SINGURENI MANOR, Romania, October 15, 2024---On a day for the history books, Carpathian/Maltese Falcons captured the inaugural Arena Singureni Polo Cup Sunday in front of a sellout crowd and worldwide audience.
By Sharon Robb
Photos by Tony Ramirez/Images of Polo
Carpathian/Maltese Falcons (Melissa Ganzi, Nacho Figueras, 5, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7) won a hardfought 8-7 battle against Aqua Carpatica/Grand Champions Polo Club (Daren Tamplin, Grant Ganzi, 3, Nic Roldan, 9) in the final second of play on Astrada's corner penalty conversion.
Melissa Ganzi, the first woman to compete and win the first tournament in Romania, was named Best Playing Patron.
Roldan, one of the world's top players, was selected Most Valuable Player after scoring six goals in the final. Traviesa, played by Roldan and owned by Pierre Henri Ngoumou, was Best Playing Pony.
It was a day of firsts in polo history for the Maltese Falcons and Grand Champions making their debut in the first-ever international polo tournament in Romania.
"It was a very tough tournament with very good teams," Astrada said. "We like each other but on the field we want to win. The game was a family game. I think it's more, even more difficult to play a game like that."
In the hard fought physical final, Melissa Ganzi opened the first chukker with a 15-yard penalty conversion. Maltese Falcons missed other scoring opportunities but led 1-0 going into the second chukker.
Grand Champions dominated the second chukker jumping out to a 4-1 lead behind three Roldan goals and another from Grant Ganzi. Figueras scored with an assist from Melissa Ganzi, to trail 4-2.
Maltese Falcons regained its composure in the third chukker as the lights were turned on in the arena stadium.
Figueras opened the chukker scoring a goal after the bowl-in. Ganzi converted another penalty to tie the game 4-4. From then on, it was a roller coaster.
The lead changed hands three times including tying twice before Astrada's heroics as regulation time ran out.
Romanian Olympic gold medalist David Popovici presented the awards and threw out the first game ball. Jan Erik Franck, the voice of the World Polo League, provided his unique style of announcing throughout the tournament.
The Singureni Polo Sports Club Association and World Polo co-hosted the three-day event in a specially-constructed arena at Singureni Manor Equestrian Retreat, a resort nestled within a 700-acre oak and acacia forest in Giurgiu County, just 40 kilometers outside of Bucharest.
"Romania is a beautiful country," Astrada said. "We were able to sightsee the first few days in Bucharest and Transylvania. The arena was great and it is nice to see polo beginning in Romania."
Added Roldan, "I'm blown away, they put on a stellar event and the people were very welcoming."
In the subsidiary game, Team Azerbaijan Land of Fire (Elchin Jamalli, 3, Tarlan Gurbanaliyev, 1, Juan Cruz Losada, 7) defeated Team St. Moritz Top of the World (Massimo Baggi/Daniel Savary, 1, Pierre Henri Ngoumou, 7, Nick Rogerson, 3), 8-4.
On Friday, Grand Champions defeated Team St. Moritz Top of the World, 8-3.5, in the opening game. In the second game, Team Azerbaijan Land Of Fire edged Maltese Falcons, 4.5-4. On Saturday, in the opening game Maltese Falcons bounced back with a 8-2.5 win over St. Moritz Top of the World. Grand Champions followed with a 7.5-6 win against Team Azerbaijan with Roldan converting a penalty which turned out to be the winning goal after Team Azerbaijan rallied in the last chukker but ran out of time.
Reto Gaudenzi, World Polo founder, has a rich history of discovering new, often unconventional locations for organizing international Polo competitions. The tournament also marked a milestone for World Polo, hosting its 100th event.
"It is unbelievable," Gaudenzi said. "I have been doing this for many years all over the world. This is my 100th polo event and it has worked out beyond my wildest dreams. It is perfect.
"We will now build upon it with the infrastructure and we will continue for at least another three years," Gaudenzi said. "Polo is in Romania to stay. How fantastic is that?"
Added Cristina Rogu, founder of the Singureni Polo Sports Club Association, "This competition marks an historic first for Romania, as we introduce arena polo to our country. Nothing feels more rewarding than starting and helping to build a new tradition, one that we will believe will capture the hearts of Romanians. I am very emotional because I hate to see the tournament end."
Grand Champions and Santa Rita Polo Farm is the largest and most unique private 102-acre polo facility in Wellington with 212 stalls in nine self-contained barns, two tracks, five climate-controlled tack rooms, vet room, staff quarters, guest house and four polo fields with state-of-the-art underground irrigation and short work arena. The club has 11 well-manicured world-class fields at GCPC and Santa Rita.
Grand Champions Polo Club caters to men, women and youth polo players at all levels. Its' expert staff can customize a complete playing experience including horses, pros and certified umpires in addition to lessons and practice sessions as part of its' Polo On Demand program. The Polo School is for all ages and ability levels and operates in Wellington year-round.