If you've ever had one of those days when nothing seems to go your way, you'll have an idea of how Audi was feeling during the U.S. Open Championship final at International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida on April 17. On the other hand, all the stars seemed to be aligned for Audi's opponent, Lechuza Caracas. While Audi missed crucial goals, members of Lechuza seemed to be scoring even the most difficult shots at will.

But everything hadn't always been so rosy for Lechuza Caracas. It had reached the final of the Open only once before, in 2003 when C-Spear dashed its hopes. And it was almost two years to the day when the team suffered a horrific tragedy when a number of its horses died during the Open tournament.

In preparation for the team's Open semifinal match on April 19, 2009, 21 of the team's horses were injected with Biodyl, a French-made vitamin supplement basically containing vitamin B-12, selenium, magnesium and potassium, to help recover quicker after playing. Biodyl isn't approved by the FDA, so the team's veterinarian ordered it through Franck's Pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy in Ocala, Florida. Soon after the horses were injected, they began collapsing and dying. Every horse that had been injected with the substance soon died.

A year later, Franck's Pharmacy issued a statement saying the strength of an ingredient in medication mixed for use by the team was flawed. An investigation by the Food and Drug Administration determined the pharmacy had used a fatal dose of selenium in the mixture. Since then the FDA has taken Franck's Pharmacy to court over what it has called illegal veterinary compounding. Members of the Lechuza team have also filed suit against Franck's Pharmacy for the horses' deaths. Those suits are still pending.

Understandably, the players were devastated by the loss of their horses but they vowed to come back. They immediately got to work rebuilding their strings. Victor Vargas, the team's owner, believed in his players and kept the team largely the same, with Juan Martin Nero and Sapo Caset in the center, while adjusting the fourth player to accommodate handicap changes. A year later the team was back in the lineup for the high-goal season. It managed to reach the semifinal after finishing second in its bracket, but Audi stopped it in its tracks. This year, the team was determined to do even better.

Juan Martin Nero explained, "In previous years, we always lacked something when we needed it most. Last year we were short of horses, but this season we did what we had to. It was obvious in the decisive hour."

This year Lechuza certainly did seem to be finding its stride. It edged Valiente 10-9 in the final of the first 26-goal, the C.V. Whitney Cup, and made it to the final of the next tournament, the Gold Cup. While most expected the Adolfo Cambiaso-led Crab Orchard team to dominate the season, it was Lechuza that was making the finals each time. It was up against a strong Audi squad in the Gold Cup final, eventually losing in extra time.

When the U.S. Open games began, the Lechuza teammates were playing well together, except that Vargas was sidelined with back pain. He was replaced in the preliminary matches by Matt Coppola. The Open had 12 teams, divided into four brackets, which were divided into two sections. The teams played a cross-bracket format with the other teams in its section.

Two teams in each section, Pony Express and Orchard Hill in Section 1 and Faraway and Piaget in Section 2, failed to win an Open game and were eliminated, dropping into a subsidiary Hall of Fame Cup. In Section 1, Audi and Bendabout finished 3- 0, Valiente was 2-1 and Las Monjitas 1-2. In Section 2, Crab Orchard and Hawks were 3-0, Lechuza was 2-1 and Zacara was 1-2. Though Crab Orchard had won all its matches up to that point, it was clearly not the same team that swept last year's high-goal season. It had talented players, but its defense was not as strong as the previous year when Julio Arellano opened holes for Cambiaso to break through.

Audi started out a bit rough early on in the season but was beginning to find its stride too. Las Monjitas ended Crab Orchard's chances and Lechuza downed Bendabout in the first quarterfinal games. The next day, Audi beat Zacara while Valiente slipped Hawks. The semifinal matches were played a few days later and both games were very competitive, each won by just a goal. A confident Audi team edged Valiente 9-8 in the first semi. The next day, Lechuza and Las Monjitas battled it out to the end, with Lechuza taking the win in sudden death. This set up a match between two really good teams in the final. Vargas was expecting to make his Open debut in the semifinal but didn't make it, leaving people wondering if he would play in the final. Either way, at the USPA's annual meetings, most people were anticipating an action-packed, thrilling game.

Lechuza's 10-goal Nero and 9-goal Caset would be backed up by 6-goal Martin Espain. Audi's No. 1 Marc Ganzi said, "We were very concerned about Sapo. Our game plan was to shut him down and we did a fairly good job on him. ..." Ganzi had 10- goal Gonzalito Pieres captaining the team with 8-goal Rodrigo Andrade at Back and 7- goal Nico Pieres at No. 2.

Final day began like any other year. Traffic began backing up hours before the throw-in as spectators made their way through the gates. Brunch was served to guests in the Nespresso Grand Pavilion on the east side of the field, while players and their families and friends gathered in the Mallet Grill. The Audi and Lechuza teams' horses were lined up on the tie lines getting prepared for the biggest game of the year. The players were stretching, trying to relax and anticipating a tough battle.

As game time approached, people began making their way to their seats. Soon everyone was craning their necks trying to get a glimpse of the skydivers who were aiming for a soft landing at midfield. One anxious player began to stick-and-ball on the field but was soon asked to wait until the skydivers touched down.

Victor Vargas mounted up for his first Open game this season. Before long, the players had gotten a chance to warm up, paraded around the field, listened to the national anthem and were ready for the coin toss by actor George Hamilton to determine which goals the teams would be aiming for to start the match.

By the time the umpire threw in the first ball, the players and spectators were anxious for the action to begin. Victor Vargas proved he was rested and feeling good when he scored the first goal of the match. Then Sapo Caset got the ball and scored from 100 yards out at full speed. Later, the umpire's whistle stopped the action and Audi was awarded a Penalty 2, which Gonzalito Pieres popped into the goal. Lechuza shot at goal and missed, but 10-goal Juan Martin Nero succeeded on the next try with a magnificent 120-yard shot along the boards that miraculously found the mark.

Down 3-1, Pieres converted another Penalty 2, the only goal in the second chukker. In the third, jaws dropped when Sapo Caset split the uprights on a Penalty 5 from the spot, just shy of midfield. Caset scored again while, remarkably, Audi failed to find the goal. Pieres' horses, which earlier in the season were incredible to watch, seemed flat and Pieres himself seemed to be struggling. Overall, the team was just not working well together. Lechuza, on the other hand, was thriving. Nero and Caset were working well together, Vargas was hitting well and Espain was playing a solid Back. The first half closed with Lechuza on top 5-2.

Lechuza had a flawless tactical game plan in my view. [Coach] Roberto Gonzalez and Juan Martin are clever tacticians. Their plan was to play intense defense on us, cut our angles when we attacked and not let us get into a hit-and-run game. ... Teams that had let us impose our will and style on them didn't fare well and Lechuza knew this. I commend Lechuza for [its] tactics. We were slow to react and adapt to that ..." explained Ganzi.

Audi had some work to do if it was to win the game, but it certainly wasn't out of reach. Ganzi said, "We were calm at halftime. We felt we had bad luck and that was frustrating us ... It was not the end of the world from our view. Tactically we felt good and believed we could come back if the shots would find their mark."

An extended halftime allowed spectators to stretch their legs as they made their way to the vehicles parked at midfield dispensing complimentary champagne and ice cream bars. In contrast to last year, the sun was shining brightly and the heat had spectators snapping up hand-held fans emblazoned in polo team colors.

Reinvigorated, the teams made their way back on the field. But once the ball was in play, it was apparent the momentum hadn't changed. Nero nailed a shot for Lechuza but Audi's struggles continued. The chukker ended with Lechuza leading by four goals. In the fifth, Caset easily converted a Penalty 2. Nico Pieres made a run for Audi easily stroking the ball in front of the pack with brother Gonzalito following. It seemed like a certain goal but the last tap shot sent the ball wide. When Nero scored the next goal, putting Lechuza ahead 8-2, it seemed the game was all but over. Gonzalito converted his third Penalty 2 before the chukker ended.

Audi needed a miracle if it was going to win. And it nearly got one. Andrade came out on his large chestnut gelding and went to work stopping Lechuza in its tracks. This allowed Nico Pieres to show his stuff. He scored the team's first field goal early in the sixth. Andrade split the uprights and Nico scored again. The spectators finally had the action they had hoped for. Audi had cut its deficit down to two with just under two minutes remaining. But Lechuza didn't intend on letting the game slip through its grasp. It fought back and held on as time expired, leaving La Lechuza Caracas with the 8-6 win and the right to have its name engraved on the historic trophy.

I was very hopeful in the sixth chukker but time was too short," said Ganzi. We really needed one more goal in the fifth, honestly. But we made the game very interesting and had the game been a chukker longer, I really liked our chances. Their shots were no longer falling and our shots finally were. The momentum had shifted."

As the players made their way back to the tents, the emotions were flowing. "It was a definition like a Hollywood movie, very emotional," said Caset. "After what happened two years ago, we had set a goal to be back on top as soon as possible. It was a big effort for all of us to reorganize and remain as candidates. This year we improved our horses and here are the results."

At the trophy presentation, Andrade's last chukker horse, Zoltan, was named Best Playing Pony. Caset's string was named Best String of the Open and Nero was named Most Valuable Player.

The MVP award recognizes the best player only for what he did on a certain day. It would be fairer if the team was rewarded. I looked better because I had three teammates who did what they had to do to support me," explained Nero. "This victory was a reward for the sacrifices of the entire team. It was a great effort to reorganize after the 2009 events. It was not easy at all, and for me, it was a big responsibility to deliver maximum results."

A day after the tournament, Espain was raised to 7 goals and Caset was raised to 10 goals. "Luckily I was able to reach 10 goals and meet one of my life's dreams," explained Caset. "Three years ago when we started playing together, Victor Vargas told me he was going to support me. He told me he had faith that I would climb from 8 goals to 10. He gave me the opportunity to be properly mounted and to play with such big players as Juanma Nero and Martin Espain, enabling me to improve. And I did it!"

Looking back, Ganzi regrets not having changed the team's tactics quicker when Lechuza showed a more defensive posture. "At the end of the fifth we changed our throw-ins, moving me to Back to mark Juan Martin and that is when momentum shifted for us. ... We should have changed our throwins to start the second half. Perhaps that could have given us the spark we needed," he said. "But on the season as a whole I have no regrets. It was a special season and one I will remember for a long time. ... Our finals with Lechuza have been memorable through the years so I am happy for my friend Victor Vargas. He is a good sportsman and a fitting champion for what he has put into Florida high-goal through the years."