Casablanca Spring Challenge Begins Friday At Grand Champions Polo Club

WELLINGTON, FL., May 8, 2025---The third of five spring tournaments begins Friday with the Casablanca Spring Challenge at Grand Champions Polo Club.

By Sharon Robb

Two semifinal games are scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. with Newport playing 3 Graces Polo and 5 p.m. with Aspen Valley taking on SebiLion. The winners advance to the championship game on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on Field 2. The subsidiary kicks off Mother's Day at 10 a.m. on Field One.

The teams are:

SebiLion (16): Leo Mandelbaum, 2, Sebastian Mandelbaum, 0, Fred Mannix, 7, Santi Toccalino, 7.

Newport: (16) Gene Goldstein, 0, Jason Crowder, 5, Tommy Collingwood, 5, Martin Jauregui, 6.

Aspen Valley (17): Meredith Lovegrove, Haley Schaufeld, 0, Tomacho Pieres, 6, Nic Roldan, 7, Matias Gonzalez, 4.

3 Graces Polo (17): Rebecca Cohen, 0, Sugar Erskine, 6, Mariano Gracida, 4, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7.

Three women, Haley Schaufeld, Rebecca Cohen and Meredith Lovegrove, all equestrians in either dressage or show jumping, are competing in the medium goal tournament. The trio got their start in polo in The Polo School.

In last year's Casablanca Spring Challenge, Newport (Gene Goldstein, 0, Pablo Spinacci, 6,  Fred Mannix, 7, Tommy Collingwood, 5) clinched the round robin tournament win with an 11-8 victory over SebiLion (Sebastian Mandelbaum, -1, Sugar Erskine, 6, Leo Mandelbaum, 3, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7). Goldstein was MVP.

Newport is coming off last weekend's Sun Cup victory. Newport (Gene Goldstein, 0, Matias Gonzalez, 4, Fred Mannix, 7, Tommy Collingwood, 5) rallied in the sixth chukker to defeat previously unbeaten SebiLion (Sebastian Mandelbaum, 0, Jason Crowder, 5, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7, Leo Mandelbaum, 2) in overtime, 15-14. Mannix was MVP.

In the spring opener, SebiLion won the Grand Champions Cup win. SebiLion (Sebastian Mandelbaum, 0, Leo Mandelbaum, 2, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7, Fred Mannix, 7) defeated Kaia Polo (Larry Austin, 0, Mariano Gracida, 4, Santi Toccalino, 7, Juan Bollini, 3), 10-8, to capture the Grand Champions Cup. Sebastian Mandelbaum was MVP.

The spring season is one of the best in the club's 18-year history. The matches are every Friday and Sunday. Admission is free and the public is welcome along with dogs on leashes.

The remaining spring schedule (subject to change because of weather) is: May 16-18, Eastern Challenge; and May 23-26, The Memorial.

During the spring season, amateur polo players get the chance to play with and against some of the world’s top professional polo players including Santi Toccalino, Alejandro Novillo Astrada and Nic Roldan. It is geared towards improving polo skills while having fun. It's also a great opportunity for younger players to develop and hone their skills against their peers and more experienced players.

The spring season is being live-streamed on Wellington-based ChukkerTV (CTV Sports).

During the major polo season in winter, Grand Champions Polo Club, the nation's largest and most innovative USPA-sanctioned polo club nestled in the heart of the world's winter equestrian capital, hosts a wide range of tournaments: 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 26-goal leagues, The Polo School Women's Polo League, WCT Finals, PTF youth tournaments, World Polo League, World Polo League Pride Music Fest and Sunset Chukkers & Cocktails at both Grand Champions and Santa Rita.

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 10 well-manicured world-class fields at GCPC and Santa Rita.

The Polo School, now located at the former Pony Express facility, operates in Wellington January through May and September through November. The stand-alone USPA-sanctioned polo club is dedicated to teaching polo to all ages, particularly grass roots youth. Its mission is to provide individuals opportunities in polo at every economic and ability level. The Polo School has nurtured several junior, men and women polo players now playing in the pro and amateur ranks since its inception.

For more information on leagues or Polo School contact Polo School Director of Operations Juan Bollini at  561-346-1099 or Polo Manager Cale Newman at 561-876-2930.