The 2026 Triple Crown in Argentina is already here! On a very cold Tuesday September 22, the Argentine Association of Polo Headquarters, located in Pilar, Province of Buenos Aires, hosted the two first games of the series first leg, the 133rd. Hurlingham Open, that saw La Natividad La Dolfina and Ls Monjitas victorious, over La Aguada and La Ensenada respectively. The Hurlingham Open sees eight teams up to 40 goals, partake.
The Triple Crown defending champions, La Natividad La Dolfina, and La Aguada opened fire. Despite the first chukka ended with a slight advantage for the Cañuelas-based foursome (2-1), the second chukka would commence to change the story. La Aguada’s Federico Panzillo (who temporarily subbed in for Iñaki Laprida) tied 2-2, but that was all for them; La Natividad La Dolfina seized the reins in order to build what would be a terrific victory. With Jeta Castagnola on fire (a total of twelve goals came from his mallet), and remarkably well supported by his brother Barto and his cousin Poroto Cambiaso, as well as some contributions from Adolfo Cambiaso, La Natividad La Dolfina swept La Aguada, who were unable to find their form, and were left scoreless for almost the remaining of the contest. It could be easily say that the deal was almost done by half time, when La Natividad La Dolfina claimed a commanding 13-2 lead, because nothing change in the second half – at the end of the day, the game was just a walk in the park for the title holders until the very last moment. By the start of the last chukka, they had an impressive 23-3 advantage, that was not enough for them – they added three more goals, to make it a terrific 26-3 win, that earned La Natividad La Dolfina the first spot in semifinals, fair and square.
The second contest was a completely different story. It was the comeback of Las Monjitas to the Triple Crown, after a six years absence, against a new La Ensenada lineup, with Diego Cavanagh and Juan Martín Zubía joining Jero del Carril and Juan Britos. Both teams played a remarkable, hard fought contest, exchanging the leadership, with slights advantages of no more than two goals. Each attack, each goal, was quickly replied by either Las Monjitas and La Ensenada, with the latter featuring a formidable Rufino Bensadón, who scored ten goals, and the crucial presence of Jero del Carril and Diego Cavanagh in the former. It was definelty anyone’s game – by the start of the last chukka, Las Monjitas had a narrow 10-9 lead.
Many thought the deal could be sealed in an extra chukka… but things changed in that last chukka, when Las Monjitas found their momentum. They outscored La Ensenada 5-1, with four great by Rufino and one by Pelón Stirling to claim a fantastic 15-11 victory, that sent them to the Hurlingham Open semifinals.
The 133rd. Hurlingham Open will resume on Wednesday September 22 with the two last quarter final matches:
1,30pm: Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu vs. Don Ercole
4,30pm: La Hache vs. Hiper Polo
133d. Hurlingham Open – Teams & Fixture
Cover photo by Matías Callejo / Prensa AAP.