Polo’s March Madness Begins when Catamount Plays White Birch
in 26-Goal C.V. Whitney Cup Final Sunday at International Polo Club Palm Beach
WELLINGTON, FL (March 3, 2007) – Polo’s version of March Madness begins this weekend when perennial powerhouse White Birch plays Catamount in the 26-goal C.V. Whitney Cup championship match Sunday at 3 p.m. on Stanford Field at International Polo Club Palm Beach. Both teams are 2-0 and each had a first-round bye in the single-elimination event.
Five-time champion White Birch advanced to the final with a 14-13 overtime victory against San Saba as 9-goaler Lucas Monteverde scored 11 goals, including the game-winner six seconds into the extra session. 2004 winner Catamount reached the title game with a 14-12 triumph over Skeeterville, scoring the last three goals of the match, all by 8-goaler Nicolas Roldan.
“I’m thrilled to be in the finals with a new team,” said 9-goaler Adam Snow of Catamount, who played for Las Monjitas in 2006, winning the Stanford U.S. Open title.
Snow, the highest-rated American player (along with Mike Azzaro), was effusive praising his teammates, especially Roldan, who leads the team with 10 goals in two games.
“Inside of 80 yards, Nic is as good as the best going to the goal,” said Snow, who has scored six goals.
White Birch counters Catamount’s balanced attack with Monteverde, who leads all scorers with 18 goals in two games. He is helped by 10-goaler Mariano Aguerre, who patrols the middle, scoring when necessary (five goals) and controlling the defense.
Aguerre said White Birch is in it to win it, not to get ready for the next two 26-goal tournaments, the USPA Piaget Gold Cup and Stanford U.S. Open Championship.
“My theory is you play the tournament to win it,” said Aguerre. “I would rather have the horses a little tired and the team functioning well rather than the horses fresh and the team not functioning.”
Catamount patron Scott Devon, who suffered a cut near his left eye that required 10 stitches during the first chukker of the semifinals, said he will be ready to play in the final. White Birch patron Peter Brant, who missed the semifinal due to business commitments, is also expected to play in the final.
Polo’s version of March Madness continues next week with the 26-goal USPA Piaget Gold Cup. The USPA Piaget Gold Cup final is set for Sunday, March 25 at 3 p.m.
The C.V. Whitney tournament, first held in 1979, is named in memory 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 Whitney, C.V. won the U.S. Open three times (twice against his cousin), and was a renowned owner and breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.
The polo matches at International Polo Club are open to the public. General admission for the Sunday games at International Polo Club Palm Beach is $10 for adults. Children under 3 enter for free. Tickets may be purchased at the gate on the day of the game or in advance at the stadium box office.
Major sponsors at International Polo Club Palm Beach for the 2007 season include Stanford Private Wealth Management, Piaget, Bombardier Aerospace, Bessemer Trust, Westwind Realty, LLC, Panera Bread, Cartier, CityPlace, Florida Coast Equipment, The Mall at Wellington Green, Omar Trevino Bloodstock, Inc., Palm Beach Daily News, Palm Beach Illustrated, Palm Beach Post, Ritz Carlton Palm Beach, Roederer Estates, The Wellington Institute, Van Cleef & Arpels, Yamana Gold Inc. and Jim Corbin Illustrated Properties.
International Polo Club Palm Beach is located at 3667 120th Avenue South, between Pierson Road and Lake Worth Road in Wellington. For information, directions or ticket purchases, please call the club at (561) 204-5687 or visit the website at www.internationalpoloclub.com.
Sunday’s schedule
Championship Match
Catamount vs. White Birch, 3 p.m.
Past Champions
2006 – Jedi
2005 – White Birch
2004 – Catamount
2003 – Las Monjitas
2202 – Lechuza Caracas
2001 – White Birch
2000 – White Birch
1999 – Lechuza Caracas
1998 – Pony Express
1997 – Bud Light
1996 – White Birch
1995 – White Birch
1994 – Calumet Farm
1993 – BTA
1992 – Millarville
1991 – Fort Lauderdale
1990 – Michelob
1989 – Fort Lauderdale
1988 – Fort Lauderdale
1987 – Maui
1986 – Carter Ranch
1985 – Texas Lone Star
1984 – San Antonio
1983 – San Antonio
1982 – Southern Hills
1981 – Fort Lauderdale
1980 – Tulsa
1979 – Tulsa