WELLINGTON, FL-April 5, 2014----

 

RBC Wealth Management pulled off a stunning upset to advance into Saturday's Senator Cup championship final against Phelps Media Group in the 5th Annual International Gay Polo League Tournament at windswept Grand Champions Polo Club.

 

RBC Wealth Management (Rafik Boughadou, Dan Haynia, Jean-Marc Herrouin, Nic Roldan) knocked off defending champion Gordon W. Ross Team ReMAX, 3-2, in the final round-robin game on Friday to clinch a spot in the final.

 

Rafik Boughadou, making his GPL tournament debut, scored the winning goal on a penalty shot with less than one minute remaining to clinch the win for RBC Wealth Management.

 

"It feels great to score the winning goal," Boughadou said. "It's just being lucky, I was just there. Our strategy was everyone stayed with their man. I have a great team. This is my first tournament. I am thrilled and very happy to be in the final.

 

"It's wonderful to be among great people," Boughadou said. "Everyone is so encouraging. I was a little bit more nervous at the beginning. What helped me a lot was Jean-Marc telling me yesterday I was going to do great. He knew it was my first time. It's that encouragement and team work that helped."

 

Gordon W. Ross Team ReMAX (Mark Bennett, Frank Galdon, Gordon W. Ross, Alejandro Novillo Astrada) won last year's Senator's Cup in a rain-abbreviated 2-1 win over Polo Gear/Palm Beach Rox.

 

 

RBC Wealth Management overcame a 2-0 (both goals by Ross) deficit late in the game. Dan Haynia, last year's Most Improved Player, rallied his team with two goals at the 3:10 mark after a big pass from pro Nic Roldan and at 2:28 after a nice run downfield.

 

"All I wanted to do was play well and I played well, I did everything I wanted to do," Haynia said. "Now we're in the finals. Nic is a great player, he's a great guy. He gives us input on the field and he helps us.

 

"I am finally comfortable on the horses," Haynia said. "They are very fast and very strong so you just have to go with them. You have conversations with them, sometimes you win and sometimes they win."

 

Haynia played for Polo Gear/Palm Beach Rox in last year's final. "Last year I felt denied, we were in the finals and it got rained out after the first chukker. I scored a nice one in the pouring rain and had a little momentum going and wanted to finish but I didn't get that chance."

 

Phelps Media Group (Gina Padilla, Ezequiel Ortiz Berne, Talbot Logan, Juan Bollini) advanced into the final with an impressive 5-2 victory over JP Morgan (Brad Henry, Liz Ryan, Jack Hoffman, Joey Casey) in the opening game.??Berne and Padilla each scored two goals and Logan added another on a 60-yarder. Phelps Media Group had leads of 3-0 in the third chukker and 4-1 in the fourth chukker.

 

"I did think we would be playing Gordon," Logan said. "He had a really strong team and just came off a big 8-goal win in the desert. He has been playing at the top of his game. The final is going to be a close, very open game.

 

"I am glad to be playing with these guys," Logan said. "We had a lot of fun today. Poor Jack, he's got to root for either his husband or for me. Everyone played well today. Just to have a chance to play here with the Ganzis and their horses, it's just a dream come true. This is the closest I will get to heaven in this lifetime."

 

Berne, who lives part-time in Miami, is from Argentina and works in public relations for La Dolfina, the Argentine-based team of Adolfo Cambiaso, the world's greatest player who has been coaching Berne along with Juan Martin Nero and Pablo MacDonough. Berne has made remarkable progress since his GPL debut last year.

 

Cedar Crest Stables (Jed Pearsall, Phil Tremo, Chip McKenney, Miguel Novillo Astrada), JP Morgan and Gordon W. Ross Team ReMAX will play a round robin to determine the Founder's Cup champion. In last year's game, Cedar Crest Stables defeated Wellington Coalition, 6-5, in the subsidiary game.

 

In other round robin games, Gordon W. Ross Team ReMAX defeated Cedar Crest Stables, 2-1. Galdon and Ross scored for Team ReMAX and McKenney had his team's only goal. Cedar Crest and RBC Wealth Management tied, 2-2. Haynia scored two goals and Pearsall and Tremo each scored a goal.

 

"I am pleased with the competitiveness of this tournament because it really reflects the growth of our players as athletes and as polo players," said McKenney, founder and present of the GPL. "I am also thrilled we introduced five new members to our teams.

 

"Today the best teams won," McKenney said. "I think the game will be a heavily-contested match. I am really happy for Dan. Every year he has gotten better and better. I am happy that it means so much to each player when they play well here. Everybody will go home with a prize tomorrow."

 

A record five teams competed on the first day of the two-day tournament, the largest single-day sporting event hosted in the history of Grand Champions Polo Club.??Boughadou was one of five new players making their tournament debut. The others were Liz Ryan of Delray Beach, Brad Henry of Lake Worth, and Jed Pearsall of Newport, and Frank Galdon, a late addition to the Gordon W. Ross Team ReMAX lineup for injured player Dwight Tran, all played well.

 

For the second day in a row, the GPL tournament will be live-streamed worldwide by Florida-based PoloNow Network, innovators of the instant replay, team challenges and reviews at Grand Champions, the first polo club to use it in the world.

 

Haynia and Ross are among six players who are making their fifth consecutive GPL appearance. The others are Jack Hoffman, Jean-Marc Herrouin, Talbot Logan and Chip McKenney, founder and Executive Director of the Gay Polo League.

 

A sellout crowd is expected to attend Saturday's full day of activities attracting fans from all over the world. Since its first year, the GPL has grown from 1,500 to more than 5,000 fans.??Known as polo's version of Woodstock, the tailgate contests play a big role in the event along with music, food, entertainment, vendor tents and week-long list of social festivities.

 

About the Gay Polo League:

 

GPL is a community that shares a love for adventure, fun and the challenging sport of polo. GPL is committed to providing members with an enjoyable, supportive and competitive experience.??GPL represents a wide range of ages, backgrounds and skill levels. GPL trains and competes in mainstream matches and events while sharing enthusiasm for the sport, to change perceptions about our community.??For more information about GPL visit www.gaypolo.com.

 

The 5th Annual International Gay Polo Week Presented by Cobble Court Interior Fast Facts:

 

Saturday, April 5: International Gay Polo Tournament at Grand Champions Polo Club??Sunday, April 6: GPL Polo Brunch at International Polo Club Palm Beach

 

The 5th Annual International Gay Polo Tournament

 

Where: Grand Champions Polo Club?On the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road in Wellington, FL

 

When: Saturday, April 5, 2014? 

Time: Polo Matches start at 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.        Gates open at noon 

 

Tickets for Saturday and Sunday events, call (561) 753-3389 or click here 

 

Saturday The 5th Annual International Gay Polo Tournament Options:

 

VIP Tables: $1,000 includes seating for six center field, open bar, gourmet food,

table side service throughout the polo matches and VIP Valet Parking? 

 

Individual VIP Tickets: $200

 

Tailgate Price: $375, includes tent, six tickets and one field-side parking place

 

Valet Parking: $25??General Admission: $25 (parking additional)

 

General Admission Parking: $10

 

Sunday GPL Polo Brunch at International Polo Club Pavilion: $125 per person