Tue 7th Apr 2026Golden Pilot Pilot win The USPA Gold Cup
Having been delayed by a week due to rain, the Final of the USPA Gold Cup took place on Sunday 5 April, at the National Polo Centre in Wellington, Florida. This is not only a prestigious tournament of its own standing, but also the second leg of the coveted Gauntlet of Polo trilogy. Two teams from the 10 team roster made it to the Final undefeated, Pilot and La Dolfina Scone and the match up made for an exciting and unpredictable Final.
La Dolfina Scone came out strong, controlling the first half, dictating play through the opening three chukkas and heading into the break with a solid 5-2 lead and it seemed the match would go as many predicted, in the La Dolfina side’s favour. However, the momentum shifted dramatically after half-time. A revitalised Pilot side returned from their half-time chat with intensity and a new strategy, shutting out La Dolfina Scone across the next two chukkas and producing a decisive 6-0 run to take an 8-5 advantage by the end of the fifth.
From there, La Dolfina Scone struggled to regain structure, managing just a single goal over three chukkas, while Pilot maintained composure and control. Pilot concluded the match with authority, edging the final chukka 2-1 to secure a comeback victory, 10-6.
Lorenzo Chavanne’s impressive performance up front earned him the Most Valuable Player award while his horses Tyson and Open Texas won the Best Playing Pony and Best Polo Argentino Bred Pony awards respectively.
The USPA Gold Cup Final Teams:
Pilot (23): Camilo ‘Jeta’ Castagnola (10), Curtis Pilot (0), Lorenzo Chavanne (7) & Mackenzie Weisz (6)
La Dolfina Scone (23): Jesse Bray (7), Poroto Cambiaso (10), Rufino Merlos (6) & David Paradice (0)
Photograph: Pilot are the only team to have won the full Gauntlet of Polo series in 2019 and have also won this year’s USPA Gold Cup. By Agus Fonda
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