WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

SAZERAC CUP

The Sazerac Cup polo match between San Saba and Eureka went down to the wire with a surprise ending the crowd couldn’t help but enjoy!

Eureka’s Jeff Hall sets up for a backshot on Machitos Chala

Eureka came out scoring three unanswered goals from teammates Will Mudra, Jeff Hall and Jorge Cernadas. Hall kept the offensive pressure on as he converted a penalty 4 to lead 4 to 0 in the middle of the second chukker. San Saba’s Mason Wroe stirred up his team’s offense scoring back to back goals to trail by two going into the third chukker. Eureka answered back early in the third chukker with two more goals from Hall and Cernadas, but Wroe wouldn’t give up, converting a penalty shot to end the first half with the score of 3 to 6.

Eureka’s Jorge Cernadas and his mare Alexia take flight in front of the pack during Sunday’s Sazerac Cup

After the third chukker horn sounded, the halftime vehicles cruised onto the field to kick off the champagne divot stomp! As the champagne corks popped, glasses were filled and the spectators enjoyed their complimentary champagne as they chatted with friends and stomped divots on Farish Field. After the crowd had their chance to see the new Land Rovers, the Bill Fick Ford F250, and the Shoppa John Deere Tractor that were on display, it was time to return to their seats to see what the second half had in store.

San Saba’s Mason Wroe reaches out for a neck shot on his best playing pony of the day, Catwalk

Wroe started where he left off, converting his third penalty shot of the day, cutting the lead down to two, but Eureka’s Mudra and Cernadas answered with back to back goals now leading by four going into the fifth chukker. Eureka’s offense was running like a well oiled machine as Hall and Cernadas scored two more goals, to give their team the biggest lead of the day with a 6 goal difference. But as the fifth chukker continued, San Saba was awarded an automatic penalty one, followed by Wroe converting another penalty shot to go into the sixth chukker trailing 6 to 10. San Saba’s Santi Zubiaurre felt the momentum change at the beginning of the chukker, scoring back to back goals, now only trailing by two. Wroe followed Zubiaurre with their 9th goal on the scoreboard, and suddenly it was a one point game. San Saba pushed hard with their offense and as the 30 second warning horn sounded, there was a quick line change, and a San Saba player jumped on the line and found the whistle. Wroe converted the tying penalty shot to send the game into overtime as the crowd couldn’t believe their eyes! The sudden death chukker started first with a San Saba offensive run, but Eureka turned their defense into offense as they drove the ball towards their goal. Zubiaurre timed his defensive play, stealing the ball, turning it on the endline and delivering a pass to Wroe on his best playing pony Catwalk. Wroe grabbed the ball and let his pony run, carrying the ball the length of the field to score the golden goal, earning the overtime win for San Saba with the score of 11 to 10.