By Alex Webbe
Altair (3-0) ended the preliminary round of play in the 2012 Sawgrass Challenge 12-goal Pro-Am with a 9-7 win over Yellow Cab (2-1) Friday afternoon at the International Polo Club. Under the field generalship of polo legend Carlos Gracida, Altair built on a 4-3 halftime lead to take home 9-7 victory.
Altair received one goal by handicap from the 12-goal Yellow Cab tteam but fell behind 2-1 after the opening chukker. Yellow Cab team captain Simon Garber converted a penalty shot for the opening goal of the game and Juan Monteverde scored from the field for an early 2-1 lead.
A goal from the field from Simon Garber in the second period was countered by a goal from Altair’s 5-goal phenom, Santi Torres, and Yellow Cab continued to hold a one goal, 3-2 lead.
The Altair defense put the brakes on Yellow Cab in the third while goals from Torres and Gracida finally had them in front of a 4-3 score at the end of the first half of play.
Gracida and Pablo Spinacci exchanged goals in the fourth, but Altair held on to the one goal lead, 5-4.
Gracida added two goals from the field in an excellent exhibition of his horsemanship and stick handling talents in the fifth chukker. Yellow Cab picked up another goal from Spinacci, but the Altair lead had grown to two goals, 7-5.
Torres converted a penalty shot for a goal and Gracida added the final score in Altair’s 9-7 win. Jeffrey supplied the only fireworks for Yellow Cab in the final chukker, scoring one goal from the field and one on a penalty shot.
Gracida led the Altair team with five goals. Torres scored three times and the team received one goal by handicap.
Jeffrey Garber, Pablo Spinacci and Simon Garber scored two goals apiece. Monteverde added a goal from the field.
Carlos Gracida accounted for five Altair goals. Torres added three.