GREENFIELD >> Tournament Most Valuable Player Guille Aguero led his team, Dango’s Irish Sports Bar, to a 10-5 victory over Bloomfield Farm in the Whitney Cup championship match played at Saratoga Polo Association’s historic Whitney Field on Sunday evening.
A sold-out clubhouse crowd, plus hundreds more tail-gaters, turned out for this year’s 45th annual Whitney Cup championship.
The Whitney Cup is the most prestigious event on the Polo Association’s schedule of nine tournaments throughout the season, which began July 10 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 6 on Labor Day Weekend.
Marylou Whitney and husband, John Hendrickson, presented the handsome silver trophy to Aguero, team patron (captain) Harry Landi, who supplies the stable of horses, and team sponsor David Johnson, who owns Dango’s on Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs.
First, however, Whitney took a sip of champagne from the Cup, before sharing its contents with the winning team that also included Jennifer Williams and Jose Rodriguez. She told how proud she was to be part of the celebration, adding that her late husband, Cornelius “C.V.” (“Sonny”) Whitney, was an avid polo player as well.
The Cup arrived in grand style, flown in by Independent Helicopter, prior to the match – and left afterward by the same means.
The four team, weekend-long event began Friday and continued Saturday, leading up to Sunday’s 5:30 p.m. finale.
A team called Main Man defeated Saratoga Polo in the tourney’s consolation match.
Polo Association Director of Events Alan Edstrom gives fans a brief pre-match introduction before each game, explaining some of the sport’s history and how to follow the action. Bob Bullock does live play-by-play assisted by “color” announcer Cuko Escapite, who entertains fans with his enthusiastic, energetic style of announcing. Other tourneys still to come are this week’s Barrantes Cup, Friday to Sunday; the Aug. 14-16 Ylvisaker Cup, the Aug. 28-30 national Polo Hall of Fame Challenge Cup and the Sept. 4-6 SPA Anniversary Cup Tournament.
Matches are held every Friday and Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Gates open at 4 p.m.
For information go to: www.saratogapolo.com.
http://www.troyrecord.com/general-news/20150810/dangos-wins-whitney-cup-polo-tournament