The much anticipated The Gauntlet of Polo, known as the Triple Crown of the United States, made by the CV Whitny Cup, the USPA Gold Cup and the US Open, will kick off on Friday Februray 13. As usual, all the series will take place at the National Polo Center (NPC), in Wellington, Florida.

The CV Whitney Cup will see nine teams up to 22 goals, in competition. Teams are split in three leagues. Among the participating lineups is Pilot, the only team that claimed the three tournaments of the series in the inaugural year, 2019; however this year Curtis Pilot won’t be accompanied by any of the Pieres brothers – as a matter of fact, and unlike their cousin, Polito, who will be back with Coca Cola, neither of the Pieres brothers –  Gonzalito, Facundo and Nicolás, won’t be playing the 2026 Gauntlet of Polo. Curtis Pilot, then, have hired Mackenzie Weisz, Lorenzo Chavanne and Camilo Castagnola. Title holders, Tamera, will be playing as well, although under the name La Dolfina Tamera, with Adolfo Cambiaso, as their flagship man. His son, Poroto, will play for the second team of the Cañuelas-based organisation, La Dolfina Scone, in a lineup that includes another young and skilled player, Rufino Merlos. And a new foursome will join the usual teams of the Gauntlet of Polo – Pilot, La Dolfina Tamera, La Dolfina Scone, Park Place, BTA, Clearwater, The Dutta Corp, Coca Cola. That’s DUS, comprised by Marc Ganzi, Matías “Colo” González, Antonio Heguy and Bartolomé Castagnola Jr (Paquito de Narvaez will be the substitute).

Originally known as the U.S. Handicap, the C.V. Whitney Cup was established in 1979, and first competed for on handicap in conjunction with the U.S. Open Polo Championship. In 1988, the tournament was renamed for C.V. (Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny”) Whitney, an avid polo player and three-time winner of the U.S. Open (1928, 1937, 1938) and son of 10-goal Hall of Famer Harry Payne Whitney. Inducted into the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in 2022, Whitney left a lasting mark in polo. Rising to a 6-goal handicap during his playing career that spanned the “golden era” of polo, Whitney was a formidable factor in all major USPA tournaments.

The order of play of the opening day of the CV Whitney Cup, on Friday February 13, is the following:

10am: Park Place vs. La Dolfina Tamera

12,30: The Dutta Corp vs. Clearwater

3pm: Pilot vs. Coca Cola

The Gauntlet of Polo will commence on Saturday February 13, with the CV Whitney Cup, followed by the USPA Gold Cup and will come to an end on April 26, with the much anticipated championship match of the US Open.

CV WHITNEY CUP – Teams & Fixture

2026 GAUNTLET OF POLO – FULL CALENDAR

CV WHITNEY CUP

February 13-March 1

USPA GOLD CUP

March 4-29

US OPEN

April 1-26

Cover photo,  Tamera vs. Coca Cola, final 2025 CV Whitney Cup, by Agustina Fonda