WELLINGTON, FL— In his first high goal tournament at his home club, Wellington’s Marc Ganzi scored two crucial goals for his Audi team, defeating Lechuza Caracas 8-7 in the final round today of the C.V. Whitney Cup at International Polo Club Palm Beach.
Audi team owner and captain Ganzi opened the match with a goal in the first and broke a six-all tie at the top of the last chukker, dashing Lechuza Caracas’s hopes of taking the cup back to Venezuela.
“It’s great. It’s my home club in my hometown and we wanted the cup to stay here,” said Ganzi, who was named the match’s most valuable player. “We didn’t want it to go to Caracas.”
The key to winning the finals, Ganzi added, was matching his horses to Lechuza Caracas’s string.
“Whatever horse Victor (Vargas) was coming out on I was matching because I have a lot of respect for Victor’s horses,” said Ganzi. “When he went for that grey in the sixth I had to save my best black mare Classica. I told my guys if you have a space, hit it, because I had a lot of confidence in her. We got a window and Classica did the rest.”
Ganzi then scored his team’s go-ahead goal, breaking the tie, while teammate Facundo Pieres put the icing on the cake, scoring the last goal of the match.
In addition to Ganzi, 10-goaler Pieres helped to secure the win for Audi as he scored a total of six goals including three in the second chukker, providing Audi with a one-goal lead through the fourth. Lechuza Caracas turned the game around during the fifth when Juan Martin Nero and Sapo Caset each scored two from the field, while Audi remained scoreless.
Played since 1979 the CV Whitney is named in honor of Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny” Whitney, who along with his cousin John Hay Whitney, were important polo patrons in the 1930’s. The son of Hall of Fame patron Harry Payne Whiney, C.V. won the U.S. Open three times (twice against his cousin), and was a renowned owner and breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.
High-goal polo action continues next with eight teams in the Piaget Gold Cup divided into two brackets. The opening tournament is Saturday, March 14 at 1 p.m. when Lechuza Caracas will face White Birch, followed by Wellington’s Black Watch who will play Las Monjitas at 3 p.m. On Sunday, Audi will play Pony Express at noon with Zacara playing Orchard Hill at the International Stadium field at 3 p.m.
International Polo is located at 3667 120th Avenue South in Wellington and hosts professional polo tournaments through April and all are invited to attend. The premier game of the week is played at 3 PM every Sunday on the Stanford Field and Stadium. Information can be obtained by calling the polo hotline at 561-282-5290 or on the web at www.internationalpoloclub.com.
AUDI 1-3-1-1-0-2 = 8 (Facundo Pieres 6)
LECHUZA CARACAS 1-2-1-0-2-1=7 (Sapo Caset 4)