The entire Estudillo Family was present, including their 101 year old Grandmother. We are honored to welcome the family and friends of the Gutierrez & Estudillo families each year.
Senora Estudillo had the honor of throwing in the first ball to begin the final match of the Fernando Gutierrez Memorial Cup.
Things started off hot in the first chukker with Nick Mathers scoring 2 and Mariano Fassetta scoring 1 for Hanalei Bay/Sycamore. Diego Velarde of Twin Palms/San Fernando scored 1. By half time, the score was even 5 to 5. Chris Maloney played a great game, scoring two on the afternoon for Twin Palms/San Fernando.
After half time, things really started heating up with back and forth goals throughout the last chukkers. The 6th chukker proved to be an exciting one with Diego Velarde and Gaston VonWernich scoring 3 for Twin Palms/San Fernando and Ashton Wolf, Mariano Fassetta, and Krista Bonaguidi scoring 3 for Hanalei Bay/Sycamore. The crowd was loving the cat and mouse game, each team chasing each other down the field. The game went into over time.
In overtime, Twin Palms/San Fernando’s number 2 position, Diego Velarde took the ball to the goal and scored the winning team for Twin Palms/San Fernando!
Chris Maloney’s horse in the 4th chukker won Best Playing Pony.
During intermission earlier in the day, John Brokenshire of the Free Wheelchair Project introduced this fantastic charity. The San Diego Polo Club was honored to welcome the Free Wheelchair Mission to our Sunday polo event. After learning about the Free Wheelchair Mission and the inexpensive cost to literally lift spirits and lives, we knew we had to promote this charity in front of a large group of people.
Having Vietnamese wheelchair recipient, Lihn Nguyen in attendance was truly special for our audience and tugged on the heartstrings of many. When you see the enthusiasm and passion behind the charity’s volunteers and staff, you know their mission is true and important. We are thrilled the San Diego Polo Club helped save the lives of over 100 disadvantaged individuals and families across the globe. There are some things you just know to be true in your heart, and this charity is one of them.
Through live and silent auction, we are able to donate 115 wheelchairs to those in need!
In addition to this absolutely fantastic day, Land Rover of San Diego display their luxury vehicles throughout the event. Visit them and say hi to owner, Jason Puga for us!
We also had a HUGE crowd of Ivy League Alumni in attendance, especially from Harvard and MIT. If you’d like to host an alumni mixer or event at SDPC, comment and let us know!
Thank you for a wonderful start to our season! We’ll return on August 18 with Aloha Sunday, a fun, island-inspired family event. If you can believe it, the best has yet to come!