By Liz Leamy
Last Sunday was another golden summer moment full of high drama at the Greenwich Polo Club as FlyHouse edged out La Fe 17-16 in a thrilling first-round series match to mark a dramatic kickoff of the 2025 Interactive Brokers East Coast Gold Cup tournament that will be running through the month of July.
Clearly, these two formidable 16-goal teams were firing on all cylinders as all of the players and ponies flew around the vast Conyers Farm Field with remarkable speed and skill throughout this match, much to the exhilaration of the more than 3,000 people there in attendance.
In the end, FlyHouse triumphed over La Fe, the 2025 East Coast Silver Cup champions, due to the fact that Ezekiel Martinez (Wayne) Ferrario, the team’s firecracker six goaler, knocked in his contingent’s winning goal in overtime with incredible quickness and resolution to put his team at the top of the leaderboard over La Fe, which they had been tied with, 16-16 at the conclusion of the sixth chukker.
For the players, it was just about doing their best and giving it all they had.
“La Fe is a great team and we knew we had to be very strong,” said Ferrario, who has emerged as a big Greenwich Polo Club crowd since he first commenced playing there several years ago. “It was good being out there today.”
His teammates agreed.
“It was a really tough game and we were fighting until the end. We just tried to do our best, that’s what mattered more than anything,” said Nicolas Diaz Alberdi, FlyHouse’s electric four goaler who was named Most Valuable Player of the match and whose brother, Lucas Diaz Alberdi, the renowned six goaler, played the number three position for La Fe. “It’s always great to play here.”
Notably, the five-star standard of Alberdi, Ferrario and everyone else involved in this showdown, both equine and human, was much appreciated by the crowd, who cheered for all them all the way from its start to finish, something that further designated the energy of the event as electric.
“We always want to give 100 percent out there,” said Ferrario.
The ever-powerful and mesmerizing faction of polo horses who played at an optimal level were also a huge crowd favorite with Valdi, a stunning charge ridden and lead by Lucio Fernandez Ocampo of La Fe, being named Best Playing Pony of the match due to his skills, quickness and work during the fourth and sixth chukkers.
It was particularly poignant to see onlookers, most of who were watching the game from the club’s famous wooden grandstand or at one of its many white tents, cabanas and also tables and chairs set up alongside the field, be so involved the action-packed happenings of this high-goal face-off, designating this as an interactive and collaborative experience on so many fronts.
At the same time, streams of people could be seen who were lined up at one of the food trucks and/or visiting the retail vendors at this event, including the ever-popular Greenwich Polo Club store that is operated and managed by Mark and Michael Steinberg, owners of TrailNetwork merchandise company based in Port Chester, New York and partner of the Greenwich Polo Club.
“It’s always great being here. You can see everyone is always having such a nice time,” said Mark Steinberg. “I also think people come to the store in order to bring home memories of being here and that really means everything to us.”
Others concurred.
“This is an amazing place,” said Alan Johnson of Greenwich whose band, Mojo, was playing at the Cottages and Gardens Media Players Tent throughout the afternoon. “You’ve got a world-class sport here with amazing horses and players, nature and people from so many different places all coming together on a summer Sunday afternoon. I mean, how much better can it be?”
Note: The six-team high-goal entry roster of the 2025 Interactive Brokers East Coast Silver Cup Tournament consists of FlyHouse, La Fe, Ronin Capital, Land Rover, Dracarys and DaVinci Windows.
For more information, please visit the Greenwich Polo Club website at: www.greenwichpoloclub.com
