then overtime. Again, Grant’s Klentner loses the throw in and here comes Pancho Bensadon to score and the game over GF/KR go to 2 & 2.
In game 3, the featured match, it was Jimmy Choo vs. Duende. In my opinion the best 3 players here at the Pacific Coast Open were in this game. Duende has Agustin Merlos (10 goals) and Paco de Narvaez (9). Jimmy Choo has Nick Roldan (“The Stick) at 8 goals. In the 1st chukker it was 5 and 0 in favor of Jimmy Choo. It could have been 6 as Nick was not burying them. The other team was fouling and Ruki was nailing them. Duende won the 2nd chukker 2 to 1. Lynden Lee played very well. He stopped all picks by Carlos Galindo. Duende won the 3rd chukker 3 to 1 and were still down by 2 for the 4th. There were big plays, saves and a few flags, but was a game still in favor of Jimmy Choo. A big goal at the start of the 5th chukker was made by Ruki and a keen play by Lyndon Lee. They entered the 6th at 10 to 7. It was an all out war. Three fouls led to no goals for Duende, but Merlos made a great goal. It was the Patron of Jimmy Choo, Lyndon Lee, who chased Merlos down on a big run to goal. Lee hooked Merlos in the mouth of the goal to save it and then Ruki cleared it. This was clearly the play of the day.
It was pretty, but cool day and perfect for the horses. It all starts again Wednesday with a big game with Mansour vs. Duende. See you there.