Team Bin Drai win Dubai Challenge Cup

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Members of the victorious team pose with the trophy on Friday.

Dubai - Raúl Laplacette was the MVP of the final and mare Mili from patron Saeed Bin Drai was the BPP.

Published: Sat 2 Apr 2016, 10:47 PM

Bin Drai defeated Habtoor Polo 8-7 in the final to win the Dubai Challenge Cup title. The tournament - held under the patronage of Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai - was part of Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series.
Team made by patron Saeed Bin Drai, Tomás Iriarte, Matías Torres Zavaleta and Raúl Laplacette played a great final against a tough opponent to lift the trophy of the St. Regis International Cup held for the first time in the new Al Habtoor Polo Resort, a Press release said.
The final game was very tight and both teams battled hard for the victory. Despite a two goal gap with only two minutes to go, Bin Drai suffered till the very end to achieve the final victory.
Raúl Laplacette was the MVP of the final and mare Mili from patron Saeed Bin Drai was the BPP.
The final of the Bentley Cup, held before the Dubai Challenge Cup, saw Wolves Polo Team (Ahmed Al Habtoor, Agustín Canale, Diego Araya and Jerónimo del Carril) defeat Edrees 8-7 in OT to win the title.
It was another great match, played at a great polo level that had to be decided in extra chukker. A 30 yard penalty scored by Diego Araya gave Wolves team the victory and the trophy.
Part of Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series, the 18-goal tournament - one of the highest handicap tournaments in the region - ran from March 18 to Friday April 1 at the new Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club.
Mohammed Al Habtoor founded the Dubai Gold Cup Series in 2009. Since then it has grown in tandem with the city of Dubai. Today it is one of the highest handicap tournaments in the Middle East and the fourth largest of its kind after Argentina, the US and the UK.
The Gold Cup Series is split into two tournaments: the McLaren Silver Cup and the Julius Baer Gold Cup and played under the banner of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA). It attracts polo stars from around the world, VIPs, socialites as well as senior corporate executives from across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
This year in 2016, The Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series reached to have a number of 5 tournaments under its umbrella (Silver Cup, Polo Masters Cup, Gold Cup, Dubai Challenge Cup and Dubai Cup).