(L to R)-Goose Creek team captain Maureen Brennan and Beluga’s Tommy Biddle got well acquainted during Monty Waterbury Cup play, and will face one another in the opening game of the East Coast Open on the Two Trees Farm field Saturday morning.
The East Coast Open’s field of eight teams will get action this weekend beginning on Saturday morning with an 10am game between Goose Creek (Maureen Brennan, Marcos Garcia del Rio, Tomas Garcia del Rio and Mariano Gonzalez) and Beluga (Chris Brant, Nick Manifold, Francisco Elizalde and Tommy Biddle). The opening game of the tournament is scheduled to be played at Two Trees Farm in Bridgehampton, NY.
Goose Creek battled their way into the final of this year’s 20-goal Monty Waterbury Cup final before losing to White Birch and will be determined to atone for their early season loss. Beluga enters the competition at a tournament-low 17-goals, and will have to over achieve if they are to be competitive.
Saturday’s 4pm game will feature Faraway (Hutton Goodman/Bo Goodman, Inaki Laprida, Julian Daniels and Pelon Escapite) against the home White Birch team (Santino Magrini, Hilario Ulloa, Mariano Aguerre and Peter Brant). This will be Faraway’s first East Coast Open appearance against one of the tournament’s favorites. The game will take place on the Greenwich Polo Club’s Number 2 field and will be followed by an Asado.
The first public games offered by the Greenwich Polo Club are scheduled to take place on Sunday with defending championship Audi (Marc Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Sebastian Merlos and Leo Mandelbaum) facing a formidable Airstream lineup (Agustin Bottaro, Guille Aguero, Matias Magrini and Kris Kampsen) on the club’s Number 3 Field.
The new look Audi has been preparing for the East Coast Open with a series of practice matches at the Aspen Valley Polo Club. Only team captain Marc Ganzi and American 8-goaler Nic Roldan are returning from last year’s championship team, but former 10-goaler Sebastian Merlos (currently rated at an impressive 9-goals) and 2-goaler Leo Mandelbaum will be called upon to fill out the lineup.
The Airstream trio of Guille Aguero, Matias Magrini and Kris Kampsen have been competing together in both the Monty Waterbury Cup and the Butler Handicap this season. Sixteen-year-old Agustin Bottaro, son of former 6-goaler Santiago Bottaro, will be joining Airstream for the tournament.
Sunday’s 3pm match will see Postage Stamp Farm (Annabelle Gundlach, Salvador Ulloa, Brandon Phillips and Joao Paulo Ganon) and Tupungato (Luis Rinaldini, Santi Torres, Naco Taverna and Gaston Lisioli) in front of the Greenwich Polo club stadium on field 1.
Annabelle Gundlach’s Postage Stamp Farm team has been in Greenwich for the summer season, participating in both the Monty Waterbury Cup and the Butler Handicap, but have reinforced the lineup for the East Coast Open. Australian 5-goaler Nick Manifold has been replaced by Argentine 7-goaler Salvador Ulloa, bringing the team handicap up to 19-goals.
Luis Rinaldini’s Tupungato team, also rated at 19-goals, features American 7-goaler Santi Torres, And Argentine 6-goalers Naco Taverna and Gaston Lisioli.
The eight teams have been broken into two brackets of play with Airstream, Audi, Postage Stamp Farm and Tupungato Competing In Bracket I, and Beluga, Faraway, Goose Creek and White Birch comprising Bracket II. Play begins on Saturday, August 27th with an East Coast Open scheduled for Sunday, September 11th.
All 2016 East Coast Open games will be livestreamed on ChukkerTV.
The Greenwich Polo Club field is located at 1 Hurlingham Drive, Greenwich CT 06831. For more information, go to GreenwichPoloClub.com.