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Yesterday Tuesday March 24th, the 11th Casa de Campo Copa Semana Santa was officially inaugurated on the polo fields of Casa de Campo. Riding out in the inaugural match was Marat Legal Lopera against La Carbuccia in an exciting game refereed by the one and only Calixto García-Vélez, Casa de Campo’s Director of Polo.
Here we bring you a low down of the action and excitement written by Calixto García-Vélez himself:
“A scorching start” by Calixto García-Vélez
The 11th Casa de Campo Copa Semana Santa got off to a scorching start yesterday with La Carbuccia facing off against the local squad Marat Legal Lopera.
Both teams played evenly throughout this very physical and intensely played match on a very warm day that taxed both players and horses… The field played beautifully and provided ideal conditions for very fast play and long break-a-ways. Zenon Zorilla sank some very crucial penalty shots and scored a spectacular goal on a beautiful mare CR #341 alias Jetsetter, recently purchased by Luis Carbuccia for his team. Marat Legal Lopera had their chances, but missed penalty shots and the very strong defensive play of this season’s MVP Anton Tejeda sealed the deal for La Carbuccia. Zenon Zorilla was the man of the match scoring seven of his team’s nine goals. Winner La Carbuccia 9-7
In the second match of the day featuring the two favorites Lechuza CTE and La Garcia polo teams, Lechuza got off to a very quick start and never looked back. La Garcia team looked a bit out of sorts as they committed too many fouls and did not have their best day striking the ball.
Lechuza CTE on the other hand demonstrated some beautiful ball handling and control by all four players. Alfredo Vargas worked very hard pressuring Santiago Loza, La Garcia’s best player which freed up his teammates Ignacio Del Tour and Matias Bocha to play more freely. All players found the goals on the Lechuza team for a very convincing 8-2 win.
It was wonderful to see some tailgaters at the matches with their picnic tables covered in delicious food items and Veuve Clicquot champagne cheering on the teams. It was a fantastic start to what promises to be the premier polo event of the year… I look forward to seeing more tailgaters at the next matches.
Elegant tailgating with Veuve Clicquot
Yesterday, the CasaLife Magazine team who are organizing the final celebration for the 11th Casa de Campo Copa Semana Santa polo tournament, attended the inaugural games… and indulged in a little elegant “tailgating”. With our picnic baskets, blankets, and more than a couple of bottles of Veuve Clicquot, as well as some Stella Artois beers, we relaxed with friends, ate, drank and watched the polo from the comfort of our “tailgate”! Which, for those of you wondering what “tailgating” is, it’s exactly that – having a picnic using your “tailgate” – otherwise known as the trunk of your car as a base!
We had so much fun that we will be tailgating at the future games of the Casa de Campo Copa Semana Santa (tournament schedule below), so please feel free to bring you picnics, blankets and well-stocked coolers to join the fun!
Polo tournament: Casa de Campo Copa Semana Santa
The Casa de Campo Copa Semana Santa polo tournament will be played between Tuesday the 24th of March and Saturday April 4th, with games taken place according to the following schedule: Tuesday March 24th2:30pm: Marat Legal Lopera vs. La Carbuccia Winner: La Carbuccia 9-7
4:30pm: La Garcia vs. Lechuza CTE Winner: Lechuza CTE 8-2
Thursday March 26th2:30pm: La Carbuccia vs. Hola
4:30pm: La Garcia vs Marat Legal Lopera
Saturday March 28th2:30pm: Lechuza CTE vs. Marat Legal Lopera
4:30pm: La Garcia vs. Hola
Tuesday March 31st2:30pm: Hola vs. Lechuza CTE
4:30pm: La Garcia vs. La Carbuccia
Thursday April 2nd2:30pm: Hola vs. Marat Legal Lopera
4:30pm: La Carbuccia vs. Lechuza CTE
FINALS: Saturday April 4th, 11am-7pm
11am: Red carpet opening
11am – 2pm: Live music at the CasaLife/Stella Artois Picnic Brunch (Brunch available all day), complimentary pony rides.
2pm: Low goal final
3pm: Divot Stomping with Veuve Clicquot
3:30pm: Paso Fino show
4:30pm: High goal final
6pm: Awards ceremony
Dress Code: Whimsical chic with a touch of polo
Contact: SILGON (809) 523-2045 / hello@silgon.net