Los Amigos Wins Triple Crown Of Polo-Aspen; Grant Ganzi Sweeps MVP, BPP Honors

CARBONDALE, Colo., August 29, 2022----In front of the largest crowd of the season, Los Amigos won its third and biggest tournament Sunday at McClure River Ranch Stadium.

By Sharon Robb

In a hotly-contested defensive battle, Los Amigos (Paul Foster, Jason Crowder, Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan) defeated defending champion Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Marc Ganzi, Tomacho Pieres, Juan Martin Nero), 5-4, to win the coveted Triple Crown of Polo-Aspen.

Los Amigos also won the season-opening Independence Cup and High Alpine Cup, making the Texas-based team the winningest team this season.

Grant Ganzi, 24, was named Most Valuable Player. El Jebel, a 9-year-old homebred bay mare, was selected American Polo Horse Association Best Playing Pony. The two have played together for two years including the 26-goal World Polo League season. "She doesn't miss a beat," Ganzi said.

"Any one of us could have been MVP," Ganzi said. "Jason was an animal working really hard against Juanma and Nic scored the winning goal. Paul was up front and always in position. He got better as the game went on and was always in the right spots and the plays came."

Added Foster, "What's good about Grant is that he is the youngest guy out there and he is the one encouraging everybody else. He is constantly saying positive words of reinforcement trying to help. I really am impressed with that young man. He is a great young guy and has a great future in polo and otherwise."

Mint, played by Hildebrand in the fifth chukker, was the World Polo League Best Playing Pony. Molly, an 8-year-old gray mare played by Roldan, was the Aspen Valley Polo Club Best Playing Pony.

There were several missed scoring opportunities and penalties throughout the game making it a physical defensive battle.

"I was surprised we scored so few goals," Ganzi said. "I kept looking at the scoreboard and thought we would get going eventually but it just never went. It was a tactical battle on defense. Both teams just had good defensive strategies."

After Los Amigos missed a penalty conversion early in the game, Ganzi opened the scoring with a goal with 4:14 left in the first chukker. After three more missed goals by both teams, Nero tied the game, 1-1, scoring with 1:41. Ganzi's pass connected with Roldan with 50 seconds left for a 2-1 lead.

After three more missed goals forced by stingy defenses, the teams tied 2-2 after the second and 3-3 after the third chukkers.

Ganzi scored the only goal in the fourth chukker on a 40-yard penalty conversion with 1:03 left to give Los Amigos a 4-3 lead. The fifth chukker was scoreless after seven more missed shots.

After Tonkawa missed a scoring attempt with 5:37 left in the sixth chukker, Marc Ganzi converted a 30-yard penalty to tie the game, 4-4. It was Tonkawa's first goal since the third chukker. Less than a minute later Roldan scored what turned out to be the winning goal.

The last four minutes was pure defense with both Crowder and Roldan coming up with key defensive plays.

"That was a hardfought win," Foster said. "We played together pretty well and my teammates all played really well. They missed a lot of shots and we did, too, but that's all part of the game. It could have easily gone the other way, they are a great team.

"Every week you see who your teammates are and you come up with a strategy and figure out what works. It's important to have the best combination of players and the best strategy. I think we have had some success doing that this year."

The chemistry was evident among the Los Amigos foursome, anticipating each other's shot selections and plays.

"One team would switch a little thing and the other team would anticipate it before it happened," Ganzi said. "It was just a testament to both teams being very well-prepared and wanting to win. I was really impressed at the level of both teams, how fast the game was and how hard everyone played. Both teams wanted it so bad.

"Whenever you win a close game you come off the field sighing. I came off saying 'guys we should have won this game by six or seven goals. I couldn't remember the last time I had a team where each player missed at least one goal. I thought we played really well. It was just bad luck that we didn't win the game by a little bit more."

Roldan led Los Amigos with three goals in the first, third and sixth chukkers. Ganzi had two including a 40-yard penalty conversion. For Tonkawa, Pieres had two goals and Nero and Ganzi each had one.

Los Amigos players names 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, Matias Magrini, Jeff Hall, Mariano Gonzalez, Michel Dorignac, Kris Kampsen and Roldan.

"It was a busy week and once I realized we were playing in the final I was really excited," Ganzi said. "This is one I haven't won before. It's really an important trophy. It means a lot to put my name on this trophy."

Added Foster, "It is a real privilege and kind of a thrill to have my name on a trophy like that."

For the seventh consecutive week, fans were treated to 18 chukkers of polo and Kidz Wheely Polo in addition to the club's summer marquis event, the Summer Polo Charity Classic for the Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation. Team Fastrax Professional Skydiving Team, a favorite at sister club Grand Champions Polo Club during the WPL season, treated fans before the game entering the stadium with the American and WPL flags.

In the Maroon Bells Cup, Victory (Kevin Schmeits, Vinny Sangaline, Torito Ruiz, Nacho Novillo Astrada) defeated Santa Rita (Melissa Ganzi, Alejandra Foster, Gonzalito Pieres, Alejandro Novillo Astrada), 20-19. Victory led Santa Rita, 9-8, after the first six chukkers on Friday. The score was carried over into the final. Ruiz was named Most Valuable Player. Florencia, played by Pieres, was Best Playing Pony.

With the game tied 18-18 going into the final chukker, Ruiz went to work scoring the go-ahead goal midway through the chukker. With 40 seconds left, he scored again for a 20-18 advantage. Pieres scored in the final seconds.

Ganzi finished with a tournament-high ten goals. Pieres, playing in his second game of the day, added five goals and Astrada added four. Schmeits led Victory with seven goals, Ruiz had five and Astrada and Sangaline each had four goals.

In the Just For The Thrill Of It Cup, Michael Payne scored the winning goal with 23 seconds left in the game to give La Karina (Michael Payne, Brian Boyd, Sugar Erskine, Gonzalito Pieres) a thrilling 7-6 victory over McClure River Ranch (Lauren Sherry, Stewart Armstrong, Pancho Bensadon, Juan Bollini).

Pieres and Boyd sharing scoring honors, each with three goals and Payne added the game-winner. Armstrong led McClure River Ranch with four goals.

In Friday's opening day semifinal action, Los Amigos edged McClure River Ranch, 7-6, on Crowder's game-winner with 2:32 left in the game and Tonkawa defeated La Karina, 6-5. Tonkawa held La Karina scoreless in three chukkers.

Six teams competed over two days in the tenth and eleventh tournaments of the season.

Aspen Valley Polo Club kicked off its ninth season on July 3. Los Amigos has now won three tournaments and Brookshire has won two tournaments.

In the season-opener Los Amigos (Paul Foster, Marc Ganzi, Gonzalito Pieres, Tomacho Pieres) won the Independence Cup with a round robin victory over Casablanca (Alejandra Foster, Grant Ganzi, Torito Ruiz, Nic Roldan) and NetJets (Melissa Ganzi, Nacho Figueras, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Juan Bollini). Los Amigos (Paul Foster, Marc Ganzi, Gonzalito Pieres, Nacho Figueras) also won the High Alpine Cup with a 6-4 win over Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Brian Boyd, Nacho Novillo Astrada/Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Jason Crowder). Pieres was MVP.

Brookshire (Scott Wood, Jason Crowder, Nic Roldan, Juan Bollini) won its club debut in the ChukkerTV Cup with an 11-7 win over Los Amigos (Paul Foster, Vinny Sangaline, Gonzalito Pieres, Nacho Figueras). Brookshire (Scott Wood, Ale Poma, Nacho Figueras, Torito Ruiz) won its second tournament in the Basalt Handicap with a 12-7 win over Mountain Chevrolet (Michael Payne, Stewart Armstrong, Nic Roldan, Alex Gooding).

McClure River Ranch (Marc Ganzi, Jason Crowder, Pancho Bensadon, Stewart Armstrong) won the Craig Sakin Memorial with a 9-8 victory over Santa Rita (Melissa Ganzi, Vinny Sangaline, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Juan Bollini).

Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Nic Roldan, Grant Ganzi, Blas Bensadon) won the Emma Challenge with an 11-8 victory over defending champion Los Amigos (Paul Foster, Vinny Sangaline, Nacho Figueras, Tomacho Pieres). Roldan earned his second MVP award of the season.

La Karina (Lauren Sherry, Brian Boyd, Torito Ruiz, Tomacho Pieres) won the Mount Sopris Cup with a 9-8 victory over NetJets (Melissa Ganzi, Vinny Sangaline, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Juan Bollini). Ruiz was MVP.

NetJets (Melissa Ganzi, Jason Crowder, Nic Roldan, Juan Bollini) won the NetJets Rocky Mountain Open with a 7-6 overtime win over Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Marc Ganzi, Tomacho Pieres, Gonzalito Pieres).

Other summer tournaments remaining are this week's Silver Queen Invitational and Ute Challenge.

Wellington, Fla.-based ChukkerTV is live streaming the 2022 polo season Mountain Standard Time with announcer Dale Schwetz calling the action.

Since Marc and Melissa Ganzi resurrected the club and polo in 2014, polo has increased in popularity in Aspen and surrounding cities with the club's offerings of various weekly grass and arena tournaments, Arena & Asado Nights, Kidz Polo, Kidz Wheely Polo, Gymkhana, the Polo School headed by former 8-goaler Juan Bollini, and Polo On Demand. In addition, the club offers practice sessions for teams competing in the club tournaments on more than six world-class fields. There are also indoor and outdoor polo arenas.

The Polo School for all ages and ability levels operates in Carbondale July through September. For more information on tournaments or Polo School contact Director of Operations Juan Bollini at 561-346-1099 or club manager Cale Newman at 561-876-2930.

Aspen Valley Polo Club caters to men, women and youth polo players at all levels. Its' expert staff can customize a complete playing experience including horses, pros and certified umpires in addition to lessons and practice sessions as part of its' Polo On Demand program.