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Polo in the Pampas
Let the games begin Argentina’s Triple Crown finally gets started
By Lucas Noel • Photos by Sergio Llamera
Changes, injuries, controversies and a tight schedule—The Argentine Triple Crown begins without a crowd, but hotter than ever.
It took a while to decide when, how and where the best polo in the world was going to be played. The Argentine government established a long quarantine to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and the return of sports competition was not one of its priorities. For this reason, it was not until the end of
Poroto Cambiaso, second from left, will be cutting his teeth in the Argentine Triple Crown at just 14 years old, the youngest player ever to take part. October that the Tortugas Open was given the green light, which began Nov. 1 on the property the polo association owns in the town of Pilar and, logically, without an crowd. The Hurlingham Open will also be played in Pilar, while the Argentine Open will be played in Palermo.
As soon as the official start date of the season was announced, the first dispute between La Dolfina and Ellerstina was made public and it was not exactly on a playing pitch.
In view of Juan Martín Nero’s collarbone and left wrist fractures, Adolfo Cambiaso requested that his son be promoted from 4 to 6 goals and thus be able to play the trilogy of competitions. Normally, the governing institution of polo in any country evaluates the level of a polo player in its own tournaments and, in the case there is a gap between the quality of his game and the formal valuation, it decides to change his handicap. No minor fact: Poroto did not play officially in Argentina in the last six months.
“The AAP board approved the increase to 6 goals by Adolfo Cambiaso Jr., understanding that this exceptional increase does not mean any sporting advantage for the club he represents,” the entity announced its unusual decision and added, “This measure was taken with the power granted by article 9 of chapter 1 of the Technical Regulations of the Argentine Polo Association. Said article reads: In case of urgency, the handicap of the players may be modified at any time without proposal or report of the General Sub-Commission on Handicaps.”
Eduardo Novillo Astrada, president of the AAP, justified the measure, stating, “This was an emergency and it seemed to us something good in a complicated year for polo. It is good news among the bad ones, good news for the sponsors, communication and show business. Poroto was seen playing in the United States and England, where he was also increased to 6. We believe that with this, La Dolfina does not take advantage because it does not play with a better polo player or an undervalued one. Poroto is playing that handicap or missing a bit. The change is not for the sport but for the non-sporting: it will be better for the sponsors, for the people.” So, is it marketing or sporting merit? Or both?
The Pieres brothers have a totally opposite opinion. Gonzalo Jr. was categorical, “I find what the AAP does is very bad and very strange. They did not increase his handicap after the last season so he can be able to play in England. We are professionals and we make a living from polo. They hurt many teams, players and patrons who work and invest a lot. It is a lack of respect towards all players, clubs and polo in general. The AAP should represent all of polo, not just Cambiaso; that’s why it seems crazy to me, that’s why I think it’s crazy what they’ve been doing since December. Those who are in the AAP and do not agree with the decision should step aside and those of the Handicap Committee as well. Let them come out to explain how in December they voted for one thing and now in October for a
Argentine Open Nov. 28-Dec. 19
Ellerstina: .......................... 39 Facundo Pieres .....................................10 Hilario Ulloa .......................................10 Gonzalo Pieres Jr. ..................................9 Nicolás Pieres .......................................10
La Dolfina: ........................ 36 Poroto Cambiaso ....................................6 Pelon Stirling ......................................10 Pablo Mac Donough .............................10 Adolfo Cambiaso ..................................10 Juan Martin Nero..................................10 Alt. Rodrigo Andrade ..............................8 Alt. Iñaki Laprida....................................8
La Natividad-Las Monjitas. 36 Camilo Castagnola ................................8 Polito Pieres .........................................10 Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. .......................9 Ignatius Du Plessis ................................9
RS Murus Sanctus: ............ 35 Facundo Sola ........................................9 Francisco Elizalde ..................................8 Sapo Caset ...........................................10 Alfredo Cappella Barabucci ...................8
La Dolfina Polo Ranch: .... 33 Guillermo Terrera ..................................8 Juan Britos .............................................8 Deigo Cavanagh ......................................9 Alejo Taranco ..........................................8
Los Machitos: ..................... 31 Agustín Merlos .......................................8 Ignacio Toccalino ...................................8 Mariano Aguerre.....................................7 Santiago Toccalino..................................8
La Irenita: ......................... 30 Martín Podestá .......................................7 Juan Martín Zavaleta .............................8 Facundo Fernández Llorente ..................7 Juan Martín Zubía ..................................8
La Ensenada-La Aguada: .. 29 Segundo Bocchino ..................................6 Alfredo Bigatti ........................................8 Matías Torres Zavaleta ...........................8 Jerónimo Del Carril ................................7
*Plus top two teams from Qualifier completely different [thing]. Everything is being handled very strangely.”
Poroto Cambiaso, at the age of 14, made his debut in high-goal in the United States, where he won a pair of 26-goal tournaments in the World Polo League, before debuting in England’s high-goal, where he won the Gold Cup for the British Open and broke his father’s record as the youngest polo player to win it.
La Dolfina planned to have the two Adolfo Cambiasos on the pitch to form a 36-goal quartet. The best player in the world was positioned at back and his son at No. 1. That was until Pablo Mac Donough injured his jockey muscle just before the start of the Tortugas Open. Rodrigo Andrade stepped in to replace him until he returned for the Hurlingham Open. And in the first game of the Tortugas, David Stirling was injured. He was replaced in the next games by Iñaki Laprida and hopes to be back for the Argentine Open games.
Ellerstina, beyond the complaints, will also have to worry about the relocation of its teammates. With Hilario Ulloa joining the team, Gonzalo Jr. will move to No. 3 in order that Nicolás will move to back and Facundo to forward. The team from General Rodríguez also had a makeover of its uniforms and returned to its traditional blue.
One of the most interesting formations to watch this year will be La Natividad. The irreverence of the Castagnola brothers, Camilo and Bartolomé Jr., showed last season they have no qualms about challenging the mighty, and the return of Polito
Johor Ellertina’s Nico Pieres, Hilario Ulloa, Gonzalo Pieres and Facundo Pieres model their new jerseys.
RS Murus Sanctus’ Sapo Caset, Francisco Elizalde, Facundo Sola and Alfredo Cappella Barabucci Pieres has made the team stand out with his 10 goals.
Much is also expected of Murus Sanctus. The combination of Facundo Sola, Fran Elizalde, Guillermo Caset and Alfredo Cappella is promising because of their top-level backgrounds and the energy that characterizes the four when it comes to facing challenges. Nor should we rule out the functionality of La Dolfina Polo Ranch, the only line up that remains identical to last season and has Diego Cavanagh, who has not yet reached the ceiling of his performance.
This Triple Crown preview has all the seasonings to be captivating. The lack of crowd will inevitably take away its atmosphere, but there are so many questions, it will be impossible to take your eyes off
Pascual S. de Vicuña ..............................6 Juan Garcia Grossi ................................7 Bauti Bayugar ........................................8 Lucas James ...........................................7
Cría GT: .............................. 32 Joaquín Pittaluga ...................................8 Cristian Laprida .....................................8 Lerin Zubiaurre .....................................8 Iñaki Laprida .........................................8
Alegría ............................... 30 Gringo Colombres .................................7 Sebastián Merlos ....................................8 Ezequiel Martínez Ferrario.....................7 Fred Mannix............................................8
Los Machitos II: ................ 28 Genaro Ringa ........................................7 Lucas Díaz Alberdi ................................7 Torito Ruiz ............................................7 Martincito Aguerre .................................7
Coronel Suárez: ................. 28 Ignacio Negri .........................................7 Felipe Vercellino ....................................7 Marcos Araya...........................................7 Diego Araya.............................................7
La Irenita II: ..................... 29 Santiago Loza ........................................7 Tomás F. Llorente Jr. .............................7 Juan Ruiz Guiñazú .................................8 Pedro Falabella .......................................7
La Natividad’s Jeta Castagnola, Polito Pieres, Barto Castagnola and Nachi Du Plessis
*Top two teams play in the Argentine Open it. Will Poroto Cambiaso be up to the demands? Will Nero and Stirling recover for Palermo for the last performance of La Dolfina? Will Ulloa be the name Ellerstina was waiting for so long to break the hegemony of the Cañuelas four? How far can the Castagnola brothers fight? How justified are the illusions deposited on Murus Sanctus? As always, speculation will die on the green grass.
Due to time constraints, both the Tortugas (Nov. 1-10) and Hurlingham (Nov. 14-22) Opens were being played in a single-elimination format. The 10 teams competing in the Argentine Open will be divided into two brackets and the top team in each bracket will play the final. •
