ESTRELLA GOES TWO STRAIGHT WITH CLOS DU BOIS CUP WIN
The thrills kept coming at Saratoga Polo on Sunday as Estrella made it two close calls in a row in The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce Cup Tournament as they edged Buckleigh Farm 8-6 to take The Clos du Bois Cup.
As with the match on Friday, Queco Dupont looked dominant early as he put 4 of his 5 goals up in the first half. Cardo Armstrong and Ricky Bostwick also scored to give Estrella a comfortable margin at the half.
While Juve Baez and Luis Galvan had scores, Buckleigh Farm still had a lot of ground to make up and came alive after the half to do just that. Holding Estrella scoreless in the fourth, Tony Coppola had 2 markers and Galvan another to put Buckleigh within striking distance.
With Estrella’s lead whittled to 1 at the end of four chukkers, the stage was set for a hard-fought fifth and sixth chukkers. That’s exactly what happened, as numerous rallies up the field ended in daring defensive stops or minor penalties that could not be converted to points. George Hearst finally broke through in what would be the game winning score for Estrella. Luis Galvan also put up the last of his 3 goals in the fifth to keep Buckleigh close, but it wasn’t enough, as Buckleigh was held scoreless in the sixth while Dupont had an insurance score for the victors.
The Saratoga Saddlery Best Playing Pony was awarded to Balintine, Galvan’s mount in the fifth chukker.
The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce Cup Tournament continues on Wednesday, June 27th at 5:30pm. For more information about Saratoga Polo, call 518-584-8108 or visit saratogapolo.com.
TOTAL GOALS SCORED
Estrella – 8
Ricardo “Cardo” Armstrong – 1
Ricky Bostwick – 1
Ezequiel “Queco” Dupont – 5
George Hearst – 1
Buckleigh Farm – 6
Tony Coppola – 2
Juve Baez – 1
Luis Galvan – 3
Peter Bibeau – 0