December 2021 Polo Players' Edition- A Warrior Returns

A Warrior Returns

Triple Crown Pre-Season Unites Feuding Families

By Lucas Noel • Photos by Sergio Llamera

Fran Elizalde comes up short trying to hook Poroto Cambiaso in the San Jorge final.

The Argentine spring season began in early September with a special story. A triumph mixed the return of one of the most winning names of this century in Palermo with representatives of the new blood rising in the most important polo of all.

Bartolomé ‘Lolo’ Castagnola was back to La Catedral at the age of 51 to share a team with his son Bartolomé Jr., his nephew Adolfo ‘Poroto’ Cambiaso and ‘Lukin’ Monteverde, son of Lucas Monteverde, a friend and former partner at La Dolfina. The combination was a resounding success for La Natividad in the 53rd Open of the Club Hípico Militar San Jorge—the San Jorge Open, a competition that inaugurates the high-goal season.

“It had been five years since I last played and the truth is that I had planned not to play anymore, but doing it with the boys is a lot of fun. I didn’t want to come because I was out of shape, but they insisted and I came. I’m very happy. Coming back to Palermo and playing with them was a pleasure,” confessed Lolo once the tournament was over.

In the team’s debut, they won 14-10 against La Dolfina BP, a line-up that included Adolfo Cambiaso, Diego Cavanagh, Alejo Taranco and Malaysian patron James Beh. The match was characterized by the amusing duels between the Cambiaso father and son and the crosses between the brothers-in-law Adolfo and Lolo, who shared several years and titles playing together on La Dolfina, but then distanced themselves when the Argentine multi-champion was reorganized.

Castagnola and Cambiaso had been like brothers since childhood, and became relatives in adulthood when Castagnola married Camila Cambiaso, Adolfo’s sister. As teammates, they won seven Palermo Opens. According to Adolfo, they drifted apart more than 10 years ago when he stopped playing with Lolo on his team.

Cambiaso, arguably the best polo player in the world, founded La Dolfina in 2000 when he and Castagnola left Ellerstina. Eventually, Cambiaso made the decision to dispense with Castagnola and Monteverde and bring in Pablo Mac Donough and Juan Martín Nero.

According to Lolo, the breakup was due to “things that go beyond polo, not because of a team. And he knows it well.” They stopped seeing each other even though they are relatives and neighbors. At different times in the last decade, both were asked if they ever got together to share an asado after the traumatic separation. The common answer was always negative.

Last year, in the middle of the pandemic when both were about to travel to England for the British season, they played two practices together with their children and gave each other the talk they should have long ago.

Lolo told the newspaper La Nación how that conversation went. He said, “There were no insults, no recriminations. I told him that I was talking to him for Poroto, for my children, for the family relationship. We are already grown up, they have the whole future ahead of them.”

Cambiaso, for his part, recognized the need to mend fences, saying in part, “We are better; there is a kind of rapprochement. Let’s say it’s like a step forward.” However, the relationship between them still has a huge wall in between. The wounds caused 10 years ago in a stable in Santa Barbara, when Cambiaso confirmed to Castagnola that for 2011 there would be a new La Dolfina line-up, are not yet completely healed.

This is the root of why it was so important to see them together, laughing on a polo field, sharing a tournament with their children.

In the match that defined the title, La Natividad was even more forceful than in its debut. Although La Dolfina Doctor 2U (Joevy Beh, Tomás Panelo, Francisco Elizalde, Facundo Sola) started the match with mobility and concentration, the cast in green jerseys was able to impose its hierarchy. After a first chukker in which La Dolfina led, La Natividad turned the score around in the second period and managed to take a wide advantage of seven goals by the fifth chukker. The performance of ‘Barto’ Castagnola, author of eight goals and top scorer of the tournament with 13, was outstanding. He multiplied in attack, took advantage of every opportunity he had to increase the difference and showed why he is considered one of the great prospects of Argentine polo.

La Natividad’s Lukin Monteverde, Poroto Cambiaso, Barto Castagnola and Lolo Castagnola won the San Jorge Open.

Although LD Doctor 2U tried to recover in the last period and delivered a great display of commitment in their attempt to turn the tide, nothing could take away the justice of winning the Duke of Edinburgh Cup for La Natividad.

The tournament was also very important for the aforementioned Malaysians James and Joevy Beh, father and son, who played two very good matches and were close to Barto in goal scoring: Joevy, second with 11; and James, 65 years old, third with 10. At the awards ceremony and after the words of the president of the Argentine Polo Association, Delfín Uranga, James received a plaque of appreciation for his contribution to polo. But, obviously, he was not the only one honored.

Among the horses, Dolfina Melina, ridden by ‘Lolo’ Castagnola, was awarded Best Playing Pony of the final by the AAP; while the Argentine Polo Horse Breeders Association’s blanket for Best Registered Polo Argentino Product went to Chalo La Niña Loli, ridden by ‘Barto’ Castagnola.

A few days later, action began in the Campeonato Abierto Del Jockey Club De Buenos Aires—the Jockey Club Open.

The eventual winners started playing together when they were 13 and 14 years old in the U-18 category. They quickly managed to stand out as the most prominent names of their age group. And in the run-up to the kick-off of the Argentine high-goal season they have taken another step towards the next level: to be a reality in the polo elite.

The fresh, renewed and vibrant polo of La Ensenada made its debut three years ago. And this year, it conquered its first title. For Juan Britos, Juan Martín Zubía and Alfredo Bigatti, the 17-12 victory over La H in the final of the Jockey Club Open is undoubtedly the most important success in their young careers. It is so because of the conquest of the cup itself and because of the magnitude of the rival they overcame in the final, a line-up that included the Ulloa brothers and Gonzalo Pieres Jr. And although La Ensenada’s Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. had already won the Queen’s Cup and the British Open, he can place this victory together with the Republic Cup in his trophy cabinet in Argentina.

MVP Barto Castagnola, right, gets by Hilario Ulloa in the Jockey Club final.

In 2018, La Ensenada made one of the most resounding appearances by pulling off the surprise in Palermo, coming from the qualifier and achieving permanence for the following year. The team formed by four rookies between 19 and 28 years old dazzled with a showy and dynamic game.

In 2019, it suffered from changes in its members. The foursome was broken with the departure of Britos to play for La Dolfina Polo Ranch and last year, only Del Carril remained from the original lineup. Then appeared the figure of Bigatti in an alliance with La Aguada to try to recover the performance that had given them such good results.

Things have changed and for this year the three youngest players were reunited, with Bigatti in place of Facundo Fernández Llorente. The objective was more daring: to challenge the hierarchy of Ellerstina, the aura of La Dolfina, the experience of RS Murus Sanctus and the explosion of La Natividad, all of whom were competing.

“Compared to the big teams, we lack experience and horses, but what we don’t lack is desire. With what we have of horses and trying to organize ourselves as well as possible, each one on our own, we will try to get to those important matches as well as possible to give a fight to anyone,” Britos told the press as soon as the award ceremony was over, still holding the cup in his hands and with a smile tattooed on his face.

This Jockey Club Open was a clear demonstration of what teammates can do when they are in tune with each other. Winning a competition where Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso, Facundo Pieres, Juan Martín Nero, Pablo Mac Donough, Guillermo Caset, Facundo Sola and Hilario Ulloa also performed is a formidable demonstration of strength. And one detail should not be overlooked: La Ensenada was in the same bracket as La Dolfina and Ellerstina.

The team began their campaign with an 11-8 defeat at the hands of an Ellerstina team that included Facundo and Nicolás Pieres, Mackenzie Weisz and Matías Torres Zavaleta. But, they were able to recover with a 12-8 victory over La Dolfina (Poroto Cambiaso, Diego Cavanagh, Alejo Taranco, ‘Lukin’ Monteverde), a win that definitely boosted their self-confidence.

In the last match for the bracket, La Dolfina turned around an adverse score by achieving a 7-2 partial in the last two chukkers to beat Ellerstina 13- 9. The five consecutive goals for the team from Cañuelas, three of them by Monteverde, not only made it impossible for Ellerstina to reach the final, but also relegated it to third place in the group. Finally and by goal difference, it was La Ensenada (+1) who qualified for the decisive match. A true wink of fate.

The final against La H (Salvador, Carlos and Hilario Ulloa and Gonzalo Pieres Jr.) was extremely complicated. Early on, La Ensenada seemed to be asleep, with little attitude, slow to react and touching the ball a lot to try to position themselves offensively. It paid dearly, taking an initial disadvantage of 6-1.

However, its recovery was remarkable. It gradually reduced that huge five-goal margin and by the fourth chukker it led 8-7 thanks to a penalty by Zubía. From then on, it was unstoppable. The sixth period was an exhibition by Castagnola, who scored four of six unanswered goals to enter the last chukker with the cup practically in their pocket.

Its fast game, encouraged by the drive of Bigatti and the offensive ability of Castagnola, ended up defining the duel with a final score of 17-12. So categorical was the difference that even the four goals La H managed to score in the last chukker did not put at risk the superiority of La Ensenada.

Juan Britos, Alfredo Bigatti, Juan Martín Zubía and Barto Castagnola (front) won the Jockey Club Open.

Barto Castagnola took home the lion’s share of awards. He was MVP, his Anabel was Best Playing Pony and his El Overo Maravilla was Best Polo Argentino Bred. Gonzalo Pieres Jr. took the Fair Play Award.

This title with three members of the team that will play the Triple Crown (Jerónimo Del Carril will recover the place he gave to Castagnola) allows them to hope for something more than being considered as the ‘promising’ team. Nevertheless, in the run-up to the start of the Argentine high-goal season, they have taken another step towards the next challenge: to be a concrete threat in the polo elite.