Dundas Plays J5 La Dolfina In World Polo League All-Star Challenge Season-Opener Thursday At SD Farms

Let’s get this party started.


The highly-anticipated second season of the World Polo League opens Thursday with one game at 3 p.m. at SD Farms Field in Wellington Preserve.

First-year teams and sponsors Dundas (Sarah Siegel-Magness 0, Jejo Taranco 8, Sebastian Merlos 8, Gringo Colombres 8) and J5 La Dolfina Breeding (Robertito Zedda 5, Gonzalo Ferrari 4, Jero del Caril 7, Isidro Strada 7) will play in the opening game of the All-Star Challenge tournament.

With a slightly different lineup, Dundas (Sarah Siegel-Magness 0, Guillermo Terrera 8, Jejo Taranco 8, Diego Cavanagh 8) is coming off an impressive 14-9 victory over Palm Beach Equine led by 10-goaler Hilario Ulloa in $100,000 World Cup play on Tuesday to advance into the semifinals against Audi. The game also marked the high goal debut of Siegel-Magness. It was her first competitive game in two months after coming back from a torn groin injury.

Play continues Friday with two games. SD Farms plays Sebucan, making its WPL debut with Cornell alum Pablo Pulido, at 10:30 a.m. at Jan Pamela Field 3 and Richard Mille faces Alegria at Valiente Field 1 at 4 p.m. On Saturday, Valiente hosts Aspen Valley at 3 p.m.

After a successful inaugural season, the league returns with more teams and star-studded lineup of players.

The league has 10 teams entered in the  All-Star Challenge and will have more sponsors and teams throughout the season for the three remaining tournaments.

Two of the sport’s hottest players, brothers Barto and Camilo Castagnola will play for the first time together in the U.S. for new WPL team sponsor Richard Mille joining 10-goaler Pablo MacDonough.

The sons of former 10-goaler Lolo Castagnola made their debut in the 2019 Argentine Open at Palermo at the age of 18 and 16 respectively for La Natividad. Their father competed in 14 Argentine Opens, winning six and finishing runner-up three times. The Argentine Association of Polo recently raised Barto Castagnola from 7 to 9 and Camilo Castagnola from 6 to 8. 

MacDonough, the Brand Ambassador for the Swiss watchmaking brand Richard Mille, is coming off MVP honors and record seventh Argentine Open victory with La Dolfina and second consecutive title at the St. Regis World Snow Polo Championship.

Among other 10-goalers are Adolfo Cambiaso and Juan Martin Nero, also coming off a record seventh consecutive Argentine Open victory with La Dolfina. Nero is fully recovered from a broken ankle sustained in the Argentine Open final. Rodrigo Andrade replaced Nero and shares the title as well.

Other players in the star-studded league are Andrade, Nic Roldan, Diego Cavanagh, Alejandro and Nacho Novillo Astrada, Sebastian and Tincho Merlos, Juan Martin Zubia, Jero del Carril, Nacho Figueras and Andrade.

Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, the World Polo League’s new hospitality sponsor; Sebucan, J5 La Dolfina Breeding, Aspen Valley and Dundas are five new team sponsors.

The team sponsors and rosters for the season-opener are:

Aspen Valley (24): Nacho Figueras 6, Facu Llorente 7, Pablo Spinacci 6, Juan Bollini 5.

Alegria (25): Henry Porter 3, Matias Magrini 7, Freddie Mannix 7, Nachi du Plessis 8.

Casablanca (26): Grant Ganzi 3, Rodrigo Andrade 9, Juan Martin Nero 10, Juancito Bollini 4.

Dundas (24): Sarah Siegel-Magness, 0, Jejo Taranco, 8, Sebastian Merlos 8, Gringo Colombres 8).

Richard Mille (26): Camilo Castagnola 7, Barto Castagnola 7, Pablo MacDonough 10.

SD Farms (25): Sayyu Dantata 2, Guillermo Terrera 8, Santi Torres 7, Juan Martin Zubia 8.

Seminole Casino Coconut Creek (24): Melissa Ganzi 0, Lucas James 8, Alejandro Novillo Astrada 8, Nic Roldan 8.

Sebucan (25): Pablo Pulido 2, Tincho Merlos 8, Corcho Zavaleta 7, Nacho Novillo Astrada 8.

Valiente (25): Bob Jornayvaz 2, Diego Cavanagh 9, Adolfo Cambiaso 10, Poroto Cambiaso 4.

J5 La Dolfina Breeding (23): Robertito Zedda 5, Gonzalo Ferrari 4, Jero del Carril 7, Isidro Strada 7.

Seminole Casino Coconut Creek is the hospitality sponsor for the World Polo League. Open 24/7, 365 days a year, Seminole Casino Coconut Creek presents a fully integrated, energized, stylish and upscale local’s casino experience, world-class dining, including its award-winning steakhouse, NYY Steak and live entertainment.

Tickets, ranging from $15 to $250, for the eleven Sunday 4 o’clock featured WPL games at Grand Champions Polo Club are on sale now at www.worldpolo.org.

Ticket price breakdown for the new CoCo Cabana Stadium is:

VIP $250, Upper Level (rain or shine, no refunds), includes VIP parking access,  exclusive luxury-style bar and lounge seating, gourmet light dinner buffet, exclusive chef station, VIP Open bar (excluding champagne and bottle service) and VIP swag bags.

VIP $100, Lower Level (rain or shine, no refunds), includes VIP parking access,  exclusive luxury-style bar and lounge seating, gourmet light bites and Worth Avenue retailer experience.

Valet Parking $15, select quality valet parking.

Co-founded by Grand Champions owner and president Melissa Ganzi and Valiente Polo Farm owner Bob Jornayvaz, the successful World Polo League is the only 26-goal polo in the world outside of Argentina. The WPL is preserving the highest level of polo and its rich, hallowed tradition in the U.S. 

The WPL has its own set of simpler fan-friendly rules to improve the flow and action of the game.

The WPL, with 18 fields including 11 tournament-quality fields to play on, features the Feb. 6-16 All-Star Challenge, Feb. 19-March 1 Founders Cup, March 4-22 Palm Beach Open and March 28-April 18 Triple Crown of Polo. 

The WPL schedule also features the unique April 6-12 U.S. National Mixed Doubles Championship, created by Jornayvaz. It pairs men and women players.

The WPL is open to teams that wish to compete in one or more of the tournaments. Games are offered on the flat (Open) and on Handicap.

The World Polo League attracts a large international field of players from all corners of the world  including Australia, Chile, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Argentina, Canada, Ecuador, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Germany, Uruguay, Venezuela, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Nigeria and England.

Grand Champions and Santa Rita Polo Farm is the largest and most unique polo facility in Wellington with 120 stalls in five self-contained barns, exercise track, five climate-controlled tack rooms, vet room, staff quarters, guest house and three polo fields with state-of-the-art underground irrigation including one field for stick-and-ball with plans to build more polo fields in the future.

For more information and to watch the games go to www.worldpolo.org for a complete library of WPL first-season games.

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Sharon Robb

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