October 2021 Polo Players' Edition - Seeing Green

Seeing Green

After success abroad, Polito Pieres Sets His Sights on Argentina

By Lucas Noel

Pablo "Polito" Pieres.

©Alice Gipps

After winning the 2020 USPA Gold Cup (played in March 2021) and reaching the semifinals in the 2021 Gold Cup and the U.S. Open with La Indiana in Palm Beach, Pablo ‘Polito” Pieres went on to reach the final of the British Open and win the Queen’s Cup with UAE. Polito is continuing his campaign abroad, competing in Sotogrande while already planning Argentina’s high-goal season with La Natividad. His performances, statistics and titles promise an auspicious Triple Crown in Argentina.

After your seasons in Palm Beach and England, where are you in your career?

In a very good moment. The truth is that in the United States, I had one of the best seasons of my career. Then, England was the icing on the cake, it was amazing. We started with a lot of complications with problems with horses, COVID, field issues, everything. We got the toughest group of all, in England’s toughest year and we ended up winning the Queen’s Cup.

It was a dream final against Cambiaso’s Scone. I was even happier to have done it with my cousin Tomy [Tomás Panelo], Maitha [Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum] and Tomy Beresford, who is a great teammate as well and one of the best players out there. Afterwards, it seemed like we weren’t going to get through our group in the Gold Cup because we had already given most of our horses a lot of activity and suddenly we found ourselves in the quarterfinals. We won that game (13-9 against Park Place), we won the semifinal (12-10 against Great Oaks) and ended up in the Gold Cup final. [It was] a dream season where we almost did a ‘double’. I believe that on the last day we were a bit hurt by the rain and the horses, which had already suffered a long season and were not in their best shape.

Why do you say that the title in the Queen’s Cup was the most important of your career? Why is it more important to you than the 2012 Gold Cup?

It is one of the most important for the players and for the entire UAE organization because we suffered a lot at the beginning: the horses arrived late, we couldn’t play because the field was very wet, we had some cases of COVID, the group we [drew] was very strong, [and] Maitha fell. There were many adversities and when you start winning in spite of that, it is much more enjoyable. And also to end up beating the team of Poroto and [Adolfo] Cambiaso in the final of the Queen’s Cup adds a lot of prestige. It is very enjoyable that it was against the best player in the world.

When it comes to the game analysis, does having beaten Poroto and [Adolfo] Cambiaso in the final add to the achievement?

Exactly. Poroto played at an impressive level in the United States. Obviously the fact that it was against them both adds a lot. They came from winning the U.S. Open. It’s always nice to win a tournament against one of the best teams.

Polito Pieres won the 2020 Gold Cup and made it to the semifinals of the 2021 Gold Cup and U.S. Open with La Indiana.

©David Lominska/Polographics.com

Tell me a little bit about the experience of playing with Sheikha Maitha, whom I imagine to be very competitive due to her Olympic background (she competed in taekwondo at the 2008 Beijing Games).

She is amazing. She is a horse fanatic and with Lucas [Monteverde] they created a fabulous organization like UAE, with very good people.

On the field she is impressive, very competitive and very winning. I was really surprised. I had played with her in Dubai and it had not gone well for us. We didn’t win many matches, but she still behaved very well with me, with a huge heart. This year was totally different. We did very well. She is a winner. In the big games, where we had to play well and win, she had a different attitude. She understands a lot about polo, so it was a pleasure to play and enjoy the English season with her on the field. There were a couple of patrons who played better than her, but with her winning mentality and positive attitude she performed better than many. Everything she achieved is well deserved.

Today, with many months to analyze, why did La Natividad’s past season in Argentina fall so far short of its own expectations?

People may have expected La Natividad to win the Argentine Open, but the reality was that we were a team in its first year and we didn’t have many horses. And Palermo is won with horses. The game we had to win, we won [12-11 vs. Murus Sanctus]. And then we were caught by an unbeatable La Dolfina and we suffered a tough day. I believe that this year we are going to be better. We have grown as players and as a team and we already know that we can work together. All four of us will be in Cañuelas this year, so I think it will be good and positive.

Did it play against you that there was so much talk about you guys in the preview? Barto [Bartolomé Castagnola Jr.] and Jeta [Camilo Castagnola] are still young.

Yes, of course. They need to gain experience in Palermo. Abroad it is very different from the Argentine Open. You have to catch the rhythm of Argentina, which is not easy. But the boys are already older, they are really good and when they tune in to the Argentine rhythm they will be lethal. We have to enjoy them.

Were you satisfied with your and Jeta’s positions at No. 1 & 2? Generally, both of you are No. 1s.

The truth is that we were very happy the day against Murus Sanctus. In that game, we showed great polo and Jeta and I played very well. We are going to try to repeat what we achieved that day. If we can do it, we will be a team with a lot of attack and a lot of goals.

La Natividad’s Nachi Du Plessis, Polito Pieres and Barto Castagnola have invested in horses to up their game in the Argentine Triple Crown.

©Sergio Llamera

You spoke several times about the horses and that they were not as they should have been. Please explain.

I had bought 10 horses from Las Monjitas and I had several of my own. And the boys grew up a lot and they had tournaments in the United States and in England. The truth is that it is very difficult to be organized in three countries. It all happened to them suddenly because of how well they were playing and maybe they ran out of horses in Argentina. It is difficult and you pay for it against organizations like Murus Sanctus, La Dolfina and Ellerstina. [Those teams] spend a lot of money and have a lot of breeding. It’s hard to compete. But this year the guys spent a lot, they bought a lot, so they are going to be much better. Nachi [Ignatius Du Plessis] and I are still spending on horses, so I think we are all on the same wavelength now to ride the best we can in Argentina.

You made a big investment and are also developing your breeding program. How is this personal project going?

It’s nice because I’m a fan of playing with a good mare. If it’s not from my breeding, I don’t mind so much. Obviously, it’s more enjoyable if it’s from your breeding and you played the mother, but it’s very difficult to get good horses. It happens to the best organizations that have to keep buying horses from elsewhere. It happens to them, so imagine all of us who get much less. Wherever a good mare appears, I try to buy her.

What is your analysis in the preview of this Argentine season? Is Ellerstina a step up, as everyone predicts? If so, who comes in the second step? Which team can be a surprise?

Ellerstina is one step higher because of their horses, which are at another level. I was there and I tell you it’s incredible. They put out 30 7-year-old horses per season. It’s crazy how well they do things with the horses. They are favorites because of that and because they are playing well too. But it’s going to be even. Murus Sanctus is also a great team. La Dolfina is La Dolfina and we have our own thing too. Then I think there are several teams that are good. La Ensenada is very interesting. It is going to be the most competitive year. It will be very nice to enjoy it on the field and for all the spectators in general.

During these past few weeks, Polito’s guns have begun to turn and aim at the Argentine Triple Crown. Very good performances in the United States and England are perhaps auguries for the most important moment of his professional year. Last season was a year where La Natividad learned a lot. It has been said that defeats are the best of teachers. The raw material of the Castagnola brothers, the offensive voracity of Polito himself and the presence of Du Plessis at Back will be a concrete threat in Tortugas, Hurlingham and Palermo. The four La Natividad players in their green jerseys are already on their way.