ESTRELLA TAKES WILD HORSE WINERY CUP
Estrella came back from an early deficit and fended off a late rally to claim The Wild Horse Winery Cup at Saratoga Polo on Sunday, narrowly edging Golden Zebra 9-8.
Already up a goal on handicap, Golden Zebra hit the ground running in the first chukker. Isabella Wolf started the scoring off proper with the first goal of the match and then Juan Sanchez put in the first of his team-high 5 to give Golden Zebra a comfortable, early lead.
While Golden Zebra piled it on again in the second with another pair of goals, Estrella bided their time until the third, when they went on a 3-0 run that (when combined with early scores from Gaston Lisioli and Ricky Bostwick) had the game tied at half time.
While Estrella was gaining momentum, Golden Zebra started to slow every so slighty. Golden Zebra only managed a single goal over the fourth and fifth chukkers, but Lisioli continued to roll for Estrella, scoring at least once in each of the last four chukkers. This minor power reversal made all the difference in such a close match, with Estrella finally taking the lead in the final two chukkers.
Golden Zebra started to rally with two minutes left in regulation and almost came all he way back. After a couple of missed opportunities, Jay Fetner put Golden Zebra back in the thick of it on a stirring goal, following through on a play where two of his teammates had been hooked or ridden off. Lisioli responded, however, with the last of his game-leading 6 goals to put the game all but out of reach. Sanchez managed to score once more to bring Golden Zebra within 1, but they didn’t have enough time to knot it up after that.
The Saratoga Saddlery Best Playing Pony Award was awarded to Adriana, Lisioli’s mount in his 2-goal third chukker. The award was presented by jockey Jose Santos, a longtime Saratoga fixture and recent inductee into the National Racing Hall of Fame.
The next match at Saratoga Polo is the WROW Cup, scheduled for Wednesday, August 29th at 5:30pm. For more information, call (518) 584-8108 or visit SARATOGAPOLO.COM.
TOTAL GOALS SCORED
ESTRELLA – 9
George Hearst – 0
Raul Colombres – 1
Gaston Lisioli – 6
Ricky Bostwick – 2
GOLDEN ZEBRA (+1 on handicap) – 8
Isabella Wolf – 1
Juan Sanchez – 5
Gonzalo Fucci – 0
Jay Fetner – 1