The much anticipated The Gauntlet of Polo is set to begin on Friday February 9, with the first leg, the CV Whitney Cup, that will be played entirely at the USPA-owned National Polo Center-Wellington, set in Wellington, Florida. It is worth to note that The Gauntlet of Polo has been inaugurated in 2019 and the only team up-to-date who claimed the three tournaments of the series (CV Whitney Cup, USPA Gold Cup and US Open) is Pilot, precisely in the opening year, 2019. The CV Whitney Cup sees eight teams up to 22 goals, split in four brackets, compete.

Originally known as the U.S. Handicap, the C.V. Whitney Cup was first played in 1979. Nine years later, in 1988, the tournament was renamed for C.V. (Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny”) Whitney, an avid polo player, three-time winner of the U.S. Open Polo Championship (1928,1937, 1938) and son of 10-goal Hall of Famer, Harry Payne Whitney.

Both Pilot and current title holders, Valiente are among the participating teams. Bob Jornayvaz’s lineup, with Adolfo Cambiaso as his flagship player, have won the CV Whitney Cup five times. On a personal side, Cambiaso claimed the title eight times.

Utilizing the same prize money distribution for the 2023 Gauntlet of Polo, the formatguarantees a total of $200,000 in prize money. $50,000 will be awarded to each of the winning teams of the C.V. Whitney Cup and USPA Gold Cup. Similarly, $100,000 in prize money will bepresented to the winner of the U.S. Open Polo Championship and any team that wins all three tournaments will be crowned the Gauntlet Champion. In keeping with the spirit of philanthropy, U.S. Polo Assn. will provide a $2,500 donation to the winner and runner-up teams of all three finals to be donated to a polo charity of their choice.

The 2024 The Gauntlet of Polo will kick off with the CV Whitney Cup (February 9-25), followed by the USPA Gold Cup (February 23-March 24), and will come to an end with the most important tournament in the United States the U.S. Open Polo Championship (March 22-April 21). All Sunday games are due on the National Polo Center main ground.

The order of play of the opening day of the CV Whitney Cup, is the following:

Friday February 9:

11am: Valiente vs. Coca Cola

3pm: La Fe vs. Tamera

CV Whitney Cup – Teams & Fixture

Cover photo: Valiente vs. Pilot, 2023 final CV Whitney Cup, by Agustina Fonda.