WPL's Triple Crown Of Polo Begins Sunday; Casablanca Plays Travieso In Feature Game
- Candace Ferreira
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
WELLINGTON, Fla., April 4, 2025---The Triple Crown of Polo, the crown jewel and fourth and final tournament of the World Polo League winter season, begins Sunday at Grand Champions Polo Club.
By Sharon Robb
Photos by Candace Ferreira
Casablanca, winner of two WPL tournaments this season, plays Travieso in the much-anticipated 26-goal tournament. Game time is 4 p.m.
Team rosters and sponsors are:
Casablanca: (26) Grant Ganzi, 3, Rufino Bensadon, 8, Sapo Caset, 9, Hilario Figueras, 6.
Maltese Falcons: (22) Marc Ganzi, 0, Nic Roldan, 7, Gonzalito Pieres, 8, Santi Toccalino, 7.
Tonkawa: (26) Jeff Hildebrand, 0, Mackie Weisz, 6, Tommy Panelo, 10, Juan Martin Nero, 10.
Travieso: (26) Tony Calle, 3, Pipe Vercellino, 7, Fred Mannix, 7, Juan Martin Zubia, 9.
Games are also scheduled for Tuesday April 8, April 14 and April 17 with the final on April 19. The teams with the two best records advance to the final.
In last year's Triple Crown of Polo, Park Place (Andrey Borodin, 0, Juan Britos, 9, Hilario Ulloa, 10, Joaquin Panelo, 6) held on for a thrilling 12-11 victory over defending champion and previously undefeated Audi (Marc Ganzi, 1, Nacho Figueras, 5, Jeta Castagnola, 10, Pablo MacDonough, 10). Panelo was MVP. The championship final lived up to expectations as one of the best finals in World Polo League history with the lead changing hands 12 times.
The highly coveted Triple Crown of Polo trophy is comprised of three separate trophies that fit perfectly together to create an entire polo scene that is breathtaking in sterling silver.
The WPL tournament winners will be inscribed on the trophy and added to an impressive list of teams that feature several top players including Sebastian Merlos, Mike Azzaro, Tommy Biddle, Adam Snow, Nic Roldan, Matias Magrini, Jeff Hall, Mariano Gonzalez, Michel Dorignac, Kris Kampsen, Gringo Colombres and Jeta Castagnola.
The Triple Crown of Polo, an ESPN2 television series, was created in 2005 by David McLane, known for Pro Beach Hockey, Women of Wrestling and Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, to help promote polo in the U.S. The show was seen in 129 countries.
The spectacular trophy was created for the event that had stops at the Sarasota Polo Club, Las Colinas Polo Club in Dallas and Santa Barbara Polo Club the first year in 2006 and Sarasota and New Bridge Polo and Country Club in Aiken, South Carolina in 2007 during its heyday before it went on hiatus.
The first three 2025 WPL tournaments have thrilled fans and worldwide livestream viewing audiences. The WPL kicked off its seventh season on Feb. 16th making history with a first-of-its kind matchup. Casablanca captured the first-ever WPL 32-Goal All-Star Challenge Riemenschneider Memorial.
In front of a packed house, Casablanca (Sapo Caset, 9, Grant Ganzi, 3, Tommy Panelo, 10, Juan Martin Nero, 10) led from start to finish to defeat Santa Rita (Nic Roldan, 7, Tomacho Pieres, 6, Pablo MacDonough, 10, Juan Martin Zubia, 9), 8-5. Caset led Casablanca with a game-high five goals and was named MVP.
Casablanca made it two in a row capturing the Founders Cup with a hardfought 14-12 win over Alegria (Jason Crowder, 5, Fred Mannix, 7, Nic Roldan, 7, Tommy Collingwood, 5). Caset earned his second MVP award.
Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, 0, Mackie Weisz, 6, Pablo MacDonough, 10, Juan Martin Nero, 10) defeated Travieso (Tony Calle, 3, Pipe Vercellino, 7, Juan Martin Zubia, 9, Fred Mannix, 7), 13-12, to win the Palm Beach Open and finished undefeated at 4-0.
The WPL, the winter season's biggest highlight, continues to make history as the only 26-goal polo played outside of Argentina.