The first final of the 2020 season on the U.S. Polo Assn. Field 1 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach featured a thrilling conclusion, with Stable Door Polo scoring the final five goals of the game to defeat Palm Beach Equine 10-8 and capture the Iglehart Cup.
After a nail-biting victory over Patagones to reach the final, Stable Door Polo found themselves in another hard-fought match against Palm Beach Equine, relying on the penalty shooting of Santino Magrini to overcome the performances of Lucas Diaz Alberdi and Gringo Colombres. Finishing 5 for 7 from the penalty line, half of Stable Door Polo’s offense came in that fashion, but a dominant second half from the father-son duo of Santino and Matias Magrini that saw them combine for six goals, pushed Stable Door Polo to the narrow two-goal victory.
Foul trouble hindered Palm Beach Equine in the early stages of the game, conceding two penalty goals to face an early 2-0 deficit, but despite missing both penalty attempts of their own, Palm Beach Equine fought back within one goal after Alberdi got his team on the scoreboard. With his first goal of the game, Henry Porter restored Stable Door Polo’s two-goal lead, but improved discipline from Palm Beach Equine gave them the advantage for the remainder of the half. A dominant third chukka saw four unanswered goals by Palm Beach Equine including one each from Gonzalo Ferrari and Alberdi, along with two off the mallet of Colombres. Held to just one field goal in the opening three chukkers, Stable Door Polo faced a 6-4 deficit heading into the second half.
The intensity of the final was seen across the field, with all eight players fighting to capture the first tournament of the season, yet emotions ran high with the third and fourth yellow cards of the game being awarded in the fourth chukka, including Santino Magrini’s second, forcing him from the game for two minutes. Eight fouls in the fourth chukker slowed the pace, with a penalty 3 conversion from Colombres extending Palm Beach Equine’s lead to three. In need of offense, Matias Magrini moved forward in the game, scoring consecutive goals to quickly reduce the lead to one as the excitement rose around the field. Santino Magrini’s fourth goal of the game tied the score at 8-8, leaving the sixth chukker to determine the winner. Building on their momentum from the fifth chukker, Stable Door Polo pushed forward with Matias Magrini continuing to make a meaningful impact, giving his team their first lead since the third chukker. A crucial penalty 4 conversion for Santino Magrini sealed the victory and the Iglehart Cup title for Stable Door Polo in the exciting 10-8 victory. MVP was awarded to Matias Magini, while his 8 year-old American thoroughbred “Elenor” claimed Best Playing Pony.
Major reporting contributions for this article were received from the International Polo Club in Wellington FL. Please visit www.internationalpoloclub.com or call (561) 204-5687 for more information on the International Polo Club.
