Polo patron Gillian Johnston, sporting a 1.5-goal handicap, will once again be leading her Coca-Cola team in action at IPC this season. Heir to a Coca-Cola bottling fortune, Johnston is carrying on a long family polo tradition. Her grandfather played polo, and her father is a former high-goal player. When not in Wellington, she can often be found at Bendabout Farm, outside of Chattanooga, Tenn., where she grew up and the family has long hosted polo events. Through the years, her team has won just about every U.S. title available, including the U.S. Open in 2002. Johnston is one of a growing handful of women playing on high-goal teams, and she is also active in promoting the sport to the rising generation as vice president of the Polo Training Foundation.
Nicolas “Nico” Escobar is a member of the latest generation of the Escobar polo-playing family. Rated as a 4-goaler, he is the son of Luis Escobar and brother to Lucas Escobar. His grandfather, Francisco, founded the Santa Clara Polo Club in Wellington in 1984, which was expanded by his father. Back then, the family traveled back and forth from Costa Rica to Wellington to play polo. However, the current generation of Escobars is Wellington born and raised. When not on the polo field, Nico Escobar, 20, attends Palm Beach Atlantic University. He will be playing in the Gauntlet of Polo series this season with La Indiana. Always working to up his game, he spent December in Argentina playing at La Aguada under the tutelage of former 10-goaler Miguel Novillo Astrada.
Michael Bickford is highly regarded as one of the sport’s top patrons. His La Indiana team regularly competes in the most prestigious tournaments, often challenging for the title. Bickford grew up in Connecticut playing polo with his father in Vermont. This year will be his fifth leading La Indiana into competition in Wellington. In 2020, 2-goaler Bickford was joined by Santiago Gomez Romero, Polito Pieres, Jeff Hall and Esteban Panelo on the La Indiana roster. The team was competitive, making it to the finals of the Ylvisaker Cup and the C.V. Whitney Cup, and advancing to the semifinals of USPA Gold Cup before the season ended early. That means La Indiana is still in the hunt when the tournament resumes where it left off just before the 2021 Gauntlet of Polo gets underway.
Polo runs in the family for Argentine 10-goaler Guillermo “Sapo” Caset Jr., who was in the saddle by age five, hitting a ball around the field. As a teen, he quickly soared from a 1-goal handicap to a 6-goal handicap. By 2011, Caset had established himself as one of the best players in the world, reaching the coveted 10-goal rating, which he maintains to this day. Last season at IPC, Caset played on the Tonkawa team with Jeff Hildebrand, Ignacio “Cubi” Toccalino, Matias “Colo” Gonzalez and Matt Coppola. He returns to Wellington after a strong season in Argentina, where his team RS Murus Sanctus made it to the final of the Hurlingham Open before falling to undefeated Ellerstina. The team also made it to the semifinals of the Tortugas Open and the 127th Argentine Open.
Born in Wellington, Mackenzie Weisz grew up around horses alongside his polo-playing father Andres Weisz. Now rated as a 4-goaler, he has grown from a young child riding horses to one of the biggest rising stars of American polo. Most recently, the teenager has been a key player on Camilo Bautista’s Las Monjitas team playing with 9-goaler Francisco Elizalde the 10-goaler Pelon Stirling. The team was off to a great start in 2020, winning the prestigious C.V. Whitney Cup. Las Monjitas made it to the semifinals of the USPA Gold Cup before the 2020 season came to an abrupt end. That means Weisz will be back in action with his team when the 2020 Gold Cup resumes in February where it left off.
Argentine 10-goaler Gonzalo “Gonzalito” Pieres was born into a family of polo players. He is the eldest son of polo legend Gonzalo Pieres Sr. and older brother to Facundo and Nicolás Pieres. A classic-style player, he is known to provide leadership and direction on the field. A regular on the Wellington circuit, he spent several years steering Audi to wins in the U.S. Open Polo Championship, the USPA Gold Cup and the C.V. Whitney Cup. In more recent years, he has anchored Pilot Polo, working in concert with his brother Facundo. Pieres returns to Wellington after a winning season in Argentina, competing with Hilario Ulloa alongside brothers Facundo and Nicolás on Ellerstina to win the Tortugas Open and the Hurlingham Open, falling just short in the final of the Argentine Open.
Adolfo “Poroto” Cambiaso is the 14-year-old son of legendary 10-goaler Adolfo Cambiaso. Now rated at 6 goals, Poroto is quickly following in his father’s footsteps. His older sister Mia is also a skilled polo player, currently rated at 2 goals. In fact, polo history was made here in Wellington back in 2018 when all three Cambiaso players competed together to win a high-goal tournament at Valiente Farm. Already viewed by the polo community as an up-and-coming talent, Poroto Cambiaso closed out 2020 playing on La Dolfina Saudi during the Tortugas Open, part of the Argentine Triple Crown, alongside his father, Rodrigo Andrade and Iñaki Laprida, making it to the final match before falling to Ellerstina.
Jared Zenni has come a long way in a short time. In his first attempt, 6-goaler Zenni helped his Daily Racing Form team capture the U.S. Open Polo Championship in 2018. The surprise win over favorite Valiente catapulted Zenni’s team into the top tier of high-goal organizations competing in Wellington. However, Zenni and his father Jim are not strangers to the circuit. They have also played under the name Villa del Lago, the family’s equestrian facility. Last season, the Daily Racing Form roster included Zenni with Tommy Collingwood, Costi Caset and Agustin Obregon, and the team made it to the semifinals in the USPA Gold Cup before play was suspended. When the Gauntlet of Polo resumes with the finals of that tournament, Daily Racing Form will still be very much in the hunt.
Hilario Ulloa grew up in Argentina, watching his father and expert horse breeder Carlos “Polito” Ulloa train and breed polo horses. He was always surrounded by horses and polo players and dreamed of one day playing in the prestigious Argentine Open. He got that wish in 2013, and in 2014, he won the U.S. Open with Alegria at IPC. Ulloa, who earned his 10-goal ranking from the USPA in 2017, has been visiting Wellington to play at IPC since 2010. He returns to Wellington after a strong season competing on the Ellerstina team during the Triple Crown in Argentina. Playing alongside Facundo, Gonzalo and Nicolás Pieres, the team won the Tortugas Open and the Hurlingham Open, falling just short in the final of the Argentine Open at Palermo.
The 2021 polo season is now underway, and while it will certainly be different than in years past due to new safety protocols, one thing that will not change is the amazing athleticism, drive and awe-inspiring skill on display in each and every game. The world’s best polo players have once again made their annual return to Wellington to play in the most prestigious high-goal tournaments in North America. At the International Polo Club Palm Beach, the season gets underway with the 18-goal Joe Barry Memorial Cup, followed by the Ylvisaker Cup and the Iglehart Cup, both played at the 18-goal level. Then the height of the season arrives with the 22-goal Gauntlet of Polo series. It will start with the final games of the 2020 USPA Gold Cup, which was cut short due to the pandemic. This will be followed by the 2021 C.V. Whitney Cup, USPA Gold Cup and U.S. Open Polo Championship. The U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship will also be featured. Can’t make it to the game? You can catch them livestreamed and on-demand at Global Polo TV. Meanwhile, we invite you to meet just some of the amazing players on the field this season in Faces of Polo 2021.
