Screengrab from USPA
MANILA, Philippine – Argentinian polo star Bartolome Castagnola scored 11 goals, and Filipino sportsman and team owner Mikee Romero delivered the coup de grace as the Globalport Polo team crushed Park Place, 15-10, on Sunday in one of the weekend matches that kicked off the C. V. Whitney Cup at the National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida.
It was a historic win for Globalport, and Romero, the first Filipino player and who scored a goal in the event, the opening leg of three prestigious events making up the Gauntlet of Polo, the triple crown of “the sport of kings.”
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Organized by the US Polo Association, the two-month long Gauntlet consists of the Whitney Cup (Feb 17-March 7), the USPA Gold Cup (March 7-28), and the US Open Polo Championship (March 28-April 18).
Park Place, the defending champion, pulled ahead to 2-0 early in the second chukker, but Globalport battled back to tie the score at 2-2. It was nip-and-tuck from there until Castagnola led Globalport on a seven-goal charge starting late in the fourth chukker while holding Park Place goalless in the entire fifth chukker.
Park Place was still within sight at 12-8 when Romero, playing in the event for the first time, broke away, took an assist from Castagnola, and tapped it between the posts at full gallop to deliver the fatal blow one minute into the sixth and final chukker.
Romero, a third-term congressman of 1-Pacman Party-list, pumped his fist into the air as he rode past the posts, prompting the television commentator to remark, “Welcome to the Gauntlet of Polo, Michael Romero!”
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“It was a big personal honor to score that goal, but Globalport’s win was an even more significant for the team,” Romero said after the match.
It was a rousing debut in the event for both Globalport and Romero, an avid sportsman whose involvement as a sports leader also includes basketball, volleyball, baseball, cycling, and shooting.
The 54-year-old Castognola, a 10-goal handicapper rated among the top 20 in the world, scored twice more to complete an 11-goal performance before Park Place finally scored two more goals with barely a minute left in the match.
The other members of Globalport are Beltran Lualhe and Lucas Diaz Alberdi, both six-handicappers.
Lualhe, a 17-year-old Argentinian, is one of polo’s rising stars and the youngest competing in the Gauntlet of Polo. Alberdi is an American-born Argentinian known for his strategic approach and solid performance on the field.
READ: Mikee Romero, Globalport qualify for US Open Polo championship
The US Polo Open, organized by the United States Polo Association (USPA), is the most prestigious polo tournament globally, boasting a rich 120-year history. Held annually in Wellington, Florida, the 22-goal competition attracts the world’s finest polo players.
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The pilot team won the Whitney Cup, USPA Gold Cup, and the US Open Polo titles in 2019; so far, the only quartet to have swept the Gauntlet of Polo was launched.
