It’s Audi and Zacara headed to the finals on Sunday of the America’s Cup. It will be a showdown. Long Beach never found the gears to make it a show. It was constant pressure from Zacara’s Rocket Ruki Bailleau going to goal that kept the Long Beach squad going the wrong way a couple of times. Long Beach would make a short rally, but Zacara was there to shut it down each time they got to close. Zacara heads to their 2nd straight finals on the Gold Coast. They are the defending PCO champs and Lyndon Lea needs to add some more silver to his new Casa. They won by 4 with a score of 14 to 10. In the earlier game it was Grant’s Farm winning just in case they had a chance if Long Beach could win. If that happened then Grant’s Farm might go through.
At 2pm it was the head of the alphabet as Audi continued their ways over all. They took the Ranchhands outside and showed them the gate to the Valley with the same score of 14 to 10. It was a reasonably nice day. The weather remained cool and sunny. The horses seem to love it. It will be a very interesting day come Sunday as it will be Piocho Ranch taking on a very solid Grant’s Farm in the Consolation Finals. After that will be the championship match between Audi and Zacara, who have not met thus far in ’08. It should be a dandy.
Here is a match-up for you to look and their handicap layouts:
Patrons Lyndon Lea & Mark Ganzi – Lyndon has the horsepower and the drive to match Marc Ganzi. Marc has the experience advantage over Lyndon, but not the horses, so this could be a toss-up.
3-goalers Santi Torres & Gonzalo Del Torre – Santi is young and very good at 3-goals and mounted well. Gonzalo is way past 3-Goals, but mounted about the same, so it will probably give the edge to Gonzalo.
7-goalers Jack “Ruki” Bailleau and Stewart “Sugar ” Erskine –
Both come from Lands where tough guys play polo and both are very tough people. Sugar fits the team like a glove. Ruki goes to goal better than anyone in this town and probably has more speed than Sugar overall. Horse-wise the edge goes to Ruki, but both players have recently been 8-goals in the U.S.
9 -goalers Javier Astrada and Gonzalo Pieres – Both have the big names Astrada and Pieres and both are rated 9-goals here in the U.S and have been or are 10-goals in other countries. Javier will need Lyndon Lea horses to be close and Gonzalo is very young and the best player here in Santa Barbara. Make no mistake . . . Gonzalo may be 10 years younger, but he is a master on the field. I give the edge to Gonzalo Pieres.
It should be a good game. It will come down to a couple things. Will Ruki run to goal and if he does who’s is going to mark him? Can someone 3-goals or under stop Gonzalo Del Torre? Maybe there is a secret weapon with double L’s?
Back east in the Mercedes Cup it was Mariano and Peter Brant winning their 3rd or 4th in a row. White Birch took the Cup from Facundo, brother of Gonzalo Pieres, in a match that just beat the rain. We will see the only Finals around right here as San Diego is still headed to the finals of the league with another round to go so. See ya Sunday.