The Setai Captures High Alpine Cup; Jason Crowder Named MVP
CARBONDALE, Colo., August 4, 2025---The Setai won its first tournament of the summer polo season Sunday at Aspen Vallley Polo Club.
By Sharon Robb
The Setai (Silver Novillo Astrada, Jason Crowder, Nic Roldan, Alejandro Novillo Astrada) won the High Alpine Cup, the sixth tournament of the season, with a convincing 13-7 victory over Audi (Tomacho Pieres, Grant Ganzi, Santi Toccalino) in the round robin final. Mountain Chevrolet (Michael Payne, Sugar Erskine, Hilario Figueras, Nacho Novillo Astrada) finished third.
For his outstanding all-around play, Jason Crowder was Most Valuable Player.
Machitos Boogie, a 6-year-old dark bay mare played by Tomacho Pieres and owned by Wellington-based Santa Rita Polo Farm (Machitos Califa Clone 1/Machitos Blusera), was American Polo Horse Association Best Playing Pony. Cuarentan (40), a gray mare owned and played by Nic Roldan was AVPC Best Playing Pony.
In the opening game of the nine-chukker round robin, The Setai got off to a quick start against Mountain Chevrolet with back-to-back goals from Roldan and Crowder to take a 9-3 lead (scores were carried over from Friday's opening round). The Setai went on to win, 10-7.
In the second game, Audi broke open a close game late in the first chukker. Toccalino hit Grant Ganzi on a 130-yard pass to enable Ganzi to score for a 7-4 lead going into the second chukker. Audi went on to win, 10-7, setting up the final against The Setai.
In Friday's opening round robin play, Audi defeated Mountain Chevrolet, 5-3; The Setai edged Mountain Chevrolet, 4-3; and The Setai and Audi tied, 5-5.
Silver Novillo Astrada, at 15 the youngest player on the field, led The Setai with six goals. Grant Ganzi led Audi with three goals. Michael Payne finished with five goals and was leading scorer for Mountain Chevrolet.
The Setai Miami Beach is a longtime supporter of polo. The Setai competes in the annual World Polo League Beach Polo World Cup and hosts The Setai for Apres Polo, an exclusive evening celebration featuring cocktails, music, and mingling under the Miami Beach sky. The Setai also sponsored a team in the U.S. Open during the winter season in Wellington.
The Setai, located on Collins Avenue oceanfront, is a diamond among hotels in Miami Beach, where guests feel inspired by a place where undivided attention is tailored to their unique sensibilities and where East meets West.
In the club's other polo action:
In Sunday's Kidz Wheelie Polo doubleheader, Polo School Green (Facundo Novillo Astrada, Mia Pieres, Silver Novillo Astrada) edged Polo School Purple (Cande Toccalino, Izzy Novillo Astrada, Benjamin Toccalino), 13-12, in the first game. Silver Novillo Astrada had a game-high nine goals. Izzy Novillo Astrada led Polo School Purple with five goals.
In the second game, Polo School Green (Cande Toccalino, Izzy Novillo Astrada, Mia Pieres) defeated Polo School Purple (Benjamin Toccalino, Facundo Novillo Astrada, Ashe Erskine), 14-2. Izzy Novillo Astrada led with six goals followed by Cande Toccalino with five goals and Mia Pieres with three. Benjamin Toccalino scored his team's two goals.
In Tuesday night's Twilight Series before the entertaining Drone Show, The Setai (Silver Novillo Astrada, Grant Ganzi, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Nacho Novillo Astrada) and Santa Rita (Benjamin Toccalino, Jason Crowder, Sugar Erskine, Santi Toccalino) played to an 8-8 tie. Silver Novillo Astrada had a game-high seven goals and Alejandro Novillo Astrada added one goal. Benjamin Toccalino had a team-high six goals. Sugar Erskine and Santi Toccalino each added one goal.
Mountain Chevrolet was denied its three-peat on Sunday. Last year Mountain Chevrolet won for the second year in a row. Mountain Chevrolet (Fran Spinacci, 1, Michael Payne, 1, Pablo Spinacci, 5, Gonzalito Pieres, 9) defended its 2023 title by defeating Casablanca (Michael Calle, 1, Santos Bollini, 2, Grant Ganzi, 3, Nic Roldan, 8), 9-8.
The High Alpine Cup is named after a Snowmass ski area/lift and High Alpine, an evolution to the legacy of Gwyn’s, a longtime Snowmass favorite, located mid-mountain at the Snowmass Ski Area.
Among this season's highlights are the new "Polo Is Beautiful" Beach Club on Sundays; weekly Twilight Polo Nights and Drone Show featuring Tuesday Night Arena and Twilight Polo, an exclusive series through August 26; and Aug. 17th Summer Polo Charity Classic to benefit Aspen Valley Health Foundation.
The "Polo Is Beautiful" Beach Club is open every Sunday during the summer season from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. VIP Beach Club tickets are available at aspenvalleypoloclub.com. Ticket holders are treated to handcrafted cocktails, traditional Argentine asado with a variety of meats including steak and sausages and always entertaining live DJ music. The Beach Club showcases lounge spaces furnished by Arhaus on beach sand and also Cold Plunge pools by Crystal River Spas, beach chairs and umbrellas with great fieldside views.
Other highlights are the Aug. 21-24 Triple Crown of Polo-Aspen and Silver Queen Invitational doubleheader and August 26 Aspen Arena Series Final.
The remaining summer tournaments are this week's August 7-10 Mount Sopris Cup, August 7-17 Rocky Mountain Open, August 14-17 Carbondale Classic and Aug. 28-31 season-finale Maroon Bells Cup.
The club's 12th season kicked off the July Fourth weekend. To open the 2025 season, Wellington-based 3 Graces Polo, making its Aspen debut, won both the Independence Cup (Rebecca Cohen, Nacho Novillo Astrada, Nic Roldan, Juan Bollini) and ChukkerTV Cup (Rebecca Cohen, Nic Roldan, Alejandro Novillo Astrada). McClure River Ranch (Roberto Poma/Ale Poma, Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Hilario Figueras) won the Craig Sakin Memorial. Mountain Chevrolet (Michael Payne, Sugar Erskine, Nic Roldan, Grant Ganzi) won the Basalt Handicap. Audi (Grant Ganzi, Nic Roldan, Juan Bollini) won the Emma Challenge with an 11-10 overtime victory over defending champion Los Amigos Red (Alejandra Foster, Melissa Ganzi, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, Nacho Novillo Astrada).
With a vision for the community and surrounding areas, the Ganzi family resurrected the club and polo in 2014. Since then polo has increased in popularity in Aspen and surrounding cities with the club's offerings of various weekly grass and arena tournaments, Arena & Asado Nights, Kidz Polo, "Polo Is Beautiful" Beach Club, Twilight Polo Series and Drone Show, Kidz Wheelie Polo, Gymkhana, Christmas In July, The Polo School at AVPC and Polo On Demand.
Aspen Valley Polo Club caters to men, women and youth polo players at all levels. Its' expert staff can customize a complete playing experience including horses, pros and certified umpires in addition to lessons and practice sessions as part of its' Polo On Demand program.
For more information on leagues or Polo School contact Polo School Director Juan Bollini at 561-346-1099.
